007: You’re Mine, How Dare You Wag Your Tail at Someone Else?
Wen Yan’s blood froze instantly.
She stared at him in terror. “How are you here?”
She was smart—she knew not to ask about the coat first, but to ask why he was here, then find a way to stabilize him and get the professor’s coat back.
The man stepped closer, his faint smile turning pathological. His gaze swept across her slender neck as he said with interest:
“You’re my little puppy. How could I not know where you are, hm?”
Wen Yan jerked her head down and yanked the necklace out from her collar. The specially made material gleamed gold in the sunlight.
Wen Yan was stunned for a moment, then demanded sharply, “You put a tracker in it?”
The man gave an “mm-hmm” and admitted without shame, “That’s right. I need to keep an eye on you at all times, don’t I?”
Wen Yan ignored him and began pulling at the necklace with her bare hands.
But the material was exceptionally sturdy. No matter how hard she pulled, she only managed to leave a red mark on her neck, while the necklace didn’t budge an inch.
The man waited patiently until she had exhausted her strength, then spoke slowly and smugly:
“Stop wasting your effort. Without my key, you can’t get it off.”
“Pei Jinye, don’t you dare think—even if I die, I will never submit to you!” Wen Yan roared.
“Whether you live or die doesn’t matter to me. But do you want to watch your family die along with you?” Pei Jinye paused, drawing out his words as if casually mentioning it.
“Last night I ran into your brother, on that road to the hospital. Wen Yan, walking alone at night isn’t very safe, wouldn’t you say?”
“Pei Jinye, shut up!!” Wen Yan shrieked, cutting him off, bloodshot veins surfacing in her eyes along with frantic terror. “I won’t let you touch my brother!”
The air went silent for a few seconds, leaving only her ragged breathing.
Pei Jinye seemed to relish her reaction. He stopped mentioning her brother, his gaze drifting slowly back to the coat in the crook of his arm. He lifted the suit jacket with two fingers and dangled it in front of Wen Yan, shaking it.
“Fine then. I won’t touch him. Now let me ask you,” he said. “Whose is this?”
Wen Yan bit her lower lip and shook her head. “I don’t know.”
“Don’t know?” Pei Jinye laughed lowly, as if he’d heard the funniest joke.
But his laughter stopped abruptly after a moment. He suddenly shot out his hand and seized Wen Yan’s slender neck.
“Ah!” Wen Yan gasped, caught off guard, her breath constricting.
“Wen Yan,” Pei Jinye’s face closed in bit by bit, the tip of his nose nearly touching hers, malice churning in his eyes. “How dare you lie to me, hm?”
His grip tightened slowly. Wen Yan was forced to tilt her head back, her face flushing red from lack of oxygen, a gurgling sound escaping her throat.
But he was like someone toying with a dying prey. His other hand pulled a folding knife from his pocket, flicking open the sharp blade with a click. The cold flat of the blade patted her cheek lightly.
“Tell me the truth,” his thin lips pressed against her ear, his breath icy. “Otherwise, I will definitely cut out your tongue.”
The cold blade slid between her lips, touching her warm tongue. Wen Yan shuddered violently but held her body rigidly straight, not uttering a single word.
Neither suffocation nor threats could make her compromise.
Stubborn indeed.
“You think I don’t know just because you won’t say?” The man sneered. “It’s that Professor Fu’s, isn’t it?”
Wen Yan’s heart jolted. She slowly closed her eyes, as if bracing herself for the coming storm.
Sure enough, seeing her refuse to admit it, Pei Jinye’s expression turned completely dark. The hand around her neck suddenly tightened.
Wen Yan’s breath was completely cut off. Her eyes rolled upward uncontrollably. Just as she thought he was going to choke her to death, the pressure on her neck suddenly released.
Wen Yan went limp and collapsed to the ground.
The man pulled the knife from her mouth, then swung his arm and hurled the coat away. He stepped on it with his leather shoe, grinding it heavily beneath him, as if trampling a person underfoot.
After stomping on the coat, he still wasn’t satisfied. He slashed several holes in the suit with his knife, tossed it to the ground, then strode back to Wen Yan in a few steps. He crouched down, roughly grabbed her chin, and roared:
“Wen Yan, you’re my little puppy. How dare you wag your tail at someone else?”
Wen Yan was startled by his voice, and tears of instinct welled up in her eyes.
“Crying?” Pei Jinye’s rough thumb pressed heavily across her cheek, wiping away her tears with enough force to make her skin sting faintly.
“Crying won’t help. Wipe away your tears.”
He continued, “Wen Yan, I’ll give you two choices now. One: go kneel outside for an hour, then go to school. Two: come with me to find that Fu guy, show him your puppy tag, and let him know you’re my little puppy. From now on, he’d better stay smart and keep his distance from my puppy!”
“You’re insane! Pei Jinye! Professor Fu and I aren’t what you think at all. He’s helped me before, he just—”
“But what?” Pei Jinye cut her off, his voice rising sharply. “Men understand men best. You think I can’t see through his little schemes? Wen Yan, I’m warning you—any improper thoughts you might have, you’d better tuck them away and save them for the right person!”
“If I were you, I’d be doing everything in my power to please me right now, to make me happy! Instead of talking back to me over some other man and making me unhappy—understand? Make me happy, and you’ll have a good life. Got it?!”
Wen Yan turned her face away and said nothing more. After a moment, when a bit of strength had returned to her body, she walked out of the laundromat and knelt directly on the open grass.
She didn’t want to waste another word on this madman. It was just an hour of kneeling—once it was done, she could go to school.
She didn’t want to drag anyone else into this. She could bear the pain alone.
Pei Jinye watched her leave, momentarily stunned. Once he snapped out of it, he strolled over slowly and stopped in front of her.
He looked around, then raised his hand to point at the cobblestone path nearby. “Go kneel over there.”
Wen Yan said nothing. She simply stood up, moved to the cobblestone path, and knelt down again.
Pei Jinye stood behind her, the toe of his leather shoe tapping the ground in a steady rhythm, as if striking at her nerves.
Minute by minute passed. A dull ache and numbness gradually crept through her lower back, and Wen Yan’s body swayed slightly.
“Kneel up straight.” The man lifted his foot and gave her back a light, indifferent kick, his voice icy.
Wen Yan immediately straightened her spine.
Though it was spring, the morning wind still carried a faint chill as it swept past in gusts.
Kneeling on the cold stones, she couldn’t help but shiver.
Just then, a jacket warmed by body heat draped over her from behind, dispelling the chill. But along with it came that thick, heavy smell of tobacco, crashing headlong into her nostrils.