Chapter 96: The Cannon Fodder in a Dogblood Novel (96)
“It’s none of your business. Give me the phone.”
Shen Tangqing stepped forward, trying to snatch the phone back, but Li Qiulan easily dodged him with a slight turn of his body.
He raised his eyes to look at Shen Tangqing. The faint smile on his lips completely vanished, leaving only a dark, ruthless expression. “Brother, I am very unhappy right now, so… you’d better not try to anger me.”
Shen Tangqing’s movements stiffened in place. The sinister look in Li Qiulan’s eyes made him afraid to rashly advance again.
The phone kept ringing persistently.
Li Qiulan lowered his eyes to look at the name “Jiang Ci” flashing on the screen. The silence lasted only a moment before he suddenly looked up at Shen Tangqing. A cold, mocking arc hooked the corners of his lips. “Since he’s a neighbor, it shouldn’t matter if you answer a call, right?”
“Don’t touch…” Shen Tangqing subconsciously opened his mouth to stop him.
Li Qiulan suddenly smiled. He handed the phone to Shen Tangqing. “Brother, answer it yourself! Why don’t you try asking him to save you?” He dragged out the last syllable, looking at Shen Tangqing with profound meaning and malicious temptation. “Perhaps, that would be even more interesting.”
Shen Tangqing’s Adam’s apple rolled hard. Jiang Ci was just an ordinary student, just an average neighbor. How could he drag him into this? The fact that Li Qiulan could silently break into his home today was enough to prove that even after leaving Beijing, he still had world-shaking methods at his disposal.
“I won’t answer.” His hand gripping the phone tightened, veins bulging on the back of his pale hand. His mind raced frantically, trying to figure out how to escape.
The ringtone finally stopped. The room instantly fell into an eerie, dead silence.
But in the next second, someone knocked on the door of the rental apartment.
Li Qiulan’s narrow eyes suddenly narrowed. His fingertips gently rubbed the plain ring on his index finger. He spoke slowly, “Brother, is this person really just your neighbor?”
Shen Tangqing didn’t know what Jiang Ci wanted with him in the middle of the night, and he couldn’t help but frown. Before he could speak, Li Qiulan walked toward him step by step.
Clutching the phone, Shen Tangqing backed away. His back hit the cold wardrobe; there was nowhere left to retreat. His jawline was taut, looking as if he was ready to lunge forward and fight Li Qiulan to the death in the very next second.
Li Qiulan stopped in front of Shen Tangqing. His lips curved up, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Brother, don’t try to lie to me. I have plenty of time and means to find out exactly what your relationship is…”
After speaking, he reached out and grabbed Shen Tangqing’s left wrist.
The warm touch made Shen Tangqing react like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. He threw a punch. “Let go of me, damn it.”
Unfortunately, his combat strength was utterly insignificant in front of Li Qiulan. Like a mayfly trying to shake a tree, Li Qiulan easily restrained both his hands. The fake smile on his lips finally faded.
“Brother always loves to get physical with me.” He sneered, his tone dangerous and ambiguous. “Since Brother has so much energy, why not use it… where it should be used.”
Shen Tangqing’s expression changed drastically, his blood seemingly freezing at this moment. “Li Qiulan, don’t go too far…”
Li Qiulan’s eyes darkened. “Me, going too far? I just like you, Brother. What’s wrong with that?”
“I said, I don’t like you,” Shen Tangqing practically roared, his voice laced with long-suppressed breakdown.
Li Qiulan’s heavy gaze fell on his face. Those eyes were like bottomless, freezing pools. The room fell into a dead silence once more, leaving only the sound of their intertwined breathing.
After a moment, Li Qiulan finally spoke slowly. His voice was very soft, yet it carried an unquestionable ruthlessness. “Brother, didn’t I tell you not to try and anger me?” He leaned in slightly, his breath landing by Shen Tangqing’s ear. “Why can’t you remember?”
As his words fell, he forcefully pulled Shen Tangqing into his embrace. Immediately after, he scooped him up by the waist and tossed him onto the bed behind them. Shen Tangqing’s back hit the mattress heavily, making his vision go black for a moment.
Li Qiulan raised his hand and unhurriedly loosened the tie around his neck. Shen Tangqing was trembling all over, frantically trying to scramble up from the bed, but Li Qiulan pressed a hand on his shoulder, firmly pinning him underneath.
“Brother, you can run, or you can go ask that so-called neighbor at the door to save you.” He leaned over and whispered in Shen Tangqing’s ear, a mocking, cold smile on his face. “You can try and see if you can escape, or see if he can save you… But I can’t guarantee if he’ll live to see tomorrow’s sun.”
Every word Li Qiulan spoke was a naked threat. Shen Tangqing suddenly realized. Those two men at the building’s entrance… they were Li Qiulan’s people. Perhaps, there were more than just those two—
Shen Tangqing couldn’t stop his entire body from trembling. The fear of being imprisoned, of being forced, submerged him like a tidal wave. He opened his mouth, but his throat felt as if it were stuffed with cotton, unable to make a single sound. Physiological tears slid down uncontrollably, hitting the bedsheets and spreading into a small damp stain.
Li Qiulan’s movements as he unbuttoned his shirt paused. His fingertips gently wiped away the tear tracks on his face, the action carrying a bizarre gentleness that clashed completely with the madness in his eyes.
“Why are you crying?” he asked in a low voice, his tone tinged with a sickly excitement. “The more you cry, Brother, the more excited I seem to get!”
Resentment, disgust, humiliation… countless emotions occupied Shen Tangqing’s entire heart. He gritted his back teeth, his voice carrying a trace of despair, almost pleading. “Li Qiulan, why can’t you just let me go? I really, truly don’t like men…”
After a moment of silence, Li Qiulan let out a low laugh. The laughter was full of sorrow and madness. “Let you go? Then who’s going to let me go?” He stared deeply into Shen Tangqing’s eyes, an extremely complex mix of emotions weaving through his gaze. “Brother, 314 days. I searched for you for exactly 314 days. I’m going crazy…”
He reached out, gently caressing Shen Tangqing’s cheek, his movements bearing a sick attachment. “Isn’t it nice to just obediently stay by my side? I’ll treat you so, so well…”
Throughout the 314 days and nights that Shen Tangqing had been on the run, Li Qiulan only had one thought—Catch him and bring him back. Lock him up. Fuck him until he could never leave his side again.
“Your so-called treating me well is locking me up, making me lose my freedom like a prisoner? Or is it making me your plaything?”
“I just love you and want to keep you by my side. I’m not wrong.” Li Qiulan stubbornly repeated this sentence, as if trying to convince Shen Tangqing, but even more so trying to convince himself.
No one had taught him how to love someone. In his world, if he liked something, he had to grasp it tightly in his own hands.
He leaned over, pressing his forehead against Shen Tangqing’s. Their breaths mingled, and the madness in his eyes threatened to swallow Shen Tangqing whole. “I will never let you leave again. Never.”
… (Omitted) (Note: this is omitted in the raws as well)
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