Ye Rou's eyes darkened with determination as he closed the distance between them, his anger simmering beneath the surface like a barely contained storm. Each step he took was measured, purposeful, his gaze locked onto Zhong Qing with a fierce intensity that sent a chill down the latter's spine.
Zhong Qing could feel the heat of Ye Rou's anger radiating off him, a suffocating presence that seemed to fill the room. He stood his ground, though his heart hammered in his chest, bracing himself for the confrontation that was rapidly unfolding.
"You think you can just walk away from me?" Ye Rou's voice was low, dangerous, each word laced with venom. He stopped just inches from Zhong Qing, his towering presence overwhelming, casting a shadow over the smaller man. "You think you can leave me, after everything?"
Zhong Qing's resolve wavered as he met Ye Rou's gaze, seeing the ruthless determination etched into his features. The man before him was a far cry from the one he had once loved, a cold and calculating force of nature who had manipulated and controlled everyone around him. Yet, even now, there was a part of Zhong Qing that longed for the warmth they had shared in fleeting moments, the brief glimpses of something softer, more human, beneath Ye Rou's hardened exterior.
"I can't stay here," Zhong Qing said, his voice trembling with a mix of fear and determination. "Not like this. You can't keep me here, Ye Rou. I'm not yours to control."
Ye Rou's eyes narrowed, and his jaw clenched, a muscle ticking in his cheek as he fought to keep his anger in check. "You belong to me, Zhong Qing," he hissed, his voice barely above a whisper. "Now, in the future—always. There's no escape for you. You're mine, and I will never let you go."
Zhong Qing's breath hitched as Ye Rou reached out, his hand gripping his arm with bruising force. The touch was possessive, claiming, as if Ye Rou could assert his dominance through sheer will alone. Zhong Qing struggled against the iron grip, but it was futile; Ye Rou's strength was unyielding, his intent clear.
"You don't get to decide," Ye Rou continued, his tone icy. "You don't get to leave me, not now, not ever. Do you understand that?"
Zhong Qing's heart raced, panic beginning to take hold as he realized just how far Ye Rou was willing to go to keep him. The man he had once known was gone, replaced by someone who would stop at nothing to maintain control, to possess him in every way.
"I'm not your property," Zhong Qing spat, his defiance flaring up despite the fear gnawing at him. "I'm not Luan Xie. I won't be your replacement for him!"
Ye Rou's eyes flashed with fury at the mention of Luan Xie, the name a trigger for the dark obsession that had driven him for so long. His grip tightened painfully, and he yanked Zhong Qing closer, their faces mere inches apart. "Don't speak his name," Ye Rou snarled, his voice low and menacing. "You're mine, Zhong Qing. You, not him. And you will learn your place."
Before Zhong Qing could react, Ye Rou's lips crashed against his, a bruising, forceful kiss meant to assert dominance, to remind him who held the power between them. It was a kiss devoid of tenderness, driven by anger and desperation, a means to claim and control rather than to connect.
Zhong Qing's mind reeled, caught between the harsh reality of Ye Rou's possessiveness and the confusing swirl of emotions that surged within him. He pushed against Ye Rou's chest, struggling to break free, but Ye Rou only tightened his hold, refusing to let him go.
And then Ye Rou did something that sent a jolt of terror through Zhong Qing's veins—he bit down, hard, on Zhong Qing's tongue. The sharp pain shot through him, and he tasted the metallic tang of blood.
Zhong Qing should have hated him for it. He should have screamed, lashed out, and demanded his freedom. He could see it in the way Ye Rou's hands would tremble when they were alone, in the fleeting moments of vulnerability that would flicker across his face before being buried beneath a mask of cold indifference.
Ye Rou was scared, scared of letting go, of being left behind in a world that had already taken so much from him. And in his fear, he had clung to Zhong Qing with an intensity that bordered on madness.
Ye Rou, the man who had once been his closest companion, his anchor in a world that had often felt cold and indifferent, was terrified. Terrified of losing the one person who had remained constant in his life.
Zhong Qing's chest tightened as he wrestled with the conflicting emotions warring within him. He knew he should be angry, should be planning his escape, but instead, he found himself rooted to the spot, unable to turn away from the man who had once been his everything. He wanted to hate Ye Rou for what he had become, but how could he, when he understood all too well the darkness that had driven him to this point?
The truth was that Zhong Qing couldn't abandon Ye Rou, not entirely. He had seen the depths of Ye Rou's fear, the way it had twisted him into something unrecognizable, and in that fear, he recognized a reflection of his own. They were both trapped, both caught in a cycle of dependency that neither of them seemed capable of breaking. And so, as much as he wanted to scream, to push Ye Rou away, Zhong Qing found himself staying—bound by a love that had long since turned toxic, but was still, in its own way, unbreakable.
Ye Rou might have been scared of losing him, but Zhong Qing was equally terrified of what would happen if he let go.
When Ye Rou finally pulled back, his breathing was ragged, his eyes wild with a mix of anger and something darker, more dangerous. "You don't get to leave me," he repeated, his voice barely more than a growl. "You belong to me, Zhong Qing. And I'll make sure you never forget it."
Zhong Qing's chest heaved with heavy breaths as he met Ye Rou's gaze, his resolve weakening in the face of such unrelenting force. For a moment, he saw a flicker of vulnerability in Ye Rou's eyes, a glimpse of the man he had once loved buried deep beneath the layers of cruelty and control. But it was fleeting, gone as quickly as it had appeared, leaving only the cold, calculating man before him.
But then, something shifted. The anger in Ye Rou's eyes began to wane, replaced by a flicker of doubt, a crack in the armor he had so carefully constructed. His grip on Zhong Qing's arm loosened slightly, his breath hitching as he seemed to realize the extent of his actions.
Zhong Qing, sensing the change, held his ground, his gaze unwavering. "Ye Rou," he said softly, his voice laced with a mix of sadness and determination. "This isn't you. It doesn't have to be like this."
For a moment, Ye Rou seemed to falter, his eyes searching Zhong Qing's for something—understanding, perhaps, or forgiveness. The fierce determination that had driven him now seemed to waver, as if he were questioning everything he had done, everything he had become.
But as quickly as the doubt appeared, it vanished, replaced by a desperate need to maintain control. Yet, even as he tried to regain his composure, the cracks in his facade were becoming more apparent. He was losing his grip on the situation, on Zhong Qing, and he knew it.
"I won't let you leave me," Ye Rou repeated, but this time, his voice was softer, tinged with a vulnerability that he could no longer fully hide. "I can't lose you, Zhong Qing."
Zhong Qing felt a pang of sorrow for the man before him, the man who had once been someone he could love without fear. But that man was lost, consumed by the darkness that had taken hold of Ye Rou's heart. Yet, even now, Zhong Qing couldn't bring himself to abandon him completely.
Slowly, Zhong Qing reached out, gently placing his hand on Ye Rou's cheek. "You don't have to lose me," he whispered, his voice filled with a quiet strength. "But you can't keep me like this. You can't control me, Ye Rou. Not if you want me to stay."
Ye Rou closed his eyes at the touch, his resolve crumbling as the weight of his actions finally began to sink in. He had pushed too far, crossed too many lines, and now he was faced with the possibility of losing the one person who still meant something to him.
When he opened his eyes again, the fierce anger that had driven him was gone, replaced by a deep, aching sorrow. "I don't know how to be anything else," he confessed, his voice trembling with the weight of his admission. "I don't know how to let go."
Zhong Qing's heart ached at the raw vulnerability in Ye Rou's voice, the desperation that had driven him to such extremes. But he knew that this was the moment where he had to stand his ground, to show Ye Rou that love couldn't be built on control and manipulation.
"You don't have to do this alone," Zhong Qing said gently, his hand still resting on Ye Rou's cheek. "But you have to let me in. You have to let go of this need for control."
Ye Rou's eyes flashed with fury as Zhong Qing's words struck a nerve. The vulnerability he had shown moments ago evaporated, replaced by a seething anger that clawed its way to the surface. He jerked away from Zhong Qing's touch, his expression hardening, the softness of his gaze replaced by something much darker.
"Don't you dare try to manipulate me," Ye Rou snarled, his voice cold and venomous. "You think you can sweet-talk your way out of this? That you can change me with your empty words?" His hands curled into fists, trembling with barely contained rage.
Zhong Qing stepped back, realizing that his attempt to reach out to Ye Rou had only fueled the fire of his anger. The man before him was no longer the one he had loved; this was a person consumed by power, by the need to control everything and everyone around him.
"You think I need you to tell me how to feel?" Ye Rou's voice was rising now, filled with a bitter edge. "You think your words can fix what's broken between us? You think you can just walk away, and I'll let you? You're mine, Zhong Qing, and you'll stay by my side whether you like it or not!"
Zhong Qing's heart pounded in his chest as Ye Rou advanced on him, every step laced with a barely restrained fury. He could see the madness in Ye Rou's eyes, the obsessive need to possess, to control. There was no reasoning with him now; this was a side of Ye Rou that was beyond redemption, driven by a darkness that refused to let go.
"You're no different from him," Ye Rou spat, his lips curling into a sneer as he loomed over Zhong Qing. "You're just like Luan Xie, always trying to run, always trying to escape from me. But I won't let you go. I won't let you turn your back on me!"
Zhong Qing tried to hold his ground, but the intensity of Ye Rou's anger was overwhelming. He felt himself being backed into a corner, both physically and emotionally, with no escape in sight.
"Ye Rou, this isn't—" Zhong Qing started, but Ye Rou cut him off, his voice harsh and unforgiving.
"Enough!" Ye Rou barked, his eyes blazing with fury. "I don't care what you think! I don't care what you want! You belong to me, Zhong Qing, and nothing you say will change that. You're mine, do you hear me? Mine!"
Zhong Qing flinched at the venom in Ye Rou's voice, feeling the weight of his words like a physical blow. The man who stood before him now was consumed by his own demons, driven by an obsession that had turned his love into something toxic, something dangerous.
"You can hate me all you want," Ye Rou hissed, his voice trembling with rage. "But you will never leave me. I'll make sure of that."
With a final, furious glare, Ye Rou turned on his heel and stormed out of the room, leaving Zhong Qing standing there, shaken and disoriented. The door slammed behind him, the sound echoing through the room like a gunshot, leaving a heavy silence in its wake.
Zhong Qing stood frozen, his heart pounding in his chest, his mind reeling from the intensity of Ye Rou's outburst. He had known that Ye Rou was dangerous, that his love had turned into something twisted and dark. But now, faced with the full force of Ye Rou's anger, he realized just how trapped he was.
There was no reasoning with Ye Rou now, no hope of reaching the man he had once loved. He was caught in a web of obsession, ensnared by a man who would stop at nothing to keep him close, no matter the cost.