Chapter 2 — The Fierce Honor Student Is Waiting for You Downstairs

I could even smell a faint trace of cigarette smoke clinging to his person, intermingled with a rather unsettling, coppery scent of fresh blood. My heart hammered wildly against my ribs, racing with a breathless terror that left me nearly suffocated. He dipped his head slightly, his gaze locked onto mine with an unblinking intensity, his lips pressed into a thin line. When he spoke, his voice was low, gravelly, and freighted with an emotion I could not possibly begin to name.

Break up with Su Yu, and I will marry you.

What? I froze right where I stood, turning instantly to stone. Marry… marry me? I genuinely wondered if my hearing had finally failed me, or if some blunt instrument had scrambled his brains. Or perhaps, just perhaps, a stray shard of glass had severed a vital nerve in his cerebral cortex?

What are you talking about? I stammered, scrambling to rephrase the question as I clung to the frantic hope that I had misheard him.

Huo Ren furrowed his brow, the gesture so faint it was almost imperceptible, as if my reaction deeply displeased him. His obsidian eyes bored into me, dead and unblinking, as though he meant to drill a physical hole straight through my face.

I said, he repeated, his tone dipping into a sharp, brittle edge of impatience, break up with your brother, and I am marrying you.

This time, the words came through with agonizing clarity. Every single syllable struck my forehead like a tiny, driving hammer. There had been no mistake in hearing, nor had he misspoken. Yet this entire situation was far more absurd than a fever dream or a hallucination.

Are you… have you lost your mind? The words flew out of my mouth before my brain could censor them.

Regret slammed into me the absolute second the phrase left my lips. Was I actively seeking out my own demise? True to form, Huo Ren expression darkened precipitously, his gaze turning razor-sharp and thoroughly dangerous. He reached out, his long fingers wrapping firmly around my chin. It was not a violent grip, yet it carried an immovable, crushing weight.

Su Youyun, do you actually think I am joking with you? His voice dropped into a dangerous, suppressed register, dripping with a cold, mocking derision.

I was forced to lift my chin, compelled to meet his gaze until the tip of my nose practically grazed his. The dual scents of tobacco and blood grew dizzyingly potent. I watched the sharp line of his jaw tighten until the skin stretched taut, his eyes swirling with an incomprehensible storm of emotions—fury, ridicule, and a strange, labyrinthine complexity that defied definition.

Your brother stole what was mine, he murmured, every word hissed slowly through clenched teeth, and this debt demands a payment in kind.

My heart plunged into an abyss of ice. So it was true; he had come for vengeance. Was marrying me his grand instrument of retribution against my brother? Did he believe this act would humiliate my brother? Or was it meant as a deliberate blade to pierce Shen Qian heart? What on earth did he take me for? A pawn in a bitter vendetta? A spoils of war? A sudden wave of bitter grievance and scalding fury surged upward from the depths of my soul. Loving him in secret had been my own private burden; by what conceivable right did he dare drag me onto his chessboard as a mere collateral piece?

Huo Ren, let go of me! I began to thrash, fighting desperately to shove him away.

He remained completely immobile, the hand clamped around my chin tightening further still.

Let go? A bitter, humorless laugh escaped his throat. Su Youyun, did you genuinely believe you would walk away from this unharmed tonight?

What on earth did that phrase signify? Was this a direct threat?

What is it you want? My voice wavered, choked with the genuine terror that had finally taken root in my chest.

Deep in the dead of night, a man and a woman alone in the dark, and he wore an expression this menacing.

What do I want? Huo Ren leaned in closer still, his blistering breath washing directly over my face, laden with unmistakable danger. You tell me.

His gaze flicked down from my eyes, finally resting entirely upon my lips. My mind short-circuited, plunging into a roaring, terrifying void. He surely could not possibly intend to…

Huo Ren! I shoved against his chest with all my might, summoning a surge of adrenaline-fueled strength that somehow actually forced him back by a fraction of an inch.

Do not do anything foolish! My brother… my brother is… I frantically brandished my brother as a shield, even while knowing full well it would offer zero protection.

Your brother? Huo Ren let out a sound like a cruelly amused scoff, the corners of his mouth curling upward in a mocking sneer. Right now, he is likely holding his precious Qian Qian and basking in her company; when would he ever spare a thought for you?

Those words felt like red-hot needles piercing straight through my heart. It was true; at this very moment, my brother had undoubtedly forgotten he even possessed a younger sister.

Even if… even if my brother wronged you, that is an issue strictly between the two of you! What does it have to do with me? I shrieked, my voice cracking with defiance. By what right do you take your anger out on me?

Nothing to do with you? Huo Ren raised a brow, a blade-like light flashing across his eyes. Su Youyun, stop playing the fool. Do you dare sit there and claim you had no idea Su Yu was pursuing Shen Qian? Do you dare deny that you never once put in a good word for her in front of him?

I froze. I… admittedly knew my brother harbored feelings for Shen Qian. Whenever he casually inquired about her preferences, I had occasionally dropped a hint or two. But that… that was fundamentally different from plotting and scheming against this man!

I… I opened my mouth, desperate to construct a defense, but my throat felt completely sealed.

Huo Ren stared down at me, his eyes overflowing with biting mockery.

What? Struck dumb? He pressed forward by another step, trapping me. Or did I strike a nerve?

I did nothing of the sort! Panic spiked through me. I only… I merely spoke without thinking! I had no idea my brother would actually…

Would actually snatch the person I desired right out from under my nose? he finished for me in a voice as cold as glacial ice.

Yes, I had no idea! I yelled back, hot tears finally spilling uncontrollably over my lashes. I knew perfectly well how much you liked Shen Qian; how could I possibly have helped my brother steal her away from you?!

The moment those words left my lips, the entire room plunged into an absolute, suffocating silence. The expression on Huo Ren face seemed to instantly fracture and freeze. He stared at me, his gaze shifting into something unfathomably complex—part shock, part deep, probing scrutiny. As the realization of what I had just blurted out washed over me, my face burst into a scorching, agonizing heat. It was over; in a moment of utter carelessness, I had betrayed my own heart. He now knew that I knew of his affections for Shen Qian. No, that was not even the worst of it. The truly terrifying question was: would my outburst make my position look even more suspicious? Did I sound like some pathetic, lovesick fool consumed by jealousy? I wanted nothing more than to claw a hole in the floorboards and vanish entirely.

Huo Ren remained entirely still for several agonizing seconds, and then a low, gravelly chuckle broke from his lips. There was not a single shred of warmth in the sound, sending a fresh shiver racing down my spine.

Hmph. He exhaled a soft scoff, lifted his hand, and using the back of his uninjured knuckles, gently wiped the wet trail of tears from my cheek. You knew I liked Shen Qian?

His touch was surprisingly delicate, bearing an eerie, haunting gentleness. Yet to me, it felt infinitely more terrifying than when his fingers had crushed my chin.

I… I kept my eyes stubbornly averted, refusing to meet his gaze.

Su Youyun. He murmured my name once more, drawing out the syllables slowly and deliberately. Tell me then, how did you come to know?

How… how could I possibly explain? The look in a person eyes when they are helplessly in love could never truly be concealed. Whenever he looked toward Shen Qian, the light within his gaze differed entirely from the way he regarded anyone else. That distinct hesitation, that yearning laced with a desperate reluctance to overstep—I had seen it all with crystalline clarity. Because… because whenever I stole glances at him, my own eyes undoubtedly held that exact same expression. Yet those were truths I could never, under any circumstances, bring myself to voice.

I… I simply guessed, I stammered out miserably.

Guessed? Huo Ren plainly found that utterly unconvincing as he leaned in yet again, until our noses were practically touching. A mere guess happened to be that precise?