Chapter 50

“I don’t want that!”

Jiang Chao tugged hard in the opposite direction, determination written all over her face. Veins stood out along her neck, pale and flushed tones tangled together, with a faint red slowly spreading beneath them.

The hand that had been ruffling the hair at the crown of her head noticed her struggle. Without waiting for any refusal, it slid to the back of her head and pushed her down toward Sheng Huaixi’s thighs.

Jiang Chao’s ankles flailed wildly, kicking at nothing. She could only watch as the distance between herself and Sheng Huaixi’s thighs and lower abdomen shrank little by little.

As the gap narrowed, the scent in Jiang Chao’s nose grew stronger too.

Sheng Huaixi’s rich fragrance surged in from every direction within that embrace, invading her breathing.

Her body was pressed closer and closer. Jiang Chao’s nose bumped against something soft, and her face and body were completely swallowed by Sheng Huaixi’s lush fragrance.

Jiang Chao froze in place.

The palm rubbing the top of her head slid slowly downward, threading through her soft hair before coming to rest lightly at the back of her neck.

Jiang Chao’s brows drew together. The moment she struggled, the light pressure of the fingers pinching the nape of her neck seemed to hit some hidden nerve; the tension in her waist went slack at once.

At the same time, the arm around the back of her neck tightened insistently, pressing her forward.

Subconsciously, Jiang Chao tried to lift her wrist to stop herself from sinking even deeper, but she could only stiffen helplessly in place.

A voice drifted down from above her head, low and slow.

“I don’t want that either.”

Don’t want what?

For a moment, Jiang Chao didn’t react. Having her cheek forced into that soft, full warmth already made it hard to focus, so Sheng Huaixi’s sudden “I don’t want that either” only left her looking faintly confused.

Forcing herself to breathe evenly, Jiang Chao struggled to turn her body back, ignoring where she was, and muttered, “Don’t want what?”

“Don’t want you to leave.”

This time, Jiang Chao heard it clearly.

Her body, which had been struggling nonstop, went rigid.

Her lips parted and closed again. She tried to lift her eyes with difficulty, wanting to see Sheng Huaixi’s expression, but could only make out the faintest traces of light seeping through the layers of obstruction, landing dimly in her own eyes.

She still couldn’t see Sheng Huaixi’s face.

She was trapped in Sheng Huaixi’s arms.

Breathing in Sheng Huaixi’s scent, leaning against Sheng Huaixi’s body, her fingertips shifting slightly only to brush Sheng Huaixi’s skin.

The blanket binding her shoulders and upper body only made the restraint tighter, fastening her firmly into Sheng Huaixi’s embrace so she couldn’t move.

Thoughts flashed through her mind. Before Jiang Chao could sort them out, her body answered first.

“How would I even leave...?”

Her tone was helpless, but the drawn-out words carried a faint trace of indulgence.

Sheng Huaixi was still not satisfied. She deliberately rubbed her chin over the top of Jiang Chao’s head, eyes half-lidded, a hint of displeasure flashing across her face, though her voice remained easy.

“Exactly. If you’re tied up, how are you supposed to leave?”

Coming back to herself, Jiang Chao curled in Sheng Huaixi’s arms and rolled her eyes with some speechless resignation.

Just listen to her. The sarcasm was practically overflowing, yet she somehow still sounded pitiful.

Only after hearing that did Jiang Chao ruthlessly press down the faint pity that had just surfaced in her heart and reclaim the goodwill she’d only recently handed over.

“Untie me.”

Jiang Chao let out a breath, shifted her stiff shoulders, and once again asked Sheng Huaixi to undo the knot on her, her voice calm and flat.

Afraid Sheng Huaixi would overthink it, Jiang Chao added, “Let me go, and I’ll talk to you properly.”

A real sigh reached Jiang Chao’s ear, full of reluctance and lingering attachment.

Jiang Chao was still wondering whether Sheng Huaixi would insist to the end and refuse to let her off so easily when the blanket binding her shoulders and arms quietly loosened.

It fell slack against Jiang Chao’s body.

Only the fingers at the back of her neck remained stubbornly clasped there, unwilling to let go.

Jiang Chao waited obediently for a while longer. When she realized Sheng Huaixi truly had no intention of releasing her neck, she cautiously pressed against Sheng Huaixi’s knee and shifted back.

This time, she wasn’t stopped again; only the hand hooked around her nape followed doggedly after her.

Forget it...

Jiang Chao took the initiative to pull back, leaving just enough space between herself and Sheng Huaixi, her eyes bright as she fixed on Sheng Huaixi’s.

“So if I really wanted to move away and leave, what I’d be facing is—being forced into marriage, or being locked up by you?”

Sheng Huaixi nodded without changing expression and corrected her with a hand supporting her chin.

“Tied up first, then locked up.”

And she still had to be tied up before being locked away... she was really afraid Jiang Chao would run off.

Jiang Chao silently cursed her under her breath, the bridge of her nose wrinkling slightly. After a moment of careful thought, she stared steadily at Sheng Huaixi.

“If I absolutely had to choose between the two, I’d personally lean toward the first outcome.”

Her tone changed; propping herself against Sheng Huaixi’s knee, Jiang Chao looked at her with earnest eyes. “But if you really did that, I would definitely hate you.”

“I’d loathe you, Sheng Huaixi,” Jiang Chao emphasized.

Sheng Huaixi’s eyes narrowed slightly. Then she licked her lips, the smile in her eyes deepening as her obsession grew heavier under the pressure she kept on Jiang Chao’s neck.

“I’m not greedy. Even if I only got your body, I could accept that.”

“It’s you; you can have everything.”

Her scorching gaze made no effort to hide itself as it roamed slowly over Jiang Chao. The fingertip at Jiang Chao’s nape seemed to tremble with excitement at those words.

Sheng Huaixi’s intense desire seemed almost ready to burst forth, turning into clusters of foam that wrapped around Jiang Chao entirely.

It was dangerous possessiveness, spine-chilling; even the flow of her blood seemed to quicken on its own, and her instincts rang the alarm wildly, urging her to run faster, farther.

Because Sheng Huaixi might, at any moment, wipe the gentleness from her face, open her lips without hesitation, and swallow her whole in one ruthless bite.

That answer was beyond Jiang Chao’s expectations. Her lips opened and closed a few times, but in the end she still fell silent.

The silence stretched between them. Sheng Huaixi let out a soft sigh and leaned in again, gathering the person in front of her into her arms, head lowered and eyes cast down, resting her chin on Jiang Chao’s shoulder.

“One moment you’re angry and storm off because I’m a despicable liar; the next you’re unhappy because I told the truth too honestly. Whether I tell the truth or lie, I still have to coax you.”

“Jiang Chao, are you actively creating opportunities for me to talk to you?”

Playing with the hair that had fallen over Jiang Chao’s shoulder, Sheng Huaixi spoke in a low voice; her eyes, however, were happily narrowed, brimming with amusement.

Her hair was soft. Long, pale fingers threaded through it strand by strand, black and white woven together as they traced beautiful curves through the air.

Looking at her own handiwork, Sheng Huaixi’s smile deepened. The corners of her lips lifted.

Hearing such a blatant distortion of the truth left Jiang Chao even more rigid and speechless. She slowly lifted her eyes to look at Sheng Huaixi.

Sheng Huaixi drew back slightly and met her gaze, her eyes curved with a bewitching smile.

She showed no sign at all that anything she’d just said was wrong, and looked thoroughly convinced of it.

“..."

Jiang Chao believed her.

If she left Sheng Huaixi’s side, then within less than a day she would hear from her own mommy——

“You ungrateful girl! Hurry up and go get the marriage certificate with Miss Sheng!”

Once they were married, there would be absolutely no way Jiang Chao could ever escape Sheng Huaixi again.

By then, Jiang Chao suspected her identity might only be one thing.

Sheng Huaixi’s exclusive toy.

That would be the worst possible outcome!

No way! Jiang Chao decided——

She absolutely had to come up with a foolproof plan to leave Sheng Huaixi’s side.

She absolutely could not become Sheng Huaixi’s toy.