Love Rival Turned Lover - Chapter 9

Take her out to play?

Qian Xun’s ability to change the subject was still as stiff as ever.

Gongliang Bingyi shot her a teasing look—especially at her soft, cherry-blossom-pink lips. His tongue twitched against his teeth, moving subtly as if mimicking a kiss. What a problem. The more he looked at her, the stronger the hunger grew. He really, really wanted to taste every inch of her with his tongue.

That sweetness—he could almost imagine it.

Qian Xun felt prickles all over under the boy’s meaningful stare. She jolted off the bed with a roll and darted behind Lu Yun to hide.

“H-hey, what are you doing here? We barely know each other!”

Lu Yun felt the sharp gaze burning into his back and trembled. He lowered his head, glaring at the pale-faced girl as he whispered, “Idiot, go back over there already. The more you hide, the angrier he gets.”

Peeking over Lu Yun’s shoulder, Qian Xun secretly stole a glance at Gongliang Bingyi—only to meet his eyes head-on. The faint, not-quite-a-smile expression on his face terrified her. She shrank even further behind Lu Yun, voice shaking:

“I—I’m scared.”

And she truly was. Even though her real age far surpassed the fifteen- or sixteen-year-old Gongliang Bingyi, the current him was terrifying enough to make her want to run.

That gaze as if he wanted to devour her alive.

S-so scary.

Lu Yun looked at the girl, who was curling herself up like a turtle retreating into its shell, and felt utterly helpless. He wanted to say something, but no words came. He had also seen the subtle expression on Gongliang’s face a moment ago. Had the girl not suddenly run to him, Lu Yun would have thought he hallucinated it.

That twisted, predatory stare, that borderline-perverted gesture, how could those come from Gongliang of all people? Gongliang—the one who was outwardly hot-tempered but inwardly colder and more self-restrained than anyone else?

The gaze behind him grew sharper, colder, carrying even the faintest trace of killing intent. Lu Yun’s heart lurched. He immediately stepped aside, exposing the girl completely to his friend.

Anyway, you play with fire, you get burned. Whoever triggered this mess could deal with it themselves.

“You two talk. I’ve got things to do. Gongliang, see you another day.” He patted his chest and, ignoring the girl’s shocked, pleading look, strode straight toward the door. His fleeing silhouette all but announced he was escaping for his life.

With a loud bang, the door shut.

Qian Xun: Damn it.

“Qianxun, the nuisance is finally gone.”

Staring at the girl who looked utterly flustered, Gongliang Bingyi’s gaze darkened, his voice dropping low. “Qian Xun, I’m very angry. You actually ran into another man’s arms in front of me. I’m really, really angry.”

“I—I didn’t.”

Her protest was small and weak.

“Didn’t? Then what, everything I saw just now was a hallucination?” He took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the wild beast clawing inside him. For a moment—just a moment—he had genuinely wanted to kill Lu Yun. And even Qian Xun.

She was his. Only his. No one—not even she herself—could change or erase that fact. Anyone who tried would die.

A streak of red flashed across his obsidian-dark eyes. Looking at Qian Xun’s terrified expression only worsened the violence in his heart.

“You’re scared of me?”

His tongue twisted a few times in his mouth before he managed to enunciate the words clearly. When he saw Qian Xun flinch at his voice, he curled his lips into a jagged grin.

“So even little Qian Xun gets scared of me.”

He looked almost possessed—like a demon wearing human skin.

“I’m not—d-don’t come any closer!”

Watching him approach with that twisted smile, Qian Xun stumbled backward step by step, panic tightening her breath. She retreated until her back hit the pink wallpaper, face draining of color. When he was still a step away, her legs gave out and she slid to the floor, finally breaking into tears.

“Don’t do this. I’m scared, I’m scared.”

A foreign world, a cramped room, a boyfriend suddenly acting like a deranged murderer—knowing she couldn’t escape, Qian Xun crumpled onto the floor, hands covering her face as her body trembled. Tears spilled one after another.

Gongliang stood over her, looking down at the shaking girl. After a long silence, he sighed, lowered himself onto one knee, and gently lifted her chin.

“What are you afraid of? I’m not going to eat you.”

Carefully studying her tear-stained, fragile face, his violent aura faded. He chuckled softly as he wiped her tears away, one by one.

“Really now, I was only teasing you. Who told you to act all cozy with another man in front of your boufried, hmm?”

Qian Xun sniffled. “You really were just scaring me? You weren’t actually planning to eat me?”

At her words, his eyebrow lifted. His gaze dropped to her chest, and he said wickedly:

“Qian Xun’s still too small. Need to fatten you up a bit before eating. But, if Qian Xun is willing, I don’t mind starting early.”

It took her a few seconds to realize what kind of “eating” he meant.

Her face exploded into red.

“Don’t—stop looking! Stop saying weird things!”

She slapped her hands over his eyes and threw herself at him, shouting in his ear:

“And most importantly—don’t scare me ever again!”

“My sweet little baby, are you trying to knock your boyfriend over?”

Almost toppled by her sudden pounce, Gongliang wrapped one arm around her waist and scooped her legs up with the other, carrying her onto the bed.

“Be good and wait here. I’m going to wash my face, then we’ll head out.”

Qian Xun nodded.

Good—she needed the time to calm down.

About ten minutes later, Gongliang walked out of the bathroom. Qian Xun looked him up and down, her gaze lingering on his damp hair. Gongliang’s eyes curved as he smiled.

“I wanted to smell like you, so I couldn’t resist taking a shower. Want to come smell me?”

Qian Xun’s mouth twitched. Defeated by this man’s shamelessness.

“What, Qian Xun isn’t swooning from my seduction?”

He sat down beside her, immediately yanking her into his arms and pressing her face against his neck.

“Come on, smell your boyfriend. See if you love me even more.”

“Gong. Liang. Bing. Yi!”

“Do you have no shame?”

The scent of mango mixed with warm, masculine heat flooded her senses, going straight to her head. Her face was now red enough to drip blood—from embarrassment and anger.

“As long as my wife loves me, I couldn’t care less about saving face.” Gongliang Bingyi wrinkled his nose, speaking with disarming sincerity. He finally let go of the fuming Qian Xun, bent down to pull the trash bag out from under the bed, then straightened and extended a hand toward her. “Come on—let’s head out and have some fun.”

“W-what, how did you see that?”

Qian Xun stared, wide-eyed, at the trash bag in Gongliang Bingyi’s hand.

“Ah, my silly Qian Xun,” he chuckled, tugging her hand as he led her outside. “This room’s so tiny—how could I not notice? And it wasn’t just me—Lu Yun saw it too, and even that rascal-looking boy from earlier caught it.”

She really was being silly. The soundproofing in that room was awful; from outside, he and Lu Yun could hear every crack and bang perfectly clearly. Worried about her, he had already done a discreet sweep of the room while putting up wallpaper and as for Lu Yun.

He was the type who couldn’t rest easy until he got to the bottom of everything, so he continued, “So that’s why—you care so much about how you look in front of me. Alright, alright, I get it. No matter what you’re like, I’ll still like you.

Really, really like you. So, Little Qian Xun, you.”

He paused. “Eh? Why did you stop? Are you mad?”

Tilting her head up, Qian Xun shot the boy—who was watching her with amused eyes—a glare, then shook off his hand. “I’m not angry. I’m going to get my bag and keys.”

Not angry? Yeah, right. Gongliang Bingyi sighed helplessly as he stood outside, watching Qian Xun dart around the small room. His gaze lingered on her delicate side profile and the pale line of her neck. Carefully—painfully so—he forced down the infatuation and hunger roiling inside him.

He had to. Even that tiny slip earlier had scared his little rabbit into pretending to play dead. If she ever found out that he genuinely wanted to devour her until nothing remained, she would be frightened out of her mind.

A flicker of dark mist flashed through his eyes. By the time Qian Xun walked back toward him, he had already returned to that gentle, harmless boy she knew. He took her hand, holding it with careful restraint so she wouldn’t sense anything off.

There was no helping it—the time simply hadn’t come yet.

But one day, he would hold Qian Xun tightly in his arms. By then, even if she cried in fear, nothing would stop his indulgence or obsession. He licked his lips and smiled with exquisite gentleness.

Their figures slowly disappeared into the narrow alley.

After they had gone, Lu Yun stepped out of the alley, his expression a tangle of conflicting emotions.

Shopping, eating, strolling through the park, the amusement park—after spending almost the entire day out, Qian Xun had to admit: as a boyfriend, Gongliang Bingyi was incredibly competent.

When they shopped, he kept her protected; at meals, he served her food; at the amusement park, he indulged her choices, even when the games were childish or silly. Aside from the minor teasing incident that morning, he was, in Qian Xun’s eyes, just about perfect.

By the time they returned to the rented room, night had fallen completely. Seeing Qian Xun sitting on the bed, looking exhausted, a trace of tenderness flashed through Gongliang’s eyes. He placed the portable fan they bought earlier on the table, turned it on, and aimed the breeze toward her little bed.

“Mmm.”

The cool air brushed past her, and Qian Xun let out a small, content sigh. “Thanks.”

Gongliang shook his head, walked over, and leaned down to kiss her between the brows. “Be good. I’ll head out now. Go to bed early—I’ll come find you tomorrow. And, the walls here are thin. Try not to talk too loudly, okay? If a bad person hears you, it could be dangerous.”

Qian Xun blinked, then nodded.

“Heh. So adorable.” He tapped her long, sensitive eyelashes with a fingertip. Meeting her half-annoyed gaze, he pointed at his pale lips. “Here. A goodnight kiss.”

Being stared at so gently by a boy as beautiful as carved jade, Qian Xun’s eyes flickered. She turned her head away—a silent refusal.

“Alright, alright, I know you’re just shy.”

He tilted his head and quickly pecked her lips. When she snapped her head back in shock, Gongliang chuckled and headed for the door. “I’m leaving. Remember to lock up.”

“That guy.”

Touching her lips, Qian Xun murmured under her breath. Gongliang Bingyi, huh.

Meanwhile, the “pervert” in question kneaded, licked, and pressed his own lips all the way home. By the time he reached the apartment, those once pale, delicate lips were completely abused out of shape. He turned on the lights—and froze when he saw the boy sitting on the sofa.

The smile on his face faded.

“The key—your dad and mom gave it to me when I came over,” Lu Yun explained, noticing the unpleasant look on his face.

“Oh.”

Gongliang responded faintly, walked over, and sat across from him. His expression was blank, emotionless.

“Gongliang, I know you like Ye Qian Xun. You really, really like her. But Gongliang.” Lu Yun spoke anxiously, “you two aren’t from the same world. You can’t enter hers, and she can’t enter yours. You and An Yu—that is the pairing that truly matches.”

He meant every word. One was a favored child of heaven; the other, a poor girl with no background. Their worldviews were already worlds apart. Even if Gongliang forced himself into Ye Qian Xun’s life out of so-called love, who could guarantee that he would stay in love forever?

External pressure, internal conflict, love wearing thin—countless possibilities. Who could promise that Gongliang would never let go, never grow tired? And who could promise that Ye Qian Xun wouldn’t collapse under the suffocating pressure of standing beside him?

In Lu Yun’s eyes, their chance of growing old together was almost nonexistent.

“An Yu?”

At that name, Gongliang let out a cold laugh. “We match?”

Lu Yun nodded. “An Yu is smart and beautiful, just like you—both geniuses. Her family background is equal to yours. In our circle, you two are by far the most compatible.”

“Beautiful? A genius? Equal? Circle? Compatible?”

The rapid-fire questions made Lu Yun’s heart skip uncomfortably. Sure enough, the next words from his friend almost made his soul leave his body.

“If I ruin her face, break her mind, destroy the entire An family and kick her out of that circle—would you still say we’re compatible?”

Seeing Lu Yun frozen in shock, Gongliang continued calmly, “And if I multiply the Gongliang family’s assets several times over and give all of it to Qianxun?”

“Then, will you still say we’re not a good match?”

“Gongliang, you—you.” It was simply too crazy.

With a slight lift of his brow, Gongliang Bingyi looked down at the childhood friend he’d grown up with. His expression was icy, aristocratic. “Lu Yun, I didn’t expect someone as carefree as you to care about something like this. I love Qian Xun. Of course I’ll keep her fully under my wing. Do you think I’m stupid?”

“I know exactly what I’m doing, and I know I have the power to shoulder the consequences. Go back and warn An Yu for me—if she dares harbor any improper ideas toward me again, I guarantee the entire An family will pay dearly for her stupidity.”

Though his tone was light, Lu Yun knew he meant every word. After frowning for a long while, he finally broke into a resigned grin.

“Fine, you’ve convinced me.”

He flashed a rakish smile, then shot his friend a teasing look. “Come on, tell me—what exactly do you feel for Ye Qian Xun? Why do I get this sense you’re practically drooling to eat her alive? Seriously, is she really that delicious?”

At that, Gongliang Bingyi only shot him a cold glance, silent as a blade.

“Alright, alright, I surrender. I’m leaving—you don’t need to walk me out.”

“Wait. Leave the key.”

Stopping him, Gongliang Bingyi frowned. His voice dropped low. “And tell my parents—I don’t want this key appearing in anyone else’s hands again. Especially, anyone from the An family.”

The “An family” clearly meant An Yu. Lu Yun set the key on the table and couldn’t help rolling his eyes. “You really have guessed everything. If I hadn’t come this time, it really would’ve been An Yu.”

Guessed?

Hell, there wasn’t even anything to guess.

After Lu Yun left, Gongliang Bingyi washed up and went to bed. But the unspeakable tension simmering in his dreams made him wake up the next morning so frustrated he almost wanted to cry. Just a little more—just a little more—and he would’ve seen Qian Xun completely lost in bliss.

For several nights in a row, Gongliang Bingyi’s dreams were all unbearably vivid.

If not for his ironclad self-control—and his fear of scaring Qian Xun—he would’ve long since pinned her beneath him and ravished her a hundred times, just like in his dreams.

And not only Gongliang Bingyi—Ling Qiao’er, who had once been in close contact with Qian Xun, had also been having a miserable time recently. The servants in the Ling family mansion had been walking on eggshells for days, terrified of accidentally igniting their young lady’s explosive temper.

That morning, in the Ling family’s main residence.

“What’s wrong with you?”

Seeing Ling Qiao’er sitting at the dining table, not eating and just spinning her chopsticks in circles, Ling Aoleng frowned. His already stern expression grew even colder.

“Hurry up and eat.”

If she didn’t know that this was just how her eldest brother always talked, she would’ve thought he was mad at her based on that tone alone.

But in truth, her eldest brother loved her the most.

Even more than their second brother.

“Big Brother, I want to transfer schools.” Straightening her expression, Ling Qiao’er finally spoke the decision she had reached after these past few days of deep (rage-fueled) contemplation. That damned woman kept haunting her mind, even in her sleep. It was infuriating.

So, she had to find a way to get some payback.

“Transfer?” Ling Aoleng put down his chopsticks and cast a look at Ling Junqing, who was eating happily on the other side of the table. That cold stare made Junqing stiffen immediately, almost choking.

“This has nothing to do with me.” Swallowing hastily, Ling Junqing raised both hands in surrender. “Big Brother, I swear—I had nothing to do with this.”

“Pathetic.”

Ling Qiao’er muttered under her breath and rolled her eyes dramatically at her second brother.

Heh. That’s because you’ve never seen Big Brother when he’s actually terrifying, Qiao’er. Grinning at his sister’s eye roll, Ling Junqing turned back to Big Brother with a playful smile. “I’m guessing Qiao’er wants to transfer to the same high school as that Gongliang boy. She really likes him.”

“Is that true?”

Ling Aoleng shifted his gaze to Qiao’er.

After hesitating, she nodded hard. Yes—she “liked” that Gongliang brat so much she wanted to chop him into pieces. Every time she imagined him doing intimate things with Qian Xun, she wanted to skin him alive and ruin that face of his.

Stupid woman—don’t you dare get fooled by that pretty face of his.

When it came to beauty, she, Ling Qiao’er, was clearly much prettier. Hmph.

Ling Aoleng nodded. “I understand.”

“So, you’re agreeing?”

He shook his head. “I’ll investigate the school first. I’ll give you an answer tonight.”

Of course, the most important thing was to investigate Gongliang Bingyi’s girlfriend.

Though he always seemed cold and curt, Ling Aoleng’s care for Qiao’er was no less than Ling Junqing’s. He knew Qiao’er liked Gongliang Bingyi, and he knew Gongliang Bingyi already had a girlfriend. So, this time, he would gather all the information on his sister’s romantic rival.

If necessary, he would personally remove that obstacle.

That night, in the Ling family study, Ling Aoleng stared at the neatly arranged photos spread across his desk—over a dozen of them. His brows were furrowed, his eyes deep and hard to read.

More than ten photos—school entrance, flower garden, classroom, cafeteria, track field, different places in every picture. But one thing remained the same:
The boy’s gaze when he looked at the girl.

Soft as water, filled with unmistakable affection.

It seemed Gongliang Bingyi was genuinely, deeply in love.