An Bei stiffened. Gripping her hands, he forcefully spun her around to face him.
Looking into Ruan Fu's clear, bright brown eyes, an inexplicable fire surged in his heart.
He let go of her with a cold sneer, only to lunge and grab her by the throat the very next second.
His grip was so tight that she had no doubt he truly wanted to strangle her to death.
His bone-chilling voice rang in her ears. "Are you that eager to die, Ruan Fu? Fine, I'll grant your wish."
He slowly tightened his hold. The suffocating pressure made Ruan Fu dizzy, yet she didn't struggle in the slightest. She just kept staring at him as usual, the only change being the faint redness creeping into the corners of her eyes.
Time ticked by. Ruan Fu's mind was already starting to go blank, but she refused to beg for mercy.
Forcing herself to stay conscious, she cursed An Bei over and over in her mind, convinced there was no bigger psychopath in the entire world who loved choking people as much as he did.
Finally, An Bei let go.
Ruan Fu collapsed against the edge of the bed, completely drained. She gasped for air, tears already sliding uncontrollably down her cheeks.
Through her tear-blurred vision, An Bei's lips pressed against hers.
It wasn't a kiss; it was a savage bite.
He treated her like his prey, violently and ruthlessly tearing at her lips.
Even when the coppery taste of blood filled their mouths, he refused to pull away, as if intent on plundering every last breath of air from her lungs.
Ruan Fu frantically pushed and swatted at him. When he finally released her lips, his sharp fangs sank into her neck the very next instant. The sharp pain made her cry out.
Her tears flowed faster. Whimpering in pain, her small face scrunched up in agony until An Bei finally showed her mercy.
Through the hazy mist of her tears, Ruan Fu studied the man before her. It was the first time she had ever looked at him so closely.
She suddenly realized that, aside from the color of their eyes, An Bei and An Rui looked almost exactly alike. It was only because An Bei was usually so cold and distant that people overlooked his bewitchingly handsome features.
Right now, however, the usual cold clarity in his eyes was gone, replaced by deeply suppressed desire.
Traces of her blood still lingered on the corners of his lips.
Undeniably, looking at a face like that, Ruan Fu felt a shameful flutter in her heart. Even if it had nothing to do with love.
She clenched her hands and licked her lips. "Is that enough? If not, An Bei, you can continue..."
An Bei was thoroughly disgusted by this demeanor of hers, yet he felt an undeniable yearning for her offer.
But the memory of the calm, cold words she had spoken earlier made the anger boil up in his heart all over again.
He lunged forward and pinned Ruan Fu down, his lower snake tail wrapping tightly around her legs. One hand gripped her waist, while the other pinched her chin.
"Ruan Fu, remember this: you are my female. You belong only to me."
Ruan Fu couldn't be bothered to listen to his declarations of ownership. At a time like this, such words were truly a buzzkill.
She reached out, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck, and offered up her lips.
An Bei's furrowed brows relaxed. Seemingly pleased by her initiative, he slowed his movements and spent the night entwined with her.
***
Early the next morning, Ruan Fu woke up feeling incredibly sore all over. Before she even had the chance to get out of bed, she heard Ruan Ning's voice coming from the cave entrance, jolting her completely awake.
Her first instinct was to tell An Bei to hide, but as she sat up, she realized he was already gone.
These brothers were perfectly in sync when it came to their habits.
Just as she was thinking this, Ruan Ning walked in. She glanced at Ruan Fu, and seeing that she had clearly just woken up, her anger immediately flared.
"You really think you're a big shot, Ruan Fu, making me come all the way here to wake you up. Anyone who didn't know better would think I was begging you to go."
"I'm sorry, Ruan Ning, I overslept... I... I..."
Ruan Fu hastily apologized, lowering her head. Seeing her act so timidly made Ruan Ning lose whatever little patience she had left. She waved her hand dismissively, her eyes just happening to land on the clothes laid out on Ruan Fu's table.
Originally, Ruan Ning had thought her own outfit for the day was top-tier, but it paled in comparison to what was on Ruan Fu's table. Ruan Fu's dress was obviously made of premium fabric and even dyed in a rich color.
If Ruan Fu were allowed to wear that, she would undoubtedly steal all the attention today.
Her eyes gleamed with calculation as she turned back to Ruan Fu with a light chuckle. "Since you almost delayed our schedule, consider this my compensation."
Without waiting for Ruan Fu to say a word, she grabbed the dress and headed for the exit. "Hurry up and get ready. I'll wait for you outside."
Once Ruan Ning was outside, Ruan Fu lifted her head, a small smile playing at the corners of her lips.
Her dear sister certainly hadn't disappointed, conveniently taking the problem off her hands.
Ruan Fu quickly freshened up and got dressed in something simple. When she finally stepped outside, she saw that Ruan Ning had indeed changed into the dress she had taken.
It was a long purple gown, and paired with her cascading hair, it made her look undeniably radiant and luxurious.
However, considering they were heading into the wilderness today for a highly dangerous beast hunt, the long dress would only be cumbersome and dragging.
Ruan Fu walked over, feigning absolute awe. "You look so beautiful, Ruan Ning. That dress really suits you."
Easily buttered up by the compliment, Ruan Ning blurted out instinctively, "Of course it does."
She then looked Ruan Fu up and down, suppressing her inward disdain as she offered a polite, perfunctory reply. "You look nice too."
Ruan Fu touched her hair shyly and lowered her head. "Really? I was worried I might embarrass the Rabbit Clan."
Ruan Fu hadn't put any deliberate effort into her outfit. She wore simple cotton clothes designed for ease of movement, and her hair was tied up high, revealing her small, delicate face.
On her own, she looked rather bright and clean, but standing next to Ruan Ning, she instantly faded into plainness, looking like nothing more than a simple foil.
Ruan Ning was extremely satisfied with this contrast. Flipping her hair, she turned to instruct Ruan Fu. "Let's go. They're waiting for us outside the tribe. Oh, and remember—you must listen to me on this trip. Whatever I tell you to do, you do it."
Ruan Fu nodded vigorously and followed obediently behind Ruan Ning.
The two had only taken a few steps when they saw Chief Nian standing by the side of the road. Ruan Ning looked puzzled. "Clan Shaman, what are you doing here?"
Chief Nian glanced at Ruan Fu beside her and paused. "I need to speak with her."
Ruan Ning found this strange. Her gaze darted back and forth between the two of them, but under Chief Nian's intimidating stare, she eventually stepped aside.
Ruan Fu didn't understand why Chief Nian was looking for her at this time, but she maintained a polite smile on her face. However, before she could even say a single word, Chief Nian shoved a small bundle into her hands.
"Your arm needs one more dressing change. I didn't know when you'd be back, so I brought this over for you," Chief Nian paused for a moment. "I will think carefully about what you said last time. When you return, I'll find you and give you my answer."
Ruan Fu was utterly bewildered.
She had never even expected an answer from Chief Nian, but given the situation, she simply accepted the medicine and nodded.
Looking down at her obedient demeanor, Chief Nian restrained the urge to reach out and stroke her hair. Instead, he turned his gaze to Ruan Ning.
"Even though members of the Dragon Clan are accompanying you, you must still prioritize safety on the road. Don't let any accidents happen."
Whether it was just Ruan Ning's imagination or not, she felt that Chief Nian had emphasized those last few words particularly heavily, almost as if it were a warning.
Ruan Ning cast a suspicious glance at Ruan Fu and nodded.
As soon as Chief Nian walked away, she immediately leaned in and demanded, "Why does the Clan Shaman care about you so much? What's going on between you two...?"