Possessive Gaze

Seething with anger after witnessing Mu Yaochen’s forceful kiss upon Luo Yao, Star Yu snatched a piece of fruit from a nearby platter and shoved it into her mouth.

She chewed the fruit with such ferocity, her jaws working as if she wished to tear Mu Yaochen limb from limb.

Meanwhile, Mu Yaochen, still clutching Luo Yao, gracefully leaped down from the stage.

Disregarding the gazes of others, she plucked an already mixed cocktail from a server’s tray and drained it in a single gulp.

While Mu Yaochen might have appeared the epitome of perfection and elegance in the eyes of other women, to Luo Yao, every single one of her actions seemed utterly despicable.

“Little Yao Yao, have you ever been to a place like this before?” Mu Yaochen, having now led Luo Yao to a secluded sofa in the corner, inquired.

She settled him into the corner, then pressed herself tightly against his side, a gesture that felt both protective and intensely possessive.

“No, this is my first time,” Luo Yao replied, his gaze fixed on Mu Yaochen’s unsettling proximity.

A profound helplessness settled over him, as he found himself utterly unable to comprehend why she would consistently act in ways so baffling.

“First time, you say? By the way, do you drink?” Mu Yaochen casually inquired, producing a cocktail she had picked up from the bar as she passed, and offered it to Luo Yao.

“Sorry, I’m underage, so I can’t drink,” Luo Yao stated, a slight frown creasing his brow as he regarded the vibrant, multi-colored glass before him.

Though it was merely a simple cocktail, it wasn’t enough to intoxicate Luo Yao.

After all, in his previous life, before arriving in this world, Luo Yao had navigated countless company functions and could even be considered a seasoned drinker.

This current body, however, had never touched a drop of alcohol.

Given its constitution, even a mere sip would probably lead to immediate intoxication.

Noticing Luo Yao’s head shake, Mu Yaochen’s expression soured slightly as she retrieved the glass.

She then brought it to her own lips and emptied it in a single, fluid motion.

Observing Mu Yaochen as she drank, Luo Yao found his thoughts drifting for a fleeting moment.

At times, Luo Yao found himself struggling to discern the line between illusion and reality.

Indeed, his present circumstances often felt akin to a dream, where he yearned to grasp something tangible, yet it perpetually eluded his reach.

He strained to awaken himself, only to discover this illusory world possessed an unnerving, profound realism.

‘Why, for that matter, am I even here?’

As Mu Yaochen finished her drink, she set the empty glass down on a nearby table.

Her gaze then fell upon Star Yu, who was engrossed in her phone in a distant corner, and Mu Yaochen found herself plunged into contemplation.

Although she had come at Star Yu’s invitation, the actual purpose of this gathering had never been disclosed.

Moreover… observing the faces of the other attendees, she noted that they weren’t exclusively the usual wastrels from Fanhai City.

The true instigator of this supposed gathering also remained a mystery to Mu Yaochen.

It seemed certain affairs were beginning to slip beyond her grasp.

Just as Mu Yaochen continued scrutinizing the unfamiliar faces surrounding her, a soft, ethereal ray of light abruptly pierced the dim interior.

Mu Yaochen, still lost in her reverie, followed the gentle glow with her eyes, only to see a purple-clad figure appear at the entrance of the private room.

It was merely a side door nestled in the corner, yet, with uncanny serendipity, Mu Yaochen and Luo Yao were precisely seated on a sofa in that exact spot.

Upon seeing this individual, even the usually composed Mu Yaochen, who rarely allowed her emotions to show, couldn’t help but feel a flicker of profound doubt.

Pale purple hair cascaded over their shoulders, while deep purple pupils meticulously observed everything within the private room.

The frenzied revelers within the room, distracted by the blaring music and incessant flashing lights, remained utterly oblivious to their presence.

As the figure passed by Mu Yaochen, their deep purple eyes swept over her with an air of scrutiny, simultaneously taking in Luo Yao, whom she held protectively close.

After lingering on them for a mere two seconds, the figure’s gaze shifted to the other occupants of the private room.

As that enigmatic silhouette moved past Mu Yaochen, an inexplicable, unsettling scent of blood assaulted her senses.

Once they had passed, Mu Yaochen’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

She found herself wondering about the meaning behind that two-second lingering gaze.

After a moment of contemplation, she still could not recall who this person might be.

She had certainly never encountered this individual in Fanhai City.

Could they be from out of town?

While Mu Yaochen pondered, her attention instinctively drifted back to Luo Yao beside her.

Luo Yao, seated beside her, had felt profoundly uneasy under that person’s intense scrutiny.

Indeed, it was even more unsettling than the gaze of the woman named Yina from earlier.

‘That chilling sensation of being marked.’

Luo Yao shook his head, acknowledging that these were all individuals from the upper echelons of society.

Had it not been for his recent string of misfortunes, he would likely never have crossed paths with them.

Thus, in his current predicament, Luo Yao understood he needed to cling to Mu Yaochen’s influence as much as possible to secure his survival.

“Do you know that person who just passed by?” Mu Yaochen inquired, a hint of displeasure in her tone as she observed Luo Yao’s persistent gaze at the departing figure.

She extended a leg and lightly nudged his foot.

“Ah… good… no, I don’t know them…” Luo Yao, still lost in thought, was so startled by Mu Yaochen’s sudden nudge that he answered as if about to spring from the sofa.

Despite Luo Yao’s somewhat exaggerated movement, it went entirely unnoticed amidst the chaotic energy of the room.

“Then why were you staring at them?” As Mu Yaochen observed Luo Yao’s unwavering gaze, a familiar pang of jealousy, strikingly similar to Star Yu’s earlier, suddenly flared within her.

For in Mu Yaochen’s rigid perception, Luo Yao, as her s*ave, should only ever possess eyes for her alone.

“Nothing, it just felt profoundly uncomfortable being stared at by them,” Luo Yao quickly responded, shaking his head as he met Mu Yaochen’s stern, almost menacing, expression.

While Luo Yao was well aware that Mu Yaochen would grow jealous over this, he had undeniably felt the other person’s burning gaze as those deep purple eyes had swept over him.

Nevertheless… he didn’t care.

This sensation of being marked by a hunter was far from new to Luo Yao; moreover, conventionally speaking, sophisticated hunters often presented themselves in the guise of prey.

Since he had already irrevocably entered this circle, Luo Yao realized he could easily transform himself into a ‘green tea brother’ (TL Note: A ‘green tea brother’ is a male equivalent of a ‘green tea b*tch,’ referring to someone who feigns innocence and purity to manipulate others, often for personal gain.) to gain the sympathy of these high-society magnates.

Especially from Mu Yaochen, this formidable patron.

“Uncomfortable? And yet you *still* kept staring at them?” Hearing this, Mu Yaochen’s temper flared instantly, her frustration palpable.

“Remember this: from now on, without my express permission, you are forbidden from looking at any other woman for more than two seconds.

Your eyes can only be for me, do you understand?” Mu Yaochen’s brow furrowed deeper, her initial jealousy now intensified to a fierce possessiveness.

Her pale, slender hand instantly gripped Luo Yao’s neck, forcefully turning his head to align his gaze with hers, as she enunciated each word with chilling deliberation.

Her eyes, meanwhile, were filled with an almost boundless, chilling authority, and this precise action of Mu Yaochen’s starkly underscored the inherent relationship between a s*ave and their master.

Yet, precisely as Mu Yaochen was chastising Luo Yao, those deep purple eyes turned, fixing an intense, unblinking stare on the backs of the two figures.

By sheer coincidence, this very scene was witnessed by Luo Yao, whose head had been forcibly turned.

Upon seeing Luo Yao’s eyes fixed on her, the woman’s lips curved into a subtle, yet utterly eerie, smile, leaving Luo Yao with that unsettling grin before she turned and walked away once more.

Yet, it was precisely that fleeting, backward glance and smile that sent an uncontrollable shiver down Luo Yao’s spine.

****