Taming the Fierce Hound | Chapter 44 | Out of Control | Novela.app

Moonlight, like shards of icy jade, shattered across the lake's surface. A breeze from the horizon stirred a pool of scattered starlight. On the massive screen, the male and female leads stood by the mountain lake. Having escaped with their lives, they leaned into a tender embrace. It was a beautiful scene. Unfortunately, not a single person in the small screening room was actually watching it. *Thump. Thump. Thump.* The tip of a shoe rhythmically kicked the back of the seat with blatant malice. "Excuse me, could you please stop kicking the seat?" The good-natured Bai Mao finally reached his limit. He turned around and spoke in a low voice. He met a pair of eyes darker than a starless night sky. The man’s expression was deathly cold, and he looked at Bai Mao as if he were staring at a lifeless object. Bai Mao instantly became alert. *Is this guy some kind of psycho?* "I felt like kicking it, so I did." Si Jiang sat with his arms crossed. His black shirt was unbuttoned down to the fourth button, revealing a sharp jawline. He held his head high, radiating an insufferable arrogance. "You have no manners," Bai Mao said, his friendly face wrinkling in a frown. "I’m kicking my own chair in my own house. Is there a problem?" Si Jiang let out a cold sneer. "This cinema belongs to my family. You have a problem with that?" ...A show of wealth?! Bai Mao’s lip twitched. What kind of luck was this? To run into a bored, throwing-a-tantrum rich kid while trying to watch a movie—maybe he should buy a lottery ticket on the way out. Seeing that Si Jiang had no intention of stopping, Bai Mao rolled his eyes and ignored him. He leaned down and whispered to Zong Yan, "Senior, how about we switch seats and sit further down?" The vibration of the seat stopped. Under the faint white glow of the screen, the woman who had remained silent finally turned her head. The artificial moonlight fell upon her face, suiting her perfectly—distant and cold. When Si Jiang saw her gaze land on him, only for her to look away without the slightest reaction, a sharp pain throbbed in his chest, as if he were being seared by freezing dry ice. His breathing began to quicken. "Si Jiang..." Beside him, Chen Bai whispered a warning. *Don't lose control here.* Chen Bai looked at his childhood friend in despair. Si Jiang’s eyes were glued to that woman like raw flesh to a wound, as if he were being forcibly peeled away from her. He was being forced apart. Yet he looked utterly bewildered, seemingly unaware of his own desperate urge to grow back toward her. *How did it suddenly come to this?* Chen Bai watched Si Jiang intently, ready to restrain him the moment he snapped. If he had known, he never would have let him return to the country. Si Jiang felt every nerve in his body tearing. As Zong Yan nodded and stood up with that curly-haired guy, leaving him with nothing but the sight of her slender, bamboo-like back, he felt as though he were being burned to ash by that internal fire. "Who... gave you permission to leave?" He didn't realize how suppressed his voice sounded. "I won't allow it." It sounded like a scorched lute still trying to strain its strings. "Are you insane?" Bai Mao glared at him, suppressing his anger. If it weren't for the fact that making a scene in a public place would affect others, he really didn't want to let this person be so arrogant. Who goes around provoking strangers for no reason and then tries to control them? "Senior, let's just go to a different showing." Worried that Zong Yan would be upset, Bai Mao reached out to take her hand and lead her out. Just as his hand was about to touch Zong Yan’s arm, Si Jiang’s eyes turned bloodshot. He lashed out with his leg, delivering a vicious kick that nearly knocked Bai Mao and Zong Yan off balance. The sound was loud, drawing the attention of everyone in the theater. "Let go of her." "Huh?!" Bai Mao looked at him, bewildered. "Don't touch her." *Her? Senior?* *Does this person know her?* In that instant, a long-buried memory suddenly resurfaced in Bai Mao’s mind. His face, usually brimming with smiles, turned cold for the first time. With a rare display of force, he stepped in front of Zong Yan, blocking Si Jiang’s line of sight. He remembered. This person was... "You’re Si Jiang, aren't you?" As soon as the words left his mouth, both Si Jiang and Zong Yan’s gazes snapped toward him. Bai Mao knew Si Jiang? The usually harmless boy was now full of aggression. Meeting Si Jiang’s fierce gaze, he said, "How do you have the nerve to show your face in front of us?" Zong Yan’s brow twitched. Si Jiang spat, "None of your damn business. Who the hell are you?" Bai Mao looked at him with pure disdain. "I’ve heard all about it. You were in the same class as Senior. You were always inciting others to make life difficult for her. Even those thugs who came to harass her were sent by you!" Some things, if one cared enough to look into them, were easy to find out. Not to mention Li Jie’s gang; in the beginning, they constantly had Si Jiang’s name on their lips while hurling insults at Zong Yan. Because of this, Bai Mao had long wondered if Senior’s past suicide attempt was due to school bullying. Although he later learned about the old scars on Zong Yan’s body from a doctor and could guess she had experienced a tragic childhood, Zong Yan was an unimaginably resilient person. If there hadn't been a particularly painful recent stressor, why would she have suddenly chosen to give up? The name "Si Jiang" was undoubtedly tied to it. Thinking of this, he felt a deep sense of revulsion and hatred for the name. He just hadn't expected that someone who had disappeared for so long would suddenly appear here. And that he would still be acting so overbearing and making things difficult for her. A scumbag was truly a scumbag. "I’m telling you, as long as I’m here, don't even think about getting near her. If you try anything, I’ll call the police immediately!" Bai Mao issued a harsh warning, then pulled Zong Yan toward the exit. What rotten luck. He shouldn't have come to the movies. "Senior, are you okay?" He looked at Zong Yan with concern. Zong Yan’s expression was strange. She asked, "When did you find out about all that?" She had never mentioned those things. "I'm very smart, you know! I just asked a few people and figured it out!" Bai Mao’s expression immediately softened when he faced Zong Yan. "Don't be afraid, Senior. With me here, I won't let this guy do anything to you." Zong Yan opened her mouth, but she didn't know how to begin explaining. Just then, a muffled cry of alarm came from behind them. "Si Jiang! Don't!" The sound of frantic, heavy footsteps charged toward them. Zong Yan looked past Bai Mao at the man whose expression had completely transformed. With crimson eyes, he reached them in a few strides. She felt a sense of impending doom. Si Jiang seemed to have truly lost control. | Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | 陈柏 | Chen Bai | Si Jiang's childhood friend. | | 李杰 | Li Jie | A character mentioned as part of a gang that harassed Zong Yan in the past. | | 校园霸凌 | school bullying | Refers to the past events at school. | ---