Julian Bai looked up, lost in thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "I'll let you go when I feel that you've fallen in love with me. What do you think?"
Grace Gu's hands suddenly tightened, and a strange light flickered across her face. Meanwhile, Julian Bai made a sharp turn while driving, completely unaware of the unusual glint in her eyes or the abnormal expression on her face.
"It seems like the initiative is always in your hands?" Grace Gu was no fool; she sensed that if he never felt anything or perhaps never would, she would be trapped by him forever as his mistress—the lover in their eyes. She had read about women's virtues and studied female ethics; being a lover always left a bitter taste in her mouth.
Especially after encountering Julian Ying, that woman's presence shattered her self-deception. No matter how much she tried to numb herself, it couldn't change the fact that she was kept outside by Julian Bai.
"When I took you away from there, you lost the right to refuse. I helped you through tough times; is this how you repay your benefactor?" He shot her a casual glance. "The day you fall in love with me or die by my side is your only choice—understand?"
"I understand."
He had always appreciated her sense of timing; however, why did she suddenly entertain thoughts of escape tonight? With this suspicion creeping into his gaze, he realized it might be time to clear out those around her. Otherwise, who knows what kind of influence they might have on this girl? The first person that came to mind was Emily Gu.
Thinking about what happened tonight made him frown again. Did Jack Helian say something to her? Otherwise, how could someone so cold-hearted manage such a heartfelt smile?
"Have you met Jack Helian before?"
Grace Gu wasn't one to warm up easily; on the contrary, it was hard for her to let anyone close. After two years of living together, Julian Bai concluded that she had an extremely strong self-protective instinct.
To get along so well upon their first meeting seemed unlikely for anyone but Jack Helian; even Emily Gu couldn't manage that. This thought caused his expression to shift slightly.
"Not too familiar. When those people were bothering me at the nightclub, he passed by and said a few words." Grace Gu saw no need to hide anything since they weren't friends anyway—trying to conceal it would be futile.
Passed by?
Julian Bai tightened his grip on the steering wheel. It took Ray Su quite some time to reach Jack Helian back then; there was no way he just happened to pass by.
But he didn't plan on mentioning this to her; if she thought it was just passing by, then so be it—it didn't matter much anyway since he wasn't estranged from her.
Grace Gu listened as he casually acknowledged with an "mm," then continued: "You should avoid places like that in the future—there are all sorts of people there. Your flirtatious behavior could bring me endless trouble."
Grace Gu lowered her head slightly; while any woman might take pride in beauty, hers had altered the course of her life entirely. Thinking about how her relatives looked at her with greedy eyes made her feel inexplicably nauseous.
However, what relieved her was knowing she'd never encounter such people again—the kind who made one feel sick just thinking about them late at night.
This could be considered one of heaven's rare favors towards her. Her bangs hid any mocking smiles as soft moonlight filtered through the car's interior—a serene atmosphere enveloped them.
Watching Grace Gu snuggle closer into his embrace brought both amusement and helplessness to Julian Bai: "When you tried escaping earlier, I didn't expect my arms would feel so warm."
Even though he knew she must have been shy under watchful bodyguards all along, Julian Bai couldn't help but tease her further. If not for external influences affecting her demeanor tonight, this girl truly would make an excellent lover.
Over these years without fussing or complaining—she accepted whatever he gave and didn't mind when he withheld things from her—it felt like having a delicate canary as company. Such obedience was rare indeed—but recently had this obedient little bird grown restless?
"I want to wash up."
That blonde guy had left quite a bit of oil on her skin; thinking about how someone else had taken away part of what belonged solely to him made Julian Bai's gaze turn cold: "Yes, it's time for a wash."
Before Grace Gu could respond further, he swiftly pulled her into the bathroom and locked the door behind them. First came Grace Gu's startled gasp followed by sounds of tearing fabric.
"Get out..."
Her soft voice clearly lacked any deterrent effect—it awakened another primal instinct within him that led him down an unexpected path of thoughts.
What exactly did Julian Bai say? No one knew for sure; all they knew was when they reappeared two hours later—Grace Gu wrapped tightly in blankets like a dumpling—with red-rimmed eyes betraying signs of distress.
In contrast stood Julian Bai whose icy demeanor softened considerably—his expression radiated satisfaction after indulgence as his gaze occasionally drifted toward someone cocooned like a silkworm.
"Don't feel wronged because of those clips..."
Before he could finish speaking, Grace Gu turned away sharply. Feeling somewhat embarrassed himself at first—he genuinely intended only to wash off those people's scent—but who would've guessed things would escalate unexpectedly?
"I won't do it again; please don't cry."
What an adorable little troublemaker! While others enjoyed keeping mistresses for pleasure alone—why did it feel like torture instead?
Yet having just satisfied himself moments ago wouldn't allow him to scold or show displeasure now; after all—women needed tenderness too—or else he'd end up suffering himself from constantly facing an unhappy face every day!
Grace Gu understood well enough that excesses were harmful too—as she turned back around blinking innocently at him with an expression almost capable of speech—and somehow Julian Bai understood: "Really—not lying."
"This is your promise—a gentleman's word is worth its weight!" She laughed brightly afterward—the earlier gloominess vanished without trace.
The corners of Julian Bai's mouth twitched sideways—a little liar indeed! How could one spoil such affection? Hadn't she already forgotten past pains merely seeking promises now?
He pulled her into his embrace again gently resting his forehead against hers: "Grace stay home obediently from now on—don't go anywhere okay?"
A flicker crossed Grace Gu's eyes—is this really asking for permission? Though sounding like solicited advice—it resembled more issuing commands instead! Yet momentarily speechless left no room for rebuttal either way...
Tonight's escape evidently touched upon some sensitive boundaries within him—and if not for events inside that bathroom earlier perhaps he'd still harbor lingering frustrations...
"Okay."
She replied softly knowing full well after last night's events she'd lack motivation anytime soon—and besides she'd never been particularly fond of moving around anyway...