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Bonus chapter! Thank you to --- for the donation! ^^
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The warm touch sent Ruan Qing's heart skipping a beat, his slender fingers trembling slightly.
His face wasn't just faintly flushed now—it was visibly red, the blush spreading all the way to the corners of his eyes. The tear mole at the edge of his eye already disrupted his usual cold elegance, and now, with the redness, he looked devastatingly beautiful, like peach blossoms in full bloom.
Miao Li could no longer restrain himself. His lips, still close to Ruan Qing's hand, instinctively parted, his tongue lightly tracing Ruan Qing's palm.
What should have felt like a puppy's affectionate lick instead carried the eerie sensation of a serpent flicking its tongue—sinister, as if he might devour him whole at any moment.
The warm, wet touch sent a shudder through Ruan Qing, along with an emotion he couldn't quite name.
It wasn’t pleasure—it was something closer to panic.
A flicker of alarm flashed in Ruan Qing's eyes, and he instinctively pulled his hand back.
Miao Li paused, staring at his now-empty palm, his gaze instantly darkening into something terrifying.
In that moment, he bore no resemblance to the gentle, refined young master. Instead, he looked like a vengeful ghost clawing its way out of hell.
Closing his eyes, Miao Li took a breath. When he looked up again, his usual tenderness had returned, and he offered Ruan Qing a soft smile.
"Why don't you sit and rest for a while? I'll handle this."
Ruan Qing wasn’t sure what had come over him earlier. He wanted to explain, but seeing Miao Li’s calm demeanor, he simply nodded obediently.
"You don’t have anything here. I’ll go get some supplies from my place."
Miao Li didn’t want him out of his sight—not even for a second. But his self-control was already fraying; just looking at Ruan Qing was enough to unravel him. So he forced a smile and nodded.
"Alright. Be careful on your way."
Every villager in Miao Village was under Miao Li’s control—though he usually couldn’t be bothered to monitor those repulsive creatures. But after yesterday’s incident, he had tightened his grip. He wasn’t worried about anything going wrong.
What he hadn’t accounted for was the strangers who had appeared last night—the one wild card he hadn’t anticipated.
Lost in thought, Ruan Qing didn’t notice the figure approaching from behind. Halfway to his destination, a hand suddenly clamped over his mouth, yanking him back without warning.
"Mmmph...!" Ruan Qing's eyes widened in panic as he struggled desperately, trying to scream for help—but his mouth was firmly covered, muffling any sound.
His strength was no match for the person restraining him from behind, and in the end, with tears glistening at the corners of his eyes, he was dragged into the nearby bushes.
The man made no effort to hide his identity. Once he had pulled Ruan Qing behind the bushes, he kept one arm locked around his slender waist, resting his chin on Ruan Qing’s shoulder while finally freeing his mouth.
"Good morning."
The position allowed Ruan Qing to see him clearly with just a glance—it was the same man who had stopped him by the lake last night.
"It's you!"
"What the hell do you want?!" Ruan Qing glared at him furiously, twisting in his grip, but the man held him from behind, making it impossible to break free.
"Let me go!!!"
Perhaps because Ruan Qing struggled too violently, Fang Qingyuan reached up and gripped his chin, his hold firm and unyielding—a stark contrast to his tender tone.
"Be good," he murmured, voice dripping with indulgence. "If you hurt yourself, I’ll feel terrible."
Ruan Qing shrank back instinctively, trying to turn his face away, but Fang Qingyuan's grip on his jaw was too strong.
"H-help—mmph—!"
The moment Ruan Qing opened his mouth to scream, Fang Qingyuan tightened his fingers, forcing his jaw to stay slack—silencing him completely.
"Shh. Quiet now."
The pain brought a sheen of tears to Ruan Qing’s eyes, his lashes trembling as they reddened, making him look utterly pitiful.
With his mouth forced open, the soft, pink inside was faintly visible—warm, wet, and delicate, like cotton candy.
Fang Qingyuan froze for a second, his grip loosening slightly in surprise.
Seizing the chance, Ruan Qing mustered all his strength and lunged to bite down on his hand—
But just before his teeth could sink in, the man’s voice whispered in his ear, low and dangerous.
"Tell me... what do you think your beloved would do if he found out what really happened at the lake last night?"
Ruan Qing froze completely. He looked up at the man before him, his damp eyes widening in shock and fear, his small face drained of color.
Fang Qingyuan seemed thoroughly amused by Ruan Qing's reaction. He let out a soft chuckle and reached out, gently stroking Ruan Qing's delicate face.
"I doubt he'd like someone so fickle."
"After all, no man can tolerate being cheated on."
His slender fingers brushed away the tears at the corner of Ruan Qing's eyes before sliding down slightly, lingering near his lips in a deliberately ambiguous gesture.
Ruan Qing instinctively slapped his hand away. Panic and fear flickered in his eyes, but he quickly steadied himself.
"He won't believe you."
Ignoring Ruan Qing's defiance—and the rejection of his touch—Fang Qingyuan pulled out his phone, swiped across the screen a few times, then held it up for Ruan Qing to see.
"Do you really think he'll still trust you after watching this?"
The video was dimly lit, clearly filmed in the fading light of dusk, and slightly blurred from being zoomed in. Yet, the two figures in the lake were unmistakable—the young man clinging to the other's neck, letting him kiss him without restraint.
It was the exact moment Ruan Qing and Miao Ciyu had kissed in the water.
Ruan Qing's eyes widened, his pupils contracting in shock. He lunged for the phone without thinking.
But Fang Qingyuan had anticipated this. Before Ruan Qing could reach it, he raised the phone high above his head—just out of reach, even if Ruan Qing jumped.
Helpless, Ruan Qing tried anyway, only to lose his balance and stumble straight into Fang Qingyuan's arms.
Once again, Fang Qingyuan trapped him—one arm locking around his waist, the other gripping his chin.
Pale-faced and trembling, Ruan Qing couldn't break free. He couldn't even lower his head to escape Fang Qingyuan's predatory gaze.
This time, his earlier façade of composure was gone. His voice shook with fear as he stammered, "What do you want?"
Fang Qingyuan's gaze lingered on Ruan Qing's tear-filled eyes—the long lashes trembling like delicate wings, the glistening droplets only making him want to torment him further, to make him cry even harder.
A smirk curled at his lips.
"Break up with him. Be with me instead."
Ruan Qing's face stiffened, and without thinking, he blurted out, "Impossible."
"Then... I don't mind being the other man."
Before Ruan Qing could respond, Fang Qingyuan leaned in slightly, closing the distance between them. His low, magnetic voice carried an unmistakable threat.
"You wouldn't want him to find out, would you?"
