Chapter 100: The Cannon Fodder in a Dogblood Novel (100)
Li Qiulan slowly bent down to look at him. There was no anger in his eyes, only a despair far deeper than Shen Tangqing’s. He reached out, snatching the small nightlight from Shen Tangqing’s hand, and casually tossed it to the floor.
After a two-second silence, he slowly stood up. His tall figure cast a long shadow under the light.
Shen Tangqing frantically wrapped his pajamas around himself. His gaze swept over the porcelain shards on the floor, and without hesitation, he picked up a piece and pressed it against the skin of his neck. Because he applied too much force, a shallow streak of blood appeared on his fair skin…
His voice trembled slightly, carrying the desperation of a cornered beast. “Li Qiulan, if you touch me again, I will die right in front of you.”
———
Li Qiulan’s body stiffened in place. His gaze fixed dead onto the porcelain shard in Shen Tangqing’s hand, then moved to the blood streak on his neck. His heart felt as if it had been fiercely clutched by an invisible hand, hurting so much he couldn’t breathe.
“Brother… would you rather die than be with me?” His voice trembled terribly, and his body couldn’t stop shaking either. His previously proud sense of control crumbled in this moment. All those mad thoughts, that paranoid possessiveness, shattered into worthlessness upon seeing the blood streak on Shen Tangqing’s neck.
“Yes, I would rather die.”
Li Qiulan looked at him and suddenly let out a low laugh. The laughter held endless despair and sorrow. He said nothing more, turning around and slowly leaving the room.
Seeing Li Qiulan leave, Shen Tangqing’s tense body suddenly relaxed. The porcelain shard in his hand fell to the floor with a “clang”. As if all his strength had been sapped, he could no longer hold himself up, slumping onto the floor. His back rested against the sofa leg, his head hanging low. Messy strands of hair across his forehead obscured most of his face, leaving only a reddened tip of his nose and tightly pursed, bloodless lips.
A tear suddenly welled up and slid down his cheek, mixing with the blood Li Qiulan had left on his face. He actually looked somewhat terrifying.
He didn’t know how long had passed when the door opened again. Shen Tangqing snapped out of his daze and shot a look toward the door. Li Qiulan had entered the room again. He frantically picked up the porcelain shard from the floor, looking at Li Qiulan warily.
Li Qiulan’s gaze paused on his hand for a moment. A self-deprecating smile curved his lips, but in the next second, the smile sank away, leaving only the madness in his eyes. He maneuvered his wheelchair, stopping beside the sofa. Then he slowly stood up, holding a dagger, and walked over to Shen Tangqing.
“Brother, I’ll give you two choices, alright?” His voice was low and hoarse, carrying a trace of sick gentleness. “First, stay here and be with me. Second, kill me. The key to the ankle chain is on my wheelchair, and the passcode to the main door is 0926. Kill me, and you’ll be completely free.”
The porcelain shard in Shen Tangqing’s hand was snatched away by Li Qiulan. Then, the dagger in Li Qiulan’s hand was shoved into Shen Tangqing’s palm.
The blood in Shen Tangqing’s body nearly froze instantly. The moment his fingertips touched the cold blade, a physiological shudder shot up his spine to the back of his neck. He tried to let go, but his wrist was tightly gripped by Li Qiulan.
“What will Brother choose?”
“Li Qiulan, are you crazy?” Shen Tangqing looked up sharply at Li Qiulan. The hand holding the dagger trembled uncontrollably. He wanted to pull it back, but his wrist was firmly locked in Li Qiulan’s grasp.
“I’m not crazy…” Li Qiulan laughed softly. He looked at Shen Tangqing with a complicated expression. “Does Brother know what I was thinking when I held this dagger?” His smile deepened. “I wanted to kill Brother, and then commit suicide… But the moment I saw Brother, I couldn’t bear to do it anymore. I can’t bear for Brother to die. So… if Brother won’t choose me, then kill me. That way, you’ll be free.”
——
All the emotions Shen Tangqing had accumulated over the entire night finally collapsed at this moment. Uncontrollable tears slid down his cheeks drop by drop, hitting the back of Li Qiulan’s hand. “Li Qiulan, why are you forcing me? I hate you so much… I really… hate you to death…”
Li Qiulan looked at Shen Tangqing, a flash of nostalgia passing through his eyes. He thought, perhaps he really had done wrong. If he hadn’t imprisoned him from the start, would Brother be with him? But this thought only flashed through Li Qiulan’s mind for a second. In the very next second, the answer appeared in his mind: No!
Shen Tangqing would not be with him. This realization made the madness in his eyes intensify. Since Brother didn’t want to be with him, he would just die by Brother’s hands… To him, this could also be considered an alternative kind of reward.
“Don’t be afraid, Brother…” Li Qiulan’s voice pressed against Shen Tangqing’s ear. His low, deep voice was wrapped in a sickening tenderness. His fingertips guided Shen Tangqing’s hand, slowly moving toward the position of his own heart. “I’ll teach you.”
His thumb pressed against the back of Shen Tangqing’s hand, tapping gently on the left side of his chest. Through the thin fabric, the violent heartbeat underneath could be clearly felt. “Right here, stab it in, push a little harder, and everything will be over… Don’t worry, Brother, I’ve already taken care of everything. The Li family won’t cause trouble for you—”
As soon as Li Qiulan finished speaking, he violently tightened his grip on Shen Tangqing’s hand, guiding the cold dagger, and viciously thrust it into his own heart.
Shen Tangqing subconsciously tried to pull his hand back, but Li Qiulan was much stronger than him, acting with a posture of absolute resolve.
With a muffled squelch, the blade sliced through the fabric and sank into flesh.
Li Qiulan’s body suddenly stiffened. The smile on his face froze, replaced by extreme agony and an almost sickening satisfaction. He looked down at the dagger buried in his chest, then lifted his eyes to gaze at Shen Tangqing, who was full of terror and trembling all over. Blood seeped from his lips, yet his voice was frighteningly gentle. “Brother… congratulations… you are free.”
Shen Tangqing’s eyes widened in horror, watching the blood continuously seeping from Li Qiulan’s chest, dyeing his clothes red, and staining Shen Tangqing’s own hands. Enormous fear and breakdown swallowed him instantly. He let go of his hand, stumbling backward a step. “Madman… Li Qiulan, you are a madman…”
His voice was hoarse, tears blurring his vision. His heart felt as if it had been pierced simultaneously by that dagger, hurting so much he couldn’t breathe.
Li Qiulan’s body slowly slid down, collapsing onto the cold floor. Blood gushed from his chest, blooming into a piercing, crimson stain across his body. His gaze clung stubbornly to Shen Tangqing, as if wanting to carve him into his own mind.
“Brother…” he struggled to open his lips. “Go… don’t look back…”
Shen Tangqing stared at that ever-expanding pool of blood, his entire body trembling uncontrollably. He hated Li Qiulan’s imprisonment. He hated his forcefulness. But he—he had never thought about killing him. Looking at Li Qiulan collapsed in a pool of blood, his original hatred was instantly swallowed by immense fear and helplessness.
He wanted to go grab the key immediately and escape this nightmare-like place. But his feet felt as heavy as lead, unable to move a single inch. It wasn’t until he saw Li Qiulan close his eyes that Shen Tangqing awoke as if from a dream. He lunged over like a madman, tremblingly reaching out his hand to check for his breath…
Recommended Reads
