Moonlight seeped through the window, casting a faint silver glow in the dark room.
Ye Jiming stared at the outline of her back. Her familiar fragrance lingered at the tip of his nose for some reason, stirring an inexplicable restlessness within him.
She had defended him in front of others, given him better food, allowed him to sleep on the bed, and even when he deliberately asked for canned food, she had not refused.
She really did a flawless act.
If it had been the past him, he probably would have been delighted by her sudden change.
Unfortunately, he was no longer the Ye Jiming who could be easily manipulated and slaughtered at will.
A malicious thought slowly surfaced in his heart.
A cold, mocking smile curved his lips.
I’ll make you show your flaws. Let’s see how long you can keep pretending.
Ji Chaoxi felt the person behind her move. A heavy arm pressed against her waist, and in the next moment, a firm body贴紧 her back.
Her whole body stiffened. Before she could speak, a soft, aggrieved voice sounded by her ear.
“Cold.”
The words she was about to say were swallowed back. She sighed lightly, forcing herself to ignore the sensation behind her and close her eyes to sleep.
Ye Jiming waited for a long time, but the expected backlash never came.
The scent at the tip of his nose was strange yet familiar.
His throat moved slightly.
Cold, dark currents surged in Ji Chaoxi’s eyes.
Back then, even accidentally touching the corner of her clothes would earn him a slap.
And now… she could endure this to such an extent?
Then what if he went further?
His hand slowly slid from her waist, tightening around her slender body, pulling her firmly into his arms.
Not leaving a single gap.
Ji Chaoxi could no longer sleep. She struggled slightly, but he only held her tighter.
“Ye Jiming, let go.”
“Why didn’t you hit me?”
“Let go first, and I’ll tell you.”
After a moment, his arms loosened.
Ji Chaoxi sat up and stood by the bed. In the faint moonlight, she looked at his blurred figure and exhaled softly.
“I won’t hit you anymore. Go to sleep. I’m going out for a walk.”
She picked up her coat and turned toward the door.
Just as she reached it, a weight pressed down behind her, pinning her against the door.
Ye Jiming’s voice drifted near her ear. “You really won’t hit me anymore?”
His breath brushed against her ear, making Ji Chaoxi’s ear faintly warm. She turned her head slightly. “No.”
The moment the word fell, a hand tilted her chin and forced her to turn back.
Ji Chaoxi’s pupils suddenly widened.
Ye Jiming kissed her.
The unfamiliar contact forced its way in.
“Mm—”
Ji Chaoxi tried to struggle, but she was trapped between the door and his body.
She tried to push him away, but the struggle only deepened the entanglement.
Anger surged through her. Seizing an opening, she bit down hard and unleashed her ability, breaking free from his restraint.
She slapped him across the face.
A sharp crack echoed in the room.
The atmosphere froze.
Ji Chaoxi panted heavily.
Ye Jiming licked the wound on his lip. “You said you wouldn’t hit me.”
“This is different!” Ji Chaoxi snapped, wiping her lips. “How could you—”
She forced herself to steady her breathing.
“Don’t do that again, and I won’t hit you.”
A short laugh came from the darkness.
The next moment, she was slammed against the door again, this time facing it.
“I said you can hit me…”
He kissed her again, stealing her breath.
Restraining her legs.
His hands moved upward—
A wave of numbness surged up her spine, not desire, but fear.
Ji Chaoxi struggled desperately, but her hands were pinned above her head, bound tightly by something.
Tear—
Her clothes made a strained sound.
Cold air brushed her skin.
“Ye Jiming, let go of me, or don’t blame me for being ruthless!”
He ignored her completely and lifted her up, throwing her onto the bed.
She hit the mattress hard, her vision spinning.
Then his weight came down on her.
A sharp bite landed on her neck.
“Ah—”
Pain shot through her.
Blood seeped out immediately.
The metallic scent filled the air, and Ye Jiming’s eyes turned red.
His gaze burned with violent frenzy.
The fabric was half undone.
His hand locked around her waist.
Violent, suffocating pressure—
Ji Chaoxi’s veins bulged. Her body tensed completely, like a fish out of water.
Ye Jiming was no better off. His jaw clenched hard, but his eyes burned with revenge-driven madness.
Ji Chaoxi gritted her teeth. “Ye Jiming, I’ll kill you!”
Dense wood-element energy exploded through the room. Vines burst from the ground like blades, shooting toward his back.
Ye Jiming didn’t even react.
“Ji Chaoxi, you owe me…”
Those words made the vines stop abruptly in midair.
A cruel smile curled on his lips.
He pressed forward.
Ji Chaoxi let out a muffled sound, unable to form a complete sentence.
The bed sheets were crumpled into chaos.
Dawn slowly arrived.
The forgotten blanket finally came into use.
Ji Chaoxi curled into a ball and fell asleep.
Her wood ability instinctively activated, healing her body with a soft life force.
Ye Jiming stood by the bed, a cigarette between his fingers, watching her exhausted face.
She hadn’t cursed him all night. She only trembled softly when in pain, which only made him more uncontrollable.
The cigarette fell from his fingers, dissolving into a gray-black mist.
Light fell across her slightly furrowed brows. She looked pale, tired, almost wronged.
He sat down beside her, eyes falling on the red marks on his wrist.
The bite on her neck was already healing.
He pulled down the blanket, revealing faint marks on her skin—but they would soon disappear completely.
Strangely, he disliked that.
As if nothing had happened.
His eyes darkened.
“Ji Chaoxi, we’re not done.”
The sleeping girl did not respond.
He watched as the marks faded completely and her skin returned to smoothness.
He stood up, dressed, and left.
A few seconds later, Ji Chaoxi slowly opened her eyes.