Dangerous Liaisons - Chapter 22

The cave was no more than a hundred square meters in total. Even if she wanted to escape him, where could she go? Besides, he was injured. After struggling with herself for a while, Chu Yu finally went upstairs to check on him. To her surprise, Lu Zimo was still lying in the chair in the same position, his eyes closed as if he were asleep.

Bayu had brought some food. The cave was well-ventilated and had decent lighting, so it didn’t feel stuffy. Moreover, he had a lot of books here, mostly on military topics, but they were better than nothing for passing the time.

Compared to the scorching heat outside, the cave was relatively cool. The cave had been specially designed, with pipes embedded in the mountain to draw spring water, which could be used for drinking, flushing the toilet, and washing. The bathroom on the second floor even had a flush toilet. It seemed that no matter where civilized humans went, they would leave traces of modern life.

Chu Yu washed her hands with the spring water. The water flowing directly from the mountain was icy cold. She glanced back at Lu Zimo, thought for a moment, then filled a copper kettle with water and carried it to the brazier on the second floor. The iron brazier was deeply embedded in the wall. It hadn’t been used in a long time, and the iron bars were covered in a thick layer of black oil and white ash. Chu Yu used a pair of tongs to stir the ashes, finding some charcoal buried inside.

She didn’t need to build a big fire, just enough to warm the water. As she busied herself with this, Lu Zimo opened his eyes and watched her. Finally, he couldn’t help but speak up, “Hey.”

Chu Yu looked up, startled, “You’re awake?”

“Yeah,” Lu Zimo’s tone was indifferent, “What are you doing?”

“I wanted to heat some water,” Chu Yu put down the copper kettle and looked at Lu Zimo, “Do you have a lighter?”

“The brazier’s vent is clogged with ash from winter. It hasn’t been cleared yet, so it’s unusable.”

After saying this, Lu Zimo closed his eyes again, as if exhausted. Chu Yu went downstairs and brought up the food Bayu had delivered, “Eat something. Bayu brought it.”

Lu Zimo didn’t open his eyes, just shook his head quietly. Chu Yu turned to leave but was unexpectedly caught by the wrist. He still had his eyes closed, “Stay with me for a while.”

Chu Yu stood there for a moment, then finally sat down as he wished. He held her hand tightly, not letting go. Chu Yu tried to pull away, but Lu Zimo tightened his grip, so she gave up
.
This seemed to be the first time since she had known him that she had the chance to look at him so closely. Sunlight danced in the upper space of the cave. Beams of light were filled with tiny white particles, floating in the air. Some drifted down onto his hair, eyebrows, and lips.

Looking at him this closely, she noticed he looked somewhat haggard. Under his long eyelashes, there were faint dark circles. His skin had a bronze tone. Last night, he had spoken so casually about his experiences, but she had no idea what he had really been through. He hadn’t even had time to clean himself up. His body was covered in dust, sweat, and dried blood.

“Did you crawl out of the mud? Why are you so dirty?”

The splattered bloodstains were remnants of the moment he had taken someone’s life. Only at extremely close range, with great force, could such splatters remain on his jacket, carrying the speed and power of the impact.

“Help me clean up.”

Lu Zimo spoke softly. Chu Yu stood up, and this time he didn’t stop her. His hand tightened slightly on her wrist, then let go.

Chu Yu filled a basin with water from the copper kettle, soaked a towel, and wrung it out until it was damp. She looked up and saw him watching her with that calm yet restrained gaze. Chu Yu forced a smile, “The water’s cold. Bear with it.”

As the towel touched his skin, she felt his body tense noticeably. She looked up at him, but his expression remained unchanged. He tilted his head slightly, avoiding her gaze.

The towel moved along the lines of his body. The cold water made him shiver, but occasionally, when her fingers accidentally brushed against his skin, it sent a wave of heat through him. Chu Yu began to regret her meddling. Her hands were trembling visibly. His body heat was so intense at this close distance that the air around them seemed to turn into a wave of warmth, enveloping her and making her feel feverish.

His lips—were they like this? Thin and tightly pressed, pale from blood loss. When he kissed her, there was always an air of irresistible dominance. His arms—were they like this? Long and muscular, hiding a wild strength. They had once held her tightly in an embrace.

And his fingers. They were bony and distinct. They had once lingered on her body, drawing out a deep, seductive pleasure from places she hadn’t even known existed. Now those hands were clenched into fists, resting calmly at his sides.

“Enough.”

Lu Zimo spoke, grabbing her hand firmly. Chu Yu was forced to meet his gaze. Beneath the surface calm, there was a complexity she couldn’t decipher. All she saw was him leaning closer, until his lips finally met hers.

Chu Yu froze for a moment, then pushed him away. Lu Zimo ignored her resistance, gripping her tighter and kissing her again. Chu Yu began to feel angry. What was this? She wasn’t his hostage anymore. If their relationship was on equal footing, why should she still be at his mercy, letting him do as he pleased, taking whatever he wanted?!

Chu Yu pressed on the wound on Lu Zimo’s chest. He grunted in pain, but instead of loosening his grip, he held her even tighter, pulling her into an embrace so tight she could barely breathe. In their struggle, they knocked over the basin of water, which crashed to the ground, spilling a large puddle that spread across the stone floor.

“Lu Zimo.”

Chu Yu spoke through gritted teeth. She couldn’t bring herself to reopen the wound on his chest, so she dug her nails into his arm, hard enough to draw blood. He didn’t pull away. Instead, he pushed her down onto the bed, biting her neck, forcing her to tilt her head back. The pain mixed with a strange, overwhelming sensation, and Chu Yu’s vision blurred. The beams of sunlight from the cave’s ceiling seemed to spin in the distance, making her dizzy.

He tore off her jacket and roughly pulled down her bra, leaving her exposed. He began to kiss her bre*sts, leaving marks on her skin as if claiming her. Chu Yu’s hands moved from Lu Zimo’s shoulders to his back, leaving deep scratches in return.

If she was in pain, she wanted him to feel it too.

But the pain she inflicted on him was nothing compared to what she felt inside. When Lu Zimo’s kisses returned to her neck, Chu Yu bit down hard on his shoulder. She bit so fiercely that she felt her teeth break his skin, and the taste of his blood filled her mouth.

Lu Zimo’s body stiffened even more under her bite. His hands moved to her hips, lifting her legs to wrap around his waist. This brought their most intimate parts even closer together. Chu Yu still had her teeth sunk into his shoulder. She hated him so much that she wished she could tear a piece of his flesh off.

He was still wearing the jeans she had cut with the paper knife. Her long skirt had been pushed up, and her skin rubbed against the rough fabric, as well as the burning heat at his center.

Lu Zimo suddenly sat up, kneeling above her, still keeping her firmly within his grasp. He reached down and pulled down the zipper of his jeans. The action was filled with an indescribable suggestiveness, making Chu Yu’s nerves tense.

In the floating sunlight, this man’s body exuded a primitive, animalistic beauty.

Lu Zimo freed his desire. It sprang out, unashamed and fierce, fully exposed before her eyes. Chu Yu’s face flushed instantly. Due to her work, she had seen many such things—specimens, live ones… but never had she been so acutely aware of the raw, overwhelming desire it represented.

Lu Zimo leaned down, positioning himself between her legs. His kisses trailed down her neck, along her carotid artery, up to her ear, where he took the lobe into his mouth.

Chu Yu’s body tensed. With his movements, something inside her was on the verge of bursting forth. Lu Zimo turned her face toward him, their breaths mingling as he stared into her eyes.

If time could go back to the beginning. If he hadn’t saved her during that explosion. Would the shards of glass and the shockwave have taken her life then? If she had died, she wouldn’t be entangled with him like this.

If she had been r*ped by Second Brother in the mountain stronghold, then passed around by the other men, and he hadn’t stepped in to claim her, would she be dead by now, free from this entanglement?

If that night he had taken her by force, would she not have held onto this inexplicable hope for him? If he hadn’t taken her to the maze… If, if.

But it was all just “if.”

The reality was that they were lying here, nearly naked, and he was on the verge of taking her. Her face was flushed from the intimate contact, and she could even feel the pulse of his desire against her.

There was no avoiding it, no escaping it.

“Lu Zimo.”

She spoke just before he entered her, “Do you love me?”

This was the question she had always wanted to ask. She never thought it would come out in a moment like this.

A friend had once joked with her, saying that men would say “I love you” unconditionally when they were in bed. You could never trust what they said at such times.

Was she foolish? Even knowing that his words would likely be a lie, she still asked.

Lu Zimo paused. He was already at her entrance, and she could feel him pressing against her, his body trembling with restraint. The sensation was driving her mad. When he didn’t answer, Chu Yu couldn’t bear it and shifted slightly, but Lu Zimo immediately pinned her down. He looked at her, his eyes deep and unreadable.

He didn’t advance, nor did he retreat. His body was taut, and beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, falling onto her skin.

“I thought you were different.”

After what felt like an eternity, he finally spoke, his voice cold, “But it turns out you’re just an ordinary woman.”

Unexpectedly, he pulled away from her and stood up. He didn’t seem to care about his nakedness, his body still burning with desire. Lu Zimo walked to the desk, lit a cigarette, and glanced back at Chu Yu, “What do you expect from me? If you want money, a house, jewelry, or even someone’s life, I can give it to you.” He exhaled a cloud of smoke, his expression growing colder, “But those childish, unrealistic hopes for love—I can’t give you any of that.”

Chu Yu slowly sat up. Was this the same man who had just been so intimate with her? Was this the answer she got after baring her heart?!

“Little raindrop, you’re the first woman I’ve held back from for so long. I admit I’m very interested in you.” Lu Zimo’s face was obscured by the smoke, making it hard to see his expression, “But I’m sorry. I don’t love you.”

Chu Yu grabbed the first thing she could reach and hurled it at him. There was a dull thud, followed by a lingering vibration. Chu Yu clenched her fists, feeling something sticky in her palm. She looked down and saw blood welling up from the cuts.

On the table beside Lu Zimo, the paper knife was still trembling.

He paused, then grabbed the gauze she had thrown aside earlier and walked over. Chu Yu refused to give him her hand. Why was this man so contradictory? He said such cruel things, yet his actions always made her heart ache. If he really didn’t care, why did he seem so concerned?!

Lu Zimo forcefully took her hand. She had grabbed the blade, and her palm was cut in several places, some deep, some shallow. Lu Zimo examined it, then suddenly threw the gauze onto the bed and pulled Chu Yu into a tight embrace.

“I can’t give you anything.”
He spoke softly, his voice low in her ear. Though the words were the same as before, they made her want to cry. Lu Zimo tilted his head, looking at her tear-streaked face, as if he had suddenly made up his mind, and kissed her lips. He pushed her back onto the bed.

The desire that had barely subsided came rushing back even stronger. Chu Yu couldn’t resist the waves he stirred in her. His hands gripped her hips, and with a thrust, he entered her. Chu Yu bit down hard on Lu Zimo’s arm to stifle the pain. He was so hard, so real inside her, the intense intrusion reminding her of his claim over her.

Pain. It followed every movement he made. Her body felt as if it were being torn apart, and so did her heart. Chu Yu clung tightly to Lu Zimo, feeling every thrust. She felt him losing control, his kisses on her eyes as if trying to soothe her pain.

Gradually, amidst the pain, that intense sensation began to rise again. It was faint, fleeting. Chu Yu didn’t know if she was crying or moaning. Her voice was completely incoherent. Lu Zimo, driven by her reactions, could barely hold back, gripping her waist tightly as he plunged deeper.

When he finally released inside her, the pain was so intense that Chu Yu nearly passed out. Her first time with him was just like him.

Painful, yet impossible not to be drawn into.