[Omitted]

The instant he touched her, Vio let out a muffled groan.

His Adam’s apple bobbed, his arms tightened, and the hand supporting the back of her head instinctively clenched, gripping her hair.

Vio tilted her head back and closed her eyes.

Amid the misty steam, the line of his jaw tightened into a sharp arc.

A few seconds later, he lowered his gaze to the person at his feet.

Her eyes were wet, looking up at him.

She was terrified—terrified to death. Yet she dared not stop doing what he had asked her to do.

Dignity meant nothing in the face of life and death. That’s how she comforted herself.

Qin Qinxi’s entire face was flushed—from her cheeks down to her neck and all the way to the tips of her ears. Her ears were so red they seemed to be bleeding.

Vio looked at her.

He didn’t know exactly when things had started to go wrong.

Perhaps it was when those two lines of tears began sliding down the corners of her eyes.

She wasn’t sobbing uncontrollably; the tears just flowed silently, trickling down her cheeks and into the corners of her mouth.

Even when she tasted them, she didn’t dare wipe them away—she simply kept doing what she was supposed to do.

Vio’s hand slid down from the back of her head.

It reached her shoulder.

He bent down slightly, slipped his hand under her armpit, and hoisted her up in one swift motion.

Qin Qinxi was lifted bodily, staggering twice before finally regaining her balance.

Before she could even process what had happened, she saw him turn around, open the faucet, grab her, and start dousing her with water.

The water was cold.

He rinsed her roughly, splashing her a few times before turning off the tap and dragging her by the wrist toward the door.

Qin Qinxi was dragged along as he ran.

His strides were too long for her to keep up, and she stumbled several times, nearly falling.

But she didn’t dare ask. She didn’t dare make a sound—not a single word.

She was flung onto the bed.

The bed was soft. Her whole body sank into it, and her head spun for a moment.

Instinctively, she tried to scoot backward, even if only a little.

Before she could react, the man was already on top of her.

He pinned both her wrists above her head.

Qin Qinxi couldn’t move.

She met his light-gray eyes.

His handsome face loomed large before her, so close that she could clearly see his eyelashes—and even her own reflection in his pupils.

His breath brushed against her face, carrying the dampness of having just showered, mixed with something indescribable:

a cool undertone, like the midnight sea breeze, tinged with a hint of alcohol.

The man spoke, his voice icy and husky: “Did Tuxi touch you?”

Qin Qinxi froze for a moment.

She hadn’t expected him to ask that.

She looked at him—the face was so close that it felt as though it would press right against hers in the next second.

Her throat went dry, and she swallowed hard before shaking her head: “No…”

Vio remained silent for a few seconds.

When he spoke again, his voice was even lower than before: “Why didn’t you go with him? Why did you have to come with me?”

Qin Qinxi didn’t know what to say.

At least Tuxi hadn’t really wanted to kill her.

Tuxi had explained it to her just now: he’d brought her here with good intentions, but ended up losing more than he gained.

She was truly unlucky.

If Tuxi hadn’t been trying to kill her, she wouldn’t have…

She wouldn’t have knelt in the bathroom, wouldn’t have done those things, wouldn’t have lain here, pinned down by him, waiting to see what would happen next.

All she wanted was to stay alive—to go home.

But she couldn’t tell the truth. She had to win him over.

She remembered what Tuxi had said: his boss had never had a woman before.

Maybe this man was actually innocent, just appearing cold on the outside.

Maybe… maybe saying something nice would work?

Qin Qinxi spoke, her voice trembling: “Because… because I like you better!”

Vio didn’t say a word.

She kept talking, her words coming out fast, as if she were afraid that if she slowed down even for a second, she’d lose the courage to continue: “You’re the one who spent five million US dollars to buy me!”

After she finished speaking, she looked at him, waiting for his reaction.

Vio still didn’t say anything—he just kept staring at her.

Qin Qinxi could hear her own heartbeat in her shame, pounding so loudly that her temples ached.

End of Chapter 17: Chapter 17