Thirteen

"Let go!" Lee Qiang pleaded as her grip tightened on him.

"This is a warning, Lee Qiang. Do not ever disrespect me. If you want to disrespect me and this union, you must do it far away from my knowledge."

Lee Qiang groaned as she let him go. He hunched over with his hands pressed against his chest, cradling his hurting hand. Li Yuxi silently watched him while feeling a flow of satisfaction from seeing him in pain.

"You will pay for this behavior, Li Yuxi." He threatened as he straightened his posture. "Also, what I do with my life isn't your business. I do not love you, or owe any form of marital loyalty to a woman like you."

Li Yuxi became ashamed as she knew Zhao Ling was also experiencing what she usually went through. She wanted to walk away from Lee Qiang but found it hard to, making her believe that Zhao Ling wasn't allowing her to leave.

"Besides, Wang Lifen is a better woman than you'll ever be. She respects me, submits to me when I want her to, and pays attention to me. The best out of it all? She satisfies me in bed."

Li Yuxi clenched her hands as a burst of anger filled her heart. The anger was unlike anything she had ever felt and she suspected it was all from Zhao Ling and hers mixed. Ignoring the anger, she glared heatedly at Lee Qiang who had a look of disgust on his face.

"Wang Lifen is a proper woman. Are you beautiful? Are you as influential as her? Even though she works hard, she makes sure to make me feel loved."

You must give me the go-ahead to end his life. Li Yuxi stilled at the sound of Zhao Ling's voice echoing in her head. She blinked rapidly and shook her head.

"If she pleases you so much, why don't you end this marriage?" Li Yuxi asked, but from Zhao Ling's control.

Lee Qiang smirked. "I wish I could but you know the reason why. Now, get into that kitchen and make me something to eat."

Li Yuxi watched as her husband walked away with shoulders high in pride until he climbed the steps and disappeared around the corner. She looked away and thought back to what he had said a few seconds ago. Feeling too congested, she walked to the front door, yanked it open, and walked out into the cold night.

She rushed away from the house and hunched over with her hands resting on her knees. She started to cry through the burning rage in her heart until she saw Zhao Ling's feet. She stopped crying and straightened up then wiped her tears.

"Thank you for helping me," she said and sniffed.

"Is this how you are treated every day?" Zhao Ling asked and Li Yuxi looked at him. A deep scowl was on his face. "What type of marriage is this?"

Li Yuxi was not in the mood to reveal her life story to the ghost. Just thinking about everything concerning her marriage with Lee Qiang always left her sad and depressed.

"I don't want to talk about it," she said and sighed, then took a step closer to Zhao Ling. "Thank you so much for helping me tonight. I don't know what would have happened if you weren't here."

Zhao Ling nodded curtly. "We both made a deal but after seeing how much of a crude fellow he is, I will make things clear from now onward."

Li Yuxi owlishly blinked and furrowed her eyebrows at how serious he sounded. His eyes were hardened and glued to her face and from her peripheral, she noticed the red sash beginning to glow a dull red. So many things about the man and the mystery surrounding his powers intrigued her.

"I, Zhao Ling, shall promise to protect you against your husband. Not only your husband but against any harm any mortal may bring to you. From this day on, you are my priority."

Li Yuxi swallowed down the bile that formed in her throat at the passion in his words and the angry glaze in his eyes. Her heart pounded fast at the intensity of his actions as no one had done or said such to her before. It made her feel elevated and good about herself.

When Zhao Ling leaned toward her, she gasped and stiffened. His cold hand wrapped around her right wrist, the same wrist where he had marked her. She looked at their hands when he raised it a little then back at his face.

"I will kill or destroy anyone or anything that dares to harm you. As long as I marked you, nothing will happen to you," Zhao Ling swore.

Li Yuxi's body warmed up followed by a fluttering feeling in her stomach. His words affected her. The type of effects that only a romantic partner can initiate.

"Zhao Ling," she whispered his name in awe.

"After seeing what your husband is capable of doing, do you not think it is wise for you to dissolve your marriage with him?" He asked, pulling Li Yuxi back to reality.

She took her hand out of his and turned away from him to hide her face. She chewed on her bottom lip at the anxious feeling she had from his question. She side-eyed him when he stood beside her before turning back to look at him.

"Things are complicated. Leaving Lee Qiang has always been my mission but the things surrounding our marriage are more than just a casual walk out of a situation. Zhao Ling, I appreciate your need to help but I think protecting me is enough."

Zhao Ling scoffed. "I am sorry but I cannot do that."

Li Yuxi waited for his further explanation after he stayed silent momentarily. He had a thinking look on his face before smirking.

"If you cannot dissolve the marriage from your end," he said and ran his eyes up and down her body.

The movement of his eyes made her shiver a bit and take a step back. Her face flushed when he eyed her body again before staring into her eyes.

"I will make your husband run mad until he decides to walk out of the marriage, whether there is no way or not. But… I will have to make your body mine."

Li Yuxi blushed and looked away after hearing what he said. Because she could not tell the context of the word he used, she envisioned him having his way with her in the most sensual way ever. She blushed harder when she met his eyes.

"You are such a perverted little mortal," Zhao Ling whispered and came closer, leaning toward her face. "I can see your husband has never pleased you. Hmm, what a man he is."

Li Yuxi felt a warm sensation between her legs and had the urge to press her thighs together. She could not remember the last time she had felt turned on and today surprised her, especially when it was ignited by a ghost.

Zhao Ling chuckled. "I can feel your excitement. I told you, I am not interested in you. All I meant was that I will possess your body as I did and teach your demented husband a lesson."

Li Yuxi deflated and became ashamed as he explained. She touched the tip of her long hair and nodded frantically in understanding.

"Good," Zhao Ling said and sighed. "When are you going to let me eat?"

Li Yuxi paled. "I… I… can I…"

"I need to feed before tomorrow."

Li Yuxi bit her lip and scrunched her face out of feeling anxious. She glanced at Zhao Ling and looked away afterward.

"I… Fine. I will let you feed on me. But… I don't know much about the whole thing."

"Just prepare yourself tonight. Wait for me in your quarters. Be sure to consume enough food because you may end up feeling weak as this will be your first time with me."

Li Yuxi couldn't help but sexualize his sentence and feel turned on once again. She could not blame herself. The man was the most good-looking man she'd ever seen and had a dirty tongue. At the same time, she blamed herself as she was starved sexually.

"Go and prepare yourself for me. I will wait for you at midnight," Zhao Ling said and disappeared.

Li Yuxi cupped her cheeks while her eyes were wide in shock.

"Why am I feeling this way toward a ghost? What has gotten into me?"

‡‡‡

By midnight, Li Yuxi had taken a shower and changed into one of her nightgowns with thin straps underneath a long silk robe. She was pacing around the room, trying to steady her beating heart and flow of emotions.

"I can do this. He's probably not going to do anything except maybe bite me like before or… ugh, the suspense is killing me and it's not fair how he didn't tell me what to expect. Stupid ghost."

Li Yuxi stomped her foot and pouted. She stared at the wall for some seconds before retreating to her bed. She exhaled and sat on it then looked around the room.

"You can come in or appear to me now," she said and waited for five seconds before he appeared right in front of her, making her crane her head back.

There was something dark and domineering around him this time as he towered over her. Slowly, he bent to her position, which had her holding her breath as his face stayed dangerously close to hers.

"I am going to enjoy tonight and so will you."