"I've never liked someone this much before."
When he said "like," it was a condescending bestowal, as if his affection were some supreme gift. What he meant by "like" wasn't genuine affection but a shallow appreciation of outward appearance.
And indeed, Jiang Wei felt it was Shen Yue's good fortune to be noticed by him.
This wasn't liking.
Shen Yue lowered her eyes, her butterfly-like lashes trembling slightly. She turned her face away and looked up at Jiang Wei.
She was serious, even a bit insistent, "You don't like me."
Jiang Wei lacked patience, finding Shen Yue's words rather ridiculous. How could he possibly like someone like her?
Someone like her was only good for casual amusement.
Once he was bored, he would discard her like trash.
Jiang Wei once again grasped Shen Yue's cheeks, this time with full force, ensuring the disobedient girl couldn't break free. His expression was cold, his thumb rubbing the slightly red skin of her lips. He gazed at her for a long moment before leaning in to kiss her.
Shen Yue turned her face away first.
But in the next second, her chin was gripped and turned back. Jiang Wei stared at her, and Shen Yue felt a chill run through her body under his gaze.
"Everyone else can kiss you, but I can't?"
Shen Yue had a notorious reputation at school. Rumors about her were rampant, and almost half the male students knew her.
They all said Shen Yue was ambiguously involved with most of the male students in school, calling her indecent.
They said her mother was no good either, and that crooked beams led to crooked pillars.
Rumor had it she was involved in that kind of business outside of school.
—
"A whore wanting to build a monument to her chastity."
Shen Yue looked at Jiang Wei, her dark eyes veiled with a thin layer of moisture. The closer he got, the clearer and calmer they became.
Her eyelashes were stuck together in clumps by the wetness.
"You're lying. You don't like me at all; you just want to kiss me. I think liking someone is a beautiful thing."
"So?"
"I think you don't deserve to say the word 'like.' You've made the word 'like' worthless."
Jiang Wei, who had been relatively calm, suddenly exploded in anger. He pressed his entire body closer, forcefully gripping her chin with one hand. His sharp brows were etched with deep mockery. "And you do deserve it, is that it?"
He had no more words to waste and simply lowered his head to kiss her.
The biting was merely an outlet, devoid of any tenderness.
Shen Yue tasted blood. She didn't particularly like it, but Jiang Wei seemed to, because he became even more ferocious.
She felt quite sad because she had promised He Ji, but she had broken her word.
"If you're disobedient, I can lock you up."
No one would ever find out.
Because Shen Yue had no family, no friends.
Even if she disappeared, it wouldn't cause any ripples.
As he spoke, Jiang Wei suddenly felt the restlessness and frustration in his chest dissipate.
It wasn't an impossibility; no one could stop him from doing what he wanted.
She should stay by his side, with every part of her controlled by him, like a caged bird trapped in his palm.
To be played with meticulously.
The thought made Jiang Wei's arms tremble. He lowered his head, smelling a faint, sweet fragrance on Shen Yue's neck, and inhaled deeply involuntarily. His tone was dangerous, "I mean what I say."
She had nothing, and even her only freedom would be taken away.
Her long eyelashes, her dark, moist eyes seemed to hold a thin mist, her features as beautiful as flowers in the fog.
Beside her ears, she heard the man's soft sigh.
"Yueyue, you must be obedient."
—
The dismissal bell rang. He Ji, as usual, went to the classroom to find Shen Yue. The figure who would normally be sitting obediently at her desk, waiting for him, was gone.
This made He Ji feel strange. He didn't believe Shen Yue would stand him up without reason, so he decided to wait by the door. Perhaps Shen Yue had gone out for something important and hadn't had time to tell him.
He waited for half an hour. Just as He Ji was about to take out his phone to call Shen Yue, footsteps echoed in the corridor.
He looked up and saw the girl running towards him.
The boy's demeanor was cold, his sharply defined face expressionless. "Where did you go?"
The girl's lips were unnaturally red, her pale ear tips were a soft pink, and her dark eyes were like autumn water across a river. Her eyebrows were curved, and faint dimples appeared.
"The teacher needed something from me."
Her school uniform zipper was pulled all the way up, covering her neck.
He Ji couldn't quite look at her face, so he only stared for a few seconds before averting his gaze, thus failing to notice anything unusual about Shen Yue.
The two of them went to the library to study. They rarely spoke to each other; He Ji was quiet and seldom initiated conversation.
Later, every time He Ji went to find Shen Yue after class, the first thing he would see was an empty classroom, followed by the late-arriving girl.
Every two weeks, the school had a two-day break, taken consecutively.
Late at night, He Ji, who was still doing homework, was interrupted by the sound of his phone ringing.
He picked up his phone and saw the caller ID.
It was Shen Yue.
Why was Shen Yue calling him so late?
"Hello... He Ji, are you asleep?"
The voice on the other end was soft, like a spring lake, syrupy and clinging, as if coated with sugar.
However, He Ji quickly sensed that something was wrong. He tightened his grip on the phone, his voice deepening, "Where are you right now?"
As soon as he spoke, he heard a commotion from the other end of the call.
"What are you doing? Don't touch me... I don't want to go with you..."
The girl's voice was too soft. Even when she was refusing, it sounded like a soft plea, which not only failed to drive the person away but rather made them more eager.
He Ji suddenly stood up, the sound of the chair scraping against the floor exceptionally harsh.
His eyes were fierce, his handsome face darkened, covered in a terrifying layer of frost.
He suppressed his voice, but it still carried a strained intensity.
"Where are you right now?"
Shen Yue quickly stated the address without hesitation, her voice sweet, "You need to come quickly."
—
The summer night was dotted with stars, the chirping of cicadas incessant. The wind blowing against them offered no coolness.
Shen Yue stood by the roadside, her mind hazy from the alcohol, but her reason was still intact.
She had been brought here by Jiang Wei. She had been forced to drink two glasses of wine. When Jiang Wei wanted her to drink more, she refused. Jiang Wei seemed very angry, smashed the expensive wines worth tens of thousands of yuan, and left Shen Yue alone.
Shen Yue waited for a car on the roadside for a long time without success. Instead, some street thugs were drawn to her. Seeing that Shen Yue's phone screen was paused on the dialing page for the emergency number, they didn't dare to approach too closely.