"Don"t touch me." Li Xueyue snapped, stepping back to create a distance between them.
"Is this how it is?" Yu Zhen harshly asked. "First you plea to get me back, and now, you"re refusing me."
Li Xueyue didn"t realize she was going directly against what she wanted in the first place. Her expression hardened. "That was before you violated my trust."
"There it is again, that push-and-pull game you love so much."
"Excuse me?" Li Xueyue hissed, angrily grabbing him by the collar. It was a feeble attempt. He was much taller than her and had predicted her move. Before she even laid a hand on him, he grabbed her wrist and forcibly yanked her closer.
"Do not do this to me again, Li Xueyue. Don"t you dare trailblaze into my life and try to wreck it."
"I"m not."
"You are," he angrily said, "You"re reverting to what you love to do."
"And what"s that?"
"Mess with my head."
Li Xueyue felt like she was struck by his words. She had never intended to "mess" or "play" with him. Her feelings were always genuine, and there was no one she wanted more in this world. Her eyes flashed, revealing how offended she was by his words.
"All I wanted was for you to wait—"
"No, you wanted me to find another woman."
Li Xueyue flinched. She was not prepared to hear the truth.
"Right after I showed you how much I want you, did you know what you did?" he snarled.
Li Xueyue realized that despite his anger, he would not hurt her. She could see his barely contained rage roaring in his eyes. Violent and merciless, there was so much he could do to hurt her. His grip could"ve tightened until her wrists shattered and she yielded to him. But he did not.
"You told me to find someone else. To find another woman when the only one I wanted was standing right in front of me!"
Li Xueyue recoiled from him. She didn"t want to swallow the truth. It was too much to bear, but he was relentless.
Yu Zhen glared at her. "Imagine if you confessed to me, and I told you to run into Wen Jinkai"s arms. How would that feel?"
Li Xueyue bit her bottom lip. She didn"t want to ever imagine that scenario. It would tear her apart, like what was happening now. Her heart was aching for him. She wanted him so much but couldn"t have him. She was too much of a burden.
"I"m sorry—"
"Sorry doesn"t cut it," Yu Zhen bit out. He wrapped one arm behind her, pressing her closer to him. "Sorry doesn"t change anything you did."
"But it can heal a broken heart."
"My heart is not broken." he seethed. Though he denied it, the look on his face said otherwise.
Li Xueyue never wanted to see him like this. She never wanted to see that fear in his eyes, fear of never being able to love again.
Li Xueyue wished she wasn"t so weak. She wished she followed her own morals. For the next thing she knew, she got on her tippy-toes and hugged him deeply. Burying her face into his shoulders, she hugged him as if her life depended on it.
Yu Zhen squeezed his eyes shut. It was what he wanted all along. She was all that he needed in this lifetime, and for the rest of eternity. Except, he could not hug her back. He was already tired of these games.
Li Xueyue was a drug, and he was already addicted. Together, they would only destroy each other.
Li Xueyue felt her heart crack and shatter into thousands of pieces when he shoved her off of him. She looked away, ashamed.
Yu Zhen turned his back to her and began heading in the other direction. Specifically, west of the campgrounds, where the prisoners were held. Truthfully, he didn"t need them anymore.
Yu Zhen had already gotten what he wanted from them.
Li Xueyue never knew she was stubborn until this moment. The next she knew, she had grabbed onto his sleeves.
It was but a mere pressure on his hand. Yu Zhen could"ve easily shaken her off. He could angrily flick his wrist into the air so that she would trip and fall to the ground. But he could never do that to her.
Reluctantly, Yu Zhen gently grabbed her fingers and pried it away. "Go eat. I will return you home after your breakfast."
Li Xueyue felt like a fool. It was all that she wanted. To go home.
Now that the option was presented in front of her, she didn"t want it. The thought of parting from him again terrified her.
Li Xueyue didn"t want to experience that pain ever again. But what could she do? He had already made up his mind.
Li Xueyue stood there as Yu Zhen walked off. She was startled by a rough nudge at her legs. Glancing down, she realized Xiao Juzi was with them the entire time.
"What are you doing?" she sniffled, angrily wiping at her eyes. She hated how wet they got around him. "Your Master went that way. Go follow him."
Xiao Juzi angrily shoved her by the leg. She let out a yelp, taking a few steps forward. He continued to push at her until she was forced to walk in the same direction as Yu Zhen.
"Stop it!" Li Xueyue hissed, but Xiao Juzi barely snarled at her.
It was as if he was saying, "I"m trying to help you, human! I should just eat you by now!"
"You"re annoying," Li Xueyue groaned, but nonetheless, obeyed his wishes. She continued walking in the direction that he wanted. When she tried to go off course, Xiao Juzi would angrily nudge her in the direction he wanted.
Eventually, Li Xueyue was forced to obey the stubborn animal.
- - - - -
Li Xueyue made it out of the clearing just to see Yu Zhen enter the tent. He had nodded at his soldiers.
"I can"t go in there. Not without his permission," Li Xueyue said, knowing these soldiers would kick her out without a second thought.
Xiao Juzi believed otherwise. He softly paced around her body, glancing to his surroundings.
"What is it?" Li Xueyue mumbled. "I don"t have food on me."
Xiao Juzi nearly rolled his eyes. This human was stupid.
"No, I"m not going!" Li Xueyue hissed when Xiao Juzi bit down on her clothes, tugging and yanking her towards the tent.
"Can you not?" she cried and tried to push him away, but he let out a low growl, warning her to not touch him.
Li Xueyue found this stubborn animal to be irritating. How come he could touch her but she couldn"t touch him? How was that a fair exchange?!
"You remind me of your Master," Li Xueyue huffed. Nonetheless, she obliged to his greedy demands and began heading in the direction of the tent.
The event of what happened last time flashed into her mind. She didn"t want to experience that paralyzing darkness again. What if… he pulled the same stunt?
Li Xueyue would be traumatized by him again.
Almost as if sensing her distrust, Xiao Juzi became a bit more gentle. He encouragingly nudged her to walk. He purred against her leg, hoping to uplift her frown.
Li Xueyue nervously smiled. "You"re weird," she said. Did he hate her or like her? She did not know.
"Halt! Who goes there?" a soldier called out when she stopped in front of them.
Li Xueyue didn"t know what to say. Should she reveal her ident.i.ty and the real reason for coming here? Obviously, they would know she was a stranger, since the soldiers must"ve been acquainted with all of their peers.
Xiao Juzi"s actions spoke for her. He let out a low, threatening growl. Pressed against her side, it was evident who she was.
The soldiers didn"t need to be told twice. If the people-hating Xiao Juzi was fond of her, then it only meant one thing. She was the rumored woman.
"The Commander is busy attending to—"
A strangled scream echoed out of the tent.
Li Xueyue was startled. Her eyes grew wide. She knew she didn"t hear incorrectly. That sound, it was very familiar. She had heard it before and that tone was unmistakable. She knew this person.