The heavy breathing and pounding heart coincided, pulling the tension tight.
Facing that hideously ugly face, Qiao Zhiyi was much better than when she first met him.
His gaze made one forget his face.
Qiao Zhiyi's hand pressed against his chest, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."
She had been so lost in thought that she hadn't controlled her strength, it was entirely accidental.
"Intentional?" Shi Jingzhou took in the panic in her eyes, "Do you have a big issue with me? If you were holding a knife, would you want to stab me again?"
Qiao Zhiyi felt guilty and dared not look him in the eye.
"Even if I died, no one would dare to take Shi Jingzhou's woman." Shi Jingzhou let her go, his words leaving Qiao Zhiyi feeling suffocated.
She dared not confirm whether his words were true or false, but they made her very uncomfortable.
Shi Jingzhou sat up and faced her, "You are a bit stupid."
Qiao Zhiyi's eyes widened, why was he attacking her personally now?
Yes, if she weren't stupid, how could she have been deceived into marrying him?
"Haven't you heard the saying? 'If you can't fight it, enjoy it.' Be good, drop the scheming, peacefully be Mrs. Shi—it will only be good for you. Understand?"
Shi Jingzhou was half consoling, half threatening.
At first listen, it did indeed make sense.
He didn't love her, and she had no feelings for him, so people like them being forced together would eventually end in divorce.
Having realized this, she sat up, moved behind him and carefully changed his dressing, "The wound is healing well, you can have the stitches removed in a couple of days."
"You understood that quickly?"
She handled the gauze, moving from behind to in front of him, very careful not to touch his body.
Aside from being somewhat fierce and gloomy, he hadn't really done anything excessive to her.
Not considering him as a husband she had to spend her whole life with wasn't too scary.
"Thank you." Qiao Zhiyi bandaged him earnestly.
She should thank him.
If it weren't for him, her mother wouldn't be staying in such a good hospital room, nor would the best experts be available to treat her.
Reasonably, this thanks was owed.
With his back to her, she was very careful, yet her hands still touched his body. It was just a little touch, like a spark landing on the skin, a bit hot.
The robust man with a beautiful woman sitting by his side, alone in a room under such an atmosphere, Shi Jingzhou grew irritable.
Her breath also sprayed on his back, faintly brushing his body.
Unintentional allure was more lethal.
"You are flirting with me." His certainty stopped Qiao Zhiyi in her tracks.
When had she flirted with him?
"Your hands touch me now and then, and your breath falls on my body." Shi Jingzhou didn't turn around, listing her "crimes."
Qiao Zhiyi was even more confused.
For heaven's sake, she had absolutely no such intent or thought.
"I didn't."
Qiao Zhiyi hurriedly got off the bed and stayed far away from him.
She would not take the blame for this crime.
Shi Jingzhou slowly turned around, seeing her avoid him like the plague, he frowned, "Come here."
Like the Sky Piercer, Qiao Zhiyi stayed still.
She knew well that this man was like an unexploded bomb, ready to detonate at any moment. Even if she could only accept this relationship for now, it didn't mean she could completely relax and accept all his unreasonable demands.
"Don't make me say it a second time." Shi Jingzhou stared straight at her.
Qiao Zhiyi, cowed, slowly walked over. She hadn't even approached the bed when he pulled her down on it.
Qiao Zhiyi's chest heaved dramatically, her heart in turmoil, fearing he would make some unreasonable move.
"You're hurt." Qiao Zhiyi mustered up the courage to remind him.
Shi Jingzhou held her slender wrist, soft and smooth.
She was actually very clean, with no scent of chemical perfumes on her body, nor was she wearing any jewelry. Even the bracelet his mother gave her had been put away at some point.
The ring he gave her...
He grabbed her hand, "Where's the ring?"
Qiao Zhiyi's hand flinched, he was holding it so tightly that the force could break her wrist.
She hadn't worn it for two days.
She thought he wouldn't dwell on it, but he had discovered it nonetheless.
They weren't truly a loving couple, so what was the point of wearing that ring?
"I took it off just now when I was changing your dressing, afraid it might touch you," Qiao Zhiyi lied brazenly.
Shi Jingzhou was no toddler, he knew very well that she was talking nonsense.
"Is that so?" Shi Jingzhou caressed her ring finger, rubbing back and forth at the joint, his voice very soft, very ominous.
Qiao Zhiyi's scalp tingled, he couldn't possibly be thinking of breaking her fingers, could he?
"I, I'll go put it on," Qiao Zhiyi's voice trembled.
"No need," Shi Jingzhou's eyes held a hint of amusement.
That hint of a smile loomed over Qiao Zhiyi like a massive net, slowly tightening, ready to devour her.
Shi Jingzhou pulled her up, "Change your clothes."
Qiao Zhiyi felt uneasy, he had already put on his clothes and had thrown a set for her from the closet.
"Need my help?" Shi Jingzhou frowned when he saw she still hadn't moved.
Qiao Zhiyi quickly climbed out of bed and grabbed the clothes, hurrying to the bathroom.
She dragged her feet inside until Shi Jingzhou was about to kick the door before she finally came out.
Shi Jingzhou drove the car at a rocket-like speed, completely disregarding Qiao Zhiyi's feelings. After getting out of the car, Qiao Zhiyi clung to a tree and vomited.
Shi Jingzhou stood by, full of disdain, wishing he could throw her into a trash bin, thankful there were no passersby to witness and disgrace him further.
Qiao Zhiyi took a long time to recover, her face deathly pale.
No water, no tissues were offered.
"Keep up," Shi Jingzhou was utterly indifferent and ungentle, like a ghost urging her on in the dead of night.
Qiao Zhiyi felt weak, and just two steps up the stairs, she stumbled forward.
Just as she was about to fall face first, a hand grabbed her arm. As she slipped, he sat down hard on the stair steps, and Qiao Zhiyi ended up pressing down on him.
Qiao Zhiyi's eyes widened, she wanted to use her hands to support herself, to not be too close to him, yet having just vomited so violently, her limbs were weak, and she ended up face-to-face, mouth-to-mouth with him.
Their eyes met: "..."
Shi Jingzhou's pupils constricted, Qiao Zhiyi dared not breathe, frozen in that position.
Their breaths intermingled, hearts overlapped, each seeing only the other in their eyes.
Shi Jingzhou supported Qiao Zhiyi's shoulders with his hands, her hands pressing against his sides, the posture could not be more intimate.
Their lips still touching, neither moved.
"Yo, aren't we wild," a teasing male voice broke the awkward silence.
Qiao Zhiyi's heart clenched suddenly, she hastily used all her strength to push herself up off Shi Jingzhou's shoulders, her eyes darting down in panicked confusion.
Shi Jingzhou's back hit the step where she pressed him, causing him a bit of pain, his lip corner twitched.
The man pulled Shi Jingzhou up and looked towards the utterly flushed and disoriented Qiao Zhiyi, "Is this the little sister-in-law?"
Shi Jingzhou brushed himself off, lips lightly pursed, still carrying traces of her texture, "Hmm."
That "Hmm" sent a wave of numbness through Qiao Zhiyi's body.
It sounded somewhat tender, didn't it?
"Hello sister-in-law, I'm Ah Gui," the slightly rough male voice vibrated loudly.
Qiao Zhiyi was stunned for a moment, the man standing next to Shi Jingzhou was bald, with rugged features that were sharp and well-defined. Despite the April weather, he wore only a thin tank top, exposing tattoos all over his visible skin.
She suspected that his whole body was tattooed.
In her fixed image, such a person was definitely not a good person.
Oddly, he stood upright, radiating a strong sense of integrity.
"Not going to respond?"
Shi Jingzhou saw Qiao Zhiyi's eyes fixed on Ah Gui, his brow furrowed, very displeased.