chapter 11

Guan Heng stepped back as soon as he finished speaking.

With his taut body suddenly relaxing, Ning Qiuyan finally remembered his bodily instincts and began to breathe rapidly.

He lay on the couch, his mind reeling from the intense impact of seeing Guan Heng again. It felt as if everything he had been waiting for during this past month had led up to this very moment.

Just now, they had been so close. He could feel Guan Heng’s gentle, shallow breaths and had watched his lips move as he spoke.

The other’s pale skin and handsome features bore no resemblance to any of the photos Ning Qiuyan had seen online, nor to the exaggerated portrayals in movies and TV.

Beneath Guan Heng’s perfectly shaped lips, there were no intimidating fangs.

“A child easily frightened.”

That sentence made Ning Qiuyan slightly irritated, unsure if Guan Heng was teasing him.

Just like that night by the lakeside, Guan Heng always appeared so silently, it was almost impossible not to be startled.

Blushing, Ning Qiuyan sat up. Before he could salvage his courage, Guan Heng tossed the blanket-previously laid on the couch-over his head.

Ning Qiuyan: “…”

The fact was, he was not only easily frightened, but also sensitive to the cold.

“Put it on.” Guan Heng briefly explained the reason for the blanket, then added, “Tell me what’s happened in Wutong that scared you out of coming to Du Island.”

In his email, Ning Qiuyan hadn’t given many details; he had only mentioned that there had been a murder in Wutong, that it wasn’t a good time for long trips, and that he wanted to postpone his visit to Du Island.

There had been no public news about this, and it likely hadn’t reached Du Island yet.

Now that Guan Heng asked, Ning Qiuyan forgot about the teasing and unwittingly spilled everything.

“There have been several murders in Wutong recently.”

“All the victims, like me, had recently donated blood.” He spoke slowly and carefully. “And all their wounds were on their necks… as if they’d been bitten to death.”

At this, Ning Qiuyan glanced up at Guan Heng.

Guan Heng was watching him, too.

Ning Qiuyan saw no emotional ripple in Guan Heng’s eyes about the matter.

Guan Heng was as calm as if he were listening to a weather report.

And he was waiting for him to go on.

Ning Qiuyan quickly continued, “The methods were extremely brutal. The police have extracted the perpetrator’s DNA from the wounds, but so far there hasn’t-”

Guan Heng cut him off, “With current technology, they’ll find clues and solve the case at the latest by next month.”

Ning Qiuyan was surprised.

Guan Heng added flatly, “Whether they can actually catch the person is another matter.”

Ning Qiuyan lowered his head and muttered an addendum, “So… it’s a bit dangerous.”

The Du Island pier was far from the city, and in this season, it was deserted.

So Su Jianzhou’s and his own worries were understandable.

But then he heard Guan Heng say, “As dangerous as it is, it still doesn’t stop you from going to work at N° every night.”

Ning Qiuyan was left speechless: “…”

Guan Heng was referring to the contact who had advised him via email to stop working at N°.

-So, the people who had appeared in the underground plaza were indeed related to Guan Heng.

Why had Guan Heng stationed people around him?

In a flash of realization, Ning Qiuyan understood that Guan Heng must have known exactly where he was all along, yet still called to ask where he was and whether he was willing to come to Du Island.

The room was very quiet.

Guan Heng said, “We need to talk.”

Ning Qiuyan gripped the blanket tightly.

About what?

His heartbeat sped up slightly, and he remembered the last time they had talked alone in this room.

Guan Heng walked to the cabinet and opened a drawer.

The moment Guan Heng turned his back, Ning Qiuyan couldn’t help but look at his silhouette.

He noticed that Guan Heng was wearing a silver-gray robe this time, different from the previous nightgown. The sleeves were wide, and the style looked much more comfortable.

Guan Heng was tall with broad shoulders, which didn’t look like the build of an invalid. As he moved, his black hair slid down smoothly, looking incredibly soft, his entire demeanor exuding a languidness one couldn’t imitate.

To Ning Qiuyan’s surprise, Guan Heng seemed completely unfazed by the winter chill-he was actually barefoot.

The carpet was dark, and Guan Heng’s feet were as pale as snow.

They looked as if they had no warmth.

Ning Qiuyan became a little distracted, wondering if this was why Guan Heng’s presence was always so silent.

The heat-insulating glass around the fireplace slowly descended and retracted into the floor.

A wave of warmth instantly surged through the room.

“What you said here last time,” Guan Heng tossed aside the remote he’d just found, “I need you to repeat it.”

Ning Qiuyan suddenly remembered what Guan Heng had asked him to say.

Back in Wutong, every time he recalled that moment, he felt deeply embarrassed.

Guan Heng’s request was strange, and their conversation seemed ambiguous.

Those words were like lines from a movie, ones that didn’t really fit into everyday life. But now, in this room again, facing the same person, they somehow felt completely natural.

They seemed inviolable, sacred like a vow.

This time, he seemed to have, in some way, already broken that vow.

The firelight illuminated Ning Qiuyan’s face; he was already warm, but his palms felt icy cold.

Ashamed at breaking his promise, he quietly repeated: “No betrayal, no running, and no fear.”
Guan Heng strode over.

Ning Qiuyan kept his head down, able to see only Guan Heng’s toes pressing into the carpet.

He heard Guan Heng’s cold reminder: “The previous sentence.”

Ning Qiuyan bit his lip, easily recalling what the previous sentence was.

Guan Heng raised his hand, gently lifting Ning Qiuyan’s chin, as if he knew he couldn’t say it aloud.

Ning Qiuyan’s face was burning hot, while Guan Heng’s fingers were as cool as he’d imagined.

“It’s my fault for not making clear what this sentence means.” Guan Heng continued to look down at him, “So I’ll say it again now.”

“From the moment you arrived on Du Island until the moment you leave it for good, you are to give yourself to me completely. This means your body, your actions, your thoughts-without reservation, all of them belong to me.”

“I will take care of all your needs, including your absolute personal safety.”

His words were gentle.

Guan Heng was neither aggressive nor carried any uncomfortable emotional undertones.

He was simply supplementing the previous, overly brief conversation.

“No matter what happens around you, no matter what you’re worried about, none of it matters.”

Guan Heng spoke slowly, more clearly, looking down at him: “Whether you’re happy or sad, leave it all to me. During this time, just live as freely as you wish-I will make every decision that won’t harm you.”

These words struck something deep inside Ning Qiuyan.

No one had ever said anything like this to him before; it sounded too unbelievable, and dangerously intoxicating.

They looked at each other.

Guan Heng asked, “Do you understand?”

Guan Heng’s pupils were deep black, without the faint hint of red Ning Qiuyan had glimpsed last time, but they felt just as dangerous.

Under that gaze, Ning Qiuyan’s eyelashes trembled.

Guan Heng ordered, “Say it again now.”

Ning Qiuyan’s heart pounded like a drum, but he finally spoke: “I give myself to you.”

“Remember that.” Guan Heng’s fingers left his chin. “You don’t want to know what the punishment is.”

Ning Qiuyan was as obedient as the little animal Dr. Ling had once described.

Curled up in the warmth of the fire, he shrank into a small ball, watching Guan Heng gently nod: “Mm.”

*

Afterward, every time Ning Qiuyan recalled that conversation in Guan Heng’s room, he had reason to believe that Guan Heng had actually been angry that day.

Though Guan Heng’s manner was gentle, cultured, even unreasonably rational.

In Ning Qiuyan’s life, which had been short on experience and even shorter on pleasure, his days on Du Island were almost the peak of his existence.

Back in his room, he lay on the soft bed, replaying every word Guan Heng had said in the daylight reflected from the snowy window.

He knew this kind of relationship was strange.

Who could possibly let another person decide everything about their body, actions, even thoughts?

What would be the point of living like that?

Yet he did not resist.

Before meeting Guan Heng, Ning Qiuyan hadn’t realized he had such a strange factor in his nature.

If he told anyone about this, would they think he was a freak?

But the other person was Guan Heng.

This secret, unspoken sense of restraint and being restrained made Ning Qiuyan quietly look forward to the coming months.

Dr. Ling arrived as promised, coming to the room to draw blood and prepare him for donation, just as last time.

“Have you been following the diet I gave you this month?” Dr. Ling asked as the fine needle pierced his skin. “You don’t look too bad.”

Ning Qiuyan was lost in thought, his gaze resting on the blue lake outside.

The little boat he’d seen on the lake last time was gone.

Du Island was colder than last month.

The lake was now completely frozen, the ice so thick no one could break it by walking on it.

Snapped out of his reverie by the question, he replied, “Thank you for the diet-it helped a lot.”

Dr. Ling smiled. “Of course.”

He continued, “I thought you really wouldn’t come this time, I was worried for a while. It’s no use me coming to Wutong to find you-you have to come here yourself. We discussed this last time.”

Ning Qiuyan nodded.

The pre-donation check could be done in Wutong, and travel to Du Island wasn’t really a problem.

Dr. Ling saw he still didn’t understand, paused, and said, “Maybe you’ll understand in the future.”

After the blood draw, Ning Qiuyan asked, “Dr. Ling, the worker who was injured last time-is he doing better?”

Surprised by his concern, Dr. Ling smiled. “Much better. He’ll recover.”

After Dr. Ling left, Ning Qiuyan stood in the house for a while, then turned and saw a cardboard box on the carpet.

It was from Guan Heng; he still didn’t know what was inside.

Ning Qiuyan used a small knife from the drawer to open the box.

Halfway through, he sat on the carpet, staring blankly at his intact right palm for a moment.

Then he continued unpacking.

The box was heavy. Inside was a puzzle featuring wild animals, the picture was beautiful.

Ning Qiuyan turned the box over to read the instructions.

The puzzle had 33,600 pieces.

He thought, maybe he’d finish it in his next life.