Mad Dog

Chapter 46: Healing – Good morning, boyfriend.

This was the first kiss between the two of them. Although they had cherished each other for a long time, they had never crossed any boundaries.

Jiang Qi treated Zhi Qi as if she were a divine being. He had only fantasized about tearing this ‘deity’ down and pulling her beneath him to kiss her. Her lips, her legs… everything made the youthful Jiang Qi, filled with blood and passion a few years ago, feel a surge of impulse.

But today, the fantasy had become reality.

He said he was kissing Zhi Qi, but the force was more like biting, like a hungry wolf cub that had been starved for three days and nights, ambitious enough to want to tear apart the ‘little beast’ he had captured.

Zhi Qi felt her lips sting from his biting; it seemed as if her tongue was being drawn out and devoured. The boy’s hot hand firmly gripped her wrist and waist, and Zhi Qi instinctively responded, her mind a blur.

It turned out that kissing was such an exhilarating thing.

She had always liked the crisp pine scent on Jiang Qi, like the cold air in the depth of winter.

Now, she also carried that scent.

However, their first kiss had gone a bit too far.

In the end, Jiang Qi even lost control, extending the kiss, his thin lips sucking on the girl’s delicate chin and tender neck, leaving red marks on her snow-white skin like dots of red plum blossoms in the cold winter.

Zhi Qi followed his lead, not stopping him, only softly murmuring a gentle “mm” when Jiang Qi went too far, her voice weak and delicate, as if it were filled with a pool of water.

The soft sound of the girl brought Jiang Qi, who was almost on the verge of a complete breakdown, back to reality, just barely.

The boy took a deep breath, suppressing a headache and a certain indescribable urge within him. After a while, he finally lifted his head from Zhi Qi’s neck.

“I’m sorry.” Jiang Qi’s eyes were still a bit red but clearer now. He leaned down and gently kissed Zhi Qi’s swollen lips, his voice hoarse: “I was excessive.”

“It’s, um, okay.”

Zhi Qi’s face flushed deeper. She pushed him away and sat up straight. In truth, she hadn’t expected the boy to be so reckless, but… it was still quite a pleasant experience.

Lost in her thoughts, the girl’s pupils shimmered with moisture when suddenly the boy swept her off her feet.

Zhi Qi was caught off guard and instinctively wrapped her arms around Jiang Qi’s neck, bewildered as she asked, “What are you doing?”

A sudden princess carry? Not even a word of warning?

“It’s too late.” Jiang Qi’s voice still carried a husky tone from kissing the girl, as he carried her toward the bedroom. “You should go to bed. I’ll take you back to school early tomorrow.”

They could no longer be alone in the same space; otherwise, he would eventually lose control.

After placing the girl on the bed in the bedroom, Jiang Qi turned to leave—making sure to close the door tightly behind him. Zhi Qi sat alone on the bed in a daze for a while before she couldn’t help but smile.

The next morning, Zhi Qi woke up at 7:30 sharp, according to her biological clock. She was still wearing Jiang Qi’s pajamas and, with sleep still in her eyes, stepped out of the bedroom to wash up, only to find Jiang Qi preparing breakfast in the kitchen.

The boy’s tall, lean figure was hunched over in the steam rising from the pot.

Zhi Qi thought for a moment, then hugged him from behind, mumbling drowsily, “Good morning, boyfriend.”

As soon as she said that, she felt the back against her face tremble slightly as Jiang Qi chuckled quietly.

As the New Year’s Eve approached, their relationship was officially established.

After the New Year, spring would come, and spring seemed like the time when good things could finally come to pass.

Zhi Qi’s school wouldn’t start its winter break until late January. Her home was local, so she didn’t pack as much as others. Just a simple small box filled with some personal items was all she needed to go home.

However, she didn’t plan to go back directly; she wanted to visit Jiang Qi at the rehabilitation center first.

In the blink of an eye, Jiang Qi had been living in the rehabilitation center for thirty-five days. It was almost a month since they had established their relationship.

Whenever Zhi Qi didn’t have classes or it was a holiday, she would definitely go see her “boyfriend.”

Perhaps it was the pleasant atmosphere of the rehabilitation center, or maybe because he had never experienced such peaceful living, or perhaps it was because of their close bond in the past month, Jiang Qi’s mental state had been quite good recently.

Zhi Qi had asked the doctor last week. He said that after a month of medication and occasional physical hypnosis, along with Jiang Qi’s active cooperation, his condition was improving.

If this continued, he could be discharged after the first treatment period in about two months.

After that, he could slowly control it with medication, remaining calm and stable—after all, mental illness is different from physical illness.

But before Zhi Qi could tell Jiang Qi this good news, school affairs became overwhelming as the end of the semester approached, so she hadn’t been able to visit the fifth hospital these past two days.

Finally, the holidays had arrived, and the young girl was excited to go see him. But midway, her plans were completely disrupted by an unexpected interruption.

As she was dragging her suitcase out of the school gate, she spotted Zhi Yu’s white Audi A8 at the entrance. She had been in this car countless times, so she was more than familiar with it.

Zhi Qi’s brow involuntarily twitched, and she instinctively wanted to crouch down and sneak away in the opposite direction.

However, before she could make a move, Zhi Yu emerged from the car like a cat pouncing on a mouse to “catch” her.

“Why aren’t you coming over when you see the car?” The man strode over and tugged at Zhi Qi’s hoodie, frowning as he scolded her, “Did you have to wait for me to come out and catch you?”

Zhi Qi frowned and muttered softly, “I told you I didn’t need you to pick me up.”

“What did you say?” Zhi Yu didn’t hear clearly. “Speak up, are you meowing?”

“Ugh, you’re so annoying.” Zhi Qi couldn’t help but want to protest, murmuring her defiance, “I don’t want to go home; I still need to… go somewhere else.”

Zhi Yu suddenly slammed the car door shut with a loud bang, making Zhi Qi shiver involuntarily.

“Not going home for the holidays.” Zhi Yu looked at her with a serious expression, his voice cold. “You’re still dragging a suitcase; where do you think you’re going?”

“…”

“Don’t think I can’t guess if you don’t say anything.” Zhi Yu sneered. “You’ve been hanging out with Jiang Qi for the past month, right?”

Zhi Qi looked at him in surprise.

“There were too many things at the end of the year, and I didn’t have time to keep an eye on you before. Now…” Zhi Yu yanked the girl’s suitcase and threw it into the trunk, then “threw” her into the back seat of the car, decisively ordering, “You need to stay at home; don’t go looking for him all the time.”

“You!” Zhi Qi was so angry she couldn’t find the words to respond. Faced with Zhi Yu’s domineering attitude, she could only clumsily argue, “Bro, can you not be so unreasonable? Jiang Qi won’t hurt me.”

“Whether he will hurt you or not, I don’t know.”

Zhi Yu had already started the car, his indifferent expression unwavering. “But you need to listen carefully; I, along with Mom and Dad, won’t allow you to continue contacting him.”

“Well, you can’t control my freedom!” Zhi Qi puffed up her cheeks and said indignantly, “Bro, if you’re so domineering, you’ll have trouble finding a girlfriend!”

“Ha, do I need you, a little brat, to worry about that?” Zhi Yu scoffed, “Just take care of yourself.”

“Fine, I will take care of myself.” Zhi Qi seized the loophole in his words and immediately retorted, “So you don’t have to worry about me anymore.”

“Are you rebelling now?” As they stopped at a red light, Zhi Yu turned back, mercilessly giving Zhi Qi a light smack on the head and frowning as he scolded, “No one can control you? If you’re brave enough, get out of the car right now.”

…

Zhi Qi could tell Zhi Yu was genuinely angry and didn’t dare to say anything, merely pursing her lips in silence.

But the more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt. By the time they reached home, the girl’s fair face was flushed, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. When she got out of the car and was hit by the cold wind, her eyes and nose turned red.

She looked so pitiful and wronged.

Seeing this, Zhi Yu couldn’t help but sigh.

“What are you crying for?” He walked over and rubbed the girl’s face, trying to comfort her gruffly, “Stop crying; I’ll give you some pocket money.”

When Zhi Yu used to bully her into tears as a child, he would typically use this tactic, but it didn’t work this time.

“I don’t want it.” Zhi Qi sniffled and grumbled through her tears, “I’ll just tell Mom that you made me cry when I get home.”

…

Zhi Yu really wanted to give this ‘ungrateful’ little girl a good beating.

The most annoying part was that he still had to be her pack mule.

Once inside, when Mei Ran and Zhi Minglin saw Zhi Qi’s red eyes, as if she had been bullied, they immediately began to shower her with concern. Upon learning that it was Zhi Yu who had scolded her to tears, they quickly turned to reprimand him.

“What’s wrong with you?” Zhi Minglin, leaning against the doorframe, shot Zhi Yu a stern look without losing his authority. “You’re so grown up and still bullying your sister!”

Zhi Yu opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by Zhi Qi’s whimpering.

“Dad, my brother always loves to scold me.” Zhi Qi sniffled, seizing the opportunity to make her request while preventing Zhi Yu from speaking, “Can you not let him control me all the time?”

“Okay, okay, Zhi Qi has grown up.” Mei Ran couldn’t help but laugh, reaching out to ruffle the girl’s nose. “You have your own ideas now; you don’t want your brother to control you anymore, right?”

Zhi Qi nodded repeatedly, “Mm-hmm.”

Zhi Qi’s parents enthusiastically nodded in agreement.

“Good, then we won’t listen to him anymore.”

“Great, I’m the sinner now.” Zhi Yu raised his hands in surrender and shot a glare at Zhi Qi. “Why don’t you ask your precious daughter what she’s been up to lately? Are you afraid I’ll control her?”

Zhi Qi retorted defiantly, “I haven’t done anything! I didn’t break the law or commit any crimes.”

“Indeed, you didn’t break the law.” Zhi Yu scoffed. “You’re just in contact with someone who has broken the law every day.”

Once Zhi Yu finished speaking, Zhi Minglin and Mei Ran immediately understood what he meant. They frowned and looked at Zhi Qi. “Zhi Qi, is your brother saying that… you’ve been in touch with Jiang Qi again?”

Sure enough, the moment Jiang Qi was mentioned, the previously warm and cozy atmosphere in the room dropped several degrees.

It seemed that Jiang Qi was always viewed as a wicked person by others, but when it came to the ‘breaking the law’ matter, Zhi Qi wouldn’t allow anyone to place the blame on him after learning the truth.

Thus, the girl lifted her head and looked directly at the others without avoiding their gaze, slowly shaking her head. “No.”

“Jiang Qi hasn’t done anything illegal.”