That was also the first time Meng Ruozhao detected his extraordinary feelings for her.
The blank look on her face didn't fade. Instead, she took a step back.
This only fanned the flames of his anger, as he was already suffering from a splitting headache due to his skin hunger disorder that had gone unrelieved for a long time.
Like an enraged wild beast, he suddenly grabbed the nearest vase and smashed it hard onto the ground!
The ear - piercing sound of shattering suddenly exploded, and porcelain shards flew everywhere.
But this crashing sound didn't douse his anger. Instead, it was like fuel to the fire.
"Why him? Why did you leave me?!"
Under the control of the illness, he roared and swung his arm at another vase.
This time, he smashed it against the nearby wall. Another heart - stopping cracking sound echoed, and the fragments scattered like hail, some even bouncing to her feet.
She was startled and took another step back. The confusion on her face was finally replaced by fear. She opened her mouth but couldn't make a sound.
Completely dominated by his out - of - control emotions, his eyes bloodshot, he turned his target to a taller multi - tiered wooden shelf beside the wall.
There were several vases and ornaments of different sizes placed haphazardly on it.
He didn't care what they were at all. He just wanted to vent the pain and jealousy that were tearing him apart through destruction.
He rushed over, suddenly lifted his foot, and kicked the shelf hard!
The heavy wooden shelf let out a pained groan and began to shake violently.
The few vases on top lost their balance and rolled down first, shattering into pieces.
Then, the whole shelf started to tilt. With the remaining items on it, like an out - of - control mountain, it crashed down towards the direction where he and she were standing!
When the shadow of the falling shelf suddenly enveloped them, time seemed to slow down.
At this critical moment, the raging tide of anger in his eyes was torn apart by a more primitive and fierce impulse - to protect her!
It was almost an instinctive reaction engraved in his bones, surpassing all his anger and unwillingness at the moment.
He suddenly lunged forward. Instead of dodging, he spread his arms and used his whole body as a shield in front of her!
"Watch out!"
A hoarse shout squeezed out of his throat.
"Clatter!"
The heavy wooden shelf, along with the remaining sundries on it, crashed hard onto his arched back and shoulders. A sharp pain shot through him.
But he gritted his teeth and withstood most of the impact.
Amidst the violent shaking and impact, the two were knocked to the ground by the shelf.
He only felt a sudden chill on his right wrist, followed by a sharp stabbing pain.
The still - shaken girl was firmly protected under him. Only a few strands of her hair were brushed by the edge of the shelf.
She stared with wide eyes. Her pupils reflected his face, which was contorted in pain and just inches away from her, as well as the glaring scarlet spreading rapidly on his wrist.
A sharp piece of vase had deeply pierced under his wrist.
Blood was flowing down his fingers and dripping onto the broken porcelain pieces, blooming into strange and eye - catching little flowers.
The pain made him grunt, and the strength of his arm around her loosened a bit.
The world seemed to regain its noise at this moment.
The lingering sound of the falling shelf, the soft sound of the fragments sliding, and the heavy and rapid breathing of the two intertwined.
He looked down at his bleeding wrist, then slowly raised his eyes to look at the still - frightened and pale - faced girl in his arms.
The tide of anger seemed to be temporarily frozen and receded by this sudden sharp pain and the blood.
The previous violence that wanted to destroy everything and the current instinct to protect her at all costs were tearing at him inside, leaving behind deeper confusion and exhaustion.
She should have been afraid and looked at him like a crazy person.
Maybe if she had, he wouldn't have gone even crazier later.
But she was only sixteen at that time. Scared out of her wits, she cried and tightly grabbed his hand, saying that she was wrong and would never leave him again.
She thought it was because of his illness that he behaved like this and didn't realize his possessiveness towards her at all.
The teardrops on the wound hurt a bit, but he cared more about the heartache and regret on her face.
The servants who rushed over lifted the bookshelf and rescued the two.
Everyone didn't dare to make a sound. After all, something had happened to the most precious young master of the Pei family, and no one present could escape punishment.
He didn't care at all. He immediately tightened his arms and pressed her deeply into his embrace.
He rested his chin on the top of her head and took a deep breath. His Adam's apple rolled as he swallowed all his unexpressed emotions.
The butler gasped beside him, "Young master, you're injured. If Madam and Sir find out..."
Before the butler could finish his sentence, Pei Jiangmu noticed the girl in his arms flinch.
He raised his hand and wiped the tear tracks on her face with his fingertips. His voice was still hoarse after the outburst of anger: "Don't be afraid... I'll handle it."
In front of her, he told everyone to keep this a secret and asked the butler to get the first - aid kit.
But when he personally pulled out the porcelain piece stuck in his wrist, he still covered her eyes with his uninjured hand.
As soon as the porcelain piece was removed, more blood gushed from the wound, dripping onto the white wool carpet she liked and blooming into dark red flowers.
She pushed his hand away and shakily helped him disinfect the wound.
According to his request, when she tied her own embroidered handkerchief on the gauze, her trembling fingers took a long time to fasten it.
To hide it from the family, he insisted not to go to the hospital or call a doctor, and finally left a centipede - like scar.
Seven years had passed, and now it was very faint.
But he always remembered the way she bit her lip and shed tears, as well as the warmth of her gentle breath on the inside of his wrist.
This scar, which should have symbolized violence, had since become a gentle mark exclusive to her.
Pei Jiangmu stroked the scar, and tenderness appeared in his eyes.
This time, he would definitely not let her be afraid again, nor would he let her cry anymore.
He would be extremely careful and use the way she wanted to make her come back to him.
Because she had said that she would never leave him again.
At the same time, inside the [Floating Cloud Pavilion], Meng Ruozhao stared at the ID photo, unconsciously rubbing the edge of the photo with her fingertips.
The smile of the young man in the photo was like a blunt knife, slowly cutting through the carefully constructed defenses in her heart.
What made her most uneasy was that when her gaze touched the light mole at the corner of his eye, a familiar burning sensation welled up in her chest - as if her body recognized something before her mind did.
She pressed her throbbing temple.
This attraction carried a dangerous omen, like standing on the edge of a cliff and leaning over to look at a poisonous flower.
Fortunately, the ringing of the phone woke her from this dangerous stare.
When Yan Qiubai's gentle voice came through, she realized that she had been clutching the student ID tightly, and her fingernails had left half - moon - shaped indentations on the plastic cover.
Yan Qiubai was back from a business trip and invited her to dinner tomorrow.
The two had basically not been in touch since that day at the golf course.
If she refused, she would surely anger the other party.
Of course, since her fiancé had asked to meet for dinner, she had no reason to refuse.
"See you tomorrow."
She heard herself answer mechanically, but somehow she stuffed the ID into the bottom of the drawer.
She didn't just put it away casually, nor did she dare to keep it within easy reach.