QT: Against My Will (Volume 2)

4.19 - Do Not Touch Her Dogs - Dangerous Angels

"..." The second time Ru Quan made an appearance at Hasan's mansion, he found himself suddenly bound and captive. Dragged before a group of Dobermans, Bing Shi threatened him to never touch her people and dogs, or she'd reduce Fei Lan's food portion.

After she let the dogs familiarize themselves with his scent, she held up his shirt as if it were a disgusting piece of rag. With a swift motion, she tossed the shirt to the dogs, who promptly shredded it to pieces within moments.

The initial interest she had in him disappeared it seemed. She didn't even give him time to explain himself before he was thrown over the wall like a sack of potatoes. Before parting, she made it clear that he should only return when he was prepared to retrieve Fei Lan.

'So the reason she was so careful with me the first time was to check out my background? Because damn, she wasted no time on me,' Ru Quan thought to himself.

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A week later, Ru Quan reappeared at Hasan's place again. He moved swiftly, swinging at the wall and deftly gripping the balcony's edge. With fluid motion, he hoisted himself up, slipping through the doors.

He shut the doors before Bing Shi's face, locking them as he declared, "Little monster, you're sleeping outside tonight." Surveying the dimly lit room, he spotted a pole at the center. An arm-length snake slithered towards the balcony doors. "Kuro, no."

Ignoring his words, the snake unlocked the doors with its mouth anyway.

Bing Shi stepped inside her room, "I don't feel like sleeping yet."

Ru Quan patted Kuro's head and gestured at the dancing pole, "Don't tell me you're planning to use that for your clients."

Bing Shi shifted her gaze between Kuro and Ru Quan, replying, "I don't feel like answering."

Ru Quan faced her, questioning, "What do you feel like doing then?"

"Who gave you permission to touch Kuro?" Bing Shi took Kuro from him and began to rub its head with her sleeve to clean it.

A guard rushed towards the barking dogs and noticed the light, asking, "Miss Tian Shi, are you alright?"

Ru Quan mouthed silently, 'You won't dare.'

Bing Shi released Kuro and walked out, peeking from the balcony, she responded, "They wouldn't bark for no reason, maybe a rat got into my room. Come up and check." Returning inside, she resumed rubbing Kuro's head, saying, "I dare. What are you going to do now, hm?"

"..." Ru Quan positioned himself in the center of the room. Lifting his knee, he rotated his hips and executed a sharp kick towards the pole, bending it into a tilted U shape, "I'm curious to hear how you'll explain this to them. I mean, that must have been one colossal rat to pull off such an architectural feat."

knock

knock

knock

"..." Bing Shi quickly ran towards the doors to open them up, only for Ru Quan to block her path.

With a knowing look, he casually let the words escape his lips, "Besides you, there's another host." He shed his shoes and took a carefree leap onto her bed, making himself comfortable amidst her sheets.

'Ugh, I'm so stupid. So he thought I sent Kuro to monitor him? And after making sure it's not me, he came back to make fun of me?'

"..." Bing Shi opened the door slightly, "I chased the rat out of the balcony."

Ru Quan experienced an unexpected tugging at his leg, his voice rising in protest, "Kuro, cut it out... I swear, I'll shout."

Bing Shi locked the door with purpose and went about changing the bedsheets, her sleeves rolled up in preparation for the task ahead. With an air of curiosity, she threw out a hypothetical, "But what if it was actually me?"

A muffled chuckle emanated from the vicinity of her pillow, Ru Quan's eyes hidden from view as he buried his face in her bedding, "Would you waste your time on me?" His heart drummed against his chest. "After what I did?" he asked, referring to the time when he said that he loved someone else.

A sigh escaped Bing Shi's lips as she surrendered to the comfort of the sofa, "I wouldn't," she said.

'Was he trying to protect me?'

Ru Quan used to love Bai Meli before, but not anymore. What remained from his first lifetime with Bai Meili was this constant pressure, an unpleasant feeling, as if he owed Bai Meili something. It made him unable to move on from the past. He gave himself an obligation to repay Bai Meili for the things he caused her in his first lifetime.

"Why are you calling me a monster?"

After the truth was revealed, Ru Quan dug out every information he could find on little monster, "After killing half of my harem, you ran out of the palace for another killing spree."

"Was I one of your concubines?"

"You were my concubine's slave. To get rid of another concubine, you went as far as making out with me before her eyes. And no, you didn't throw up on me." That's why Ru Quan thought that she was little monster—connecting his timelines, it seemed like her repulsive reaction was a result of the trauma from her past life.

"How much do you remember?" Bing Shi's gaze remained steady as she addressed the approaching figure. She pointed towards the door, her tone straightforward, "Fei Lan is in that direction."

Seating himself beside her, Ru Quan's lips curved up into a beautiful arc, "Jelly?"

"I wish," Bing Shi responded, her hand absently rubbing her chest, "After what happened, I've been feeling quite empty."

Ru Quan blinked, taken aback, "Are you serious?"

"I've been taking painkillers. Maybe they're killing my feelings too?" Bing Shi chuckled, "They're very addicting, I tell you..."

Ru Quan's irritation flared, and he shook her shoulders in disbelief, "You're crazy! Stop taking them!"

Bing Shi responded dramatically, covering her mouth, "It's escaping! It's coming out!"

Exasperated, Ru Quan grabbed a bedsheet, throwing it over her head. He wrapped her into a cocoon, "Satisfied?!"

"No," a muffled voice emerged from under the covers, "I can't breathe. I'm stuck. It's too warm. My throat is parched. I might faint..."

"You win," Ru Quan slumped on the sofa in defeat.

"Yay♪♫," Bing Shi's head popped out from the sheets, her tone playful, "What kind of hobby is that? Provoking others until they cough up blood?"

Ru Quan's gaze softened as he looked at her head peeking out from the cocoon. "What kind of hobby is that? Playing along until they cough up blood?" He reached out, gently tucking a few strands of her hair back into place.