Mad Dog

*If I want to possess you without any reservations, wouldn’t that be a bit despicable?*
Zhi Qi asked this with a smile, but after she finished, the room was filled with silence.
She clearly caught the surprise followed by a daze in Jiang Qi’s eyes, and her smile gradually faded away.
“Jiang Qi?” Seeing him silent, Zhi Qi couldn’t help but shake his hand. “Why aren’t you saying anything?”
“…Qi Qi.” After a long pause, Jiang Qi finally spoke with difficulty, his light-colored eyes reflecting a hazy confusion. “If I say I don’t want to, that would be a lie.”
Zhi Qi’s eyes lit up, as if the dark sky was suddenly filled with twinkling stars. “So you do want to?”
“I want to, but I’m afraid.” Jiang Qi looked at her, his fingers resting on his knee slightly moving—he suppressed the urge to touch her and spoke frankly, his cool voice steady. “Qi Qi, I have nothing but my illness.”
He was even less than an ordinary person.
He had no education, a questionable background, and now he was unemployed, without money, only scars and an uncontrollable rage that could flare up at any moment.
Jiang Qi wasn’t a person who was self-abased to the point of dust, but sometimes he couldn’t help but think… even if he were a normal person, perhaps he would have the courage to pursue Zhi Qi. But now, he truly felt unworthy.
Because the little girl was too exceptional—so exceptional that he could only admire her from a distance, unable to reach out.
If he wished to possess her recklessly, knowing full well how poor his circumstances were, wouldn’t that be a bit despicable?
Thus, when he had revealed all the truths in that dilapidated house in Chen Kong Alley, Jiang Qi had said that Zhi Qi could ‘renegotiate,’ and even the mere mention of those words had almost pierced his heart.
However…
“Jiang Qi, I won’t renegotiate.” As if understanding his thoughts, Zhi Qi smiled, her delicate face and large black eyes blinking at him. “Why do you think so much about other things? You just need to think about us.”
As long as he considered whether he wanted to be with her, that was enough.
“Qi Qi.” Jiang Qi took a deep breath. “I can’t help but think.”
If it were just him, he would never care about the opinions of outsiders. But if it involved Zhi Qi… he couldn’t help it.
He couldn’t help but think that he wasn’t worthy of her; having such a boyfriend as him would be ‘embarrassing,’ and others would laugh at her. He couldn’t provide the so-called ‘house and car,’ and he had no parents.
Moreover, Jiang Qi couldn’t help but consider the girl’s family.
Previously, Zhi Yu had clearly stated that she opposed him, and there was no need to even discuss being ‘together’; she was against any contact with Zhi Qi.
Besides, she had mentioned that her whole family opposed it.
If he were to be with Zhi Qi, her family would even blame her.
Jiang Qi couldn’t bear that.
So the boy could only shake his head and continue to deny, “No, you can find someone much better than me.”
“But I’ve also said that there’s only one Jiang Qi in this world.” Everything Jiang Qi was thinking was laid bare before Zhi Qi; she could see what he was struggling with and couldn’t help but smile. “Besides, everyone knows we’re a couple now. Are you still trying to deny it?”
Just now, she had glanced at her phone, and Zhi Yu and Mei Ran had called her numerous times.
—So, the heartless girl turned off her phone.
Zhi Qi was determined to clarify their relationship with Jiang Qi today and spoke clearly.
She didn’t want anyone to disturb them.
“Jiang Qi, don’t give me those useless, grandiose statements. You don’t want to burden me, but you also don’t want to leave me. I just want you to say one honest thing…” Zhi Qi said, leaning over to place her small hand on Jiang Qi’s shoulder. In response to his surprised gaze, the girl pushed him against the sofa’s backrest.
And then she sat on his lap, close enough that their breaths intertwined.
Jiang Qi felt frozen in place, staring dazedly into the girl’s clear eyes, which were just inches away.
Zhi Qi had always been beautiful, from her hair to her toes, each part exquisitely crafted, delicate and radiant. Her features were light and lovely, with ivory-white skin and red lips.
At that moment, the soft red of her lips was right in front of him.
Jiang Qi’s throat involuntarily moved, and his hand, resting beside the girl, unconsciously tightened.
His eyes were light, and before her, he wasn’t good at hiding his feelings, so she could see the restrained, suppressed emotions he was struggling with. She couldn’t help but smile.
“Jiang Qi, tell me the truth.” The girl leaned in slightly, getting closer to him, her usually pure and transparent demeanor now vaguely resembling a captivating enchantress, her soft voice carrying a hint of tenderness. “Do you want to kiss me?”
This was probably the most straightforward question in the world.
Yet Jiang Qi clenched his teeth, unwilling to speak.
He averted his gaze, trying to resist looking at Zhi Qi’s playful eyes and her crimson lips.
“Qi Qi, don’t say such nonsense.” The girl was sitting on him, her soft body moving against him, making Jiang Qi’s voice hoarse. “You should get down.”
“I’m not talking nonsense.” Zhi Qi pouted, lifting her small hand to turn Jiang Qi’s face back to her, looking earnestly into his eyes. “I want to kiss you. I’ve wanted to for a long time.”
If a person had an irresistible desire for physical contact with another, it was a clear sign of deep affection.
Zhi Qi had always been resistant to the touch of others, even to simple hand-holding, but with Jiang Qi… she only wanted to get closer.
Although he was still being stubborn, she could see what the boy truly thought.
Zhi Qi smiled and gave Jiang Qi another opportunity in the depths of his glass-like eyes, softly saying, “Kiss me.”
The line between emotion and reason was actually thin, and if one were to tease or provoke that line repeatedly, it would inevitably snap.
Besides, Jiang Qi had never been the kind of ‘virtuous’ person.
The restraint and elegance Jiang Qi displayed in front of Zhi Qi were all a façade he struggled to maintain.
If a person could be without a moral compass, he would have long since locked Zhi Qi away, even imprisoning her to belong solely to him.
In truth, he had always been extremely possessive, wanting to be a person in front of Zhi Qi—but the girl would not let him.
Under Zhi Qi’s gaze, Jiang Qi’s eyes grew darker. His hand, which had been resting on the sofa, tightened around the girl’s slender waist. With a touch of surprise in Zhi Qi’s eyes, the boy held her waist with one hand and her frail shoulder with the other.
In an instant, he flipped Zhi Qi, who had been sitting on his lap, onto the sofa.
The boy’s handsome yet mischievous face leaned over her, his slender arms propped up on either side of her head. In that moment, Zhi Qi felt like a fragile little animal trapped in a cage.
And Jiang Qi was that ‘cage,’ drawing her in willingly.
“I gave you a choice, but you didn’t want it. Qi Qi, this is what you chose.” The boy spoke each word clearly, and unbeknownst to him, a fragile, sickly aura surrounded him.
An intense possessiveness urged him on, causing Jiang Qi to lower his head and gently bite Zhi Qi’s soft lower lip, grazing it lightly.
Years of unfulfilled wishes had finally come to fruition. Jiang Qi seemed to be afraid that the girl would escape, gripping her delicate wrist tightly, murmuring almost feverishly, “Now you can’t think of escaping.”