Even separated by two layers of mask, because of their intimate connection, Jiang Yi could still easily sense Ying Xun’s emotions, even though Ying Xun was forcibly suppressing himself and not releasing his pheromones.
His physiological instincts made him instinctively afraid, instinctively wanting to beg for mercy.
And also wanting to get closer, wanting Ying Xun to comfort him.
This was the instinctive submission and bond an omega felt toward the alpha after being marked.
Jiang Yi gritted his teeth and forcibly resisted this sickening feeling, a thin layer of sweat beading on his forehead, the smile at the corner of his mouth turning twisted.
But he kept smiling anyway, his tone deliberately light. “Teacher Ying, you’re misunderstanding me again. I told you, I don’t want your money, I like you, I want you to be my boyfriend, why won’t you believe me?”
As he spoke, he struggled to move the wrist Ying Xun was gripping tightly, the one holding the roses. “Look, see, I even went specially to the flower shop to buy you flowers. Everyone says you should bring flowers when you go see someone you like. The shop clerk said the meaning of roses is ‘passionate love,’ and it means ‘I love you’—Teacher Ying, do you like them?”
Under the dim lighting, the corners of Jiang Yi’s eyes tilted up slightly, his whole bearing sickeningly affected.
The faint scent of roses forced its way past the mask to his nose, and along with it, some rather unpleasant images forced their way into his mind.
He suddenly regretted why he’d come out to watch this man’s fit.
Ying Xun’s face turned vicious, and he raised his hand to snatch the roses from Jiang Yi’s grip and smashed them hard onto the ground.
Then dark rose juice spilled out from beneath Ying Xun’s feet, the broken petals and dark red juice sticking to the sole of Ying Xun’s high-end custom leather shoes, clinging to the gray-green floor tiles, ending this bright, brilliant life in such a lowly manner.
Jiang Yi lowered his eyes to glance at the roses Ying Xun had crushed underfoot, then raised his face to look at Ying Xun again. “Why did you step on the flowers? Doesn’t Teacher Ying like roses? Then tell me what you like, Teacher Ying, and I’ll bring it to you next time, okay?”
Ying Xun felt there was no need at all to keep talking to this lunatic, and coldly dropped the words “Fifty million, and you still have a day and a half,” then let go of Jiang Yi’s wrist and turned to leave.
“Teacher Ying, wait.”
Jiang Yi leaned against the wall, watching that cold retreating back, and called out to stop him. “Don’t rush off just yet. I didn’t know you don’t like roses, I won’t bring these next time. This time I came to find you, aside from bringing you flowers, mainly I wanted to thank you for sending me to the hospital in the rain last night.”
Ying Xun didn’t stop walking, and didn’t turn back either.
Jiang Yi went on, “And also, thank you for the coat, Teacher Ying. The pheromones on it smell really good, I like it a lot. Once the scent fades, I’ll wash it clean and bring it back to you, all right?”
Ying Xun’s footsteps finally paused, and he turned around, his tone vicious and dark. “No need. I don’t want something dirty.”
“Something dirty?” Jiang Yi played dumb. “It won’t be dirty once it’s washed clean.”
Ying Xun’s tone stayed the same. “You know I’m not talking about the coat.”
“Not the coat?” Jiang Yi paused for two seconds, and as Ying Xun turned to leave again, said as if just realizing, “So Teacher Ying means me?”
“But no matter how dirty I am, didn’t Teacher Ying still go to bed with me and mark me?” Jiang Yi smiled smugly. “The coat only got dirty from me wearing it once, doesn’t that make Teacher Ying even dirtier than the coat? I don’t mind Teacher Ying, so Teacher Ying shouldn’t mind the coat I’ve worn either.”
With every sentence Jiang Yi said, Ying Xun’s expression behind his sunglasses grew darker, the hand in his pocket clenching tighter and tighter, the veins on his arm standing out, a chilling wave of fury surrounding him.
It made people afraid to even look at him for long.
Jiang Yi was pressed down by this wave of fury until he could barely stand, and it was only the wall behind him that kept him from sinking to the ground.
Even in this sorry state, the smile at the corners of his eyes didn’t fade one bit.
It was far too obvious a provocation.
Jiang Yi was deliberately trying to make him angry.
Ying Xun stared fixedly at that unruly figure not far off, was silent for a few seconds, then took a deep breath, forcibly suppressed the anger in his heart, and said in a calm, cold voice, “Only forty million left.”
It wasn’t until Ying Xun’s figure disappeared around the corner that the pressure bearing down on Jiang Yi finally vanished completely.
Jiang Yi propped himself against the wall and slowly stood up, leaning his back against it to steady himself, and lowering his eyes to see the crushed roses on the ground, he couldn’t help but curl his lips and laugh out loud.
Heh heh, forty million, fifty million.
So this is how much he was worth.
The mocking laughter lingered on in that empty corner where no one passed by, until Jiang Yi tired of laughing and quieted down, glancing at the black coat he was wearing.
A trace of disgust quickly spread through his eyes.
Was it dirty?
He thought it was pretty dirty too.
Jiang Yi didn’t linger any longer, bent down to pick up the crushed roses, and walked toward the trash can at the corner. Drops of fresh blood fell from his wrist one after another.
Leaving a trail of blood behind him.
The cleaning staff at the creative park were very dutiful, and there wasn’t much trash in the bin.
Jiang Yi felt no attachment at all, tossed the roses into the trash can, then reached up to take off the coat he was wearing and threw it on top of the roses.
Blood ran along his hand, which he hadn’t managed to pull back in time, soaking into the black coat like ink, leaving a patch of bloodstain, only then did Jiang Yi notice his wrist was dripping blood.
It was probably because Ying Xun had gripped his wrist too hard just now, forcing open a wound that hadn’t fully healed yet.
Tsk, what a hassle.
He couldn’t even die from it.
And it just kept flowing without stopping.
Jiang Yi impatiently shook his arm, watching the drops of blood fall into the trash can like a broken string of pearls, soaking into the coat, making that piece of clothing even dirtier, and smiled with satisfaction.
A few seconds later, he suddenly withdrew his smile, lifted his eyelids, glanced coldly up and to the right, and said in a flat, threatening tone, “Don’t hover in front of me.”
Little 999, both scared and anxious, shook its body, and after struggling with itself for a while, still couldn’t help but voice its concern. “Host, you’re bleeding.”
“I’m not blind.”
“Then you, you should hurry to the hospital and get it bandaged…”
“Why should I bandage it?” Jiang Yi laughed coldly. “Aren’t I unable to die anyway? Just let it keep bleeding.”
999 was so anxious its voice was nearly cracking. “No, you can’t just let it keep bleeding like this. You have to go get it bandaged, hurry and go get it bandaged.”
It was true he couldn’t die, but every time he woke up again, his body’s condition would be a little worse than before, to the point that in the end he might be left hanging on by only a single breath, this crucial piece of information, 999 hadn’t told Jiang Yi.
It was afraid that if Jiang Yi knew, he would hurt himself without holding anything back, trying to find a chance to lose even that last breath.
Jiang Yi glanced at 999 again and said nothing.
In the end, he still pressed his wrist and went into the nearest pharmacy.
Jiang Yi’s face, already utterly bloodless, had turned pale as a sheet of white paper after losing that much more blood, looking as though he might faint at any moment.
It frightened the shop clerk enough that they wanted to call an ambulance for him.
But Jiang Yi refused.
After getting a simple bandage done and coming out of the pharmacy, Jiang Yi went to a shop and bought a set of clothes, changing out of his hospital gown.
Then he went back to the entrance of the creative park, found a spot, and sat down to wait for Ying Xun.
Because 999 had told him Ying Xun still had an interview at the creative park in the afternoon, and since he had nothing better to do anyway, he figured he might as well find something to occupy himself with in the meantime.