Chapter 43 - 1#

I maintained my original posture for a long time. Even though there was nothing but darkness before my eyes, perhaps because the pain in my eyes came in wave after wave, it made me unable to drift into unconsciousness.

I had originally thought that I was someone who could endure pain quite well. But now, I couldn’t really tell anymore whether the pain in my cheeks, my eyes, or my chest was the worst.

I lifted my hand and clutched at my chest, until I touched the pair of pendants resting there.

Using my thumb, I gently twisted one of them open.

Within the silent darkness, that long-lost, distant voice, filled with a hint of warmth and tenderness, rang out.

“Happy birthday, Qiri. Happy birthday, Qiri. Happy birthday, Qiri—”

I held the pendant with trembling hands, pressing it close to my ear. The pain in my body seemed to lessen, yet at the same time, it felt as though it had intensified.

Wang Zheng…

Enduring the agony, I turned over, and with that lingering pain, I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.

I don’t know if my sleep was too light, but when my skin felt an unusual heat, I still stirred and woke up in a haze. Something was caressing my body.

I turned over in distress, struggling to lift my eyelids.

My upper body was bare, and my pants had been pulled down to my knees. He was buried against my chest, his sticky, wet tongue tracing every inch of my skin.

“Awake?” He lifted his head from my chest. I turned my face away and raised my leg to kick him.

Du Yijie, as if accustomed to my resistance and movements, easily pinned down the leg I was about to lift and proceeded to pry my legs apart. I let out a low moan of pain and gripped the bedsheets tightly.

“Xiao Qi, I’m in a bad mood today. Be a good boy, won’t you?” He spoke in a tone as if he were negotiating with me.

I didn’t even have the strength to glare at him; I could only squeeze my eyes shut and turn my head away.

“Xiao Qi, Xiao Qi.” He reached out and patted my face, then let out a laugh. “Forget it, just play the part of a dead fish. I want to see how long you can keep that up.”

His movements suddenly turned rough. His hands pressed forcefully against every part of my body, gradually sliding over my waist and down to my buttocks. I bit my lip in shame, trying to close my legs, but he shoved his way between them, and when I struggled, he gripped my buttocks with force.

“Ah!” I shivered from the pain.

Taking advantage of the moment I opened my mouth, Du Yijie pinched my jaw and lifted me up from the bed. I looked at him, dazed and terrified. There was no trace of a smile on Du Yijie’s face, yet he let out a “Ha,” and whispered: “Xiao Qi, why do I like you so much?”

I panted, lowering my eyes.

He was so ridiculous. I almost burst out laughing.

He pecked my lips lightly, then slowly probed with his tongue. He had let me bite him several times before, but this time he gripped my jaw tightly. It didn’t feel like a kiss; it was more like gnawing. After he forced his way in, our teeth collided until I felt the pain. My hands hung limply, and I kept throwing my head back. Losing his patience, he grabbed my hair, forcing me to submit to his kissing and biting.

In bed, Du Yijie was like a wild beast. I closed my eyes. No… he was a beast to begin with.

Seeing that I didn’t react, he grew annoyed. He slowly stripped off his own clothes and pulled my pants off entirely, crazily biting at my skin. I numbly covered my eyes with my hand, only letting out a moan when the pain became unbearable.

Du Yijie left me covered in red and purple bruises. His lower body was as hot as a scorched iron rod, pressed against my thighs. Seemingly unable to restrain himself any longer, he grabbed my hand and made me rub him.

He had hesitated to truly touch me for a long time, afraid that I might be carrying a disease.

Thinking of this, I couldn’t help but smile mockingly.

He pinched my cheek. “Xiao Qi, you look so beautiful when you smile.”

I didn’t look at him, keeping my head turned, eyes slightly open, looking at the platinum pendants Wang Zheng had given me. They lay pressed tightly against each other.

Du Yijie cupped my face and kissed me twice. “Xiao Qi, I really like you. Since before… no, it feels like since a past life, for a very, very long time, I’ve liked you.”

This time, I really did laugh.

I slanted a look at him, shook my head, and croaked with a hoarse throat: “No… in our past life, we had… no relationship.”

“In this life… even in death… we never will.”

Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain below.

His fingers pinched my privates. That part was completely limp from beginning to end, but his palm covered it heavily, rubbing and kneading it with force.

“Ah…!”

I felt like I was going to cry; the pain caused my whole body to convulse. I raised my hands to push him away, but Du Yijie just laughed: “You’ve wounded my heart, Xiao Qi.” He licked my earlobe: “Do you really think I wouldn’t dare touch you? Hmm?”

His movements held no desire; they were purely for punishment. I threw my head back in misery, my legs trembling. His fingers held that part of me and began to rub up and down. I lay prone on the bed, feeling no pleasure, only an increasing sense of torment.

After playing with me for a bit, Du Yijie seemed to get bored. He turned my body completely over and kissed my back.

I gripped the pendants Wang Zheng had given me in my palm. Du Yijie lifted my lower body with both hands, forcing me into a humiliating position facing him.

I knew what he was going to do.

He clamped my legs together and then trapped his “thing” between my thighs, letting out a muffled grunt as he began to move, forcefully and slowly.

I drew a deep breath; my left eye was already swollen shut. His hands kept kneading me while his lower body began to thrust between my legs with increasing speed, even violently slamming against my limp parts.

This made me feel so humiliated I nearly went insane. I couldn’t imagine what state of mind I would be in the moment he actually entered me.

He did this for a while, eventually finding his rhythm. He leaned over, embraced my back, and lifted me up so I was kneeling on him. He once again squeezed my legs tightly with his hands, then pulled my hands to rub up and down as his member moved between the gap of my legs.

“Xiao Qi, Xiao Qi…” He kissed my neck, moving up and down for a while, then suddenly let out a cold laugh.

“Xiao Qi,” he said. “I know I’m shameless. Since you don’t want to do it with me, then what about that sickly wretch… aren’t you two uncle and nephew?”

I opened my eyes.

Du Yijie thrust back and forth a few more times, then pulled my waist tight, biting my shoulder. My thighs were covered in sticky, milky fluid.

When he finally let me go, I leaned forward limply, collapsing onto the bed.

He slowly crawled up, holding me as if he couldn’t get enough, and whispered in my ear: “Xiao Qi, I have some good news for you. Your third uncle accepted the ‘gift’ I gave him, and he’s gone insane.”

I lifted my eyes.

He bit my neck.

“That gift—only he and I have seen it. You, wearing nothing, legs spread wide—what a great present. I’m actually starting to regret it.”

I raised my hand, wanting to strike him, but he grabbed my wrist.

“And so, your third uncle spared no expense in blowing up our merchant ships. His own cargo was inside too; he went all out, not caring if he could survive here anymore—he even burned down my warehouse and entertainment complex. He had a stake in that complex too; if he doesn’t care, why should I?”

“Xiao Qi, what exactly is your relationship with him… He spent hundreds of millions to hire men to take my life. Luckily, I have a cat’s nine lives and didn’t die… but—”

He gripped my shoulders with both hands.

I groaned in pain, and the pendants in my palm slipped out.

My fingers twitched, wanting to grab the pendants back into my palm, but his broad hand covered them a second faster.

I widened my eyes, quickly snatched the pendants back, and wrapped them tightly in my palms.

I rolled over, struggling to sit up, and watched Du Yijie with guarded eyes as I slowly moved to the foot of the bed.

Du Yijie’s brows were knitted tight, and he yanked my shoulders, pulling me back toward him. I struggled like a madman, and as I was about to fall off the bed, Du Yijie reached out to grab my waist, pulling me against him while simultaneously using both hands to forcefully rip the chain from my neck.

A stinging pain shot through my neck, and as the chain broke, it felt as though streaks of silver light were falling away.

“Happy birthday, Qiri. Happy birthday, Qiri—”

Du Yijie said “Oh” in realization, “So it was that person’s keepsake. No wonder you always clutched it in your hands—were you thinking of him while playing with me?”

“Give it back—!!”

I let out a crazed, shrill scream, struggling to grab the pendants back.

“Du Yijie! That’s mine! Give it back—!!”

Du Yijie held his hand up, watching me with cold eyes. As I clawed at him desperately to retrieve the chain, he shoved me off the bed with force.

“Ugh!” I fell to the floor, and in a panic, I scrambled to climb back up by clutching the bedsheets.

“Du Yijie! Don’t touch Wang Zheng! Give Wang Zheng back to me, give Wang Zheng back—!!” I tugged at his hands, not knowing if I was pleading or something else.

“Happy birthday, Qiri. Happy birthday, Qiri—”

Wang Zheng’s voice still echoed melodiously in the room. I tilted my head, watching the chain pendant drifting down in the light. I opened my palm—

Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, I watched the pendant get violently thrown onto the floor.

The pendant rolled a few times, coming to a stop at the entryway.

I crawled quickly toward it, and with frantic joy, I scooped the pendant into my palm.

Only…

I froze.

Wang Zheng’s smile was still there in the photo, but… the sound, the sound…

I shook tremulously, holding it close to my ear, shaking it again, repeating the action over and over…

Wang Zheng’s voice.

It was gone, gone…

Du Yijie walked over, bent down, and hugged me from behind, stroking my hair, his tone softening: “Be good, let me take you to get cleaned up, don’t make me angry, hmm…?”

“Xiao Qi—”

I stood up unsteadily, grabbed the doorknob in front of me, and suddenly bolted out the door.

“Xiao Qi!!”

I ran forward with all my might—

I need to find someone, find someone quickly…

I need to find someone to fix the pendant, quickly.

“Xiao Qi—!!” As I was about to head down the stairs, someone suddenly grabbed my arm from behind.

No…!

I pushed him away wildly. Many people seemed to gather around. He grabbed my arm and roared at those around him: “Don’t look! Don’t look—!! Go get some clothes for me—!!”

“Xiao Qi—!”

In the shoving, my foot slipped, and I fell backward.

After the world spun around me, my whole body ached, but I sat up quickly. However, this time, I couldn’t stand up.

“Xiao Qi…! Are you okay!”

I suddenly stopped.

I looked at the person in front of me.

I held the pendant in my hand up high, facing him.

“Xiao Qi…?”

I tugged at his hand and said: “Will you help me… fix the pendant? Please?”

“Wang Zheng is broken, will you help me fix him, please…?”

He widened his eyes, as if seeing something terrifying.

I was so anxious I was about to cry, climbing onto his neck and begging him: “Is it very expensive…? It’s okay, I’ll pay you however much it costs, just help me fix Wang Zheng, help me fix him, please?”

He picked me up, roaring at everyone around: “A bunch of idiots! Go and get a doctor right now!!”

I had a very long dream.

I felt it was truly long, so long that I wanted to just keep sleeping and never wake up again.

But, I opened my eyes anyway.

Du Yijie was sitting by the bed.

I looked at him, then slowly turned my eyes away.

My left eye was bandaged. I wanted to reach out and touch it, but Du Yijie gently pulled my hand away.

“Don’t touch it.” He paused and said, “It almost went blind.”

“You were in pain and uncomfortable, why didn’t you say anything?” he asked.

I looked at him.

For a long time.

I parted my lips. Du Yijie frowned, and after a long moment, he seemed to understand, poured a glass of water, helped me up from the bed, and fed it to me.

“I…” I said after drinking the water, “Can I… really say it?”

Du Yijie looked exhausted; the shadows under his eyes were deep. He leaned in eagerly. “Xiao Qi, where else do you feel uncomfortable?”

I looked at him and nodded.

“Yes,” I said. “That’s right, I’m in a lot of pain, and I’m very uncomfortable.”

I looked at him and slowly scanned the surroundings: “I am very uncomfortable here.”