14.

The black Maybach slid out of the parking lot silently like an arrow and merged into the dazzling traffic flow of the city at night.

An eerie, tense silence permeated the car. The front seat partition had already been raised, isolating the back seat into an absolutely private space.

Ji Ye leaned back in the leather seat, his shirt collar slightly open, revealing his sharply defined collarbone. He lit a cigarette, but didn't inhale. Instead, he held it between his fingers, letting the pale smoke curl upward, blurring the lingering anger and lust on his deep features. His gaze fell on the rapidly receding lights outside the window. He appeared calm, but the tightly pursed lines of his lips and the occasional glances to his side betrayed his inner turmoil.

Mi Xi sat by the car door farthest from him, her head tilted slightly to look out the window. The distinct teeth marks on the side of her neck stood out in the dim light, a subtle sting that silently told of the intense conflict that had just occurred. His lips were still slightly red and swollen, and his stage makeup had smudged a bit from the struggle, making his otherwise gorgeous features look a bit disheveled, but strangely, even more alluringly broken.

He was too quiet, as if the person who had just dared to challenge Ji Ye and endured the storm was not him.

"Does it hurt?"

After a long time, Ji Ye's low voice broke the silence. He didn't look at Mi Xi, and no emotion could be heard in his tone.

Mi Xi slowly turned her head and her gaze fell calmly on Ji Ye. The charm and provocation in her peach blossom eyes were gone, leaving only an almost indifferent clarity.

"What do you think, Master Ji?" He asked instead of answering, his voice slightly hoarse afterward.

Ji Ye finally turned his head and looked at him sharply. His gaze lingered on the bite marks on his neck and his swollen lips for a moment, his eyes darkening. "You asked for this."

Mi Xi smiled softly, a shallow smile that carried a hint of self-mockery and an indescribable chill. "Yeah, I asked for it." He paused and looked out the window again. "So, is Young Master Ji satisfied now?"

His calm, almost numb attitude, in fact, made Ji Ye feel more inexplicably irritated than any crying or resistance. He would rather Mi Xi quarreled with him, argued with him, than act like this, as if everything was within his calculations, even pain and humiliation could be calmly used as bargaining chips.

"Satisfied?" Ji Ye scoffed and put out his cigarette in the ashtray. "Mi Xi, do you think this is the end?"

He leaned over, and a strong sense of oppression enveloped Mi Xi again. He pinched his chin with his fingers, forcing him to look at him, his eyes dangerous: "This is just the beginning. Since you chose to arouse my interest in this way, you must bear the consequences."

His fingertips caressed the delicate skin of Mi Xi's jaw, and he declared in an unquestionable tone: "From today on, you are the one I, Ji Ye, have set my eyes on. Don't let me see you getting involved with anyone else, especially that Wu You."

This was what he really wanted to say tonight. The damn chemistry and sparks between Mi Xi and Wu You on the stage pierced his eyes like a thorn.

Mi Xi let him pinch her chin without struggling, but a hint of sarcasm flashed in her eyes.

"Is Master Ji...declaring his sovereignty?" His voice remained calm.

"It's a warning." Ji Ye leaned in close, his nose almost touching his, their breaths mingling, "It's also a notification."

Mi Xi looked into his eyes, which were so close to her, and which were filled with the arrogance and possessiveness that came with power. He suddenly felt a little ridiculous.

"I understand." He responded lightly and closed his eyes. His long eyelashes cast a weak shadow under his eyes, as if surrendering, or as if it was a silent isolation.

Seeing his submissive yet distant expression, Ji Ye felt the nameless anger in his chest grow even more intense, but he couldn't find an outlet to vent his anger. He suddenly let go of his hand, sat back down, and loosened his collar irritably.

"I'll take you back to the dormitory." He said coldly.

The car drove steadily in the night, and the two men no longer communicated.

When she returned to the dormitory building, Mi Xi opened the car door and got out without looking back.

Ji Ye looked at his slender and tall figure, which was covered with secrets, as he disappeared into the corridor, and punched the chair hard.

The first time he met such a person, he was like a cloud of fog, like a handful of quicksand filled with poison. The more he tried to hold on to it, the more out of control he became.

Mi Xi walked into the elevator, leaning against the cold metal wall. She slowly raised her hand and gently touched the stinging bite mark on her neck. The mirror-like elevator door reflected his expressionless face, only a cold and determined light flashed through his peach-colored eyes.

The price has been paid, and the game has officially begun.

Ji Ye, let’s play slowly.

He straightened his slightly messy clothes and hair, and when the elevator door opened again, his face regained that perfect, distant calmness, as if the thrilling confrontation in the car had never happened.

————

Mi Xi used her key card to unlock the door to dormitory 207. Only a dim bedside lamp lit the room. Wu You was still awake, sitting cross-legged on the bed, head down, frantically tapping away on his phone, clearly texting someone. A hint of lingering anger still lingered on his face.

Hearing the sound of the door opening, Wuyou didn't even raise his head. His tone was hard, with obvious complaints: "You still remember to come back? You disappeared after the performance and didn't even reply to the message. Do you know..."

His complaints came to an abrupt end when Mi Xi walked into the light.

Wuyou raised his head, and his naturally tearful eyes widened instantly. His gaze was like being sucked by a magnet, fixed on the side of Mi Xi's neck - there, an extremely clear, deep red tooth mark, against the backdrop of fair skin, was surprisingly glaring.

The air seemed to freeze.

Wuyou's phone slipped from his hand, hitting the soft blanket with a dull thud. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found himself speechless. A nameless anger, mixed with an indescribable bitterness, suddenly surged into his heart, burning his eyes to a reddened state.

"...Who did it?" His voice was dry, trembling with anger that he himself didn't even notice. "Was it that bastard Ji Ye?!"

He used a tone of affirmation. Apart from that arrogant and domineering prince, who else would dare to leave such a mark on Mi Xi?

Mi Xi didn't answer. He walked over to his bedside and sat down, tilting his head slightly and closing his eyes. His face was filled with obvious fatigue, but also with a kind of... a deep calm that Wu You couldn't understand. That calmness was more frightening than any intense emotion.

Wuyou suddenly jumped off the bed and rushed to Mixi barefoot. He wanted to reach out and touch the tooth marks, but then pulled his hand back as if he had been burned. His eyes turned redder with anxiety, and his voice rose, tearing up: "He forced you?! Didn't he?! Speak up, Mixi!"

Mi Xi slowly opened her eyes and looked at the anxious little fox in front of her. Mi Xi's tearful eyes were now filled with mist, and she looked aggrieved and angry, as if she had been bullied.

"No." Mi Xi finally spoke, her voice a little hoarse, but unusually calm, "I provoked him."

Wuyou was stunned: "...What?"

"I need his resources and his protection." Mi Xi's tone was as calm as if she was discussing the weather, but the content of her words made Wu You feel cold. "This is a deal. We each get what we need."

He spoke so bluntly and so clearly that it completely shattered any notion of "force" in Wuyou's mind. It turned out to be a price paid willingly.

Wu You looked at the glaring mark on Mi Xi's neck, then at his calm face, and a huge feeling of powerlessness and heartache swept over him. He knew the rules of this circle, and knew that some people would do anything to get ahead, but he never thought that this would happen to Mi Xi, the person he thought was cold and proud, and powerful enough to crush everything.

"But...but..." Wuyou kept repeating "but" for a long time, but he didn't know what to say. What could he say? Should he say you shouldn't do this? Should he say you can rely on your strength? In the face of absolute capital and power, sometimes strength does require a faster shortcut.

In the end, he didn't say anything, but turned around abruptly, ran to the small refrigerator in the room, took out a can of ice cola, wrapped it with a few pieces of tissues, then walked back, angrily but with extremely gentle movements, he put the ice cola on the teeth marks on Mi Xi's neck.

The sudden cold touch made Mi Xi's body tremble almost imperceptibly.

"Apply it!" Wuyou's voice was still fierce, filled with lingering anger, but his movements were cautious. "We have to film a spin-off program tomorrow. Do you want to go on camera with these teeth marks on your face?!"

Mi Xi raised her eyes and looked at Wuyou's face, which was so close to her. The little fox pursed his lips tightly, his eyes and nose red, looking angry and sad, but he was clumsily expressing his concern and protection in this way.

A cold corner in my heart seemed to be gently touched by this ridiculous can of ice cola wrapped in a tissue.

"Thank you." Mi Xi said softly.

Wuyou snorted and turned away, refusing to look at him, but her ears were quietly red. He muttered softly, as if trying to convince himself, "...I'm not concerned about you! I just don't want our team's center position to be affected by this mess! Yes! That's it!"

Mi Xi didn't expose him, but simply adjusted her posture slightly, letting the iced cola fit her skin better. The cold temperature temporarily numbed the hidden pain and seemed to freeze some surging emotions.

The dormitory became quiet again.

One returned with hidden scars and transactions, calm to the point of being cruel.

One is angry and distressed because of his companion's "degeneration" (buShi), but offers comfort in the most clumsy way.

In this complex world of fame and fortune, this pure and awkward concern from teammates seems so precious.

The night deepens.