"If I told you this is the real me, would you still want to be in a relationship with me?"
Qiu Yu's breath caught.
Cars passed occasionally through the underground parking garage. Their low beams shimmered across the windows like ripples of water, briefly casting light into the darkened car.
But in that fleeting light, Chen Ce Bai's face looked even more shadowed, inscrutable.
He wasn't lying. There was something truly frightening growing wild in his gaze.
Qiu Yu could feel her heart pounding.
Not from fear—this wasn't panic. It was a dizzying kind of ache, a tingling that flooded half her body with a numbing rush.
…She liked this version of Chen Ce Bai.
No. She had always liked him.
Back when he wore long coats, shirts buttoned to the top, with that cold, ascetic, untouchable air—she liked him then, too.
But now, when his face was hazy in the dim light, and his gaze sharp and domineering—she liked him even more.
She liked every side of him.
She couldn't even tell anymore whether he fit her desires… or if her desires had started growing in his direction.
Then she watched Chen Ce Bai roll down the driver's side window, switch on the fresh air system, and take out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from the glove compartment. He placed one between his lips, lit it, and took a long drag.
Afterward, he stretched his hand out the window and turned his head to exhale the smoke.
Qiu Yu froze. It was the first time she had ever seen Chen Ce Bai smoke.
In her mind, he had always been a model of extreme self-discipline—a man with terrifying control over himself. Except for that one time, even during sex, he always timed things perfectly, never pushing her past discomfort.
They'd been together for three years. He never touched cigarettes or alcohol, never stayed up late or slept in.
But now, right in front of her, in such a confined space, he was chain-smoking.
Even Qiu Yu, as emotionally dense as she could be, sensed it—he was losing control.
His emotions were spiraling to the point where he couldn't regulate his own actions anymore.
After a moment's hesitation, Qiu Yu reached out and held his free hand.
Chen Ce Bai froze and turned to look at her. The cigarette still hung from his lips. He didn't take it out. His face was expressionless, but there was a reckless indifference in his eyes.
As if he was already certain she would reject him, so nothing else mattered anymore.
Politeness, reason, control—
All of it had gone up in smoke.
Qiu Yu asked softly, "When did you start smoking?"
"Does it matter?"
"I think it does," she said. "It feels like I've never really known you."
Chen Ce Bai turned away, removed the cigarette, exhaled slowly. "I'm not addicted. But if I don't keep something in my mouth… I'll want to bite you."
"…Huh?" Qiu Yu blinked, then leaned in close to him, wrapping her arms around his neck, nuzzling her cheek against his cold jawline. "Then bite me."
But Chen Ce Bai gripped her jaw and moved her face away.
Ever since he started to lose control, his behavior had become harder and harder to predict.
Qiu Yu could only speak her mind, hoping her honesty might help unravel this dangerous riddle.
"You asked me a question. Don't you want to hear my answer?"
Chen Ce Bai glanced at her and flicked his cigarette ash, his eyes clearly saying: Do you even need to ask?
Qiu Yu felt his gaze like a pinprick in her chest. She couldn't help but lift her hand and cover his eyes.
Chen Ce Bai closed his eyes for a moment. His lashes brushed against her palm twice before he reached up to grab her wrist.
"Don't move," Qiu Yu warned. "Or I won't date you."
She didn't think he'd take it seriously—but to her surprise, he actually stopped.
Qiu Yu let out a soft laugh.
Chen Ce Bai "looked" at her—though his eyes were covered, she could feel it. That strange sense of being seen.
She imagined his gaze tracing the curve of her smiling lips like it had weight, like it left heat in its wake.
Maybe it was just her imagination—but she didn't question it too hard.
"Chen Ce Bai," she murmured, "I've liked you for a long time."
She nestled her chin on his shoulder like a clingy kitten. "But I was scared you wouldn't like me back, so I never told you."
Only then did it strike her—he'd never actually said he liked her.
All he'd done was say a few crazy things and then bite her like some feral dog.
Chen Ce Bai's breath, cold and sharp, grazed against the pulse in her neck. "Keep going."
"…I can't," Qiu Yu mumbled. "I don't even know if you like me."
Chen Ce Bai said nothing.
Like—what a shallow word for what he felt for her.
But he couldn't call it love, either.
Not because his feelings weren't deep enough, but because love implied protection and sacrifice—and when love got too deep, those turned into something warped.
Too much protectiveness became twisted possessiveness.
The urge to give everything became a demand that she live off nothing but what he gave her.
What he felt had long since curdled into a terrifying poison.
And now, she was asking for that poison like it was honey.
Chen Ce Bai took another drag from his cigarette.
With her hands still covering his eyes, he moved smoothly, unbothered, and turned his head to exhale. The smoke, the sharp bridge of his nose, and the clean lines of his jaw created a scene almost painfully intense.
Qiu Yu's heart itched at the sight. She couldn't help using a teasing tone.
"I asked you a question," she whispered.
Chen Ce Bai was going to deny it. But after a few seconds of silence, he replied in a cool, flat voice:
"What do you think?"
"I think you like me," she answered, beaming. She leaned in to kiss his cheek. "Be with me, okay? You have no idea how much I like you."
Maybe it was because she'd been spoiled growing up—she knew exactly when to push, when to act coy, how to tilt her tone just right to make his emotions fall apart.
He had built so many walls for himself, but she only had to take one step forward—and all his defenses would collapse.
Chen Ce Bai stubbed out the cigarette.
After a moment, he tossed the unfinished stick into the door compartment. Then he yanked her hand from his eyes, gripped her jaw, and kissed her hard—burning with smoke and something fierce and reckless.
Qiu Yu's eyes widened.
But the kiss was calm.
Not forced calm—no. It was the calm of someone who had made peace with his desire.
He'd already done his best to suppress the hunting instinct.
But the prey had walked willingly into his trap.
And whispered that she'd wanted him all along.
It was like an invitation to sink his teeth into her throat.
Chen Ce Bai stared at her—calm, but with something wild and dangerous barely hidden beneath.
Qiu Yu shivered.
That wasn't her imagination the other day, was it?
She'd told herself he couldn't possibly look at her with such greed, such feverish obsession, and dismissed it as a trick of the light.
But it wasn't.
He had already fallen for her—fiercely, wildly—before she even knew she was the kind of person who wanted that kind of love.
Her chest ached.
A sweet, swelling ache.
She couldn't help but lick his lower lip, mumbling against his mouth, "You still haven't answered me. Do you like me… or not?"
The moment she realized she was truly loved, Qiu Yu's natural streak of spoiled indulgence flared to its fullest. She no longer cared about Chen Ce Bai's cold expression—acted as if it didn't exist.
He was clearly the one making the move, advancing, hunting her, kissing her with forceful hunger—yet for some reason, he suddenly felt cornered, like he had nowhere to retreat.
So who had walked into whose trap?
Was she the prey… or was he?
Chen Ce Bai stared straight into Qiu Yu's eyes, unwavering. Then, after a beat, lips brushing hers, he whispered,
"I love you."
Qiu Yu felt her heart jolt.
His voice was low and cold, with a strange metallic resonance—magnetic and dark. The moment the sound touched her eardrum, it shot straight up into her skull, sending an electric shiver through her entire body.
He seemed to sense the effect his words had on her. Watching her closely, he said it again.
"I love you."
The shiver reached her toes, and Qiu Yu instinctively curled them.
"I love you, Qiu Yu."
His gaze was searingly clear—direct, unflinching. But Qiu Yu felt not one, but two sets of eyes on her.
—The Watcher was still watching.
That gaze, just like Chen Ce Bai's: sharp, direct, unwavering.
Two shadows overlapped in her mind—two pairs of eyes, perfectly aligned, both staring at her, both outlining her shape with silent intent.
Qiu Yu shivered. A chill swept through her, pulling her back into reality.
No. It was only Chen Ce Bai.
The Watcher's gaze had vanished.
But the memory of being watched, that deep, visceral fear, still lingered. She clutched the front of Chen Ce Bai's shirt and murmured,
"…There's something I need to tell you."
Chen Ce Bai pulled back just slightly, Adam's apple shifting as he swallowed what was unmistakably her saliva. "Go ahead."
The dim cabin lighting hid the strained veins in his forehead, the twisted, glassy look in his eyes.
"…I think someone's been watching me," Qiu Yu said. She hadn't seen the obsessive way Chen Ce Bai had just swallowed, but she heard it. The sound alone made her ears burn.
"I don't know how he's doing it, or what kind of tech he's using—but I can feel it. Like he's always watching… Even just now…"
Another car passed.
Its low beams flashed through the darkness like lightning, illuminating the car's interior for just a second.
And in that second, Qiu Yu saw Chen Ce Bai's face—completely devoid of emotion. Blank. Expressionless. Almost frightening in its stillness.
"Don't be mad," she said quickly, kissing his cheek. "He hasn't done anything dangerous yet—just watching. And besides… you're here, right? You're amazing. You'll catch him in no time, won't you?"
Darkness returned to the car.
A few seconds passed. Then Chen Ce Bai reached out, cradled the back of her head, and kissed her again.
He kissed her slowly. As if deep in thought.
In the dark, the faint wet sounds were sharp, almost too clear.
Chen Ce Bai wasn't skilled at kissing—his technique was raw, animalistic. Like a beast feeding. Every now and then, he let out a low, unmistakable gulp.
But it was that same primal, almost brutish way he kissed her that left her helpless to resist.
Over ten minutes passed. Just as Qiu Yu's cheeks began to flush with a breathless heat, he finally asked in a low murmur by her ear:
"Are you afraid of him?"
Qiu Yu froze. "Of course I am."
Chen Ce Bai was silent for several seconds. Then, like someone inhaling the scent of a cigarette, he leaned down and took a deep, deliberate breath against her neck.
Finally, he straightened up. Turned on the dome light.
From the storage compartment, he pulled out a cleaning wipe and carefully cleaned his glasses, then slid them back onto his face.
Maybe it was because of that wild kiss—but something about him now, wearing those glasses again, made Qiu Yu feel like he looked even more like a devil in disguise. Refined on the outside, feral underneath.
She didn't think too hard about it. Just blamed it on her own twisted little kinks.
Then Chen Ce Bai started the car.
The windows rolled up. The space became tight again, sealed in warmth under the glow of the amber light—a cozy, suffocating cage.
Chen Ce Bai turned the steering wheel slightly, guiding the car back toward the surface.
"Don't be afraid," he said calmly. "I'll help you find him."
He didn't look at her, eyes fixed on the road. But from the Watcher's imaginary vantage, he saw her smile—completely unguarded.
"Okay," she said softly.