Absolute Monarch

Zhao Lifei followed Yang Ruqin down the halls and to a different section where another group of bodyguards was standing in front of a door. 

'Geez, these bodyguard organizations must be rolling in money at the number of people who are hiring them,' Zhao Lifei thought.

When the men saw Yang Ruqin, they let her through. They were trained professionals who didn't spare Zhao Lifei a glance. Instead, they kept their eyes forward for any mishaps.

The minute the door opened, the wind of Antarctica must've blown through because Zhao Lifei shivered on contact and her questioning gaze landed upon an incredibly handsome, but daunting man.

His eyes were fierce, their color darker than ink and the night itself. The aura he exuded was chilly, dark, and terrifying. Despite his intimidating vibe, he was breathtakingly handsome with thin lips, a tall nose, and a jawline so sharp, it could probably cut through glass.

Zhao Lifei was not prepared to face such a deadly and overbearing presence.

Her throat ran dry.

She finally understood why so many women threw themselves at his feet. With a face and aura like that, who wouldn't?

"Ugh, brother, why the bad temper?" Yang Ruqin sighed, placing down her purse.

He scowled, his eyes blazing with annoyance. "Maybe it's because of these damn handcuffs."

Zhao Lifei was surprised to hear his voice wasn't rough or ferocious. Instead, it was deep and smooth, like the finest milk chocolate.

Standing by the doorway, Zhao Lifei was unsure of whether she wanted to enter the room or not. The man was much scarier in person. Despite the fire that burned in his eyes, his face was impossibly calm.

She thought to herself, 'Is this what people mean when they talk about the calm before the storm?'

"If I didn't have you handcuffed, you would leave this room. Then your body won't get better..." Yang Ruqin trailed off when Yang Feng threw her a soul-piercing glare. Even though she had known him for all her life, his brooding stares still terrified her.

"I'm perfectly fine. I don't need additional treatment." Yang Feng stubbornly replied, his lips pulling to an unpleasant line.

Yang Ruqin faltered at his stare and voice.

"Unlock the handcuffs." His fierce voice was so commanding, it took every fiber within Yang Ruqin to reject his request.

"No." Yang Ruqin stubbornly rejected his request, placing her hand on her hips.

With a simple word, the atmosphere turned colder. Yang Feng's frosty eyes dropped the temperature around him, sending a chill down Zhao Lifei's spine.

"It wasn't a suggestion." His voice became so dark, Yang Ruqin was forced to take a step forward.

Sensing her friend's obvious reluctance towards her absolute monarch of a brother, Zhao Lifei came to Yang Ruqin's aid. "Don't be so rude, she's only looking out for you."

Yang Feng's eyes shifted to Zhao Lifei. He wasn't surprised by her presence; in fact, he was expecting her.

Zhao Lifei: the ex-fiancee of Zheng Tianyi, the best friend of his pampered little sister… Yang Feng knew of her background. He always investigated Yang Ruqin's friends in order to ensure none of them had a criminal or harmful background.

He expected Zhao Lifei to hang around his little sister, but he didn't expect her dripping charisma and daring-temper. Was she always like this? Why was she not scared of him?

Sure, this woman was beautiful beyond words. Unlike most women her age, she didn't dress scandalously or brattily. Instead, she was well-dressed in professional attire that screamed an independent vibe. Yang Feng nearly questioned why Zheng Tianyi left this Zhao Lifei for a woman of a significantly lower class.

Zhao Lifei didn't squirm under his scrutinizing glares. She was all too familiar with those type of looks. Her skin was long hardened by the envy-filled glances of other socialites.

"I didn't invite you into this conversation, get out." His voice was cold and ruthless, cutting everything it touched.

Zhao Lifei narrowed her eyes and placed her hands on her hips. "Well then, I'm inviting myself into this conversation."

Yang Feng let out a humorless chuckle. "What gives you the qualifications to enter this conversation?"

Zhao Lifei felt her lips pull into a scowl. "I donated a lot of blood just to save your life. I think I should have a voice of reason in this conversation."

Yang Feng was taken back by the new information before him. "You're the blood donor?"

"Yeah I am, why else would I be here for?" Zhao Lifei crossed her arms. "I nearly fainted when I donated blood for you. How can you repay me with wanting to waste all of my hard efforts of staying awake?" Okay, she lied about the last part. But, she needed something to guilt-trip him with.

Yang Feng instantly misunderstood her words. She wanted something in return for saving his life… Of course, what else could he have expected?

He thought he was foolish for thinking she might've been different from the rest of the women that hung around Yang Ruqin. But alas, she was just another fly with ulterior motives.

"Fine, you want repayment? Ruqin, pass me my checkbook." Yang Feng humorlessly ordered, his voice thick with annoyance.

Yang Ruqin blinked in surprise. She didn't expect her brother to always carry a checkbook around. Curious to see if he was telling the truth, she walked to his suit and took out a leather checkbook.

"Wow brother, you actually bring this around!" Yang Ruqin was astonished at the presence of the book. She didn't think he would actually have this! What type of Korean drama cliché was this?

Zhao Lifei felt her patience run thin when he grabbed the book, flipped it open, and signed his name at the bottom of the first page. He ripped the slip and handed it to her.

"Since you want money so badly, write as many zeros as you'd like." His voice was laced with disgust.

Zhao Lifei scowled at the backhanded insult. He didn't even look at her as he passed the slip to her, insinuating as if she was some sort of prostitute or a gold-digging woman with no morals.

Who did he think he was?

She saved his life and this was how he was going to repay her? By hinting, she was a woman after his money?

Zhao Lifei nearly scoffed at his pretentious behavior. She roughly snatched the small paper from his hand and grabbed the pen.

Yang Feng felt his expectations and impressions for Zhao Lifei drop lower than ever. He couldn't believe his younger sister's judgment of people was so poor that she was willing to become best friends with this type of woman.

He watches her write down at least seven zeros. When she placed her pen down, he opened his mouth, "Now get out—"

Zhao Lifei took him by surprise when she suddenly ripped the paper into shreds.

"What are you doing?"

SWOOSH!

Zhao Lifei threw the pieces of the paper into his face, the tiny white shreds blowing onto his honey-colored skin.

At the disrespectful gesture, the room went quiet. The room was filled with deafening silence. The temperature dropped so low in the room, Yang Ruqin shivered in fear. She glanced at the thermometer and was surprised to see it was room-temperature, despite the chilly atmosphere.

Why did it feel like the wind of Antarctica had entered through the windows? The air around her brother was so cold, she was surprised the walls didn't develop icicles and the glass windows didn't freeze over!

The look that Yang Feng gave Zhao Lifei was so bone-chilling, even Yang Ruqin took a step back.

"You must have a lot of courage to do that. " His voice was so thick with restraint anger, Yang Ruqin nearly ran out of the door in fear.

But Zhao Lifei was used to these type of men who thought their daunting stares and threats could make a woman run for their life.

Having toughened her skin from all of the times Zheng Tianyi threatened and glared at her, Zhao Lifei was desensitized by this common behavior. Sure, this man did it better than Zheng Tianyi, but she didn't care.

Zhao Lifei ignored the warning bells in her head and the obvious red flags that waved in the air.

Yang Feng took in a deep, calming breath. He told himself he didn't need to lose his control for a simple and lowly woman like her.

"You're a crazy woman—" His voice died off at the completely unexpected turn of events. Never in a billion years would he had ever expected the next scene that was unfolded.

Zhao Lifei had grabbed her purse, opened it, and then threw hundreds, if not thousands, of bills at him. The magnificent color caught the light and with the amount that she threw at him, it was like the room was raining with money-confetti.

The bills rained onto Yang Feng, dropping onto him and his bed. It made him look like a common male-escort that rich cougars [1] threw their money at.

"Oooooh, how the tables have turned..." Yang Ruqin quietly whispered under her breath.

"I don't need your money, you pretentious bastard!" Zhao Lifei snarled at him before storming out of the hospital room.