Chapter 18: Locked From the Outside

Wei Qingxuan braced his hands on either side of Wen Qi, shifting slightly to put a small distance between them.

“Qi Qi, you smell really good.”

But even that half-palm of space made the fragrance thinner.

He wanted to get closer. Wanted to bite her. Wanted to wrap her in his arms and tighten them again and again, wanted her drenched in warmth and sweat, wanted her to kiss him on her own accord.

A dog finds intense comfort and pleasure in the scent left on its owner’s skin, clothes, or belongings, like the faint smell on a shawl.

The premise is that the dog hasn’t angered its owner.

Wei Qingxuan saw a trace of coldness on Wen Qi’s face. Confusion and panic rose in him, and with it a terrifying illusion, that he was about to be discarded.

Maybe it wasn’t an illusion at all.

The irritation from being woken hadn’t fully faded for Wen Qi, but more than that, she wanted to know how he had known about her phone call with Lan Yan.

“You were eavesdropping on my calls, weren’t you?” She turned her head and saw Little Ghost sitting quietly nearby. A sudden, sharp laugh escaped her. “No. You were monitoring me?”

All the heat that had just been simmering vanished. Wei Qingxuan felt ice seep through his body; even his breathing stalled. The only warmth left was at his collarbone, where Wen Qi had grabbed his collar.

Her chest rose and fell, part anger, part disbelief that he would dare monitor her.

Her instincts hadn’t been wrong. Every time she made a call, Little Ghost would roll over to her feet. So it really had been eavesdropping.

She had made veiled warnings in her words before. If he’d truly been listening, he would have understood.

But he hadn’t changed.

“Wei Qingxuan, your nerve has grown.”

“No.” He lowered his head obediently and brushed his chin against her hand. “I’ve always listened to you.”

“Bullshit.” The anger flared up in her. She slapped him across the face. “Don’t tell me you didn’t understand my warning.”

Aside from his collarbone, his cheek now burned too, warm and stinging.

Wen Qi never held back, especially not with someone who dared to spy on her.

A red mark bloomed quickly against his pale skin; it would probably linger for days.

But it eased the cold that had seeped through him. He almost desperately wanted her to “warm” the rest of him too.

Tilting his head slightly, he caught her scent again, sharper and more intense now because of her anger, like a flame suddenly flaring up. It made his heart tremble more than the slap had.

He couldn’t live without this scent anymore. He longed for it day and night. Without it, he would die.

Perhaps he would die mentally first, and then what remained of that spirit would kill the body, leaving only a shell that could never hold Wen Qi’s soul again.

No. No matter what, he had to keep her.

“I understood,” Wei Qingxuan said. “But I don’t want you talking to him. I get jealous.”

He parted his lips slightly, showing his teeth like a vampire trying to scare her. “Very jealous.”

But there was no real ferocity in his expression, no hatred. It was more like dissatisfaction. Even the attempt to frighten her felt like another kind of spoiled plea.

Be my owner alone.

Wen Qi blinked, momentarily stunned, then glared at him. “You can’t control me. What right do you have to be jealous?”

Besides, she had already said she didn’t like Lan Yan that way. She didn’t even understand where his jealousy came from.

Wei Qingxuan and Lan Yan were like two tigers that couldn’t coexist on one mountain. It had been that way in motorcycle races before; it was that way with Wen Qi too. More precisely, one owner could not have two dogs.

“I have the right,” he insisted stubbornly.

But when she asked him why, he fell silent.

Because she had kissed him?

But she only kissed him. She didn’t hug him. She didn’t touch him.

No, she had touched him. His abs. Only his abs.

For a fleeting second, Wei Qingxuan regretted all the restraint he had maintained in the past. He should have agreed to whatever she wanted.

“I don’t have the right,” he said finally, lowering his head.

He had no right before. He still had none now. A bleakness surged up inside him, hollowing him out.

“If you don’t have the right, then get off me.” Wen Qi shoved at him. “You dare to monitor me, Wei Qingxuan. Impressive.”

“I’ll move out right now.” She tried to wriggle out of his arms.

The instant he sensed her intent to leave, he snapped back to himself and tightened his hold.

“No.”

“No what? Stay here and let you monitor me? You’re insane!” She struggled. “You’re crushing me!”

He kept holding her, terrified that the slightest slack would let her slip away.

He didn’t even seem aware of how strong he was until he heard her broken, strained breaths. Only then did he loosen his arms abruptly.

She coughed hard, the suffocating pressure in her chest slowly fading.

He didn’t dare look at her directly, only stealing glances from the corner of his eye.

When he reached out instinctively, her hand slapped his away. “Brute. You only know how to use force.”

That moment only solidified her decision to leave. Otherwise, one day she might truly die, whether strangled or scared to death by him biting her in the middle of the night.

“You don’t understand a thing,” she muttered while straightening her pajamas.

“I do understand,” he countered.

“You understand? Would someone who understands spy on me? Would someone who understands almost strangle me?”

“I didn’t want to strangle you.” His voice was small. “I just wanted to hold you.”

She didn’t bother arguing further. The moment his guard dropped, she slipped free and dragged a suitcase from the corner.

A second hand landed on the handle. She didn’t even need to look to know whose it was.

She ignored him and began pulling clothes from the wardrobe.

When she remained unmoved, he stepped forward, blocking her from the closet.

“What now?” she demanded.

“I can understand,” he said after a pause. “But if understanding means being thrown away… Qi Qi, I don’t want you to throw me away.”

“I…”

She wanted to say she wouldn’t. But the suitcase in her hand made the words stick in her throat.

He saw through her.

“Not just now,” he said softly. “You’ve wanted to leave me for a long time. When you applied to universities and chose a city, you didn’t tell me. You planned to abandon me, didn’t you?”

The room fell silent.

“Yes,” she said finally, lifting her chin. “You abandoned me first.”

Back in high school, when her parents were divorcing, her sense of security had collapsed. She sought him constantly. He had promised to stay by her side.

She had believed him.

But one day, he was gone. No warning. No explanation. She couldn’t even reach him.

He had evaporated from her life.

She had spent a long time accepting that. A long time learning to imagine a future where they were strangers.

She had hated him.

And then he came back, as if nothing had happened.

Her feelings were tangled, joy, anger, resentment, excitement.

Now she couldn’t even tell what she felt anymore.

Maybe it was enough. One summer living together was enough.

He had abandoned her once. She would abandon him once.

Fair, wasn’t it?

“I’m just tired of you,” she said flatly.

The moment he heard “tired of you,” all the color drained from his face.

She seized the chance and pulled the suitcase free with surprising ease.

She packed only the clothes she had brought herself. The rest, things he had bought for her, remained in the closet.

Just as she turned, she was yanked back into a burning embrace.

His reason shattered under darker, deeper possessiveness.

Before she could struggle, he lowered his head and kissed her fiercely.

If he stopped her from speaking, she wouldn’t say more hurtful things.

She pushed against his chest, clawed at his back, even bit his lip until the metallic taste of blood filled their mouths.

He didn’t let go.

Only when her strength drained away did he slow, breath scorching her lips.

“Just this one kiss,” he whispered hoarsely. “Then I’ll let you go.”

This time, the kiss was gentle, fragile, trembling.

Tears slid down his face, warm and relentless, mixing between their lips.

“Okay,” she said finally, turning her face away. “That’s enough.”

He released her.

“It’s late,” he said calmly, draping a coat over her shoulders. “Stay tonight. You can go tomorrow.”

She hesitated.

“Say goodbye to Grandma in the morning,” he added softly. “She likes you.”

After a long pause, she nodded. “8 a.m. I’m leaving.”

“Okay.”

Later, he brought her a glass of warm milk.

“Drink it,” he said. “You’ll grow taller.”

They both froze at the old line.

She drank it anyway.

“Goodnight,” he said.

“Goodnight.”

She slept deeply.

When she woke, it was nearly eleven.

Heart pounding, she rushed to the door, grasped the handle, and turned.

It didn’t move.

She tried again.

Locked from the outside.

A cold, horrifying realization spread through her.

Wei Qingxuan had locked the door.

He had never intended to let her leave.