"Hmph." A cold snort came from Rong Che’s nostrils. An Ruoxue felt as if the entire world were being frozen over; the chill was so intense that she instinctively took a step back.
"Even if you hide on an outer planet, I will still drag you out and give you a brutal beating."
Rong Che’s face was dark, his perfect, sword-like brows twisted in irritation. His cold, biting words rushed toward her like a gale. As he pressed forward step by step, An Ruoxue retreated instinctively.
Between his advance and her retreat, the atmosphere turned excruciatingly awkward, and An Ruoxue became tense to the point of snapping. Rong Che’s murderous gaze was sharp and icy. The moment she met his eyes, she felt that in the next second, he might very well skin her alive, pull out her tendons, and scatter her ashes to the wind.
"Ugh..."
An Ruoxue swallowed nervously; she did not doubt for a second that Rong Che would dare to do exactly that.
"Um, well, I... I wasn't hiding. I just came back to change my clothes."
An Ruoxue made up a flimsy excuse, hoping to brush him off.
"Hmph. Do you think I would believe your nonsense?"
Rong Che took a step forward with his right foot. An Ruoxue instinctively retreated, but her small apartment was nothing like Rong Che’s villa. Backing into the sofa, she stumbled, and her frail body fell directly onto the cushions.
"I... I’m not lying to you."
An Ruoxue denied it flatly. Even though she knew Young Master Rong would not believe her, at this moment, all she could do was grit her teeth.
Rong Che leaned down, placing his right hand on the sofa. An Ruoxue, huddled on the cushions, was instantly trapped within his reach.
"I’m finished..."
Seeing her situation clearly, An Ruoxue sighed helplessly in her heart. There was truly no escaping now.
"An Ruoxue, is this how you serve me? Do you know what you are doing right now?"
Rong Che moved in closer. His handsome, sculpted face, as if chiseled by a master, was inches away, looming large before her eyes.
An Ruoxue knew full well how handsome and charming Rong Che’s face was, but... at this moment, with his face so close, she didn't dare look at him.
*Thump, thump, thump...*
An Ruoxue subconsciously clutched her heart. Damn it, her heart was racing wildly.
Her heart rate was abnormally fast. An Ruoxue felt that if she weren't pressing down on her chest so hard, her heart might literally jump out of her body at any moment.
Rong Che’s face was right there, and his low, textured voice slid straight into her ear canal.
"Hoo, hoo..."
For a novice like An Ruoxue, who rarely interacted with men, being this close to Rong Che was enough to cause respiratory distress and make her face flush a deep red. Let alone holding his gaze—she simply couldn't do it.
"If you have the guts to play me, you must be punished." Rong Che’s long, fair fingers tilted her chin up, forcing her shy, flickering dark eyes to meet his.
"Uh."
The second she looked into his eyes, An Ruoxue swallowed reflexively. She was nervous—truly, incredibly nervous.
Rong Che’s dark eyes were as brilliant as obsidian sparkling in the midnight, dazzling and profound. An Ruoxue found herself wishing she could see right into his heart.
"Punishment... could we, perhaps, skip that?"
Rong Che was too close; it made her anxious.
"You have no right to question or object."
"Uh..."
His icy, snow-like words instantly crushed the sliver of hope that had sprouted in An Ruoxue’s heart, sinking it to the bottom of the deep sea. She should have known that no one could sway Young Master Rong’s decisions, not even her.
"Then... how do you want to punish me?"
Since death was inevitable either way, she might as well ask and die knowing. An Ruoxue gathered her courage, met his cold, piercing gaze, and whispered.
"Hmph. By making me satisfied."
Rong Che’s wicked eyes watched her flushed face. He had never realized a woman could be this shy. He had only looked at her and moved a little closer; he hadn't even taken any real steps yet.
An Ruoxue’s shy, flushed face looked like the beautiful sunset clouds of a summer evening, which left Rong Che slightly stunned for a moment.
"I..."
An Ruoxue leaned back against the sofa, her cherry-red lips parting, but she couldn't manage a complete sentence.
"Putting on this shy act—are you trying to seduce me?"
Rong Che’s long, fair fingers pinched her chin, and his sarcastic, vicious words echoed in her ears.
"No, I’m not."
An Ruoxue denied it immediately.
"It doesn't matter. Whether you were intentional or not, you... An Ruoxue, you have now piqued my interest."
A faint smile crept onto Rong Che’s handsome face.
An Ruoxue lost herself for a moment watching that smile. It was mesmerizing and alluring. Having been with him for four years, this was the first time she had ever seen him smile. She was transfixed.
"Staring at me like an idiot already? An Ruoxue, can’t you even maintain your charade for a few seconds?"
His long, narrow eyes brimmed with blatant mockery. A second ago, he had genuinely been attracted by her shyness. But when his obsidian eyes saw the same lovestruck look on her face as other women, he felt a heart-deep sense of disdain.
"I, you..."
An Ruoxue tried to explain, but his sharp sarcasm was like a blade, unexpectedly stabbing directly into her heart. The pain flowed through her veins, and soon, that bone-chilling ache spread throughout her entire body. Only then did she realize, too late, that a smiling Rong Che was even more dangerous and terrifying.
"Let go of me."
Not knowing where the courage came from, she suddenly reached out and swatted his hand away from her chin.
"What? Stung because I hit the nail on the head? An Ruoxue, your acting is truly pathetic."
"..."
"I wasn't acting—"
She instinctively tried to retort, but the moment she opened her mouth, Rong Che leaned in, his thin lips capturing hers without warning.
"Mmph... hmm."
It all happened so suddenly that she had no mental preparation at all. Taking advantage of her stunned state, Rong Che seized the territory, his advance unstoppable, driving straight into her defenses.
***
She had never kissed a man before.
"Hoo, hoo..." An Ruoxue’s beautiful face was as flushed as a ripe apple, alluring, sweet, and lovely. She clutched her chest with one hand, her back pressed tightly against the sofa, her lips—visibly swollen from his kiss—parting as she panted heavily.
"Hoo, hoo..."
For a moment, she felt as if he had sucked every bit of air from her lungs. For a second, she felt she might suffocate to death.
"What a clumsy woman. You don't even know the most basic common sense of how to breathe while kissing."
Rong Che’s narrow dark eyes tightened slightly, his cool tone filled with obvious disparagement. However, her slightly swollen lips now held a strange, inexplicable allure. Even a master of the game like Rong Che couldn't help but linger his gaze on her for a moment longer.
This woman was indeed interesting.
*Gulp.*
An Ruoxue lowered her flushed face and swallowed uncomfortably. "I’m not like you—a master who has kissed countless women. I’ve never even kissed a man before."
She had meant it as a quiet, internal retort, but to her surprise, Rong Che heard every word.
"Ah..."
An Ruoxue felt her chin tighten and sting; her face was forced upward. Rong Che’s two long fingers clamped onto her jaw. She didn't know how much force he was using, but she felt as if her chin was about to be crushed.
"Ah, it hurts! Rong Che, let me go!"
An Ruoxue’s brows furrowed in pain, her exquisite features twisting from the intense agony.
"Daring to say you want to kiss other men in front of me, An Ruoxue... are you trying to die?"
Rong Che’s deep eyes were as sharp as a scalpel, carving into her skin layer by layer. *Sizzle, sizzle...* She could almost feel the raw, bloody pain.
"I was just using a metaphor!" she explained anxiously, shifting her body, desperate to break free.
"Hmph, you are clearly provoking me. An Ruoxue, do you know that the consequences of provoking me are always miserable?"
Rong Che leaned in close. His brilliant eyes were inches from hers, his arrogant nose brushing against her own. As he spoke, his breath, laced with male pheromones, sprayed across her face. This only made her already flushed cheeks turn even redder. She swallowed nervously, again and again. Being this close to him made her feel incredibly uneasy.
*Flutter, flutter, flutter...*
An Ruoxue’s long, curled lashes flickered, and as they did, the fine tips brushed against his handsome face again and again.
"Damn woman."
Rong Che cursed under his breath. She had to be doing this on purpose. That faint, tickling sensation of her lashes was inciting the man within him.
"An Ruoxue, you are seducing me."
"Uh..."
Hearing this, An Ruoxue was stunned. Heaven was her witness; she wasn't doing anything of the sort.
"I’m not," she said truthfully.
"Blinking your lashes with such rhythm—you *are* seducing me, hinting to me that you want it."
*Uh...*
An Ruoxue’s beautiful brows knitted tightly together, her flushed face full of bewilderment. Was this young master really this delusional? All she did was blink, and suddenly she was seducing him, implying she wanted it...
"Cough, cough..." An Ruoxue almost spat blood. She truly didn't know where this man got his confidence or his bizarre logic.
"You’re overthinking it. I didn't mean to—"
"You did. An Ruoxue, I have already seen through your yearning heart. You lowly woman, can you not even try to hide it? To reveal your hypocritical purity so easily... it’s not even interesting anymore."
Mockery, irony, defamation, trampling...
An Ruoxue felt her dignity being torn to shreds by Rong Che. How could he say such things to her?
"Fine. Since you want it so much, I can reluctantly satisfy you."
Rong Che looked down at the woman curled up on the sofa from his superior position, his sharp, hawk-like eyes gleaming with the light of a hunter. After two intimate encounters, even an inexperienced girl like An Ruoxue understood the dangerous signal in his eyes.
"No, get away!"
She didn't want to be the Big Bad Wolf’s breakfast again. Not knowing where she found the strength, she suddenly extended her right foot and kicked him hard in the stomach.
"Ugh, cough... An Ruoxue, you woman! You actually dared to ambush me!"
Her reaction was completely unexpected. He had never imagined she would dare use force against him. In twenty-eight years, she had stained his record twice today. Rong Che was truly angry. His peerless face was deathly cold, and his sharp, dark eyes erupted with bone-chilling malice as he looked at her.
"An Ruoxue, if you want to die, I will grant your wish."
His dark-faced expression was terrifying. An Ruoxue felt that in the next second, he would snap her neck.
*Gulp.*
An Ruoxue scrambled off the sofa, stuttering as she tried to explain, "I... I didn't mean to... I... I am..."
She stammered for a long time but couldn't get a coherent sentence out. Of course, even if she could have explained it perfectly, Rong Che wouldn't have listened.
"Lowly woman, your guts have really grown."
Rong Che stepped forward and suddenly grabbed her by the throat. "Have you forgotten your status?"
His strong fingers tightened around her neck. His cold, emotionless voice felt like a sharp dagger stabbing into her heart.
"Ugh, cough, cough... It hurts... Let me go."
An Ruoxue’s hands instinctively clawed at his, trying to pry his fingers off, but she realized she couldn't move them at all.
He really did want to kill her, didn't he?
"An Ruoxue, remember this: you are nothing but my plaything, my pet, my servant. Masters teach their servants, and all a servant can do is obey."