Don't You like Little Dogs? Now that I'm Taking Liberties, You're Suddenly Reluctant? - Chapter 28

Pei Ye struggled to crawl up from the sofa, enduring the piercing pain in his ankle as he limped toward the bathroom.

The mirror reflected a face that was pale and streaked with tear tracks, yet his eyes burned with an unnervingly bright intensity. He turned on the faucet and splashed his face forcefully with ice-cold water, attempting to suppress the surging dark emotions that felt as if they were about to burst from his chest.

That night, Pei Ye did not sleep at all.

He lay on the cold bed with his eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling. The physical pain, coupled with the massive psychological shock, made sleep impossible. Jiang Si’s words, his gaze, and his touch replayed in his mind on a loop. Every time he reminisced, it brought a wave of tremors and a deeper sense of drowning in his own obsession.

The next morning, Pei Ye appeared in the living room right on time.

He had changed into a clean suit and his hair was meticulously styled. Aside from his overly pale complexion and an almost imperceptible limp, he looked no different than usual. He had even prepared the coffee Jiang Si usually drank ahead of time.

When Jiang Si stepped out of the bedroom, his gaze lingered on Pei Ye for a brief moment, but he made no comment, acting as if nothing had happened the previous night. He took the coffee, took a sip, and then began delegating the day’s schedule as he always did.

“We are going to meet a guest this afternoon on the Emerald cruise ship for tonight’s charity gala,” Jiang Si said as he set down the coffee cup. “Get ready.”

“Yes, Master,” Pei Ye replied with a bowed head. His voice was somewhat raspy, but it was steady enough.

“Your injury,” Jiang Si seemed to just remember, adding indifferently, “if it is inconvenient, I can let the adjutant take your place.”

“I can do it!” Pei Ye snapped his head up, interrupting with urgent intensity. Realizing his loss of composure, he immediately lowered his head again. “I can do it, Master. It will not affect anything.”

Jiang Si glanced at him and said nothing more.

In the afternoon, the black sedan drove toward the pier.

The Emerald was a luxury cruise ship. Tonight’s charity gala gathered many celebrities and socialites of New City. Naturally, it was also a mix of various shady dealings and hidden agendas.

The boarding process went smoothly. Jiang Si’s appearance attracted many gazes of awe, flattery, and wariness. He handled it with ease, a perfectly measured and indifferent smile always playing on his lips.

Pei Ye followed behind him, forcing himself to ignore the throbbing pain from his ankle. He was on high alert, his sharp gaze scanning everyone who approached. After last night, he felt as though a certain taut string within him had snapped, only to be reconnected in a different way, becoming even more paranoid and focused.

His life belonged to his Master. He would not allow any accidents to happen.

The banquet was held in the magnificent grand hall on the top deck of the cruise ship. The air was thick with the scent of expensive perfume as guests mingled. Jiang Si was soon surrounded by several important figures engaged in conversation.

Pei Ye stood guard in a relatively quiet corner nearby, leaning his back against the cold glass curtain wall. This reduced the burden on his ankle and allowed him to better observe the entire room. His eyes never left Jiang Si.

A waiter carrying drinks passed by him. Pei Ye’s gaze subconsciously followed the glasses on the tray for a split second.

And in that single moment of distraction, disaster struck.

“Ah!”

A sharp scream suddenly erupted from the direction of the side door, followed by the loud crash of shattering glass. The crowd instantly fell into a commotion.

Almost at the same time, out of the corner of his eye, Pei Ye caught a flash of cold steel in the crowd. The target was aimed directly at the back of Jiang Si’s heart while he was mid-conversation.

It was not a professional assassin; the movements were even somewhat frantic, looking more like a desperate and suicidal attack. The attacker might have been some minor character driven to a dead end by Jiang Si.

But in Pei Ye’s eyes, any threat directed at Jiang Si had to be utterly eradicated.

His body once again reacted before his brain.

The agony in his ankle was completely ignored the moment he exploded into motion. Like a bolt of black lightning, he lunged from the corner. Instead of pushing Jiang Si away, he threw his own body directly into the assailant holding the blade.

There was a muffled sound as the blade pierced flesh. However, it was not deep.

Pei Ye’s movements were too fast and his momentum too fierce. The impact was massive. The knife only managed to carve a moderately deep gash in his side before both the man and the blade were violently knocked flying.

The attacker screamed as he crashed to the floor, and he was instantly pinned down by the other bodyguards who had reacted.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye.

Jiang Si had not even turned around yet. He only frowned slightly when the loud crash and commotion began, and then he slowly turned back.

The first thing he saw was Pei Ye clutching his side with blood seeping through his fingers, standing pale-faced behind the spot where Jiang Si had just been. Not far away, a man was being held down firmly by bodyguards.

The situation was frustrating. An inexplicable irritation surged in Jiang Si’s heart.

Pei Ye’s eyes remained sharp, staring fixedly at the restrained attacker as if he would pounce and tear the man apart if there was even the slightest further movement. Only after confirming the threat was completely neutralized did he seem to breathe a sigh of relief. His body swayed almost imperceptibly before he finally looked at Jiang Si.

“Master,” he began, wanting to confirm if Jiang Si was alright.

Jiang Si’s gaze fell on Pei Ye’s bleeding side, and his eyes instantly darkened. It was a freezing, almost physical rage.

His puppy had been hurt again.

The surrounding crowd was shaken and began murmuring in hushed tones. The ship’s security and Jiang Si’s entourage quickly took control of the scene, beginning the clearance and investigation.

Jiang Si ignored the surrounding chaos. He took a stride toward Pei Ye and abruptly reached out, yanking away the hand Pei Ye was using to cover the wound. He glanced at the blood continuously seeping out.

His movements were not gentle; in fact, they were bordering on rough.

“Master?” Pei Ye stumbled slightly from the pull. The wound flared with sharper pain, but he gritted his teeth and made no sound.

Jiang Si lifted his eyes to stare at Pei Ye. Within those always bottomless black depths, a terrifying storm was currently churning. He spoke almost through gritted teeth, his voice low and deliberate.

“Pei Ye, do you take my words for a joke?”