Bing Shi shook her head, "He didn't." Hooking her hand around Lu Kai's arm, she let him support her up.
"Where are your sneakers?" Lu Kai asked, feeling how she tripped again.
"In my shopping bag," she said, "They don't match my dress." Before exiting the store, Bing Shi sensed an intense gaze. She turned around and stuck her tongue out at Quin Yu.
Lu Kai reached for her neck and redirected Bing Shi's face towards him, giving her ebony eyes a quick, silent stare as if telling her to behave.
Quin Yu tried to recollect Silika Lin's face but was unsuccessful. When she first fell before him, his eyes ventured south to her chest and collarbone, then took a detour down to her ankles and nails. By the time his eyes reached her face, all he managed to see was a fleeting glance at her lips before she fled.
Had Quin Yu been able to see the rest of her face, he might have stumbled upon the unimpressed look that lurked in her eyes, undaunted by his supposedly destructive aura, 'Lu Kai's new sugar baby?
Quin Yu could fully imagine the words that must have gone through her mind as she stuck out her tongue at him!
1. 'Man, no one was trying to seduce you.
2. 'You're not as great as you think you are. So what if I fell in front of you?
3. 'Did it look like I was begging for your legs? Someone is too full of himself, haha.'
Shaking his head internally, Quin Yu hid the bewilderment in his eyes by putting on an emotionless, stone-cold expression. Do not tell him that he was a victim of their prank this whole time!?
Aoi Hong appeared in her new red dress with an open back, accentuating her curves. Noticing the leaving pair, she recognized the familiar white coat, which was now draped around a female silhouette. "Was that your doctor?"
"Who?" Quin Yu turned around and found himself utterly entranced. His breath hitched, and his attention was forcibly yanked away from its wandering path, magnetized by the sheer allure of Aoi Hong's beauty.
The 'ugly' duckling blossomed into a magnificent swan. Her skin was white like snow, ethereal and pure. Her figure was slender. Her pretty face was the shape of a V, along with lips as red as ripe cherry and teeth as white as pristine pearls. Her eyes looked clear and radiant like spring water without her fake eyeglasses.
· · ──────── · ⊱❈⊰· ──────── · ·
"Why did you do that?" Lu Kai asked when they left the boutique, giving his assistant a call.
"He bullied you," answered Bing Shi. Why did Quin Yu look down on good, virgin boys as if being a bad boy was something to be proud of?
"That was in the past," said Lu Kai, "he wouldn't dare to do it again."
"I still don't like how he treated you," said Bing Shi, making her bias clear.
After the call, Lu Kai cleaned his hand with a wet wipe, "It was unnecessary."
"I know. I wanted to test out something, but without Kuro, my view of his face was obstructed, so I had to check it again," Bing Shi looked down at her feet, training her catwalk, "There are still many things you don't know about me."
And here, Lu Kai thought that she was still on her vacation. Using the wet wipe, he opened the door to the black-tinted car for her.
When both seated themselves comfortably, Lu Kai pushed Bing Shi against the backseat. Squeezing her cheeks, he shoved his tongue inside her mouth. His action was rushed, almost at the brim of despair.
He was so angry at her, but sēx wasn't his way of punishment. Her being afraid of it was the last thing he wanted. He needed to do things others couldn't, to feel the difference in treatment, but the fear of not knowing what she was capable of doing and how far she would go was eating him up.
Now that he so dearly wished to know everything about her, he couldn't recall a thing about their past. Her secrets were like an empty canvas. He wanted to get inside her mind, to see the priceless piece of art within.
Pulling back, Lu Kai leaned his elbow on the armrest and gazed out the window. He held his palm tightly, taking slow breaths. His fingers gripped his hand so firmly that the prominent blue veins on the back of his hand seemed ready to break through his skin.
The sweet cinnamon roll suddenly transformed into a grumpy sour roll, never once glancing at her or uttering a word throughout the entire drive.
Bing Shi, who had already settled on his lap, leaned closer to listen to his heart, comforting it with gentle pats.
He was asking to be appeased.
He wanted attention.
Her attention.
"No huggies for a week," he suddenly declared, remembering one of the things she liked.
"Whaaaat?" Bing Shi looked at him as if seeing an alien, rubbing his chest in protest, "That's too much. Two days."
"No," he remained firm, ignoring her pleas.
Most would start an argument for his unreasonable behavior and excessive jealousy. She could threaten him with an even bigger warning. All she had to do was give him the cold shoulder, and he would likely come crawling back to her, begging for forgiveness once he had cooled down.
Yes, that's how Bing Shi would react if Xuan Mu were at fault. But giving Lu Kai the cold shoulder wouldn't be fair to him. After all, they didn't know each other well yet, and not speaking to each other while angry would likely solve nothing.
When Bing Shi received no hugs, she slumped against his shoulder, noticing only his growing desire between his legs. "I'm starting to get angry at you," she murmured.
"Perfect, that makes two of us." He kept his gaze on the road, slowly regaining control over his aroused body, "Do you have to seduce every good-looking man you meet?"
"No. I was actually trying to do the opposite: to be unlikable but not unlikable enough to be killed."
"So you opted to act like a cheap slūt?!" he raised his voice. Disappointment was evident in his tone.
"Didn't you want him to lose interest in me completely?!" she asked and got off his lap, "If you didn't arrive, you could've got what you wanted."
"Not this way," Lu Kai gritted his teeth, "I'd rather have him fall for you than see you lower yourself like that!"
"I noticed you were embarrassed to see me like that, so I changed it at the last second!" Bing Shi reached the end of the car and gazed out at the bustling city. "Do you have any other issues with me?"
Should he continue to be an open-minded and supportive man?! How far did he need to go in tolerating everything?! He pursed his lips and finally spoke, "You, being a famous actress."
"It's a part of my mission," she finally looked at him, "Are you going to stand in my way of achieving it?"
"Depends on the role," he replied, his anger simmering just beneath the surface. Nobody could be endlessly understanding and forgiving. Was she going to end their relationship? He was prepared to be pitiful and cute if she did, but not now. "Just promise me you won't do romantic scenes with anyone else."
Lu Kai, who usually put everybody first, was surprised that he treated someone he began to hold dearly to his heart so poorly.
"Oh, as if I didn't plan otherwise," said Bing Shi, a feeble irritation resonated in her voice. "None of us can be forgiving and doting all the time. Just like how I'm upset at you right now, it's perfectly fine for you to be upset at me, so don't you dare act pitiful and beg for mercy later."
"..." Lu Kai's plans to act pitiful quickly evaporated, "Yes, why should I apologize?! You're not going into the club clothed like that!"
"It suits my body and looks millions of times better than your lab coat!!" She took off his coat and tossed it back at him.
"We're not going anywhere unless you put it on!" he hissed urgently, tossing the coat back to her. "Button it up!"
"I don't want to wear it," she made it disappear, "It's ugly!"
"It's not. You're just jealous of Xue Bi!" he responded harshly, "She would never wear such a thing!" His eyes gestured towards her exposed legs, collarbone, and the tight pink fabric.
"Haha, so what? As if you were never jealous of Xuan Mu!" She fumed at him, knowing that she didn't fulfill his expectations of a lover stung her heart, "He would never wear such a bright color! Are we going to compare our past selves now? Then, be prepared to be trashed hard. First of all, he's a better kisser."
"Stop making everything worse!" He approached her and covered her mouth with his palm. Even though they were being honest and speaking the truth, it hurt. The truth always hurts. But knowing that she was jealous of Xue Bi made him feel slightly relieved that he wasn't the only one who felt that way.
"I will. Because I'm angry!" she bit his finger, "It's been a while since I've felt this way, so I have to enjoy it while I can, right?! So what was Xue Bi better at, huh? Come on, shatter my confidence!"
It was impossible to maintain a dream-like relationship 24/7. None of them used reverse psychology to make the other feel guilty. She only had him, while he only had her. Taking it out on each other couldn't be helped, even though it was unfair.