"Little Darling, it really is you. . ."
The female voice on the opposite side was unable to calm down and her voice was weak, but she spoke very quickly, "Little Darling, where are you?"
"Little Darling" was Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu's girlhood nickname, and it also meant "baby."
Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu was still in shock, and she raised her eyes, seeing a wide circle of wooden houses, "I, I'm. . . in a far away place."
Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu's mother asked, "Very far place? Are there any characteristics nearby? Who are you with right now?"
Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu startled: "I. . ." How could see say that she was with a beastman? Would her mother believe her?
The phone's signal suddenly weakened and it was full of static, sounding like it would disappear in the next second. Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu held the phone tight and hurriedly said, "Mom, I'm fine now. I'm not in danger. . . You and dad don't need to worry."
After her words were spoken, the phone on the other end dropped with a bang and Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu's mother ended. It was replaced by an ECG monitor's irregular sound and rapid footsteps.
The last sound heard was a nurse calling for a doctor:
"The patient is emotionally unstable, call Dr. Li!"
Then, all the voices were interrupted, and the call was dropped to a series of blind, cold tones.
. . .
Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu stayed in place, her mind a mess.
Mother was hospitalized?
Why?
Was she sick or something?
Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu controlled her trembling hands and redialed the last call. But the cell phone signal was interrupted and the call couldn't be made.
She didn't give up and tried several times until she completely exhausted the last bit of power it had and the phone automatically shut down.
The seconds that it had just connected seemed to be her hallucinations.
However, Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu knew it wasn't.
Her mother's voice was very clear from the other end and very familiar, just like the countless other times she had conversed with her before.
Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu suddenly stood up and found her Swiss army knife from her backpack. She went to the door and tried to pry open the lock.
However, just as she walked to the door, it was pushed in from the outside without warning, and a pair of long legs came in.
Outside, a cold wind was blowing and it carried a fine rain.
Ryan's shoulders and body were wet and his boots were saturated with mud.
His eyes fell to Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu's hands and saw the blade, he paused for a moment then voiced, "What?"
Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu hastily put away her blade and explained, "You locked the door, and I had no way out. . ."
"It's dangerous to go out during the rainy season." Ryan shut the door and spoke as she pulled off his fur coat.
Before entering, he had thrown his prey into the kitchen but the smell of blood had not been washed away yet.
Ryan's body was very good. After taking off his clothes, his shoulders were wide and his waist narrow. His spine was straight and the muscles of his lower abdomen were strong.
He seemed to have forgotten what happened yesterday and crossed over Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu, reaching for another coat.
However, Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu could not forget, especially after the phone that had just connected and she knew her mother was hospitalized.
Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu shifted her eyes and hesitated for a long time, finally she said, "Ryan, I have something to discuss with you."
Ryan changed his clothes and slightly paused, seeming to know what she wanted to say, and he said calmly, "Sorry, I don't want to."
Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu hung her head, regardless of his refusal, and said, "My mother is sick. . . I do not know if it's serious or not. I want to go back and see her."
That being said, she had a kind of bad intuition.
Her mother's body had always been very good. The school organized regular check-ups every year, how could she get sick so much?
Ryan finally looked at her and his bottomless, blue eyes were set on her, "How are you going back?"
Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu bit her lower lip, "Going to the east to find Pat."
"I said, there are many races on the way."
"I have gunpowder," Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu said, lifting her dark eyes. Their depths were resolute and unshakable. "And. . . I have a lot of things that you don't." Those things were enough for her to survive on this continent.
"So, after going back, will you come back?" Ryan voiced hoarsely and it was uttered from the depths of his throat.
Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu instantly choked.
She had never considered the question of coming back. Would she come back after returning?
How would she get back? Why come back?
Although she didn't answer, Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu's silence revealed her stance.
Ryan closed his eyes, then opened them again, cruelly saying, "So my answer is, no."
Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu's face was pale and she shook, thinking of her mother gently calling out that "Little Darling."
Her phone hadn't been turned on for a long time. Today, it was inadvertently turned on, and she received her mother's phone call.
Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu could hardly imagine how many phone calls had been made to her. How many times had she gone through despair, pressing her number so persistently.
More so, she could no longer convince herself to stay here.
If she missed her mother, she would regret it her whole life.
*
After midnight, the rain was gradually getting lighter and lighter. There wasn't a glimmer of light through the window, and the whole valley seemed enveloped by a layer of black cloth.
Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu opened her eyes and carefully removed Ryan's arm from her waist.
But Ryan held to her too tightly and tried several times without success.
. . .
At last, Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu made every effort and just made it away from Ryan's chest.
She dressed and packed her things then took a raincoat out of her space, making no sound from beginning to end.
Just as she walked to the door ready to open it, an arm tired around her waist and picked her up, tossing her at the bed without explanation.
Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu was put on the bed and she opened her eyes, startled, and looked up to look at Ryan above her head, "How do you. . ."
When did he wake up?
Ryan didn't give her any opportunity to speak, and he held her hands tightly, leaning over to cover her trembling lips.
Since he could not wait for her to accept, he had no choice but to seize it.
Ryan pried open her teeth and broke into her mouth, delving in.
This kiss wasn't gentle at all. Compared to before, he had lost all of his compassion and was filled with brutal viciousness.
As if he wanted to chew her, destroy her, and devour her.
"Ah, don't. . ." Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu didn't open her mouth, trying to avoid his affections.
Unfortunately, Ryan did not listen to her and bit her lower lip, his beastly palm stripping off her raincoat to explore her petite body.
Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu trembled and knew what was going to happen next.
The rain outside the window was loud and thunderous.
A flash of lightning suddenly cut through the window, briefly illuminating the scene in the house.
The tall beastman separated the slender, long legs of the young girl, setting his strong waist against hers, pressing deeply into them.
. . .
. . .
For a long, long time.
The air was silent and only a fine current sounded out.
"Zz, zzzzzzz——"
Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu held her taser in both hands against Ryan's neck, tightly biting her lower lip and staring at him unblinkingly.
Ryan's eyes turned slightly and hers were reflected in his deep, blue pupils. He didn't seem to have expected her actions. The arm at her side raised slightly to touch her.
Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu felt a panic in her mind and thought that he would continue to force her, so she immediately increased the intensity of the current and pressed it to her neck again.
The taser were so powerful that it poured into every corner of his body.
Ryan's pupils were lax, but they still stared at her, and he bared his teeth, looking like he could see her clearly.
Finally, his body lightened then straightened and toppled over.