Lin Xi was dizzy and weak, her entire back trembling. She clenched her fist and bit her index finger hard, drawing blood. "What are you doing here?" Duan Mingxuan said, reaching out to help her. "Stop."
Lin Xi's voice was weak and feeble. "Don't come any closer." Duan Mingxuan paused. "How can I help you up if I don't go over? Are you feeling unwell? What's wrong?" Lin Xi clung to the wall like a wriggling worm.
She didn't dare look at Duan Mingxuan, didn't dare let him see her expression. Struggling to suppress the embarrassment surging within her, she said in a hoarse voice, "Open the door for me, get me a bottle of ice water." Duan Mingxuan sensed something was wrong and hesitated.
"Go ahead," Lin Xi urged. Duan Mingxuan took two steps forward, opened the door, and took some ice water from the refrigerator for Lin Xi. Lin Xi couldn't lift her hand and said, "Put it on the floor and get out." Duan Mingxuan frowned, about to say something, when his phone vibrated.
He reached for his phone on the bedside table, saw the message, and his entire demeanor darkened. Duan Mingxuan immediately called Zhang Mo, who answered quickly. He roared, "What the hell did you feed her?" Lin Xi shuddered; Duan Mingxuan knew.
She shakily grabbed a bottle of ice water, the cap loosely unscrewed—a habit Duan Mingxuan habitually made. Lin Xi poured the water over her head, barely regaining a sliver of clarity. Duan Mingxuan was facing away from her. Lin Xi leaned against the wall to stand up; she was going to the bathroom.
Her phone was in her bag; she didn't know where Zhang Mo had thrown it. If she went to look for it, Duan Mingxuan would surely find it. Although Duan Mingxuan had a phone, she couldn't trust him. She went into the bathroom and locked the door. Duan Yiheng would come; she just needed to wait for him.
Before coming to the hotel, she had already texted him. She would definitely wait for Duan Yiheng. Lin Xi felt like a female ghost in a movie, drenched in rain, but every step she took felt like it was made of lead.
She hadn't moved or drunk anything; she must have inhaled something colorless and odorless. The drug was too strong! "Lin Xi?" Duan Mingxuan turned around but didn't see Lin Xi, breaking out in a cold sweat. Lin Xi held onto the wall with one hand and reached for the bathroom doorknob with the other.
The moment Duan Mingxuan called her name, she grabbed the doorknob and pushed it open. Just as she turned to lock the door, Duan Mingxuan stepped on it, blocking the crack. Lin Xi's breathing was rapid: "Get out." "X-Xiao Xi," Duan Mingxuan stammered, "You...you...how are you?"
"Get out." Lin Xi hid behind the door, her voice trembling. "I...I can—" "What can you do?" Lin Xi noticed he increased the force of his push on the door, and looked up in disgust. "Get out."
"She gave you some foreign stuff from a hidden black market, an inhalable aphrodisiac. If you don't take care of it, you'll feel terrible." A surge of heat coursed through her body, but Lin Xi's voice was icy cold: "If Duan Yiheng were here, he would have already called a doctor for me."
Duan Mingxuan's eyes twisted: "I've tried so hard to please you, but you never give me a kind look. I'm the one who grew up with you, so why should Duan Yiheng just take it from me like that?" Lin Xi was almost unable to stand, leaning against the door. She tilted her head slightly:
"Don't come in, I beg you." Duan Mingxuan was half resentful and half furious at her avoidance of him like a venomous snake. She had never trusted him. Duan Mingxuan's gaze darkened, his fingers tightened, and he slammed open the bathroom door.
Lin Xi closed her eyes and smashed the glass she had hidden earlier down. Duan Mingxuan raised his hand to block, but the glass shattered, hurting his wrist. It fell to the ground with a sharp crack.
All his efforts were in vain. Lin Xi slumped to the ground, picking up a shard of glass that had bounced to her feet. Duan Mingxuan crouched down, looking at her, almost gritting his teeth: "You have absolutely no trust in me, do you?"
Lin Xi was a mess from head to toe. Ice water poured down her face and neck, while the drug-induced urges surged through her body. The clash of ice and fire made the experience even more unbearable.
Her hands trembled as she gripped the sharp shards tightly, using them as a shield between herself and Duan Mingxuan. "I'm telling you, if you come any closer, I really will slash myself." Duan Mingxuan let out a muffled laugh from his chest, suddenly grabbing her wrist. "Fine, come on."
Lin Xi's eyes were bloodshot. "Don't force me, stay away from me." Duan Mingxuan released her hand, his smile mocking. "You're waiting for Duan Yiheng, aren't you? You stayed at his manor for two nights, sharing a bed. What's done is done, isn't it?" "Get out."
Lin Xi forced out her disappointment in Duan Mingxuan. "Get up," Duan Mingxuan reached out to help Lin Xi up. "I… hiss…" Duan Mingxuan leaned back abruptly, looking down in disbelief at his ripped shirt. He touched it, smelling a faint scent of blood.
The shirt had a tear, and thin streaks of blood seeped through. "You actually dared to lay a hand on me?" Duan Mingxuan looked at Lin Xi, who was filled with hatred for him, his heart pierced by her gaze, shattering like broken glass.
Lin Xi could barely see Duan Mingxuan's face, and she no longer had the strength to speak. Staring blankly at the white object before her, she used her last bit of strength to slash it down. Duan Mingxuan was devastated and frantically snatched the shard from her arm: "Are you crazy?"
Blood gushed from her jade-like arm. Duan Mingxuan was oblivious to everything else. He took out his phone and called the hotel reception. Duan Yiheng entered the hotel lobby just in time to hear the receptionist say:
"Sir, please don't panic. I'll send someone over immediately. Please tell me what tool caused the cut, approximately how deep the wound is, and how much bleeding is happening..." Duan Yiheng didn't pay attention until the receptionist added:
"Okay, I'll send someone up immediately. 2701, right?" 2701? Duan Yiheng's face darkened, and he strode towards the elevator.
Duan Mingxuan tore off the hem of his shirt and hastily wrapped it around Lin Xi's arm. Lin Xi had completely lost her strength, and upon closer inspection, her body was still trembling slightly. Just then, there was a loud banging on the door. Duan Mingxuan, assuming it was a hotel staff member, opened the door immediately.
Duan Yiheng looked him up and down, and seeing blood on his chest, his heart leaped into his throat. He asked Duan Mingxuan, "Where's Lin Xi?" Before Duan Mingxuan could answer, a commotion came from the bathroom.
Lin Xi didn't know who it was, but this was a chance to save herself. She struggled to climb to the sink and knocked over all the bottles and jars in the basin. Hearing the noise, Duan Mingxuan tried to stop him, but Duan Yiheng shoved him away fiercely.
The bathroom door was half-closed. Duan Yiheng cautiously pushed it open, momentarily shocked by the mess. The person half-lying over the sink, desperately splashing cold water on their face, made his heart pound even harder. "Lin Xi," Duan Yiheng's voice was filled with heartache and gnawing pain.