Mad Dog

Chapter 50: Healing – The next second, Jiang Qi hugged her from behind

Jiang Qi had booked an early morning flight to Qinghai, and he arrived around nine o’clock.

However, the location Zhi Qi sent wasn’t in the city but far out in the suburbs on a distant plain. By the time Jiang Qi managed to contact a car and make his way to their base, it was already afternoon.

Today was the last day for Zhi Qi and her study group to stay on the grassland, and there was no need to rush to observe the Tibetan antelope; everyone was packing their bags to return.

Zhi Qi had informed the group leader in advance that she wanted to stay in Qinghai for two more days, so she left a tent set up and hadn’t packed her things, which were still inside. When she received news that Jiang Qi had arrived, she hurriedly ran out of the base to greet him.

It had been almost half a month since they last saw each other. From a distance, seeing Jiang Qi’s tall and slender figure, Zhi Qi couldn’t help but smile and quickly ran over, telling the staff stationed at the entrance of the grassland base, “Please let him in; he’s my friend.”

They were all registered interns, and the staff naturally recognized that students from Lan University had been observing in the area recently. Upon hearing this, they didn’t ask many questions and allowed Jiang Qi to enter.

Once the barrier of the base’s gate was removed, as soon as the young man stepped inside, he wrapped his long and strong arms around the girl’s delicate waist. With a mask on, he leaned down and gently rubbed his face against her soft cheek through the thin fabric.

Zhi Qi noticed that Jiang Qi’s eyes showed no signs of fatigue from his long journey; instead, they were bright and sparkling like jewels.

Still, being affectionate in front of so many people made her feel a bit shy.

Her ears turned red, and she lightly pushed him away, saying, “What are you doing?”

They were still standing at the entrance of the base, surrounded by a group of stationed staff.

Jiang Qi didn’t speak, just gazed at her with his burning eyes.

In fact, the surrounding staff had grown accustomed to such scenes and only smiled in response.

For young people, the inability to control their impulsive feelings was understandable.

However, Zhi Qi was shy and easily embarrassed. She quickly took Jiang Qi’s hand and tried to pull him away, but just as they stepped out of the staff’s line of sight into a secluded corner, she was suddenly pressed against the wall by the young man who had wrapped his arms around her waist—

“Jiang… mm.” Zhi Qi didn’t have a chance to finish her sentence before Jiang Qi sealed her lips with a kiss, leaving her with nothing to say but swallowing back her words.

Since they had confirmed their relationship, such kisses had become a normal occurrence. It was likely that couples often experienced a “physical contact craving.” During their free time, Zhi Qi had often found herself in Jiang Qi’s lap, sharing long kisses.

Sometimes, her lips would end up swollen.

But the boy was always gentle and patient; even a long kiss felt like simmering frogs in warm water.

Yet now, for the first time, Jiang Qi seemed impatient, like the impulsive young man he had been when they first started dating, biting at the girl’s tender lower lip with wild and reckless movements.

Jiang Qi liked to keep his eyes open while kissing, and the possessiveness written in his amber eyes made Zhi Qi’s heart race uncontrollably, making her instinctively want to struggle.

But her waist and arms were firmly held by the young man, rendering her immobile.

There was a strong sense of ‘devilishness’ about Jiang Qi. Even though he had now recovered from his illness, that ingrained quality wouldn’t change.

He was destined not to be a “noble and righteous” sunshine boy but rather a representative of darkness and indifference. If he remained this way even during intimate moments, it made Zhi Qi feel like a lamb beneath the claws of a wolf.

With no reservations, he possessed her freely and recklessly.

Her heart raced, feeling as if it might leap out of her chest, thumping loudly. Zhi Qi could only tilt her head back, obediently responding, her delicate neck beautifully fragile.

After what felt like an eternity, Jiang Qi finally let her go.

“Jiang Qi.” Zhi Qi was nearly out of breath, her face flushed. As the fresh cold air hit her lips, she gasped several times, giving the boy in front of her a reproachful glare: “You almost suffocated me.”

Her lips were so red, contrasting sharply against her fair skin.

The boy looked at her, his eyes darkening slightly, and in a low, cool voice, he said—

“Sorry.”

“I missed you too much.”

……

Was it typical for boys to become sweet talkers after falling in love?

Yet Jiang Qi kept his gaze fixed on her when he spoke, his pupils incredibly serious, which made Zhi Qi lose her temper immediately, swallowing hard in silence.

“Fine, fine then.” She smiled and shook her head: “I really can’t do anything with you.”

As she spoke, Zhi Qi stood on tiptoe and kissed the sharp line of the boy’s jaw, like soothing a child, then helped Jiang Qi readjust his mask.

Jiang Qi’s face was too striking, too attractive, too eye-catching; it was best to keep it covered at all times.

But just exposing his eyes was enough to capture anyone’s soul when they glanced at him.

When Zhi Qi brought Jiang Qi back to the school’s observation base where they had set up their tent, the other students were almost done packing and getting ready to leave.

However, Wu Ying, who had teased Zhi Qi the night before, wanted to see the true face of her “patient” boyfriend, so she skipped over cheerfully.

“Qi Qi.” Wu Ying bounced over and linked her arm with Zhi Qi’s: “Is this your boyfriend?”

She asked, her bright eyes looking at Jiang Qi, but the latter’s cold gaze made her freeze for a moment, suddenly feeling a strange chill in the air.

“Yeah.” Zhi Qi was actually quite afraid of others staring at Jiang Qi. Even though he was wearing a mask, his eyes and physique were too distinct—after all, it had been less than four months since he had retreated from the public eye, and the commotion he had caused was still easy to recognize.

Thinking of this, Zhi Qi deliberately tried to steer Wu Ying away, pointing in the direction of the bus. “Ying Ying, have you loaded your luggage onto the bus?”

“Wow, I would have forgotten if you hadn’t said anything.” Wu Ying was momentarily distracted, but then her attention quickly shifted back to her suitcase. “Right, I need to go. You…”

She paused and gave a teasing laugh, implying something with her tone. “You two have fun.”

Wu Ying, this little “dirty-minded” girl, emphasized the word “fun.”

The implications were obvious to anyone.

Zhi Qi felt a little embarrassed, afraid that Jiang Qi might catch on to what Wu Ying was hinting at. She quickly pushed Wu Ying away, seeing her off to the bus.

When she returned, she rubbed her forehead, feeling exasperated by Wu Ying’s tendency to say whatever was on her mind.

Once all the teachers and students from Lan University had left, the vast grassland base was left with only their small tent, like a little refuge from the storm in the endless expanse. Although it felt a bit “isolated,” sitting together created a dreamy sense of mutual dependence.

Fortunately, the weather in Qinghai in March was fairly warm, and the two of them didn’t feel cold sleeping in their sleeping bags inside the tent.

In this remote place with no village or store nearby, they couldn’t have any “feasts” and could only eat the instant food they had brought along.

“Jiang Qi, did you bring your medicine?” Zhi Qi asked with her mouth full of crackers, her voice muffled. “Remember to take your medicine after eating.”

His hospitalization was just a treatment course; even after being discharged, he needed to take the prescribed medication for emotional control regularly.

Jiang Qi knew the girl was strict with him about this, so he obediently nodded. “I brought it.”

After they finished their simple instant noodle dinner, he took his medicine under Zhi Qi’s supervision.

It got dark quite early in Qinghai; by six or seven o’clock, the sky was already half dark, and by around nine, it was completely black.

The tent’s ceiling was transparent, allowing them to lie inside and gaze up at the starry sky.

—As Zhi Qi had said, the stars here were different from those in Lin Lan. Perhaps it was due to the vastness and lack of urban pollution that made them more abundant and bright.

The night was still a bit chilly, and after sitting outside against a large rock for a while, Zhi Qi felt goosebumps forming on her skin. She wrinkled her nose and unconsciously sneezed.

The next moment, Jiang Qi hugged her from behind.

Though slender, he was tall with a large frame, enveloping her completely.

However, unlike the warm temperatures that other boys might have, Jiang Qi always had a refreshing minty scent surrounding him. When he hugged her, Zhi Qi couldn’t help but shiver slightly.

“Why are your hands so cold?” The girl instinctively frowned, her soft little hand grasping Jiang Qi’s long, slender hand that was around her shoulder, rubbing them together to warm him up.

“It’s a bit chilly,” Zhi Qi mumbled. “Let’s go inside.”

Within a few miles, there was only the two of them and one tent.

Lying in their sleeping bags at night, they could only use the starlight filtering through the tent as a source of light. It was so quiet, with only their breaths mingling in the silence—and outside, the faint chirping of crickets.

The quieter it became, the more Zhi Qi found the once faint cricket sounds irritating.

Though she initially felt cold, after lying there for a long time unable to sleep, she felt increasingly warm, as if her body were on fire.

Not knowing if Jiang Qi had fallen asleep, Zhi Qi knew he was a light sleeper, so she bit her lip and dared not make a sound.

Out of nowhere, memories of Wu Ying’s wild comments from the previous night flashed in her mind: “You two are progressing too slowly,” “That’s an extreme experience,” “That kind of intense mutual affection can’t be resisted,” and so on…

Ahhh, this is really annoying in the middle of the night.

Zhi Qi kept trying to push away those wild thoughts swirling in her mind, feeling as if her body was stiffening like a piece of dead wood. Finally unable to resist, she held her breath and carefully turned over—only to have her delicate wrist grasped by Jiang Qi in the darkness.

“Jiang Qi?” Zhi Qi jumped, her voice stumbling. “You, you’re not asleep?”

“No.” Jiang Qi’s voice was a bit heavy, his breath carrying a hint of pinewood scent drawing closer. “Why is your breathing so rapid? Feeling hot?”

It was so quiet that she could hear every little movement he made clearly.

Jiang Qi could also hear Zhi Qi’s breath quickening for some reason, but he didn’t know why.

“Uh, maybe it’s a bit hot?” Zhi Qi was afraid Jiang Qi would catch onto her messy thoughts, so she instinctively tried to pull away from his grip on her wrist, babbling, “Aren’t you hot?”

In the darkness, Zhi Qi couldn’t see Jiang Qi’s expression, but she could hear him sounding a bit hoarse. “I’m also hot.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhi Qi felt his cool fingers gently caressing her heated earlobe.

She instantly inhaled sharply, her body freezing in place.

“Zhi Qi.” Jiang Qi’s breath grew even closer, until he accurately bit her lip corner in the darkness as if he had x-ray vision.

Dazed, Zhi Qi heard Jiang Qi mumble, “Since we can’t sleep, why don’t we talk?”

Talk… What’s there to talk about at this time?

Zhi Qi thought blankly but responded honestly.

Her cooperation caused the already taut string in Jiang Qi’s mind to snap.

In this secluded, dark place where they were alone, it was easy for many things to unfold—emotion and reason were just a step apart.

Sucking on Zhi Qi’s soft lips and hearing her delicate murmurs, Jiang Qi’s eyes darkened, his long fingers dancing over her like a piano.

Zhi Qi wore a loose shirt, which made his insistent movements easier to execute.

When couples were intimate, boys often couldn’t resist using their hands to explore everywhere.

Jiang Qi had been “restrained” for nearly three months, and now he couldn’t hold back any longer.

Zhi Qi’s shirt rose and fell with Jiang Qi’s movements; she couldn’t help but bite her lip in embarrassment, her ears flushed with a light pink hue.

At the same time, a feeling of indescribable pleasure surged within her.

It was an overwhelming wave of emotions, saturating every cell in her body.

In her hazy state, Zhi Qi found herself curling her pale toes slightly.

“Jiang, Jiang Qi…” The girl was somewhat startled by this sudden “accident,” her voice carrying a hint of a whimper as she said, “I’m a little scared.”

However, her plea sounded soft and almost acted as a catalyst.

Jiang Qi’s eyes grew darker, the inherent devilishness within him stimulated by this intimate scene, making him even bolder.

His grip unconsciously tightened.