Yu Mo lingered at the door for a moment longer, her hands and feet growing numb from the cold.
It seemed no one was home.
Next door, the mother was shouting at her child again. "It’s been since six o'clock and you haven't finished a single page! Don't bother going to school tomorrow; go pick through the trash instead. Since you don't want to go to school and you won't write your characters, I’ll just tear them up for you!"
The sound of a young boy’s whimpering pleas for mercy followed.
Yu Mo stood there for a beat before turning to head downstairs. Her rationality was slowly returning. What was she even doing here?
As she stepped out of the stairwell, a gust of wind swirled several scraps of paper against her face. She pulled her cashmere coat tighter around her. It was the kind of weather where dripping water turned instantly to ice, and even her fine coat couldn't withstand such a chill.
She shouldn't have come.
She quickened her pace to leave. Qi Lian’s phone call and the sentence she had seen online had made her lose her mind. This was good for neither of them.
Just as she turned the corner from behind Building Four, she looked up and her footsteps faltered. Someone was running toward her from the other end of the path.
She wanted to run, but she knew it was too late. They only needed one glance to recognize each other. She stood frozen, unable to move forward or retreat.
Despite the freezing weather, that tall figure wore only a black hoodie and loose sweatpants. When he saw Yu Mo at the end of the path, his running stride seemed to lock in place. After a few seconds, he accelerated, charging toward her.
Yu Mo turned to run in a panic. His appearance made her skin crawl; under the streetlights, his eyes looked like a wolf’s in the dark, glowing with an eerie green light.
But it was too late. She had only taken two steps when she heard his ragged breathing behind her. A second later, she was hoisted into the air.
She couldn't help but cry out, her voice hushed and urgent. "What are you doing? Put me down!"
The corner of Qi Lian’s mouth was cut, and the adrenaline coursing through his body hadn't subsided yet. His breath was hot enough to burn.
He carried Yu Mo over his shoulder, striding forward like a black bear that had just caught its prey.
"I told you never to let me see you again. If I see you, you won't escape."
Yu Mo was hanging upside down, the jolting motion making her feel nauseous. Her heart hammered against her ribs as she pounded on Qi Lian’s back. "Let me down, do you hear me?"
She didn't dare scream. The buildings were close together, and she still had her pride to consider.
Her struggles were futile. Finally, she cried out, "I'm going to throw up, Qi Lian!"
With a swing of his arms, Qi Lian lowered her, shifting her into a bridal carry.
Yu Mo felt the world spinning. She could only clutch the fabric of his shirt at his chest, burying her head in his embrace to fight off the waves of vertigo and nausea.
She heard the sound of a door opening and a light flicking on. When she lifted her head from his chest, the sight made her heart leap in terror.
Qi Lian’s brow bone and the corner of his mouth were split open, the raw pink flesh seeping fresh blood. There was a bruise on his cheek and dried blood beneath his nose. He looked like a panting, wounded beast.
Yu Mo reached out to touch his face. "What did you do? Huh? Do you want to die?"
Qi Lian’s movements were rough. He set Yu Mo down on the dining table, bunching up her clothes and pushing them up to her chest.
Yu Mo struggled, but she was no match for him. "No. Don't."
A cry of pain escaped her as the beast gnawed at the tenderest flesh of her neck.
"I told you not to let me see you. Today, even if the King of Heaven himself showed up, I’m going to have you."
Yu Mo remembered reading in a book once that men who had just come from battle needed a woman to cool their boiling blood.
She knew she couldn't escape.
"Don't fight anymore," she said, her voice trembling as she arched her neck.
"It doesn't matter. Even if I die, it’s no big deal," he said fiercely.
Yu Mo pushed at him. "It hurts."
The beast remained entirely unmoved.
"I'm cold," Yu Mo tried again.
Qi Lian scooped her up and carried her into the bedroom, tucking her under the covers before turning on the air conditioner.
Regardless of whether he had lost his mind, he had always taken care of her every need.
His large-knuckled hands gripped her pale, slender arms, flipping her over and back as if she were a small bird.
He was like a sledgehammer smashing against the thin ice of a winter pond—relentless and without mercy. *Thud, thud, thud.*
He had reached his limit. Terrified, Yu Mo tried to push him away. "Get out, Qi Lian, you can't."
Qi Lian pinned her down with a single hand, the veins in his neck bulging. He spoke through gritted teeth. "Why can't I? Give me a child. I promise I’ll never look for you again. I’ll raise the child myself."
Seconds later, he withdrew.
They watched the volcano erupt.
Yu Mo lay on her back, one of Qi Lian’s arms draped over her. He lay prone, his head resting in the crook of her neck.
She didn't know what temperature the air conditioner was set to, but the room was stiflingly hot. Both of them were slick with sweat.
"Don't fight, Qi Lian," Yu Mo said weakly. She couldn't stand to see him like this.
"You dumped me. Whether I live or die has nothing to do with you. If you want to look after me, then stay right here in front of me and watch."
He didn't lift his head, his voice sounding muffled.
"Do you sleep with him?"
Yu Mo turned her head in shock. Before she could speak, Qi Lian’s palm reached out to cover her mouth and nose, smothering her until she could barely breathe.
"Don't say it. I don't want to know. It doesn't matter, as long as you don't carry his seed."
Yu Mo pulled his hand away, gasping for air.
"Qi Lian, the first time we did it, you asked me if it had been a long time. You said you could feel it, and you were afraid of hurting me. Can't you feel it now? You already know the answer."
Qi Lian buried his head and said nothing. Neither of them spoke; only the wind outside whistled against the window.
Yu Mo’s delicate skin felt a slight sting from the prickle of Qi Lian’s stubble.
"Don't show up in Lianhua again. Don't let me see you. If there’s a next time, you won't be leaving."
