Chapter 43: Your Woman

Gu Mingzhu was pulled down from the gambling table and found herself trapped in his embrace. Through the thin fabric of their clothes, she could feel the warmth of his chest.

Her eyelashes trembled, and her voice was shaky, "Yan Jingcheng..."

A dagger appeared in Yan Jingcheng's hand, the tip slowly gliding between Gu Mingzhu's fingers.

Tears welled up in Gu Mingzhu's eyes; she was genuinely frightened.

Yan Jingcheng's lips brushed against her ear, his voice husky, "Have you decided?"

Gu Mingzhu struggled to free her hand from his grip, the skin on her wrist sore from the friction, yet her hand remained firmly pressed on the table by him.

With teary eyes and a quivering voice, she said, "Even if I'm your woman, having one less hand is not attractive. People would laugh at you for losing face..."

Her voice was hoarse, filled with urgency and grievance. Her eyelashes were moist, her nose red, making her seem exceptionally delicate.

Yan Jingcheng smirked, "If it's not attractive, I'll find another one. There are plenty of women in the world."

With misty eyes, Gu Mingzhu exclaimed, "No, you... this is barbaric! You can't just disown me like that!"

"Is that so?" Yan Jingcheng's voice was calm, curious to see what excuses she would come up with.

Gu Mingzhu's eyelashes quivered as she stared at the dagger tip hovering over her hand, fearing that a slight tremor from him would pin her hand to the table.

"I'm not like other women. I'm obedient, understanding, not clingy, and I genuinely love you. Everyone knows it!"

Yan Jingcheng withdrew his hand slowly, tossing the dagger onto the table and gripping her chin, "Remember what you said today."

However, her misty eyes didn't understand what he meant.

"Keep this hand with you for now. If I'm not pleased someday, I might take it."

With that, Yan Jingcheng finally released her.

Coming to her senses, Gu Mingzhu realized she was covered in cold sweat.

She looked at him with teary eyes, silently. A layer of mist coated her eyes, as if she was on the verge of tears.

But her tears never fell. Instead, her cold, beautiful eyes were filled with resentment and unwillingness, as if she was plotting a way to turn the tables.

Yan Jingcheng's lips curled up, silently observing her with his deep, dark eyes.

For a moment, their eyes met, and neither spoke.

Finally, Gu Mingzhu suppressed her dissatisfaction and pouted, "You ruined my dress..."

Yan Jingcheng squinted, his gaze sweeping over her bare shoulders, his throat tightening.

Not expecting him to be kind, Gu Mingzhu tried to adjust her torn dress and looked for Xu Xinghe's jacket to wear.

Observing her actions, Yan Jingcheng furrowed his brows.

As Gu Mingzhu picked up Xu Xinghe's jacket from the ground, she felt it draped over her shoulders. Before she could put it on, Yan Jingcheng had already covered her.

She paused, glancing at him with a slight pout, clearly reluctant.

Ignoring her, Yan Jingcheng lit a cigarette, pulled her closer, and meticulously buttoned up the jacket for her.

Gu Mingzhu didn't resist, letting him adjust her, appearing obedient.

Yet, Yan Jingcheng knew without looking that she was still plotting something in her heart.