Library emergency exit, stairwell.
The motion-sensor light flickered on with the sound of footsteps, yet it still couldn’t illuminate the dim space.
The air was thick with the smell of dust and old paper.
Pale light fell on the concrete steps, reflecting a cold, icy gleam.
Lin Ran closed the door behind her and locked it, completely cutting off the bright world outside.
“What are you doing?” Lu Feng asked warily, watching her.
Lin Ran didn’t speak, only moved forward, step by step, closing the distance between them.
Until they were so close they could feel each other’s breath.
Then she rose on her tiptoes, wrapped her arms around his neck, and pressed her entire body against him.
“Lin Ran!” He grabbed her arms.
“Shh.” Her lips were almost touching his. “Don’t move.”
As the words fell, the kiss followed.
It wasn’t a light, tentative kiss.
It was an aggressive, undeniable deep kiss.
Her tongue forcefully pried open his lips, tangling with his.
Lu Feng’s mind went blank.
His heart raced, blood surged, a storm erupted within him—and damn it, he actually reacted!
The stairwell was quiet, filled only with their mingled breaths and… the faint sound of footsteps outside the door.
Someone seemed to be approaching.
“Someone’s here…” Lu Feng tried to push her away, but Lin Ran only held him tighter.
Her hands slid from his neck to his back, her fingers tightening through the thin fabric of his shirt. Lu Feng’s breathing grew suddenly ragged.
The footsteps stopped outside the door.
“Lu Feng… brother?” Su Wanyu’s voice trembled with tears. “Are you in there?”
Lu Feng’s body stiffened.
Lin Ran pulled back slightly, her lips still brushing his as she whispered, “Should we open the door?”
“Let her see you like this?”
“Lin Ran…” Lu Feng’s voice was hoarse, almost unrecognizable. “Enough.”
“Not enough.”
With that, Lin Ran bit down hard on his collarbone, her teeth pressing through the thin fabric of his shirt.
“You—”
The sharp pain made Lu Feng gasp.
Instinctively, he tried to push her away, but Lin Ran’s arms locked tightly around his waist like vines clinging to a tree.
Time seemed to stand still.
In the dim stairwell, under the flickering emergency light, dust danced in the air.
The sound of knocking echoed in his ears.
Like drumbeats, pounding against his heart.
Suddenly, everything around him became a chaotic blur.
Lu Feng could only feel the pressure of the girl’s teeth against his skin, the pain intertwining with a strange, shivering thrill.
He was being marked.
Lin Ran was marking him like a wild animal!
This realization made Lu Feng’s blood run cold. Humiliation and another, more complicated emotion clashed violently in his chest.
He should push her away, he should get angry, he should shout at her…
But he just stood there, letting her bite him.
Letting the pain spread, letting the brand etch itself into his skin.
After what felt like an eternity, Lin Ran released him.
She took a step back, her tongue slowly licking her small canine tooth—a slow, ambiguous gesture, as if savoring something delicious.
A burning, stinging pain radiated from Lu Feng’s collarbone.
He didn’t need to look to know there must be a clear bite mark there, perhaps even bleeding.
“Does it hurt?” she asked.
Lu Feng stared at her, the corners of his eyes reddening, his voice icy cold. “What do you think?”
Lin Ran smiled triumphantly, her eyes shining brightly.
“Lu Feng, remember this pain.”
“This is the brand I, Lin Ran, have given you.”
Lu Feng looked at her, his gaze dark and unreadable.
Outside the door, Su Wanyu was still knocking. “Brother Lu Feng! I know you’re in there! Say something!”
Lin Ran turned and opened the door.
Outside, Su Wanyu’s eyes were red, tear stains streaking her face.
Seeing Lin Ran emerge from inside, her clothes neat but her lipstick smudged.
Then looking at Lu Feng, his pale lips tinged with a rosy hue—it didn’t take a genius to guess what had just happened.
Su Wanyu felt as if her heart were being torn apart, tears falling in large drops.
Lin Ran didn’t even glance at her, walking straight past.
Only Lu Feng and Su Wanyu remained in the emergency stairwell.
Silence washed over them like a tide.
“She…” Su Wanyu’s voice trembled.
“Xiao Yu.” Lu Feng spoke, his voice weary. “From now on, let’s see less of each other.”
Su Wanyu felt as if struck by lightning. “Wh-why? Is it because of Lin Ran? Did she threaten you? We can figure it out together, we can call the police, we can—”
“It’s useless.” Lu Feng cut her off. “She hasn’t broken any laws, at least not openly.”
“My father’s job, my uncle’s debts—they’re all ‘legal’ too.”
“What would we tell the police? That the Lin family’s young mistress forced me to be her servant?”
By the end, a hint of self-mockery tinged his voice.
Su Wanyu stepped forward and grabbed his sleeve. “So you’re just going to give in like this? Brother Lu Feng, you’re not that kind of person! You’ve never bowed to anyone before!”
“That’s because no one had ever stepped on my weakness before.”
Lu Feng gently brushed her hand away. “I’m not the invincible Brother Lu Feng you imagine.”
“I’m just an ordinary person, someone who gets scared, who compromises.”
Su Wanyu’s eyes reddened, and she grabbed his hand tightly.
“I’m ordinary too! I like you, Brother Lu Feng, I’ve always liked you!”
“We can be together, I’ll stand by you against her! Once we’re together, if Lin Ran keeps bothering you, she’ll be the other woman—everyone will despise her! Someone as proud as her would never stand for that reputation!”
She spoke quickly, as if pouring out all her feelings in one go.
Lu Feng’s mind flashed to Lin Ran’s cold, possessive eyes when she had warned him.
Reputation?
Despised?
Would that madwoman care?
She’d probably find it more interesting, more thrilling, then pour all her anger and methods onto them twice as hard.
Lu Feng gently withdrew his hand. “I’m sorry, I don’t want to drag you into this.”
“I’m not afraid of being dragged in!”
“I am.” Lu Feng looked at her, his expression complicated. “Xiao Yu, even without Lin Ran, I wouldn’t accept your confession.”
“Because I’ve always seen you as a little sister.”
Su Wanyu froze.
Tears welled in her eyes, her face filled with disbelief.
“Little sister?” she repeated the word, her voice breaking. “Just… a little sister?”
“Yes.”
Lu Feng no longer looked at her, leaving the emergency stairwell and turning into the restroom.
He stood before the mirror, unbuttoning the top of his shirt, gradually revealing the bite mark on his collarbone.
The pain was sharp, carrying a burning heat, like a brand left by red-hot iron.
He closed his eyes.
His mind replayed everything that had just happened—
Lin Ran’s breath as she drew near, the pain of her bite, the look in her eyes as she pressed her lips together…
Chaotic emotions churned in his chest—humiliation, anger, helplessness, and…
a hidden, secret thrill he didn’t even want to admit to himself.
He should hate her.
And he did hate her!
Lu Feng suddenly opened his eyes, turned on the faucet, and splashed cold water on his face.
He looked up at his reflection in the mirror, a cold sneer curling at the corner of his mouth.
That vicious, crazy woman—what was he getting all worked up for?
Su Wanyu stood where she was, watching Lu Feng’s back disappear around the corner.
The silence of the library enveloped her, a quiet so heavy it felt like it could tear her apart.
After a long moment, she raised her hand and roughly wiped away her tears.
No.
Brother Lu Feng was only lying about seeing her as just a sister because he was worried Lin Ran would retaliate against her.
He was trying to protect her!
Yes, that had to be it!
Su Wanyu took out her phone and sent a message to Lin Ran.
[I want to talk to you.]
[Time and place?]
[Now, at the school café.]
[Ok.]