Master Xiao Makes His Little Darling Weep (21)

Yan Jiu was staying at her place again. This time, however, he did not retreat to the guest room, instead squeezing into the same bed as her.

In the bedroom, the man sat propped against the headboard, holding Hua Mi in his arms. He embraced her from behind, his chin resting on her shoulder as he watched her scroll through her phone.

Having skipped classes and work for two months, she had already been fired from the bar, and her academic advisor had been trying to reach her; Hua Mi was busy sending out messages to assure everyone she was safe.

After confirming with her advisor that she would be at school the next day, she began typing to the bar manager, only to have her hand enveloped by the man's palm.

"Don't go back to the bar," Yan Jiu said, swiping away the manager’s chat interface before turning his head to kiss the corner of her lips.

"Why?" Hua Mi blinked, puzzled.

"It's chaotic lately. It's not safe."

Even though he had only just returned himself, he seemed to have a complete grasp of the situation outside.

Hua Mi turned around and threw herself into his arms, rubbing her head against his chest and crying pitifully, "But if I don't work, I won't have money to buy pretty clothes, wuwuwu!"

Yan Jiu chuckled. "Tell me what you want, and I'll buy it for you. Consider it rent." He leaned back on the bed, his palm cupping the back of her head as he pulled her in to kiss her.

Just as Yan Jiu had predicted, his "death" had shattered the balance of the underworld. Chaos spread like a surging tide, eventually spilling over from the shadows into the world above.

Conflicts between gangs moved from the dark into the open. Old-guard factions, led by Elder Zhao, sought to seize power, leading to constant strife. Yan Jiu’s territory, in particular, became a primary target.

When Hua Mi went out the next day, she clearly felt the difference. Previously, one rarely saw thugs on the street during the day, but now they gathered in packs.

Just in the short distance it took to walk to school, she had already been eyed by several groups of ill-intentioned men.

Hua Mi patted her chest, her heart still racing.

It was fortunate she had listened to Yan Jiu and quit her job at the bar; with her physique, something surely would have happened.

Even so, she was followed on her way home.

When the young girl realized it, she took off running. Seeing they had been discovered, the men gave up the pretense and three or four of them chased after her.

The sky had not yet fully darkened, yet these people were acting with such blatant audacity.

"Wuwuwu!" Hua Mi cried as she ran, while the men behind her gasped for air.

Even though she didn't seem to be running fast, they simply couldn't catch her! Why was this girl so good at running?

"Little sister, don't run!" the chasers wheezed, nearly collapsing halfway, but the only reply they received was a wail.

"Wuwuwuwu!"

Hua Mi reached her door and pounded on it frantically: "Wuwuwu, it's so scary, help me!"

"Ha... ha..."

"Little sister, it's no use running, no one will save you!" The men caught up, leaning against the walls of the stairwell to catch their breath. They spouted filthy remarks, but in reality, the chase had exhausted them, and seeing her stop, they took the opportunity to rest.

Most residents in this building were solitary college students. The thugs thought it was a sure thing, but they hadn't expected the door to actually open.

Standing in the doorway, a tall, 1.9-meter frame blocked the entire entrance. A crushing sense of oppression descended, and his fierce, intimidating appearance made the three or four thugs look like mere specks of dust.

Yan Jiu held an unlit cigarette between his lips, looking down at them as if they were already dead.

Seeing the situation turn, the thugs turned to run, but suddenly, several men in black appeared silently behind them, blocking their retreat.

Screams rang out, and the thugs were dragged away.

As soon as the door opened, Hua Mi threw herself into the man's arms.

"Wuwuwu, Lord Jiu, I was so scared!"

Yan Jiu held her, closed the door behind him, and pressed her against it, leaning down to peck at her lips. "It's alright, don't be afraid. I'll send two men to follow you tomorrow." He couldn't show his face right now, or he would have personally escorted her.

"Wuwuwu, they were so scary, they chased me the whole way!" Hua Mi complained to him, aggrieved.

"Hm, I'll deal with them for you."

"Wuwuwu." Hua Mi couldn't stop crying.

Yan Jiu wiped the tears from her face, his brows slightly furrowed. Although he liked watching her cry, he didn't like her crying because of other people.

"Alright, stop crying. You were brave enough when you kicked me, weren't you? Am I not scarier than those pieces of trash? Hmm?"

"Wuwu, Lord Jiu is not scary at all." Hua Mi wiped her tears and retorted.

Yan Jiu smiled, his eyes burning as he looked at her, and he couldn't help but seal her lips to deepen the kiss.

To his surprise, he was pushed away.

"Wuwu, don't kiss me. You smell like smoke, it's disgusting."

This was the first time Yan Jiu had ever been pushed away by her with such distaste. When he was washed away by the sea, the cigarettes he had were lost, and the village didn't have the kind he liked, so he hadn't smoked during that time. Today was indeed the first time he had kissed her after finishing a cigarette.

He looked at the cigarette butt nearing its end between his fingers and released her, feeling quite a headache coming on. He still remembered that the first time they met, the girl had thrown his cigarette out the car window.

Yan Jiu extinguished the cigarette and walked into the bathroom.

Hua Mi stood obediently by the door, wiping her tears as she waited for him to come out.

The sound of water played, and before long, Yan Jiu emerged. He embraced her again and leaned down to seek her lips.

Hua Mi clutched the clothes on his chest and sniffed him.

His clothes still held the scent of tobacco, but the kiss that followed lacked any trace of it.

Their lips intertwined, their breath mingled, and the intimacy grew warmer in the small space.

The tears of fear had long since changed in meaning, now shimmering with a soft, amorous glow.

Yan Jiu nibbled at her lips. "Still afraid?"

"No longer afraid." Hua Mi hooked her arms around his neck, her cheeks flushed, looking charming and pitiful.

The next day, as Hua Mi left the house, the system alerted her that someone was following her. Yan Jiu had truly sent two men to protect her in secret. She realized that Yan Jiu seemed to have become quite invested in her.

Some time later, just as the various factions of the underworld were about to reach a conclusion, the man who should have been dead appeared before them like a demon crawled out of hell, leaving them with an unforgettable, bone-chilling terror.

In a dim stronghold, the lights flickered. Yan Jiu sat on a massive, black carved chair, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the armrest—each beat like a countdown to death.

Upon his return, his methods were even more ruthless and cold-blooded than before. Those who had acted arrogantly after he fell into the sea were eliminated without exception—including, of course, those who had caused his fall.

Elder Zhao had always been an obstacle to Yan Jiu's rise in the underworld. The man was insidious and cunning; every time he failed to root him out completely, he proved to be incredibly troublesome.

When he discovered Hua Mi had contact with Elder Zhao, he had been forced to suspect her. Even if everything she did on the surface seemed to be on his side, there was no guarantee it wasn't a trap designed to win his trust. He had to be cautious.

It wasn't until Elder Zhao’s "sure-fire" ambush that all his suspicions about her were dispelled. If not for her appearance, he really would have fallen there this time.

It was a case of surviving a great disaster to find good fortune; Elder Zhao’s faction had been so certain he was dead that it allowed Yan Jiu to easily round them all up upon his return.

Yan Jiu’s conduct after this return was even more cruel and vicious than before, inspiring awe and terror. The underworld was reorganized, power returned to Yan Jiu’s hands, and those who opposed him dared not show their faces. From then on, the underworld was completely shrouded under Yan Jiu’s reign of terror.

[Ding! The male lead's corruption value has increased by 20%. Current corruption value: 100%. Please keep up the good work!]

Hua Mi was secretly scrolling through her phone during class when she heard the system notification and nearly dropped the phone.

[Host, ahhhhh!!!]

The system was crashing, and Hua Mi was dumbfounded.

The human and the system stared at each other, completely at a loss as to what had happened.

When Hua Mi returned home, she was prepared for the male lead to have vanished again with his maxed-out corruption value, but to her surprise, he was sitting lazily on the sofa, as if he weren't the one whose corruption had hit its limit.

Hua Mi stood at the door, dazed for a moment, before she ran over.

She leaned on him and observed him closely, wanting to see what was wrong, but saw the man lower his eyes slightly and stroke her face.

"What's wrong?"

He looked no different than usual; there was no discernible change. He even seemed gentle—gentle enough to be frightening.

Just as Elder Zhao had said, Yan Jiu was never a gentle person.

"That's my question, Lord Jiu. What's wrong? Are you unhappy?" She tilted her head slightly and rubbed affectionately against his palm, like a well-behaved, cute kitten.

Yan Jiu felt his heart itch. He pulled her onto his lap and held her, looking down at her.

He knew she had other motives for him, but so what? She had already captured his attention, and the dominance would remain in his hands.

Let him see what she was really trying to do.

Perhaps her goal really was to bear his children?

A flicker of subtle pleasure crossed Yan Jiu's eyes, and he pressed his hand to the back of her neck to kiss her.

[Ding! The male lead's corruption value has decreased by 20%. Current corruption value: 80%. Please keep up the good work!]

Hua Mi: "???"

What was going on?