Don't You like Little Dogs? Now that I'm Taking Liberties, You're Suddenly Reluctant? - Chapter 27

The hand resting among his hair did not exert force; it simply remained there, carrying a weight that felt almost evaluative.

Pei Ye’s breath hitched in his throat. The blood in his body seemed to rush to his head before turning ice-cold in an instant. He maintained his position with his forehead pressed against Jiang Si’s chest, not daring to move or even open his eyes. He was like a bird offering its neck to the blade, awaiting the final judgment.

Jiang Si’s presence enveloped him. The crisp scent of cedar mixed with gunpowder and the faint metallic tang of blood, creating a dizzying atmosphere of absolute power. Time stretched infinitely; every second felt like being seared in a deep fryer. Suddenly, a soft, extremely amused chuckle came from above him.

It was his Master.

Pei Ye froze. The other man’s fingertips pressed slightly harder, sinking into Pei Ye’s black hair. The subtle sting forced Pei Ye to lift his head.

Pei Ye was compelled to meet those bottomless black eyes. There was no expected rage or loathing within them; there was only a strange, almost gentle gaze.

“I am quite satisfied,” Jiang Si said softly.

What? Master said he was satisfied?

Pei Ye’s entire body went rigid. His lips trembled, unable to form a single word. All the courage and madness he had possessed burned out in that instant, leaving behind nothing but endless panic and ash. Yet, his Master stroked his head and calmly told him he was satisfied.

Satisfied with what? His submissiveness? Or his frantic actions? Why?

Jiang Si’s gaze slowly moved down from his face, landing once again on the left side of Pei Ye’s chest. Even through the fabric of his clothes, that gaze felt as though it had penetrating power.

“But, ‘becoming useful’?” Jiang Si repeated Pei Ye’s earlier words, his tone carrying a faint, inscrutable meaning. “‘Staying by my side’? So this is your understanding of being useful and staying?”

His other hand rose. His cool fingertips lightly traced the wound on Pei Ye’s arm that had just been bandaged, pressing down firmly through the gauze. Pei Ye let out a muffled groan of pain. His body instinctively tried to curl inward, but he was held in place by Jiang Si’s hand on his hair.

“Using your body to block a bullet?” Jiang Si’s fingertips continued to slide down, landing on the sprained ankle. Even through the elastic bandage, he accurately found the swollen, feverish spot and applied pressure. “Allowing yourself to get hurt? And then,” his fingertips finally stopped at Pei Ye’s heart, pressing precisely onto the tattooed name through the shirt fabric, “using such a childish method to declare ownership?”

Each of his Master’s words felt like a cold hammer striking Pei Ye’s fragile nerves. He felt completely flayed open, all his secret, twisted thoughts exposed to the daylight for the most cold-blooded judgment.

“No, I did not,” he tried in vain to deny it, his voice as faint as a murmur.

“Did you not?”

Jiang Si took a step closer, the distance between them narrowing until their noses nearly touched. Pei Ye could clearly see his own wretched reflection in the man’s eyes.

“Tell me, Pei Ye. If that bullet had not just grazed you, but had instead pierced through your heart, what meaning would your so-called usefulness have then?”

Pei Ye’s pupils contracted sharply. Jiang Si’s words were like a blade, accurately stabbing his deepest fear: losing his value and being discarded.

“If all I needed was a blade that would shatter itself,” Jiang Si’s voice was as cold and hard as iron, “do you think you would still be standing here?”

Pei Ye froze completely, his mind going blank. Master’s meaning was not that he loathed his transgression and loss of control, but rather he was rejecting Pei Ye’s self-destructive brand of loyalty.

“Your life,” Jiang Si pressed his finger firmly against the tattoo over Pei Ye’s heart, as if trying to touch those two letters through skin and flesh, “is mine now. Without my permission, who gave you leave to damage it? That includes yourself.”

These words were like a clap of thunder exploding in Pei Ye’s chaotic mind. It was not abandonment; it was possession. A completely different, even more violent tide swept over him instantly. More terrifying than his previous despair, this was a dark hope that threatened to drown him.

Jiang Si released the hand holding his hair and took a step back, reclaiming the distance between them. The suffocating pressure eased slightly, yet Pei Ye felt even more at a loss. He slumped onto the sofa, looking as if all the bones had been removed from his body, able only to look up at the once-again towering Jiang Si.

Tears welled in his eyes without warning. They were not born of sadness or fear, but of an extreme, unbearable shock and confusion. Jiang Si watched him break down and weep with an expressionless face. There was no comfort, nor was there any reprimand. It was as if he were simply observing an interesting, spiraling possession.

Only when Pei Ye’s breathing leveled out slightly, leaving only silent, violent tremors, did Jiang Si speak again. His tone had returned to its usual indifference, yet it carried an unquestionable command.

“Remember what you said today. And remember my words.”

He turned away, no longer looking at Pei Ye, and walked toward the bedroom. “Clean yourself up. There are things to do tomorrow.”

The bedroom door closed softly.

Pei Ye was left alone in the living room, slumped on the sofa as if he had survived a catastrophe. The pain in his arm and ankle remained sharp, the brand on his chest felt scalding, and Jiang Si’s final words echoed repeatedly in his ears.

Your life is mine now. Without my permission, who gave you leave to damage it?

This was not forgiveness or acceptance; it was another form of absolute control and proclamation. He tremblingly raised his hand, looking at his bandaged arm, and then slowly pressed it to his heart. There, beneath the name, his heart was beating frantically, shivering at that dark possession.

He did not understand. He could not understand his Master’s true thoughts at all. But he had captured the only vital piece of information: he was still useful, his life was still needed, and he had not been discarded.

That was enough. It was enough to sustain him as he continued forward, continuing to immerse himself in this twisted, desperate loyalty and love.