Just as Jiang Cheng was calculating where to go first after returning, there was a gentle knock on the door.
Three knocks—light and very restrained.
Jiang Cheng looked toward the door. "Come in."
As soon as he spoke, the door was pushed open.
Xia Li walked in.
She was still wearing the same outfit from earlier in the day.
However, her collar was loosened, and her long hair was tied simply behind her head, revealing the sharp lines of her neck.
The light fell on her face, washing away the decisiveness of the day, leaving only a calm that bordered on exhaustion.
"What's wrong?"
The room's lighting was somewhat dim and yellow, making it hard to see the slight reddening of Xia Li's ear tips.
She walked inside and stood a few steps away from the bed, eyes downcast, her voice as light as a breeze. "Young Master Jiang."
"Still thinking about going in yourself?"
Xia Li's shoulders trembled almost imperceptibly.
She looked up; her eyes were bloodshot, yet there were no tears.
It was a hollow look, as if her emotions had been drained dry, leaving only obsession.
She shook her head. "No. You've already used so many connections for me and even alerted Elder Zhou. Thank you. I have nothing to give you except this life of mine."
As her voice fell and Jiang Cheng watched her, Xia Li raised her hand, grabbed the collar of her combat suit, and yanked it down.
The sound of the zipper sliding open was exceptionally clear in the quiet room.
Half of her shoulder was instantly exposed, revealing a crisscrossing network of shocking scars under the light.
Jiang Cheng's pupils constricted slightly.
He understood.
She wanted to repay his kindness in the only way she could.
Fuck.
The moment that word flashed through Jiang Cheng's mind, his body moved before his consciousness could.
The longest scar below her collarbone stretched from her chest to her waist, looking like a centipede crawling on her. Near her spine was a circular gunshot wound, the surrounding skin puckered into a ball.
When he had touched these scars over a month ago, he had stopped.
Seeing them now, he stopped again.
It wasn't out of disgust.
It wasn't that he didn't want to.
He just felt bad for this girl.
He didn't want to take her at a time like this.
He took a step forward and reached out to press down on her hand.
Xia Li's movements paused. The corners of her eyes were red, yet she remained stubborn. "Young Master Jiang, you're helping me avenge this deep-seated blood feud. I have nothing else to repay you with..."
"Don't be in such a hurry," Jiang Cheng interrupted. "We have revenge to take tomorrow. Don't catch a cold."
He reached out to pull her clothes back up and zipped them shut. His movements were crisp, without a hint of frivolity, yet carrying an undeniable forcefulness.
Xia Li froze completely. She looked at him, her lips moving, but no words came out.
Looking at her bloodless, pale face, Jiang Cheng suddenly sighed.
Then he reached out and pulled her into his arms.
In truth, Jiang Cheng couldn't explain why he was hugging Xia Li.
He just felt that this woman really needed a hug right now.
Xia Li was stiff in his embrace.
She was used to guns, blood, vigilance, and slaughter, but she had never been used to a hug.
This embrace was steady and warm.
It was like a ship that had been drifting for half a lifetime finally finding a shore to dock at.
Although she often teased herself about her feelings for Jiang Cheng,
Jiang Cheng's embrace at this moment was clearly more touching to her than if he had possessed her.
She didn't cry; she just leaned her face gently against his shoulder, her body trembling slightly.
"Xia Li," Jiang Cheng's voice sounded above her head, deep and clear. "I will help you get revenge. I will personally drag Snake Woman before you. You can deal with her however you want."
"Xia Li," Jiang Cheng's voice sounded above her head, deep and clear. "I will help you get revenge. I will personally drag Snake Woman before you. You can deal with her however you want."
"But remember—"
He pressed his hand against her back with irresistible force.
"From today on, your life is mine."
"You are not allowed to die, not allowed to be impulsive, and not allowed to treat yourself like a dead person who can be discarded at any time."
Xia Li closed her eyes, and a single hot tear finally fell silently onto his shoulder.
Choking back a sob, she used all her strength to whisper a single sentence.
"...Yes, Young Master Jiang."
Jiang Cheng let her go and raised his hand, his thumb gently wiping away the dampness at the corner of her eye.
The movement was very light, yet it carried a possessive tenderness.
Xia Li's face instantly turned bright red, even her ears burning. She instinctively wanted to pull away, but he held her gently, making her unable to move.
"Why are you hiding?" Jiang Cheng arched an eyebrow, his tone returning to his usual playfulness. "The people around me, whether they're bodyguards or anything else, have to live well."
Xia Li's heartbeat instantly skipped a beat.
She knew Jiang Cheng was never short of women.
But she was different.
She was someone who had crawled back from hell.
She had nothing—only a body full of scars and a life she had barely reclaimed.
To be able to stand by his side, to be his blade, to block danger for him, and to appear whenever he needed her...
To her, that was already the ultimate blessing.
Xia Li looked up, her gaze firm and calm, without a hint of jealousy, only bone-deep loyalty.
"Young Master Jiang, I am your bodyguard, your person. I don't care who else is around you, and I won't interfere. I will only do what I should do... protect you, obey your orders, and take my revenge."
"As long as I can stay by your side, I'll be satisfied."
Jiang Cheng looked at her.
Under the light, her eyes were very bright—so bright she didn't look like someone who had crawled back from hell.
Jiang Cheng suddenly smiled, reached out, and gave her bottom a smack.
*Slap.*
The sound wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the quiet room.
Xia Li froze instantly.
From her spine to her fingertips, every muscle tensed up.
Her face went from pale to red, then to a deep crimson. Even her ears were burning, like paper that had been set on fire, the heat spreading to her neck.
She opened her mouth but couldn't say a single word.
Because Jiang Cheng hadn't just slapped her; his large hands were now kneading her rounded buttocks.
She lowered her head and took a deep breath, her voice trembling slightly. "Young Master Jiang, you..."
"Sorry." Jiang Cheng paused and looked at one of his hands. "It's just so round that I couldn't help it. It was an instinctive move."
Xia Li: "..."
Her mind went blank.
Instinctive? What kind of instinct? What did he take her for?
But—she wasn't angry.
Not in the slightest.
In fact, something indescribable welled up from her chest and got stuck in her throat.
Because in that second, she suddenly understood...
Jiang Cheng didn't find her disgusting.
Those scars—the scars she herself found revolting, dirty, and unworthy of being seen—Jiang Cheng didn't mind them.
Even though Jiang Cheng had only said "I don't mind" before,
he had still rejected her.
That's right; just a moment ago, Xia Li had actually felt a bit disappointed.
She knew Jiang Cheng was just being a good person and felt sorry for her.
But none of that compared to the way he was kneading her and smacking her bottom now.
It was instinctive.
The most primal reaction of a man toward a woman.
*Clang—*
The sound of a small collision came from the doorway.