A Cut Drawn in Blood

The distance was too close.

So close it was easy to sink into it and lose one’s composure.

As if guided by a ghost, Wen Yuzhi lowered her head.

Her mind was filled with images from her dream.

She told herself it would just be a light, dragonfly-like touch.

So she covered Qin Huairen’s soft lips with her palm, steadying the back of her hand.

Even through her palm, that fleeting touch became one after another.

She simply couldn’t bear to pull away.

The desire in her heart expanded without restraint.

Reason was shattered piece by piece.

Wen Yuzhi could feel her heartbeat accelerating, heat spreading through her entire body.

A voice clamored inside her.

A possessive urge so intense it wanted to devour someone whole.

It even frightened herself.

Wen Yuzhi fled almost in panic.

She shut the bedroom door, leaned against the wall, and pressed a hand to her chest.

Her heart was beating too fast—so fast it made her uncomfortable.

Suddenly, she heard faint footsteps approaching from afar.

Then came a sharp question: “Wen Yuzhi, you’d better explain this—why did you come out of there?”

“Explain?”

Wen Yuzhi glanced over, her usual aloofness returning.

She said coldly, “Who do you think you are?”

Xu Jianing was carrying an exquisitely wrapped gift bag.

She strode over angrily, reeking of alcohol even more strongly than Wen Yuzhi, and ground her teeth.

“Say that again?”

Wen Yuzhi’s indifferent expression only fueled Xu Jianing’s anger further.

“She disappeared for years just to avoid you, no news at all.

Now she’s finally back, and you come provoking her again.

You—”

“She told you that?”

Wen Yuzhi’s face went cold, a flash of dark emotion passing through her eyes.

“What?”

Xu Jianing didn’t react in time.

“She disappeared because of me?”

“Then what else could it be?”

Xu Jianing pointed toward the elevator, enunciating each word.

“No matter why you’re here, I hope you don’t come again.

Don’t go near her anymore.”

Wen Yuzhi let out a cold laugh and stepped forward.

Her gaze sharpened as she lowered her head, staring straight into Xu Jianing’s eyes.

An inexplicable pressure rushed over her.

Xu Jianing instinctively stepped back.

To her, Wen Yuzhi’s look was full of contempt, even her tone the same.

Wen Yuzhi asked, “Are you ordering me?”

Hearing the mockery, Xu Jianing’s anger flared.

Alcohol surged upward.

She clenched her fist.

“If you don’t leave now, don’t blame me for being rude.”

Wen Yuzhi’s gaze was like a nail, pinning her in place.

She stepped closer again.

They were nearly touching.

Xu Jianing clenched her back teeth.

Wen Yuzhi smiled coolly.

“You really are quite drunk.”

Xu Jianing felt provoked yet again.

Her clenched fist swung out.

Wen Yuzhi slightly turned her head to avoid it.

When Xu Jianing swung again, Wen Yuzhi raised her hand and slapped her.

A sharp smack rang out.

Xu Jianing was stunned on the spot.

Wen Yuzhi asked calmly, “Sober now?”

The gift bag in Xu Jianing’s hand had fallen open from the violent movement.

Wen Yuzhi glanced inside and caught sight of heart-shaped fried eggs, steak, and a collapsed little cake.

She stepped closer to take a look, her tone faintly amused.

“Planning to spend Valentine’s Day with Ah-Ren?”

Her fingers completely opened the bag.

A small bouquet of roses was revealed.

The exquisitely packaged cutlery gleamed silver.

At the very edge was a small box of sliced fruit—papaya arranged into the shape of a heart.

“Heh.”

Wen Yuzhi let out a soft laugh.

Xu Jianing heard the mockery clearly, her slapped cheek burning even more painfully.

What Wen Yuzhi said next cut even deeper into Xu Jianing’s pride.

She said, “You’re not worthy of spending Valentine’s Day with her.”

An overwhelming sense of humiliation struck.

Xu Jianing’s eyes reddened.

She attacked again, but used too much force and lost her balance, stumbling and falling to the ground.

Wen Yuzhi looked down at her from above.

She walked to the scattered gift bag, nudged the papaya on the carpet with the tip of her high heel, and said expressionlessly,

“And one more thing—she doesn’t like papaya.

Don’t buy it again.”

Xu Jianing was completely enraged.

Alcohol burned away her last shred of reason.

She grabbed the knife used to cut steak and lunged at Wen Yuzhi.

At that very moment, the door was thrown open.

Qin Huairen screamed in shock, her face draining of color.

Xu Jianing’s reason snapped back somewhat.

Her hand trembled as she tried to pull back.

But Wen Yuzhi suddenly grabbed the blade.

For several seconds, everything went blank.

Time seemed to freeze.

Then blood began to drip, drop by drop, from Wen Yuzhi’s tightly clenched palm.

“Give it to me!”

Qin Huairen rushed forward, her heart pounding.

Wen Yuzhi held the knife out to her, handle first.

A faint smile appeared on her pale face.

“Here.”

“I said your hand!”

Qin Huairen looked at her like she was looking at an idiot.

She pried at her fingers and shouted, “Let go, now!”

The knife clattered to the floor.

Qin Huairen hurriedly asked, “Are you crazy?

Huh?

How do you feel?

Say something!”

Wen Yuzhi leaned into her arms and said weakly, “I feel a bit dizzy.”

“Don’t get dizzy.”

Qin Huairen quickly held her, then turned and yelled at Xu Jianing,

“Call an ambulance.

Now.”

“No need.”

Wen Yuzhi nestled against her, resting her chin on Qin Huairen’s shoulder.

She murmured, “I hate hospitals.

Help me bandage it.”

As she spoke, she gently rubbed against her and whispered softly,

“Please.

I’m begging you.”

Qin Huairen could only half-hold, half-support her as she led her toward the room.

Then she remembered something and turned back, her face dark.

“Ningning, you come in too.”

Xu Jianing followed, stepping around the bloodstains on the carpet.

Wen Yuzhi lay against Qin Huairen’s shoulder, pressing close to her.

She spoke softly,

“Ah-Ren, I’m a little cold.”

The sound made Xu Jianing nauseous.

When their gazes met, Xu Jianing saw the familiar aloof arrogance in Wen Yuzhi’s eyes.

And beneath it, the hostility that she hadn’t bothered—or hadn’t wanted—to hide in time.

A chill ran down Xu Jianing’s spine.

What the hell—was this woman a lunatic?

Had she underestimated Wen Yuzhi all along?

Xu Jianing lost focus for a moment and nearly bumped into them.

Wen Yuzhi reminded her calmly,

“Clean up the trash in the hallway first.”

Xu Jianing gritted her teeth and said in a low voice,

“That’s not trash.”

“Are you throwing all of this away?”

A cleaning lady appeared from the utility room at some point.

She pointed at the scattered papaya, overturned steak, deformed fried eggs.

Xu Jianing frowned.

“Throw it away.”

Luckily, Qin Huairen had brought her medicine kit from home to the hotel in advance.

Before heading into the bedroom, she ordered them,

“Both of you.

Don’t move.”

Qin Huairen went to get the kit.

Wen Yuzhi looked toward the bedroom.

Xu Jianing stared at her profile.

Once upon a time, Xu Jianing too had been stunned by Wen Yuzhi’s beauty.

But later, that feeling had turned into increasing dislike.

She sneered,

“You’re ruthless.”

Wen Yuzhi glanced at her, her gaze sharp and cold.

Xu Jianing lowered her voice.

“Don’t think I don’t know.

Grabbing the knife and hurting yourself—you did it on purpose, didn’t you?

Didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

Wen Yuzhi answered succinctly, looking at her indifferently.

So straightforward?

Xu Jianing thought she’d misheard.

There was no panic or embarrassment on Wen Yuzhi’s face at being exposed.

She asked again to confirm,

“You admit you did it on purpose?”

Wen Yuzhi raised an eyebrow.

Impatience was written plainly in her eyes.

She leaned closer, staring into Xu Jianing’s eyes, and said slowly, word by word,

“So what if I did?”