Chapter 21

Chapter 21

The youth was nearly bewitched, for when Ming Fei Yu turned gentle, it was just as fatally deceptive as his own feigned innocence.

He, too, was always more susceptible to soft approaches rather than forceful ones.

But he quickly came to his senses due to the odd sensation in his head, realized something was amiss, and with all his might pushed Ming Fei Yu away, nearly toppling him from the rocking chair.

Regrettably, his strength was insufficient.

The young man, seeing the smug smile on Ming Fei Yu’s face from his successful ploy, felt anger surge within his chest, burning him, making it hard to breathe.

The effects of the tea were gradually taking hold.

Bastard! He cursed silently.

Yet he didn’t show it. While he was still lucid, he planned to seek an opportunity for revenge against Ming Fei Yu.

After a few sharp breaths, he saw the candid gaze Ming Fei Yu fixed on him and had already formed a plan.

Thus, he approached with a dazed and harmless demeanor, took the initiative to embrace Ming Fei Yu's shoulders, and kissed him lightly. The sensation was like feathers tickling his heart – tantalizing and fleeting, prompting a desire for pursuit and possession.

Ming Fei Yu was not so naive; the sudden change was suspicious, and he scrutinized the seemingly pliable beauty that had come willingly to him.

Gruesome memories of the past made him hesitate, for logic and experience suggested that this could very well be a beautifully poisonous trap.

"What are you trying to do?"

"I'm dizzy, don't want to do anything, just hold me."

A shadow passed over Ming Fei Yu's eyes.

Despite his suspicions, the genuine yearning for his beloved prevailed. With sweet calls of "Er Ge" and "A Yu," which oozed with saccharine affection, Ming Fei Yu lowered his guard and wrapped his arms around his waist, matching his rhythm.

Yet Ming Fei Yu still threatened in a low voice, "If you're deceiving me again, I'll bite you to death."

"I won't lie to you," the young man breathed softly into his ear, his voice seductively boundless.

This completely scrambled Ming Fei Yu's composure.

Here, the romantic atmosphere was boundless.

The young man's demeanor was disheveled, but his heart was not; sensing the change in Ming Fei Yu's breath and the sudden tightening grip around his waist, he knew the moment had come!

Suddenly, his eyes snapped open, startlingly clear, without a hint of confusion – only ruthlessness.

He bit down hard! With all the remaining strength, a robust, rust-like taste of blood spread between their mouths.

Ming Fei Yu, pained, pushed away the biting cat, disbelief written across his face, while the young man triumphantly raised an eyebrow at him.

Ming Fei Yu's thumb brushed over the corner of his lip, the bright red on his fingertip glaringly visible, a mouthful of blood drawn, with the taste of blood continuously welling up.

"Hahaha—"

He had his wish fulfilled, seeing Ming Fei Yu's frustrated and crestfallen appearance, and laughed heartily, contented, collapsing onto the rocking chair with a full-bellied laugh, resonant and cheerful.

"Does it hurt?"

"Hahaha—"

"That's what you get! You deserve this pain!"

The corners of the young man's eyes crinkled, a sense of satisfaction from his revenge offering him immense comfort.

"This is for being fickle! For causing trouble and not letting me leave! For force-feeding me all that nonsense! A bite is the least of what you deserve! I should tear open your throat and let you faint here from the loss of blood!"

Uncharacteristically, Ming Fei Yu didn't get angry. Swallowing the blood in his throat, he watched the other silently, his voice cold as he asked, "Are you happy now?"

"Of course, I'm very happy."

He deliberately tilted his chin up, not bothering to conceal the provocative arrogance in his eyes; he wanted Ming Fei Yu to see it, to anger him.

Ming Fei Yu felt a chill in his heart at the sight, as if a knife had been violently plunged into it. He had been deceived again, and the young man had once more used him without a blink of an eye.

It turned out that deception wasn't a one-time occurrence, nor was there such a thing as a last time. For him, as long as it was beneficial, he would deceive without hesitation, even if it meant selling himself out.

With a heart filled with sorrow and rage, his eyes grew colder. Ming Fei Yu sneered, "So this is your true face, isn't it? Cold and selfish, luring people into your web of lies with an innocent and frail facade, then crushing their beautiful illusions with your own hands, taking pleasure in watching them writhe in pain at your feet, even mocking their sentimental folly."

"Yes, that's right." He admitted unabashedly, his laugh filled with malice, every word aimed to stab at the softest part of Ming Fei Yu's heart.

"Ming Fei Yu, did you just realize what kind of person I am?"

"How pitiful you are, to have only discovered now, after so long, that the person sleeping beside you is a heartless swindler."

As he spoke, he started to chuckle.

Anger and sorrow tore at Ming Fei Yu's sanity, his pupils flickering between crimson and dark voids. He wanted to rush over, to gag him and cover his face; that way, he wouldn't be able to utter such hurtful words, nor would his smile be so cruelly piercing.

The armrest of the rocking chair was almost crushed under the grip of his palm, the veins on the back of his hand standing out.

"Is it fun to deceive people?"

"Extremely fun."

The young man sat up, leaned toward Ming Fei Yu, and poked Ming Fei Yu's chest repeatedly with his index finger, with so much force that if it were possible to puncture through to his heart, he would surely seize and crush that detestable organ.

He dared to adopt such a vile attitude because he was ready to throw caution to the wind, like one willing to smash a pot that was already cracked.

Since Ming Fei Yu wouldn't let him go, he wouldn't make it easy for Ming Fei Yu either.

He wagered on just how far Ming Fei Yu's feelings for him could push the boundaries of his rage.

But it seemed he had underestimated Ming Fei Yu's patience; he hadn't made a move yet.

"Why are you staring at me like that?"

Out of the blue, Ming Fei Yu asked him a seemingly nonsensical question, "What am I to you? A handy tool that’s of use?"

"Ming Fei Yu, don't you have any idea why I'm with you? It's been a transaction of mutual benefit from the start. Why are you questioning me about having no feelings for you now?"

The young man laughed derisively, mocking, "Are you sick in the head?"

"Liar!!"

Ming Fei Yu finally reached his breaking point, suddenly grasping the young man by the neck and slamming him against the rocking chair, eyes burning with such hatred it seemed they could ignite a fire.

If he dared utter another hurtful word, if he dared to trample and humiliate his feelings again, then he would strangle him! Better to spend his days with a quiet, obedient corpse!

But the young man was not afraid, not even of the pain from being slammed on his back; without a whimper, his provocative claws remained defiant, his gaze teasingly fixed on Ming Fei Yu.

He even gripped Ming Fei Yu's wrist, urging him to squeeze tighter, his eyes alight with madness and excitement, "I am a liar, without a shred of sincerity, consorting with you just to survive. Are you angry? Hurt? Do you feel humiliated? If you've got the guts, then strangle me!"

"Do it! What are you just staring at me for!"

His neck was pale and slender; it would be so easy for Ming Fei Yu to snap it. He presented his vital weakness to him, continuously tempting him to act, yet Ming Fei Yu hesitated to apply any force.

The air between them was charged, ready to ignite at the slightest provocation, both on a knife-edge of tension!

"What are you hesitating for? Didn't you say I'm just a short-lived ant, surviving only because of you? Is it so hard to kill an ant? Or are you just a coward who dares to speak but not to act?"

The young man finished his tirade in one breath, his eyes bloodshot and glaring, incessantly goading him—Kill me! Kill me, will you!

However, Ming Fei Yu, driven to the pinnacle of fury, suddenly cooled down, realizing the young man's intentions.

Because he wouldn't really strangle him to death; they both knew that would be the outcome. But if he half-strangled him, the guilt would eat at him afterward, and the young man could take this opportunity to make new demands—like breaking up and leaving, never to return.

Even at this point, this person was still setting traps and manipulating him.

Should he call him clever, or should he call him heartless?

Ming Fei Yu's gaze left his unfathomable eyes as he released his grip; a flicker of unease and suspicion immediately crossed the young man's face.

Ming Fei Yu realized that to truly retaliate, he should not kill him, but rather deny him his desires forever.

Only a faint mark remained on his neck, which would fade shortly.

Ming Fei Yu brushed aside the hair falling at the corner of his eye and said in a calm tone, "You're too agitated right now. Calm down before you speak."

"I am calm!!!"

He shrugged off Ming Fei Yu's hand; not achieving his goal was not an option for him.

"Do you actually have a problem, Ming Fei Yu?! You like being deceived and used, don't you!"

"Either strangle me now, or I will continue to deceive you. I won't change. After all, you're foolish and easy to deceive!"

His thin lips parted and closed, and from them flew countless invisible daggers, striking precisely at Ming Fei Yu's heart.

He laughed deliberately.

And Ming Fei Yu watched him laugh with a disquieting serenity.

Blood still stained his lips, the crimson blending with his vivid lips, his laugh dazzling and unrestrained like an enchanting flower blooming against the snow, all thorns and ice, stunning at first glance, drawing one in helplessly, even if it meant leaving wounded without ever having grasped the bloom.

Did the one who sought to pluck this flower not realize it was full of lies, venomous at heart, selfish, cold, and skilled in feigning innocence?

No, they were well aware.

But to like is to like; to adore his beauty is also to accept his malice.

Amidst the storm, the moment of infatuation was such that the heartbeat could drown out all other sounds in the world.

Ming Fei Yu was, of course, angry at having been bitten and deceived; never before had anyone made a fool of him like this. A lesson was certainly in order, yet the young man’s smile was enough to soften his heart for a moment, briefly forgetting the recent violent struggle.

He found himself unusually frustrated, thinking: Wait for the laughter to subside before teaching him a lesson.

The young man quickly realized that Ming Fei Yu neither scolded him nor struck him, despite expecting to be killed by Ming Fei Yu after that bite and those cruel words. What was the meaning of Ming Fei Yu's lack of response?

Was the bite too gentle? Or was he numbed by the pain? Or perhaps it was rage that clouded his mind?

Provoking Ming Fei Yu intentionally just to infuriate him, yet now not a trace of discomposure is seen; was that bite for naught?

Confused, the young man's smile faded, and he furrowed his brow: "Why aren't you angry?"

But Ming Fei Yu instead asked him, "Have you laughed enough?"

He looked at him as if he were a fool and asked again, "You're not angry?"

"Angry."

"I've been driven to fury by you."

Anger should not carry such a calm tone; it's very strange.

Ming Fei Yu offered a bizarre smile, sinister like a serpent's eyes, yet tenderly wiped the blood from the corner of his lips, his fingertip burning hot, whereas Ming Fei Yu's usual body temperature was cool.

Not normal.

He flinched backward, lifting his head to look around warily.

Hotter than the temperature of his fingertips was the intensity in Ming Fei Yu's gaze.

"You'd better keep laughing. If you haven't had your fill of laughter, soon you won't be able to, and you'll only be able to cry."

"What do you mean?"

A sudden sense of foreboding surged within him, and he tried to rise from the rocking chair, but Ming Fei Yu seized his shoulders again, forcibly pressing him back into the chair.

"Get off!"

His trembling pupils clearly conveyed his fear at the moment; all his bluster was nothing but a hollow threat.

He couldn't possibly be blind to Ming Fei Yu's intentions, as if some kind of heat had condensed into a towering wave, surging uncontrollably.

Trapped in this confined space, unable to move hands or feet was a very dangerous sign; confronted with a chest he could not escape, he could only lift his head and face the rich, ink-like depth of Ming Fei Yu's eyes.

It was as if a soundly sleeping wolf had been awoken by his disturbance, ready to unleash all its fury upon him.

Suddenly, he had the real sensation that today, he might indeed be killed by Ming Fei Yu.