I felt like Zhu Wenqin had gone mad. He was never like this before—always calm and rational to the point of being frightening.

Panicking, I raised my hand and slapped him across the face, with the same force that Miss Wen had slapped me with before. “Zhu Wenqin, calm down! If you want to have a child, you can find an Omega…”

He gently held the hand that had struck him, placing it on the other side of his face. “Feel better? If not, keep hitting. Soon, it’ll be my turn.”

When a rogue meets someone even more unruly, he truly feels helpless.

I tried to play the pity card, hoping to snap him back to his senses. “Brother, we used to be really good… brothers. Back then, I was under a spell, that’s the only reason I treated you like that. Now, I’m clear-headed. I swear, I’ll never fall for you again.”

His brow furrowed, and he gripped my hands tightly as he spoke, his voice hoarse: “Not in love with me anymore? You’re clear-headed now?”

I nodded frantically, wanting to scream it into his ear. I really had no feelings for him anymore.

I would never be that person again—the one whose world revolved around him, doing all those stupid things for him. That foolish version of Li Yunjing was long gone.

“When I think back to all the brainless things I did, I just want to bash my head against a wall. I should never have pretended to be drunk and passed out on your bed. I shouldn’t have eavesdropped on you. And I definitely shouldn’t have dressed in women’s clothing to kiss you on that yacht.”

“Stop talking. I told you to stop talking! Li Yunjing, I’m begging you, don’t say any more.” Zhu Wenqin pressed his forehead against mine, the cheek I had slapped turning red.

“And to be honest, I have Miss Wen to thank for that slap—it woke me up. And… I owe it to you too, for locking me up and starving me. That’s what really made me see the light.”

Suddenly, a hot, bitter tear fell onto my lips. I blinked in confusion.

Even someone as cold-hearted as Zhu Wenqin could shed warm tears.

He silenced me with a kiss, stroking my hair softly as my trembling body began to calm. “I’m sorry. I didn’t protect you well. I’m sorry. I never meant for you to go hungry—I had people bring you food, but they said you refused to eat.”

I pushed Zhu Wenqin away, rolling myself up in the blanket like a cocoon. “I didn’t refuse to eat. I was hungry. Actually, no… I’m tired now. You should leave. I want to sleep.”

My words were disjointed, but the desire for sleep was genuine. I refused to let Zhu Wenqin lie next to me, and he didn’t say anything. Instead, he sat quietly on the small sofa across from me, keeping watch.

In the middle of the night, as usual, I woke up to go to the bathroom, forgetting that I was in a different place now. I followed my old habit of heading for the door.

Suddenly, in the darkness, a hoarse voice spoke: “Are you leaving again?”

I mumbled, “Yeah.”

Just as I was about to grab the door handle, the voice spoke again: “What would it take to make you stay?”

I was stifled. “What do you want from me!?”

The figure that had been sitting still suddenly moved toward me. Startled, I grabbed a vase from the table and threw it at him, hitting him hard. “I’m not afraid of you.”

The figure grunted in pain but didn’t stop advancing. I had never seen someone so persistent…

I froze. He gently wrapped his arms around me, his face pressing against my neck, with wet tears falling onto my skin.

“We were so close, so close to your glands healing. So close to finally being together. I would never chase you away—I had to say those things in front of the Wen family.”

I sniffed, catching a faint scent of blood. It jolted me awake, and I turned on the room light, only to be startled by the sight of Zhu Wenqin cradled in my arms.

“You’re bleeding. Don’t pass out on me. I’ll call a doctor for you.” I struggled to help Zhu Wenqin onto the sofa and turned to find my phone.

Zhu Wenqin grabbed my wrist, pulling me back, preventing me from leaving.

“Are you trying to die? Why are you doing this to yourself, making such a mess? We’re over. In fact, without you, I’m… better off.”

I was so angry my head was pounding, and my wrist, held tightly by him, was throbbing with bulging veins.

Trying to remain calm, I attempted to negotiate. “How about this—I’ll stay with you through your heat. If you want a temporary mark, then fine, mark me. If you want a permanent one, that’s fine too. Whatever makes you happy. How about that?”

Zhu Wenqin seemed momentarily moved but didn’t loosen his grip. “And then what? Afterward, you’ll want me to let you go, right? You’ll go erase the mark, or worse, you’ll have your glands removed, right?”

Those words hurt.

They left me hesitating.

But, to provoke him, to make him so uncomfortable that he’d let me go, I pretended he’d struck a nerve and nodded.

“My pheromones won’t threaten you.”

Zhu Wenqin glanced at me, his eyes clouded with emotion. As if he had made up his mind, he hoisted me over his shoulder.

The sudden lift made me dizzy, and I instinctively clenched my fists, ready to strike his back. But when I heard him grunt in pain, I hesitated.

I found myself sprawled on the soft bed as he loomed over me. With great resolve, I turned my head away, avoiding his intense gaze. “Fine… mark me.”

But no sooner had the words left my mouth than he grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him. He wouldn’t allow me to turn away or scratch at the sheets.

The shattered light from the chandelier above spilled into my half-closed eyes. My glands stung, and tears slipped from the corners of my eyes, only to be caught by his soft lips.

The large room was filled with the scent of burning sandalwood, mixing with the smell of chilled whiskey—my own scent finally breaking free.

Zhu Wenqin spoke in a hoarse voice: “Do you remember this bed? You were drunk before, lying in your brother’s bed. Do you remember what you said?”

My mind was foggy, fragments of memories flashing back, one moment following his words, the next recalling that night on the yacht.