Don't You like Little Dogs? Now that I'm Taking Liberties, You're Suddenly Reluctant? - Chapter 29

The interior of the cruise ship was extremely noisy, yet Pei Ye heard exactly what Jiang Si was saying.

Jiang Si’s voice was pitched very low, but it felt like a steel needle dipped in ice, piercing through Pei Ye’s eardrums.

The surrounding cacophony of voices and music seemed to vanish instantly, leaving only the cold, suffocating sensation brought by those words.

Pei Ye’s face was deathly pale. The fingers clutching his wound tightened unconsciously, causing blood to seep out even faster.

As he looked into Jiang Si’s eyes and saw an anger he had never witnessed before, one that had almost solidified into something tangible his heart felt as though it were being squeezed by an icy hand.

“Master, I…” He opened his mouth, wanting to explain that it was just an instinctive reaction, wanting to say he was fine. But under Jiang Si’s terrifying gaze, the words stuck in his throat.

“Shut up,” Jiang Si interrupted him, his tone harsh and cold.

He grabbed Pei Ye’s uninjured arm, his grip so strong it nearly crushed the bone. Without a word of explanation, he dragged him through the startled crowd, heading straight for the private VIP suites on the upper deck.

The adjutant had already arrived upon hearing the news. Seeing this scene, his eyes narrowed slightly, but he asked nothing. He simply signaled his subordinates to clear the scene and handle the aftermath, then followed at a distance to ensure they were not disturbed.

Jiang Si kicked open the door to an empty suite and threw Pei Ye inside. Pei Ye staggered several steps before crashing into the living room sofa. The impact jarred his abdominal wound; he let out a muffled groan of pain, and cold sweat instantly beaded on his forehead.

Jiang Si closed the door behind him and locked it, shutting out the world.

He stood by the door without turning on the lights. Only the neon glow and moonlight from the window outlined his hard, oppressive silhouette. His gaze was like a physical weight, pinned on Pei Ye.

“Treat the wound,” he commanded, his voice devoid of warmth.

There was a spare medical kit in the suite. Enduring the pain, Pei Ye opened it with trembling hands and took out disinfectant and gauze. The wound wasn’t deep, but it was long, with the flesh torn open and bleeding profusely.

He clumsily attempted to clean and dress the wound himself, but because of the awkward angle and his severe tremors, he only made a mess, letting blood drip onto the expensive carpet.

Jiang Si watched coldly, making no move to help.

It wasn’t until Pei Ye dropped the bottle of disinfectant again due to the pain that Jiang Si finally moved.

He strode forward, snatched the supplies from Pei Ye’s hands, and shoved him back into the sofa. His movements remained rough, carrying a hint of punishment.

He knelt down and tore away the blood-soaked hem of Pei Ye’s shirt, revealing the gruesome wound. Cold disinfectant was poured over it without mercy.

“Ugh!” Pei Ye’s body jerked violently from the pain. He bit his lower lip so hard he tasted the metallic tang of blood. He gripped the sofa armrest until his knuckles turned white, forcing himself not to make a sound.

Jiang Si showed no pity. He worked quickly and efficiently, cleaning the wound, applying medication, and securing it with gauze and tape.

He had lost count of how many times he had treated this man’s injuries.

His fingertips occasionally brushed against the sensitive skin of Pei Ye’s waist and abdomen, bringing not a sense of intimacy, but a shiver mixed with agony.

Throughout the process, neither of them spoke. The air was thick with the scent of disinfectant, heavy blood, and a tension that felt ready to explode.

Once the bandaging was finished, Jiang Si did not stand up immediately. He remained kneeling before Pei Ye, looking up at him with deep, unfathomable eyes. The light from outside flickered in his pupils.

“Why?” Jiang Si finally spoke again, his voice low and hoarse. “Why do you always choose the most foolish way?”

Pei Ye lowered his eyelashes, not daring to look at him. His voice was faint. “I couldn’t… let you get hurt…”

“So you got hurt in my place?” Jiang Si’s voice rose slightly. Though still suppressed, it betrayed a clear fury. “Pei Ye, your life belongs to me! Have I not said that?! Who gave you permission to act on your own over and over again?!”

His hand shot up, grabbing Pei Ye’s chin and forcing him to look up. The force was so great that Pei Ye felt as if his jawbone might break.

“Tell me!” Jiang Si leaned in until their breaths mingled. “In that moment you lunged out, what exactly was going through your head?! Hmm?”

Pei Ye was forced to look into Jiang Si’s eyes, where dark, turbulent emotions he couldn’t understand were swirling. Fear, grievance, and a twisted sense of love intertwined wildly in his heart.

“I…” His voice was shattered. Tears welled up again uncontrollably, mixing with the blood on his lips. “I was just… afraid… afraid you wouldn’t want me anymore… if I were useless…”

“Stupid!” Jiang Si hissed. However, the grip on his chin seemed to loosen just a fraction.

His thumb unconsciously brushed across the bloodstained corner of Pei Ye’s mouth, a touch that made them both tremble slightly.

“Your value,” Jiang Si said, his gaze locked onto him, his tone slow and deliberate, “does not lie in how many knives you block or how many bullets you take for me. It lies in you being alive and belonging entirely to me. Do you understand?”

Pei Ye stared at him blankly, his tears falling even faster. These words were like a bolt of lightning through his chaotic mind. It wasn’t that his master resented his protection, but rather… that he rejected the way he protected him?

“But… if you—”

“There are no ‘ifs’,” Jiang Si interrupted, his tone decisive. “Nothing will happen to me. And you—you must stay alive.”

This sentence was both the heaviest shackle and the darkest promise. Pei Ye’s heart pounded frantically, a sudden, searing current rushing through his body.

Looking at Pei Ye’s pale face, bloodied lips, and eyes that were brilliant despite the tears, Jiang Si’s fingers slid down from his chin, stroking the rapid pulse of his carotid artery.

“…It hurts my heart.”

Unlike his usual coldness and indifference, these light words were filled with bitterness and a trace of heartache that was almost imperceptible.

It seemed as though Jiang Si had exerted immense effort just to say it.

Pei Ye froze.

What… what is Master saying…

Master said… it hurts his heart for me…?

The atmosphere in the room shifted quietly. The icy rage was gradually replaced by something far more complex.

Pei Ye’s body began to tremble uncontrollably. A strange, parching heat rose, spreading rapidly through his entire being.

His wound was still throbbing, but it was strangely masked or perhaps intensified by this sudden, powerful sensation.

His mouth felt dry; his breathing grew more labored.

He wanted to get closer. He wanted to touch.

He wanted more.

The feeling was fierce and foreign, making him panic even as he found it impossible to resist.

He instinctively tried to hide his reaction, but the subtle movement did not escape Jiang Si’s notice.

“…Ha.” Jiang Si’s gaze darkened, becoming like a deep, swirling pool.

He studied the sudden flush on Pei Ye’s ears and his attempt to avert his eyes.

“It seems,” Jiang Si’s voice became low and gravelly, carrying a probing quality, “it’s not just fear.”

His fingertips returned to the corner of Pei Ye’s mouth, gently rubbing the wound he had bitten into, causing a series of fine, sharp stings.

Pei Ye jerked.

He let out a tiny, whimpering sound.

He was so ashamed he wanted to curl into a ball, but his body was so weak he couldn’t find the strength. He could only passively endure the touch and the gaze that were driving him to the brink of insanity.

“Have you had this before?” Jiang Si suddenly asked, his fingers never stopping.

“This… impulse.”

Pei Ye shook his head blindly, feeling as if he were burning with shame. He never had. All his energy had long been consumed by survival, training, killing, and his pathological obsession with the man before him. Physical desire was something alien and frightening to him.

“Never?” Jiang Si seemed somewhat surprised. He applied a bit of pressure, pressing his fingertip against those soft lips.

The question was too private, too humiliating. Pei Ye’s pupils dilated; he shook like a leaf in the wind. Unable to answer, he could only look at Jiang Si with eyes full of desperate pleading.

Seeing him so completely at a loss, like a lamb to the slaughter, the darkness in Jiang Si’s eyes deepened. He stopped questioning and slowly lowered his head.

Pei Ye closed his eyes in terror, expecting a kiss.

However, Jiang Si’s lips landed on the artery of his neck.

The warm, moist touch, accompanied by a very slight nip, felt like a predator marking its territory.

Pei Ye gasped sharply, the blood in his body seemingly rushing toward the point of contact.

A wave of intense dizziness followed.

Then came a slightly cool hand.

Pei Ye’s body froze instantly.

It was foreign, burning.

He had never been treated this way, and he had never imagined he would be.

Especially not by Jiang Si.

His Master.

Pei Ye completely lost his sense of time.

He felt as though he were drifting in a vast ocean.

The only thing that existed was Jiang Si.

Finally, after a moment of total mental blankness.

He collapsed into the sofa.

He looked as though he had just been fished out of water.

Jiang Si slowly straightened up.

He took out his handkerchief and wiped his hands with unhurried grace, as if he had just finished a minor, trivial task.

“Good boy.”

He looked down at the limp Pei Ye, whose consciousness seemed blurred, with an expression that was complex and hard to read.

“Now,” he spoke, his voice returning to its usual indifference, yet carrying a new undertone, “do you understand?”

Pei Ye looked at him blankly, his mind still a void.

Jiang Si leaned down, close to his ear, and said in a voice only the two of them could hear:

“Your life is mine. Everything about you is mine. Including this reaction.”

“Without my permission, you are not allowed to be injured again. And you are not allowed to… handle things on your own anymore.”

Having said that, he stood up and stopped looking at Pei Ye, turning toward the suite’s bathroom to wash.

He left Pei Ye alone on the sofa, a mess, his body and soul having weathered a world-shaking storm.

The wound still ached, but another stronger sensation, of being completely possessed and controlled injected itself into the deepest parts of his life like a potent poison.

He slowly raised a trembling hand to cover his eyes, but he couldn’t stop the hot liquid from overflowing through his fingers.

This time, they were not tears of despair.

His Master had truly “possessed” him.