“If I didn’t cross the line, how could I witness with my own eyes you being held in another man’s arms? How could I see you walking hand-in-hand with another man?”

The unnamed male operative’s voice was icy cold.

He slowly raised his long, bony hand and gently traced Ming Yue’s entire small face from bottom to top, finally resting on her brow.

Ming Yue didn’t even glance at him; she turned her face away, brushing his hand—which still hadn’t moved from her brow—aside. Her voice was chillingly cold: “Then go find him! Aren’t you two best buddies? Don’t you know what his relationship is with me? Or are you just too afraid to face it?”

Compared with the indifference and aloofness she felt toward Fu Qiancheng,

Ming Yue felt far more guarded and repulsed by the man beside her.

She loathed his hypocrisy, his scheming, and most of all, his ruthless, calculated moves to get whatever he wanted.

Yet after so many years of being battered and bruised by this world, she had finally come to understand one thing: nine times out of ten, life doesn’t go according to our true hearts. As long as we still have desires, compromise is ultimately unavoidable. Take this man, for example—though she detests him to the core, sometimes even wishing she could slit his throat with her own hands—what can she do? She still has to grit her teeth and put up with him.

“One day, that day will come.”

Instead of continuing to move his hand toward Ming Yue’s head, the man lifted her sleeve. Seeing that the wound on her arm was already neatly bandaged, his handsome brows relaxed slightly. As he lowered her sleeve, he said softly, “No next time / This must not happen again.”

Ming Yue was taken aback.

She was certain the man was warning her to completely cut ties with Fu Qiancheng, but upon further thought, it didn’t quite feel like that.

Of course, she didn’t press him or ask for details.

Instead, she got straight to the point and sternly warned the man beside her:

“Jiang Feng, I don’t object to you following me back to Ning City. But let me warn you again: no matter what connection there may be between us, you’re not allowed to interfere in my family affairs. Otherwise, don’t blame me if I turn on you without mercy!”

“Understood.”

Jiang Feng nodded.

The next instant, his fingers rested on Ming Yue’s chin.

Ming Yue immediately frowned.

The man had already lifted her chin, and a soft voice rang in her ear: “Just do whatever you want. But whatever you do, remember to protect yourself. Otherwise, I’m not someone who’ll take it lying down.”

Ming Yue remained silent.

The man’s thin lips curved ever so slightly, and his long fingers applied gentle pressure, lifting her little head up and forcing her to meet his gaze: “Don’t worry about me getting in your way. And there’s no need to keep tapping me for favors every now and then. Between us, it’s a mutually beneficial arrangement—each of us gets what we need, and that’s all.”

“That’s best!” Ming Yue’s cool, expressionless face showed no hint of emotion. She didn’t look away from his eyes; instead, she opened them wide and met his gaze with complete candor.

The man’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly, and a faint smile played on his lips: “You look so good like this.”

Ming Yue shot him a glare and tried to push him away.

But he pressed her even closer, refusing to let her move a single inch.

Leaning forward, his straight nose came right up to Ming Yue’s face, his tip touching her ear—cold yet carrying the warmth of his breath.

The next instant, his warm, mellow voice sounded softly in her ear once more: “Do you have time tonight? Stay and keep me company. I haven’t been getting enough rest lately and really want a good night’s sleep.”

“No time—I have to go back to the Ming Family,” Ming Yue said, her cheeks flushing slightly as she quickly turned her head away, already guessing what the man was up to.

“Fine. But you owe me—three times the interest.”

“You’re robbing me!”

Ming Yue exclaimed indignantly, only to turn her head back again.

Her face landed squarely against the man’s nose.

He smiled, ran a hand over his nose, and the smile deepened. Then his large hand fell onto Ming Yue’s head, gently pulling her little skull closer to him.

What he intended was obvious.

“Jiang Feng, let go!”

Ming Yue’s flushed cheeks were already burning, and both her hands pressed firmly against his chest.

End of Chapter 5: Sleeping Pills