The youth seemed to have tasted some secret sweetness, gradually becoming addicted.
From his initial tentative tastes to a gradual invasion of her territory.
Even though the traces of blood had already been cleaned away, he could not bear to pull back.
He felt the warm, fragrant softness of her mouth. Even the blood he had swallowed earlier didn't taste like rust; it was sweet, purer and more luscious than a thousand kinds of honey in this world.
He couldn't help but entangle himself further, wanting to claim more.
And in this demanding pursuit, he was nearly drowning in indulgence.
His bones felt as if they were turning soft and melting. His breathing grew heavier and more tremulous, a damp redness blooming at the corners of his eyes and spreading to the tips of his ears and the side of his neck...
Even his hands involuntarily lost their strength, so much so that Chai Xiaomi easily broke free from his confinement.
This time, with just a little effort, she pushed him away.
Both of them were panting, their breaths rapid and chaotic.
The youth's lips looked wet now, like a striking dab of rouge painted on white jade-like skin. His lowered eyelashes were like soft little brushes, the curve of his eyelids alluring and hazy, and even the shadows they cast carried a bewitching undertone.
The way his chest heaved as he panted silently made him look breathtakingly gorgeous, as gorgeous as a demon.
If it were any other time, Chai Xiaomi would have definitely taken her time to admire this stunningly beautiful sight.
But right now, her heart was full of grievance. Not only had her lip been bitten and broken by him, but this sudden, unprovoked violence reminded her: the person before her was a designated villain. Therefore, those dark traits he kept hidden would eventually surface.
And just now, he was clearly venting his anger.
Was his anger because the love-gu had failed to take hold, so he took it out on her?
"Did I provoke you?" Chai Xiaomi rubbed her aching wrist, so angry she wanted to stand up and leave the carriage. She would rather go out and get some fresh air with Sister Yao than stay here and let him bully her.
But the moment she moved, he caged her on his lap, making it impossible for her to rise.
She realized he had deliberately propped up his knees. Relying on his height advantage, he made it so her toes couldn't even reach a leverage point to stand up.
"Didn't you swear that as long as I was in pain, you would stay by my side?" Wu Li gently stroked her cheek. His gaze drifted up from the shadows like moonlight washing over a silent lake.
"But just now, you broke your promise."
His voice was very soft. His eyes swept over the heavy black tattoo on the back of the girl's hand, which symbolized the complete restoration of the venomous scorpion. The painstakingly nurtured love-gu had ultimately been entirely planted into her body.
This meant that the grand revenge plan he had racked his brains to devise had completely fallen through.
Yet, there wasn't a trace of frustration in his heart. Instead, an indescribable sense of pleasure seeped through.
The smile in his eyes rippled outward like spring water.
"I will only give you one chance. If there is a next time, you will not survive."
Chai Xiaomi pursed her lips in grievance. The spot on her lip that had been bitten still stung faintly.
Facing his threat at this moment only made her more irritated. Caring nothing about his dark turn, she angrily shot back, "Where does it hurt? Are you mute? Can't you just say it if you're in pain? How would I know if you don't tell me? I'm not a mind reader!"
"I'm the one in pain! Right now, my mouth, my wrists, everything hurts! I feel like my bones are broken!"
After venting her resentment, a teardrop suddenly slipped from the corner of her eye.
Wu Li abruptly panicked.
He raised a hand to wipe away the tear track on her cheek, while his other hand supported her wrist.
"Your bones are broken?"
How could that be...
He clearly remembered that even though he had lost control, he had tried his hardest to restrain his hostile energy.
Two pale white wrists lay in his palms, slender and fragile, still bearing the faint red rings left by his tight grip earlier.
"Which one?" he examined them for a moment and asked in a low voice.
Chai Xiaomi pouted with red eyes, lying through her teeth, "Can't you see for yourself? My right wrist is swollen all the way around."
In truth, both wrists looked exactly the same.
But Wu Li seemed to have suddenly turned foolish. His usual shrewdness vanished completely, and he actually believed her.
He carefully supported her right hand and pressed extremely lightly with the pad of his thumb. "Here?"
"Hiss—!" Chai Xiaomi deliberately pulled at the corners of her lips, her expression exaggeratedly contorted as she let out a sharp intake of breath, pretending to be in pain.
Who knew that this movement would accidentally tug at the wound on her lip, bringing real tears of pain to her eyes.
"It hurts to death..."
Her tears were like a faucet that couldn't be turned off, falling pit-a-pat and smashing onto the youth's lapels, blooming into dark water stains.
Even though separated by several layers of fabric, that wetness seemed to scald all the way into his chest, burning so much that the tip of his heart throbbed with pain, as if pierced by countless fine needles and then squeezed and twisted into a knot.
Her skin was as white as snow, but it was a white that radiated warmth. Because of this, every time she cried, her eye sockets and the tip of her nose would turn red, looking exceptionally obvious.
Her delicate brows furrowed in pain. Her curling eyelashes were like backlit butterflies, covered in tiny water droplets, casting a damp shadow under her eyes.
Her lips, which had just been sucked crimson by him, were now turning slightly pale as she bit her lower lip tightly.
That trace of blood at the corner of her lips quietly seeped out a little bit again.
In a daze, the youth felt as if this blood was dripping from his own heart. The countless bone-gnawing and flesh-eating agonies of his past could not compare to the vivid sharpness of this moment. Watching the young girl cry from pain, he actually felt like he was going to die from the ache.
He cupped the girl's face, his voice so low it almost faded into the dust:
"Don't bite yourself."
Panic, helplessness, remorse, anxiety... In just a fleeting moment, it seemed as though countless emotions had emerged, turning into ice blades that pierced right through him.
Chai Xiaomi was merely using this to ease the pain. Being stopped by him made her grit her teeth in even greater anger. "Save your crocodile tears! You're the one who bit my lip, and now you're telling me not to bite it? Don't you think that's ridiculous?"
As she spoke, she shook her wrist again, deliberately letting her hand hang limply, directly pinning an unwarranted charge on him. "And this hand, you broke it too."
"It's all your fault!"
"...It's all my fault. I was wrong. I'm sorry."
Chai Xiaomi froze, even forgetting to let the tears hanging in her eyes fall.
This was unprecedented.
This youth, whose very bones were steeped in arrogance, who never made a sound even when beaten or scolded, was actually lowering his eyelashes and apologizing to her at this moment.
His voice was hoarse, so soft it seemed it could seep water, faintly carrying a trace of fawning coaxing.
Such a humble tone—if she hadn't heard it with her own ears, she wouldn't have even dared to believe it came from Wu Li.
For a moment, she actually forgot how to react.
Wu Li lowered his eyes to look at her reddened wrist. Suddenly, he raised his hand and tore off a string of silver ornaments from his hair. The movement was so urgent and ruthless that several strands of dark hair were snapped and fluttered down, yet he didn't even bat an eyelash, as if completely oblivious.
Although the edges of the thin flakes adorning the silver ornament were blunt, if pressed down with force, they could still slice open flesh.
He wrapped his arms around her waist, hiding his hands behind her back, deliberately avoiding her line of sight. The icy silver flake was already pressed firmly against the inside of his own forearm. With just one forceful slash, he could extract the red blood silkworm.
Swallowing just one would heal these injuries in an instant.
Chai Xiaomi instantly understood his intentions and scolded urgently, "Are you going to self-harm again!?"
He paused, lowering his head close to her ear. His voice was so soft it sounded like a temptation, yet also like some dark, desperate plea. "Don't be afraid. I will only make a small cut this time, just a little blood... It will heal your wounds right away. Please stop crying, okay?"
