Jiang Jianian's gaze was no longer cold and aloof, and his whole demeanor was no longer as icy as before. He knelt on the bed with one leg, his pajamas slightly askew, and the skin on his shoulders was sickly white from not being exposed to the sun for a long time. His body was very hot, and fine beads of sweat were still visible under the low temperature of the air conditioner.

The boy's body was tense.

He had given up on himself and gone this far, yet he only dared to gently kiss the back of her hand.

Ye Zhiwei, whose hands were not handcuffed, groped in the dark and finally found the raised button, turning on the bedside lamp.

The room was finally no longer dark.

She stared blankly at Jiang Jianian, seemingly unable to comprehend what was happening. Before she could even look down on Jiang Jianian under the lamplight, he had already placed his hand over Ye Zhiwei's eyes.

He was doing something very ungentle, but his movements were extremely gentle. His handcuffed hands intertwined with Ye Zhiwei's fingers little by little, and his dry lips couldn't help but gently kiss Ye Zhiwei's collarbone.

He was kissing her until he was almost desperate.

The more they kissed, the more desperate they became; the more desperate they became, the more repressed they felt.

He was already thinking of locking her up; he would use any means necessary to make her his own.

Take her away from here, and no one will be able to find her.

But why am I still so desperate?

The boy released Ye Zhiwei.

Ye Zhiwei also managed to sort out her emotions a little from the confusion and shock. She took a deep breath, wanting to ask something but unable to say it.

Only two words kept flashing through her mind: Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, holy shit—

Jiang Jianian was still staring at her lips.

Ye Zhiwei tried to back away, but his hands were tightly bound. His hands were even whiter than hers, and although they looked pale and weak, they were so strong that they held Ye Zhiwei firmly in place, preventing her from even retreating.

They were handcuffed, so she couldn't run away even if she wanted to.

No, even if she wasn't locked up, she couldn't run away. She could feel her legs going weak just lying in bed, and she'd probably be dragged back after only a few steps.

"When did you start liking me?" Ye Zhiwei regained her composure and tried to calm Jiang Jianian down.

Jiang Jianian pursed his lips slightly, and after a long while, he said in a hoarse voice, "It's very early."

Very... early?

How early is "very early"? How early is "very early"?

Ye Zhiwei slowly recalled the things between herself and Jiang Jianian. As if she had thought of something, she asked in surprise, "You learned to cook for me? You liked me back then."

Jiang Jianian squinted at her, licked his dry lips, and said in a suppressed voice, "Even earlier."

Even earlier—

Ye Zhiwei thought hard, as if she had thought of something, and asked again: "That day—during the first semester of senior year, the class held a party to celebrate the students who were admitted to universities without taking the entrance exam. That day you said the person you liked was..."

Jiang Jianian tightened his grip and said in a low voice, "It's you."

"At night, the lights in the classroom suddenly went out. I was being bullied and couldn't find anyone. Your hand happened to be injured at that time, so was that person you too?" Ye Zhiwei continued to ask.

"It's me." Jiang Jianian looked away with a hint of self-loathing.

She's driving him crazy.

"And also, the lighter I gave to the Youth League secretary was stolen. The secretary said it was a delinquent at school, but that shouldn't be—"

“Those people were very obedient. I just said something, and they came and gave it to me,” Jiang Jianian corrected Ye Zhiwei. “I didn’t steal it.”

This was the first time Ye Zhiwei had ever heard of a bad student at school being able to be so obedient.

Jiang Jianian's gaze was so fierce that Ye Zhiwei subconsciously stepped back.

Her stepping back was like a sharp knife stabbing Jiang Jianian.

He stared intently at her for a long while before asking, "Ye Zhiwei, are you scared?"

Ye Zhiwei was speechless; she couldn't even utter words against her will.

If she hadn't been handcuffed, Ye Zhiwei, who valued her life, would have wanted to run away immediately. Her survival instinct told her that Jiang Jianian was on the verge of collapse; every wrong step she took would cause him to lose control.

Ye Zhiwei looked at Jiang Jianian and didn't dare to move.

Her reaction, however, amplified Jiang Jianian's despair.

The more you like something, the more desperate you become.

He had thought that it didn't matter what her attitude was, or whether she liked him or not, as long as he could have her, as long as she was his. But now, Jiang Jianian clearly realized that getting something could be so painful.

"Ye Zhiwei, you clearly told me that as long as I cater to your preferences and do these things, you will like me. Are you lying to me?" Jiang Jianian moved closer to her. They were so close that he could see her eyelashes trembling slightly. Her whole body was trembling uncontrollably.

This is the worst feeling of being heartbroken.

Jiang Jianian covered Ye Zhiwei's eyes again. He still didn't dare to kiss her lips. He felt he couldn't see any hope. He approached Ye Zhiwei very gently, but bit her shoulder hard during the kiss.

"It hurts—" Ye Zhiwei's eyes suddenly turned red.

Fear, grievance, terror, and pain overwhelmed Ye Zhiwei, and tears soaked Jiang Jianian's hands.

Ye Zhiwei cried.

In an instant, all of Jiang Jianian's rationality returned. He had clearly collapsed, he had become reckless, he had resorted to any means necessary, and even the thought of dying together with others had all crumbled at this moment because of Ye Zhiwei's tears.

The moment she cries, his entire army is wiped out.

Jiang Jianian released Ye Zhiwei.

Jiang Jianian used a key to unlock the handcuffs that were locking Ye Zhiwei.

Jiang Jianian pressed the call button to call the police and then placed it in Ye Zhiwei's hand. He stared at her, his voice filled with pain, despair, yet restrained and suppressed, and said, "You only have two choices: first, accept me; second, call the police immediately."

Ye Zhiwei looked at Jiang Jianian.

Her eyes were moist and slightly red, making her look as pitiful as a bullied kitten.

Jiang Jianian seemed to have already guessed her choice. He said coldly, "Ye Zhiwei, call the police. Otherwise, you'll be locked up by me for the rest of your life and suffer even more at my hands."

Pitiful?

How could Ye Zhiwei be pitiful?

He's the one who's pitiful; he can't get a single bit of her affection, and she won't even spare him the slightest bit.

She was more cruel than anyone else; she pulled him out of hell, but now she's pushing him back into it.

If he can never have Ye Zhiwei in this lifetime, then why let him meet her?

Ye Zhiwei's hand was released, leaving only her and Jiang Jianian.

The devil does not feel despair, the devil does not pitifully beg for mercy, and the devil does not relinquish the power of judgment to others.

But Jiang Jianian awaits Ye Zhiwei's decision.

Ye Zhiwei took the phone and reset all the buttons. She looked at Jiang Jianian for a long time before finally saying, "You haven't committed any crime, why should I call the police?"