Clearly, Rose had no intention of continuing this dull topic.
She had little appetite, listlessly stirring the salad on her plate, exuding an air of world-weariness.
Her bare face looked quite different from her full makeup, yet Li Yuan found her natural appearance incredibly captivating.
He loved seeing her reveal her most authentic self to him—even her undisguised expressions of disgust felt vividly real to him.
“No appetite?”
The beaming Li Yuan even found the foul-smelling shark meat on his plate transformed into a culinary delight.
“What do you think? President Li seems quite forgetful—do I need to remind you what you did to me yesterday?”
Rose smiled sarcastically, meaningfully touching the glaring red marks on her neck.
“Mmm, my fault, I deserve punishment. So, how does Xiao Manman plan to punish me?”
Li Yuan smirked again, his foot under the table growing restless as he began gently rubbing against her calf.
The tacky nickname “Xiao Manman” sent shivers down Rose’s spine.
“President Li, are you two-faced? Yesterday you were cold and violent, and today you’re so greasy it’s nauseating.”
“Manman feels nauseous? Could it be… you’re pregnant?”
Li Yuan feigned a look of horror.
“Get lost.”
Rose rolled her eyes in annoyance, picking a cherry tomato from her salad and throwing it at him.
He caught it directly with his mouth, then chuckled as he savored it slowly.
“Manman’s feeding is just different—so delicious…”
“Enough. You’re even more disgusting than this plate of shark meat. Can you tone it down?”
He shrugged noncommittally, doubling down on the greasiness: “Since Manman has no appetite, let’s change the order of our meal. How about starting with me? It might just whet your appetite.”
Rose’s frown deepened enough to crush a fly. After a long pause, she let out a seductive, light laugh.
“Perhaps. But how we do it is up to me.”
“No problem.”
Unaware of her intentions, Li Yuan confidently nodded and boasted.
At most, it would just mean more variety in bed. Being a pervert himself, he could certainly handle it.
Rose gave a sly smile, immediately standing up and walking over to him. She roughly grabbed his tie: “Let’s go, doggy.”
“Woof woof!”
To her surprise, Li Yuan actually barked twice in response, letting her pull him up and drag him along like livestock.
How unexpected. Even though he was being physically dominated, he felt exhilarated—even a little eager?
Perhaps… his depravity was on par with that hypocritical beast Li Yan.
Maybe his parents abandoning him was the right choice after all?
As soon as they entered the villa where Li Yan was, Li Yuan pinned her against the doorframe, leaning in to kiss her.
“Who said you could take the initiative, you disobedient mutt!”Rose scolded sharply, slapping him across the face without hesitation.”
Li Yan, his face turned to the side from the blow, licked his split lip, his smile growing more wicked. “Mmm, my mistake. So, how does Manman plan to punish me?”
“To the bed. You’ll find out.”
A meaningful smile curled at Rose’s lips as she continued to drag him by his tie up to Li Yan’s room on the second floor.
Unhurriedly, she pulled a tie from her bag and bound his hands and feet.
The position was strikingly similar to how Li Yan was tied up in another room.
Throughout it all, Li Yuan kept laughing, his low chuckle infectious enough to draw a crimson smile from Rose’s lips.
“Now I’m going to blindfold you. Scared?”
“What do you think?”
He licked his lips with a wicked grin, looking utterly eager.
“Pervert.”
She laughed and slapped him again, then decisively slipped the blindfold over his eyes.
“What’s next? Candles? Or the small whip? It’s fine—whatever helps you vent, I’ll take it.”
“Candles? The small whip? You’re seriously underestimating me…”
Rose’s lips curled into a chilling smile as she slowly pulled a fruit knife from her bag.
“It might… hurt a little…”
Her fingertip brushed his abdomen, her voice husky and seductive.
“Mmm…”
Her light touch sent shivers across his skin, and a soft, pleasant sound escaped Li Yuan’s lips.
“Or maybe… you’ll die!”
Rose’s smile deepened. The moment she lifted his blindfold, she drove the knife hard into his stomach.
A frenzied grin spread across her face as she waited to see his expression—shock, pain, disbelief.
But Li Yuan was still smiling, not even a furrow in his brow. The look he gave her was one of wild, extreme fervor.
It was… unsettling.
Instinctively, Rose swallowed, sensing danger. She tried to bolt.
With a sharp rip—Li Yuan tore free from the restraints on his wrists and ankles, grabbed her slender, pale ankle, and dragged her back beneath him.
“Xiao Manman, did you forget? The sight of blood only excites me more! What should I do? I’m growing fonder of you by the minute.”
He let out a soft, teasing laugh, nuzzling her nose like a lover. His eyes, burning with desire and possessiveness, reflected Rose’s terrified face.
She stubbornly turned her head away, expression defiant, as if to say, Do what you will.
Li Yuan forced her to face him again, pulled the fruit knife from his abdomen, and tossed it aside.
Hot blood gushed out. Pressed skin to skin, Rose felt the liquid soak her stomach—strangely hot and damp. So this was the difference between blood and warm water on the skin.
The thick scent of blood filled the air. Goosebumps rose all over her body. In her stubborn eyes, a flicker of fear finally surfaced.
“Satisfied now? If not, want to stab me a couple more times?”
Li Yuan’s grin was utterly shameless.
“Lunatic…”
Rose cursed under her breath, her eyes red.
“You’ve known all along that I’m a madman and a pervert, haven’t you? You started this fire—now you’ll have to put it out, Xiao Manman~~”
Ignoring his bleeding wound, Li Yuan pinned her hands above her head and captured her lips in a forceful kiss.
This was… intense.
She wondered if the little innocent hiding in the wooden wardrobe less than fifty centimeters away could handle such a scene.
As for her? She was thoroughly enjoying it.
Rose, now pinned beneath him, smirked faintly, her mocking gaze fixed on the slatted wardrobe nearby.
Inside the wardrobe, Ran Yuan—bound tightly, gagged, and utterly immobilized—stared through the narrow gap in disbelief and terror. Her eyes remained fixed on the passionate, entangled couple nearby. It felt as though her heart had been brutally stabbed by the two of them, leaving behind a gaping, bleeding wound. The pain was so intense it stole her breath.
So this is what it feels like when sorrow reaches its peak—no tears would come.
Was that really the Li Yan she knew?
Why did he seem so unfamiliar?
Hadn’t he always claimed to be fastidious?
Then why did he show no disgust toward Jiang Xiaoman—a woman whose lips had been kissed by countless others, whose arms had embraced innumerable men?
Their conversation, their actions—it was clear this wasn’t the first time they had been together.
How long had they been carrying on like this?
Was Li Yan’s supposed affection for her nothing but a lie?
Had they conspired to deceive her, all for the sake of revenge?
But she wasn’t the one who drove Jiang Xiaoman away back then. What had she done to deserve such cruelty from them?