Chapter 45: Jiang Qi Lowered His Head, His Teeth Grazing The Soft Curve Of Qiqi’s Lower Lip…

**If I wanted to possess you without restraint… wouldn’t that be too despicable?

“Jiang Qi, don’t you want me to be your girlfriend?”

Qiqi asked Jiang Qi this with a smile, but after her words, the room fell into silence.

She watched as the fleeting delight in the boy’s eyes stiffened into something unreadable, and her own smile faded bit by bit.

“Jiang Qi?” Unable to bear his silence, Qiqi tugged at his hand. “Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“…Qiqi.” After a long pause, Jiang Qi finally spoke, his light-colored eyes clouded with unmistakable conflict. “If I said I didn’t want to, that would be a lie.”

Qiqi’s eyes brightened like stars scattered across a night sky. “So you do want to?”

“I do. But I don’t dare.” His fingers twitched slightly against his knees—restraining the urge to touch her. His voice was calm, yet raw with honesty. “Qiqi, aside from my illness, I have nothing.”

He wasn’t even like a normal person.

No education, a tainted past, no job, no money—just scars and a temper that could flare without warning.

How could someone like him deserve Qiqi?

Jiang Qi wasn’t the type to wallow in self-pity, but sometimes he couldn’t help thinking… if only he were ordinary, maybe then he’d have the courage to pursue her. But as things stood, he was unworthy.

She was too brilliant, too far beyond his reach.

To recklessly claim her, knowing full well how flawed he was—wouldn’t that be despicable?

Back in that shabby house in Chenkong Alley, when he’d laid bare his truths, he’d told her she could walk away. Even as those words had torn through him like a blade.

But…

“Jiang Qi, I’m not breaking my promise.” As if reading his thoughts, Qiqi smiled, her delicate face tilting up to his, dark eyes blinking. “Why overcomplicate things? Just think about us.”

Just whether he wanted to be with her—nothing else.

“Qiqi.” He drew a shaky breath. “I can’t ignore the rest.”

For himself, he wouldn’t care about the world’s judgment. But when it came to Qiqi, he couldn’t stop.

He couldn’t stop thinking he’d embarrass her, that she’d be mocked for having a boyfriend like him—no car, no home, just an orphan with scars.

And then there was her family.

Zhi Yu had made it clear: he opposed them, down to mere contact, let alone a relationship. He’d said the whole family opposed it.

If they were together, she’d face their reproach.

Jiang Qi couldn’t bear that.

So he shook his head, forcing out the lie: “No. You’ll find someone far better.”

“But I’ve told you—there’s only one Jiang Qi in this world.” His turmoil was transparent to her. With a soft laugh, she added, “Besides, everyone already thinks we’re together. You’re not backing out now, are you?”

She’d glanced at her phone earlier—countless missed calls from Zhi Yu and Mei Ran.

So the shameless girl had turned it off.

Today, she was determined to settle things with Jiang Qi. No interruptions.

“Jiang Qi, spare me the noble excuses. You don’t want to drag me down, but you can’t let me go either. So just tell me the truth—” Leaning in, she pressed a small hand to his shoulder, pushing him back against the couch.

Then she straddled his lap, their breaths mingling.

Jiang Qi froze, staring into her clear, close eyes.

Qiqi had always been beautiful—every inch of her delicate and radiant, from her ivory skin to her rosy lips. Now, those lips were just inches away.

His throat moved as his hands clenched at her sides.

His light eyes, never good at hiding, betrayed everything—restraint, longing, helpless desire. She smiled.

“Jiang Qi, be honest.” She bent closer, her voice a siren’s whisper. “Do you want to kiss me?”

——

The easiest question in the world.

Yet Jiang Qi gritted his teeth and refused to answer.

He turned his face away. “Qiqi, stop joking. Get down.” His voice was hoarse, her squirming in his lap driving him mad.

“I’m serious.” She pouted, cupping his face to force his gaze back. “I’ve wanted to kiss you for ages.”

If craving someone’s touch was undeniable proof of love, then she was incurable.

Qiqi had always hated physical contact—even holding hands. But with Jiang Qi? She only wanted to be closer.

She saw right through him. With a smile, she gave him one last chance, murmuring:

“Kiss me.”

——

The thread between reason and desire was thin. And when a certain troublemaker kept tugging at it… it was bound to snap.

Besides, Jiang Qi had never been a saint.

His restraint, his gentlemanly act—all of it was a desperate performance.

If morality didn’t exist, he’d have locked her away long ago, made her his alone.

He was obsessive by nature. He’d only ever tried to be human for her—yet here she was, refusing to let him.

Under her gaze, his eyes darkened.

Suddenly, his hands seized her waist, flipping her onto the couch. He loomed over her, caging her in, his arms bracketing her head.

Trapped beneath him, Qiqi felt like prey willingly stepping into a snare.

“I gave you a choice,” he said lowly, the old madness creeping back into his voice. “You refused. So this—this is on you.”

Then he bent down, teeth catching her lower lip in a slow, possessive bite.

Years of longing finally fulfilled, he clutched her wrists like she might vanish, murmuring feverishly:

“Now you don’t get to run.”

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