Cheng Mo's grip tightened.
Not just enough to pull Li Shen away—
enough to warn him.
"Let go," he said, voice low.
Controlled.
But the control was thinning.
Li Shen didn't.
If anything, his fingers pressed more firmly around my wrist—like he wanted Cheng Mo to react.
"Or what?" he murmured, tilting his head slightly. "You'll do it again?"
The air froze.
That one line—
sharp, deliberate—
cut deeper than anything before.
Cheng Mo's eyes darkened.
For a split second, something dangerous flickered through them.
Not guilt.
Not hesitation.
Something colder.
"You really don't learn," Cheng Mo said quietly.
And then—
he moved.
Fast.
His hand twisted, forcing Li Shen's grip to break as he pulled me behind him in one swift motion. My back hit his chest, his arm coming around me—not gently this time.
Protective.
Possessive.
A line drawn.
Li Shen staggered half a step back, more from surprise than force.
But then he laughed.
Actually laughed.
"You see that?" he said, voice edged with something almost unhinged. "That right there—that's exactly what I mean."
His gaze locked onto me again, burning.
"He doesn't protect you," Li Shen continued. "He cages you."
My breath caught.
Cheng Mo didn't even flinch.
"Better than abandoning him when he needed someone," he shot back.
That hit.Hard.
Li Shen's smile disappeared instantly.
The shift was terrifying.
His jaw clenched, eyes flashing—no, burning now.
"Careful," he said, stepping forward again. "You don't get to rewrite this."
"And you don't get to pretend you care," Cheng Mo snapped, his calm finally cracking.
The room felt too small.
Too tight for both of them.
For all of this.
Then suddenly—
Li Shen stopped.
Completely.
His gaze dropped—to where Cheng Mo's arm was still wrapped around me.
And something in his expression…
broke.
Not loudly.
Not dramatically.
Just enough to make it worse.
"…You're really staying there," he said softly.
Not to Cheng Mo.
To me.
And this time—
there was no anger in it.
Just something raw.
Something that made my chest ache in a way I didn't expect.
But before I could say anything—
he looked up again.
And whatever softness had slipped through—
was gone.
Replaced with something far more dangerous.
"Alright," Li Shen whispered.
A beat.
Then, with a faint, chilling smile—
"Let's see how long that lasts."