No Kiss

"Alice likes you very much," Zhao Xu said.

Jiang Qiao was holding a lion cub in his arms, while another lay on top of his foot, gnawing at his pant leg.

He had only seen how Alice acted around Shen Guiyi. "I thought she was like this with everyone, completely defenseless."

Zhao Xu shook his head. "A beast will always be a beast. No matter how long it has been domesticated, the wildness in its bones can never be erased."

Jiang Qiao looked into Zhao Xu's eyes and felt that he was not merely talking about Alice. There was another meaning behind his words.

Like himself.

"Then it must be because I'm such a warm and sincere person that she likes me," Jiang Qiao said with a smile.

Zhao Xu smiled and held out his hand to Jiang Qiao. "Zhao Xu."

"Jiang Qiao." Jiang Qiao tucked the lion cub beneath one arm and pulled out his other hand to shake Zhao Xu's.

"You don't specialize in selling porn magazines, do you?" Zhao Xu asked.

Jiang Qiao chuckled. "Of course not."

Zhao Xu looked at Jiang Qiao and said seriously, "Thank you."

Jiang Qiao was not the first person to catch Shi Youxi punishing him, but he was the only one who had stepped in to help.

Jiang Qiao asked bluntly, "Why don't you leave the Shi family?"

At those words, Zhao Xu seemed to have heard some unbelievable joke. He laughed to himself for a long while before finally saying to Jiang Qiao:

"The Shi family is such a large family. It has too many secrets that can't see the light of day. The longer you stay here, the closer you get to the masters of this place, the more you learn—then don't even think about leaving alive."

"Either you work for the Shi family for the rest of your life, or..."

He shrugged and did not continue.

Jiang Qiao put the lion cubs down and let them go back to their mother.

"Then why did you come here in the first place?" Jiang Qiao asked.

"Madam bought me," Zhao Xu said.

"Bought you?" Jiang Qiao frowned.

Zhao Xu gave a quiet hum, clearly with no intention of explaining his background.

So Jiang Qiao did not press him further.

He lit a cigarette and offered one to Zhao Xu.

Zhao Xu accepted it, then felt around in his pockets and realized he had no lighter on him. "Thanks. Can I borrow a light?"

Jiang Qiao handed him the lighter. Zhao Xu flicked it several times without getting a flame. "Seems like it's broken."

Jiang Qiao took it back and tried a couple times himself, but it still would not light.

He put the lighter away, held his cigarette between his lips, and leaned toward Zhao Xu. "Here."

Zhao Xu froze for a moment, then understood what Jiang Qiao meant. He also put his cigarette between his lips and leaned closer.

The cigarette tips met, lighting both cigarettes.

In the distance, on the rooftop terrace of the main residence, Shi Junyi leaned against the railing and watched the two people on the lawn slowly move closer together. The thin wineglass in his hand suddenly cracked into several pieces.

Red liquid slowly ran down Shi Junyi's long, pale fingers.

It was impossible to tell whether it was wine or blood.

Chen Sheng was so frightened that he hurriedly pulled out a handkerchief and tried to wipe Shi Junyi's hand.

Shi Junyi pinched the handkerchief and waved Chen Sheng away, not allowing him to touch him. The oppressive aura around him was terrifying.

Chen Sheng had only received Shi Junyi's order at noon to stop watching Jiang Qiao. He had not yet had the chance to tell the servants working on the second basement level to end their surveillance of Jiang Qiao.

Half an hour earlier, he had received a message from downstairs saying that, for once, Jiang Qiao had not gone to the training ground today but had gone to the back courtyard.

Shi Junyi had been reclining in a lounge chair, basking in the sun and sipping red wine, so Chen Sheng had casually mentioned it.

Shi Junyi frowned and said, "I told you not to keep watch over him anymore."

Yet he immediately got to his feet and strode out, still holding his wineglass. He went up to the rooftop and paced all around it until Jiang Qiao slowly entered his line of sight. Only then did he stop.

For a moment, Chen Sheng did not even know whether he should order the people downstairs to stop monitoring Jiang Qiao.

When they saw Jiang Qiao approach Alice, Shi Junyi's expression changed on the spot. He asked sharply, "Where's the keeper?"

Chen Sheng quickly contacted the keeper. When he learned that the keeper was still in the back kitchen preparing feed, Shi Junyi did not waste a word before setting up the Barrett from the rooftop's backup gun cache.

Clearly, the muzzle was not aimed at Jiang Qiao, but at Alice.

Only when he saw Alice actually allow Jiang Qiao to approach and pet her docilely, even nudging the lion cubs toward him, did his entire body visibly relax.

Chen Sheng had never seen Shi Junyi so nervous over anyone.

He was straight, not stupid.

He had not considered it from that angle before, but if he still did not understand why Shi Junyi had kept watching Jiang Qiao by now, then he might as well have lived for nothing.

He was utterly shaken, but before he could think it through, he heard Shi Junyi ask in a dangerous tone:

"Who's that?"

Chen Sheng was still spacing out and did not react. "What young master? Who?"

Shi Junyi grabbed Chen Sheng by the collar and dragged him to the railing, pointing at the man standing before Jiang Qiao and talking to him. "Do you see him?"

Chen Sheng hurriedly nodded. "I-I see him! It's Zhao Xu! He's Young Master's man!"

Shi Junyi narrowed his eyes, his expression sharp.

He knew Shi Youxi treated Jiang Qiao a little differently, and he knew Jiang Qiao was deliberately avoiding Shi Youxi.

He had not expected Shi Youxi to remain so unwilling to give up that he had sent someone to find Jiang Qiao again.

He really dared to covet anyone. He needed to be taught a lesson.

Shi Junyi watched the distant scene unhappily, waiting to see how Jiang Qiao would handle Shi Youxi's harassment.

But unexpectedly, Jiang Qiao seemed to know Zhao Xu, and the two were chatting pleasantly.

Because they were too far away, Shi Junyi and Chen Sheng could not make out what the two were doing as they lit their cigarettes.

All they could see was that, as they talked, Jiang Qiao leaned toward Zhao Xu—and Zhao Xu actually leaned toward him as well.

From Shi Junyi's angle, it looked as if the two had kissed in the middle of their conversation.

And Jiang Qiao had initiated it.

The poor wineglass had done nothing wrong. It had just left the wine cabinet and had not even fulfilled its duty once before becoming fragments beneath Shi Junyi's hand.

Chen Sheng heard Shi Junyi sneer, and his heart tightened. Oh, shit.

Then he saw Shi Junyi hoist the Barrett onto his shoulder, looking ready to end Jiang Qiao and Zhao Xu right there.

Remembering that Jiang Qiao had once drawn fire away from him and saved his life, Chen Sheng risked his own life to snatch the Barrett away. "Young Master! Calm down!"

He looked toward Jiang Qiao through the eight-power scope, then pulled the bolt and removed the magazine. He hurriedly shouted, "Young Master, Young Master, they didn't kiss! They're lighting cigarettes! They were lighting cigarettes!"

But Chen Sheng quickly realized he had said the wrong thing.

Whatever existed between Shi Junyi and Jiang Qiao was not something that could be exposed. Since Shi Junyi had not said anything, Chen Sheng should not have known.

He clamped his mouth shut, cold sweat breaking out across his body.

Shi Junyi narrowed his eyes and glanced at Chen Sheng before snatching back the Barrett.

First, he looked at Jiang Qiao through the eight-power scope.

After confirming that Jiang Qiao and Zhao Xu really had only been lighting cigarettes, he turned the pitch-black muzzle toward Chen Sheng.