It was already late at night when Ming Yue returned to the area outside the Ming Family Compound.

The quiet compound was only broken by the occasional bark of a dog.

Back in the old days, she would have been so frightened that she’d quickened her pace, wishing she could dash straight into the house and use its bright lights to dispel the fear in her heart.

But now…

Rather than fearing the evil spirits lurking in the dark, what she dreaded most was the unfathomable human heart hidden beneath the glow of the lamps.

Stepping out of the taxi, Ming Yue glanced around, then looked up at the brightly lit Ming Family Home—especially the former bedrooms of her older brother, Ming Kai, and her younger brother, Ming Yao—and let out a desolate laugh: “I’m a jinxed soul, my family’s fallen apart, and I’ve become a wandering ghost with nowhere to turn in the dead of night. You, on the other hand, are so lucky—each of you enjoys peaceful, tranquil days. Is there really such a bargain in this world?”

Of course not!

Ming Yue took a deep breath and strode purposefully toward the front door of the Ming Family Residence.

She rang the doorbell twice, but no one answered. Tired of wasting her breath, she raised her hand and began pounding hard on the tightly shut gate of the compound.

She knocked for a long while, yet inside it was as if everyone had completely died—no one paid any attention, not even a single shadow appeared to open the door for her.

Ming Yue let out another cold laugh, stretched her legs, and was just about to kick the door hard several times when her wrist was suddenly seized by a heavy, unyielding force.

Ming Yue turned her head and saw Fu Qiancheng, thin and haggard, standing right in front of her.

Ming Yue immediately frowned. “Fu Qiancheng, are you haunting me or something? What are you doing here in the middle of the night?”

Fu Qiancheng didn’t get angry; instead, he pulled her toward his car. “I told you—the Ming Family isn’t safe. You can’t stay here.”

“Mind your own business! I’m not your property—what right do you have to tell me what to do? Fu Qiancheng, let go of me! If you don’t, I’ll call the police!”

Ming Yue struggled and threatened at the same time.

Finally, Fu Qiancheng stopped moving and fixed his dangerous gaze on the prickly Ming Yue. “Do you really hate me that much? Even if I’m doing this for your own good, you still won’t listen?”

Ming Yue let out two cold laughs, her tone still indifferent. “Mr. Fu, you’re wrong. I don’t hate you—I just don’t want anything to do with you anymore. Do you understand that now?”

Fu Qiancheng choked again, a lump forming in his throat, making him feel suffocated. The composure he had finally managed to regain was easily shattered.

He gritted his teeth and yanked Ming Yue into his arms, his voice low and menacing. “Ming Yue, if you’ve got the guts, say it again!”

“Even if I said it ten times, it’d be the same! Fu Qiancheng, let go of me!”

Ming Yue used all her strength to push away the man who wouldn’t release her.

But Fu Qiancheng refused to let go; instead, he held her even tighter, especially his large hand wrapped around her waist, almost pressing her entire body against his.

At that moment, they were pressed so closely together.

So close.

Their breaths mingled in the night air.

Ming Yue’s voice suddenly turned icy cold, every fiber of her being resisting. “Fu Qiancheng, let go of me! You bastard, I’ve already told you I have a boyfriend—if you don’t let go, don’t blame me…”

Before she could finish, the man, his chest shaking with anger, tried to seal her lips with his own, swallowing all her harsh words whole.

Seeing that things were getting out of control, Ming Yue quickly tilted her head to dodge.

The man didn’t succeed, so he tried to kiss her cheek or her neck instead—but before his lips even touched her skin, he caught sight of the clear tooth marks on her neck.

“Ming Yue!”

The man growled low, and all the blood in his body froze in an instant.

His reddened eyes stared in disbelief at the glaring tooth marks, over and over again, as if trying to convince himself it wasn’t real—but there was no way to fool himself.

Because it was real!

It couldn’t be more real!

In that very moment, the sweet, metallic taste that had lingered in his throat for so long suddenly spiraled out of control, surging forth all at once, nearly spilling onto the ground and staining everything in sight.

Yet, perhaps afraid of scaring the woman beside him, he still reached for a tissue, quietly wiped it off, and hid the tissue where Ming Yue couldn’t see it.

But his grip on Ming Yue’s hand never loosened, nor did his blood-red eyes leave her neck, where the clear tooth marks stood out starkly. Between clenched teeth, he spat out the coldest words in the world: “Who the hell is that bastard?”

End of Chapter 6: Tooth Marks