Chen Shicong stood up suddenly, and the chair made a harsh scraping sound on the blue brick floor.

"I will go and gather the brothers from all the halls..." Before he finished speaking, he felt the hem of his clothes sink.

He looked down and saw Liu Tingting's slender white fingers grasping the corner of his clothes. The candlelight flickered in her eyes, illuminating her timidity.

"...What's wrong?" His voice softened unconsciously. When he leaned over, he caught a glimpse of the unhealed bruise on her collar, and his heart suddenly felt a prick.

"Brother Cong..." She raised her face, a tear hanging just right on her chin. "I know what Brother Cong feels."

Chen Shicong paused, as these words revealed the delusion hidden beneath his skin.

Because of Zhao Qingshan, he never dared to express his feelings to her openly.

He often wondered if he had met Liu Tingting first, would she be his now? He even fantasized about the crazy idea of ​​personally braiding her hair and drawing her eyebrows when the Qing Gang changed its owner one day...

Liu Tingting slowly rolled up her sleeves, revealing the old scars on the inside of her elbows.

"During my time in the Qing Gang," she said in a voice as soft as a sigh, "if it weren't for Cong Ge's secret care..."

Chen Shicong grabbed her wrist and rubbed the purple scar with his thumb.

Zhao Qingshan is that bastard!

"Tingting..." His throat rolled. This was the first time he called her by her maiden name.

He felt sorry for such a lovely girl who had been ravaged so many times. He gritted his teeth and cursed in his heart, saying that Zhao Qingshan was simply a complete coward. It was really despicable that such a despicable man could beat a woman. He was not worthy of being a man!

Every time he saw a new wound on her wrist, he wanted to pick up his sword and chop that old thief to pieces.

If she followed me...

He would definitely hold her in his hands and cherish her, and would never let her shed a single tear!

Liu Tingting slowly stood up and gently brushed her lips across Chen Shicong's cheek.

The touch was fleeting, igniting a burning sensation on his skin.

"Brother Cong, every time I got beaten, you would have persuaded me if you were there. Every time I was injured, you brought me medicine. I know how you feel. How could I deserve your love?"

She leaned into his arms, and could hear his heartbeat like a drum in her ears.

The sound made her lips curl up.

"Do you think I'm a vicious woman?" Her cold fingertips brushed across his rolling Adam's apple. "My master was arrested, but I wasn't anxious at all. On the contrary..." She chuckled at the end, "I felt happy."

Chen Shicong suddenly tightened his arms, and her thin body almost embedded in his chest.

"Don't say those words," he pressed his rough palm against the back of her neck, his voice terribly hoarse, "It was that beast Zhao Qingshan who was blind."

Liu Tingting quickly reached out to cover his mouth, and she lowered her voice very low: "Brother Cong, you are crazy! Walls have ears!"

Chen Shicong grabbed her wrist with his backhand and pressed her cold palm against his lips.

His warm breath brushed across her fingers: "Tingting..." The vibration of his chest was transmitted to her back when he laughed softly, "It is God's will that Zhao Qingshan fell into Xie Yun's hands."

"But what if..." She raised her eyes in pretended panic, but he pressed her lips with his fingertips.

"Nothing can happen."

Chen Shicong held the joint of her index finger in his mouth and rubbed it between his teeth, "Xie Yun wants to be a son of the Qing Gang, and the Japanese want to treat us as dogs..."

When he let go, a red tooth mark was left behind. "Let's let them have their fun biting it first."