DMBM Chapter 4

Both men glared at her at the same time. The prince's face lit up with sudden realization, and Yan Yongxuan tightened his eyebrows, as if blaming her—how could she think he might lose?

"Oh, the prize hasn’t been decided yet, but we can't just play randomly. Let me think..." The prince tapped his head, muttered for a moment, then clapped his hands hurriedly. "That's right! Trade your Daphne for it!"

Xia Xue was shocked. Daphne was the yacht owned by Yongxuan—and the first piece she had designed herself.

"I heard your Daphne is Snow’s work. It’s the one I liked at the Miami fairground. Although it’s a little smaller than my Muhammad, and not quite as beautiful, as long as it’s Snow’s work, I like it. How about it? Do you dare to bet with me?"

The prince had asked to use Daphne as a wager. A yacht might not mean much to Yongxuan, but it was her first creation—and it was connected to the fate of the two of them. Daphne held an absolutely special meaning for her...

“There’s nothing I don’t dare. Let’s bet!”

A cold and flat sentence, yet it struck Xia Xue’s heart like a powerful cannon blast.

Ten minutes later, they set the rules of the game.

Someone went ahead to a small island more than ten kilometers away. Then, Yan Yongxuan and the prince would set off at the same time; whoever grabbed the flag first and returned triumphantly would be the winner.

To be on the safe side, all four of them put on life jackets before getting on two jet skis.

Once they were seated, Jiang Tinghan was in charge of blowing the whistle to announce the start of the game—

“Ready, go!”

The whistle sounded, and the two jet skis burst forward at the same time, rising and dipping over the sea.

The sea breeze whistled past her ears, and Xia Xue held onto Yan Yongxuan’s waist tightly—even though she was very reluctant to lean so close to him.

A few minutes later, they arrived at the island first. Xia Xue jumped ashore, quickly tore down the flag, and got back into the back seat.

“Are you ready?” Yan Yongxuan shouted. “I’m going to start!”

“It’s okay, let’s go!”

The engine roared again. The other jet ski caught up, and the prince—unwilling to lose—squeezed over with all his might. Lily reached out to grab the flag from Xia Xue’s hand.

She was suddenly attacked, caught off guard for a moment, and as the two women pulled at the flag, it fell into the sea.

“Oops, the flag has fallen!” Xia Xue patted her husband on the shoulder and motioned for him to stop.

The prince also stopped not far away. Lily didn’t dare to go into the sea to retrieve the flag, but Xia Xue, with excellent swimming skills, dove in without hesitation.

“What are you doing?” Yan Yongxuan was stunned. “Come back!”

“The flag is drifting—I’ll get it!” She took a deep breath and dove into the water, swimming forward like a fish.

The prince, watching the commotion from the sidelines, couldn’t help but whistle approvingly. “Great swimming skills!”

Within a few dozen seconds, Xia Xue had retrieved the flag. She turned around neatly, rode the waves back, and handed the flag to Yan Yongxuan. Just as she was about to climb onto the back seat, she suddenly felt a tightness behind her and reached out to check.

“The drawstring of the life jacket seems to be hooked on something. I’ll untie it.”

She dove again. The drawstring had gotten caught in a recess on the side cover of the body of the jet ski. She tried to pull it free, but her vision was poor, and she struggled to get the right angle. She tried several times but still couldn’t manage to release it.

She floated back up for air.

“What’s wrong? Can’t you untie it?” Yan Yongxuan’s face turned pale.

“I think I’ll just take off this life jacket first,” she said. With that, she unbuckled the life jacket and broke free. After breaking loose, she dove again and finally saw what the problem was.

She worked underwater, her figure barely visible. Yan Yongxuan stared at her; his eyes didn’t blink, and cold sweat trickled down his sideburns.

In his panic, he realized he could no longer see her silhouette underwater.

One second, two seconds... Time passed silently, and still, he couldn’t see her.

“Xia Xue, what are you doing? Come up! Come up now, right away!” he roared, nearly panicked.

There was no response.

Where was she? Could she be drowning? Why hadn’t she come up yet?

“Xia Xue, come up quickly! The water is dangerous…”

Yes, the water is dangerous—and even the best swimmers can be overwhelmed in an instant.

Water is dangerous...

Yan Yongxuan stared blankly at the sea, but he couldn’t see anything. His eyes darkened, and a voice from the past echoed in his ears.

The voice—subtle, distant, almost inaudible—

Help me! Help me, I’m drowning! Mommy...

"Alright, I’ve got it! OK!"

Xia Xue surfaced without warning. She held the life jacket in one hand and smiled at him.

Upon seeing this, the prince laughed and shouted, “You’ve won! Yongxuan, Xue, let’s go back first!”

Yan Yongxuan didn’t hear what the prince said at all, nor did he notice that the other motorcycle had broken away. He just stared at Xia Xue with blank eyes.

“What are you doing?” Xia Xue knocked him on the thigh. “Pull me up!”

He shuddered, then reached out and helped her back onto the seat.

“All right, let’s go back too,” she said with a smile as she settled in.

He didn’t move. His whole body tensed as he slowly turned his head.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, puzzled. Then she saw his eyes darken, his face twist in haste, and the next second, he raised his palm and slapped her.

The air froze instantly. She stared at him in disbelief.

“What are you doing? Who allowed you to go to the sea?!” he rebuked.

She reached up to touch her cheek—where he had struck was burning hot. The pain wasn't just physical—it hit her pride too.

“Yan Yongxuan, you… you hit me?” He actually hit her! Why? After the respect they’d shown each other, was he going to start acting like an abuser? “If you think I’m going to put up with this like some weak woman, you’re wrong. I’ll fight you to the end—”

“Shut up!” he snapped.

“What did you say?” she choked out, stunned.

“Was it so important, just a yacht? What if you lost? Who told you to go into the water and pick up the flag?”

Just a yacht? Of course it meant nothing to him. How could the result of her hard work compare to some ancient painting? Even she herself was worth less to him than a piece of artwork!

“Yan Yongxuan, you’re… you're unbelievable,” she said coldly. Soaked to the skin, the cold seawater drained her body heat and left her trembling. “Do you even know what that yacht meant to me? That was my first creation…”

He looked at her steadily, his expression unreadable. After a long moment, he finally said in a hoarse voice, “Put on a life jacket.”

“W-What?” She didn’t quite hear him.

Frowning, he turned slightly and personally helped her put it on. She cooperated in a daze, and then he gently pulled her hands to wrap around his waist.

“Hold on tight. The sea breeze is cold,” he said softly and started the engine.

---

That night at midnight, Xia Xue couldn’t sleep. Tossing and turning, she finally got up and went to the kitchen to warm a cup of milk. As she passed through the hallway, she suddenly heard a sharp sound.

It came from Yan Yongxuan’s room. She stopped and listened. Another thud followed, then a low groan.

What was happening? Frowning, she knocked on his door. No answer. She tried the handle—it wasn’t locked. After hesitating for a few seconds, she finally pushed the door open.

Inside, the room was dark except for a faint nightlight glowing in the corner. At the foot of the bed, Yan Yongxuan lay on the ground.

Xia Xue was startled and rushed over. “Hey! Are you okay? Wake up!”

She shook him firmly. He looked up at her in pain.

She helped him sit up and examined him under the dim light. His face was pale and drenched in sweat. Most peculiarly, his eyes were unfocused, as if he didn’t even recognize where he was.

“Are you having a nightmare? Or are you drunk?” she asked. She spotted an empty wine bottle on the bedside table and a glass tipped over on the floor.

He didn’t answer. He looked lifeless, like a soulless puppet.

Something was off. Xia Xue frowned and helped him back onto the bed, letting him rest against the headboard. She went to get a basin of warm water and wrung a towel to wipe his face.

His forehead felt warm. “Do you have a fever?” she muttered to herself, about to search for a thermometer when he suddenly reached out and grabbed her.

Caught off guard, she fell onto the edge of the bed, ending up very close to him—practically in his arms.

Her breath hitched and her heart raced.

She caught the faint smell of alcohol on him, though oddly, it wasn’t overpowering. Usually, she hated drunk men—but with him, it felt different.

“You must be thirsty. Should I get you some water? Or tea?” she asked softly.

He remained silent, staring at her. But it felt like he wasn’t really seeing her—his gaze was distant and dazed.

She was starting to get worried. “Yongxuan, are you awake?” She raised her hand to pat his cheek, but he grabbed her wrist and wouldn’t let go.

She froze. “Yongxuan?”

His eyes shifted, and suddenly he rolled over, pinning her beneath him.

She panicked. “Yan Yongxuan! What are you doing? Let go of me!” She beat at him with her fists, but he didn’t budge, staring at her with bloodshot eyes that gleamed like a wounded beast’s.

What had gotten into him? This wasn’t like him at all.

Xia Xue’s heart was in turmoil. “Why are you looking at me like that? You’re not still mad about this afternoon, are you?” Ever since they returned to the yacht, he hadn’t spoken a word to her. At home, he ignored her completely. She had figured he was angry. “Didn’t I explain? My swimming is really good. Even if I was underwater for a few minutes—”

“Water is dangerous.” He gripped her wrist so tightly it hurt. “You never know if you’ll come back up after you sink.”

“Why are you so worked up? Are you afraid of water? Did you drown as a child?”

His body stiffened.

Could she be right? Had he once drowned?

Xia Xue stopped resisting and looked up at him with a complicated expression. Had she touched a painful memory?

“So it was… just a nightmare?” Her voice had unconsciously softened.

“She didn’t even notice me. She just kept flirting with that guy…” he muttered, incoherently.

Flirting? Who was he talking about?

Xia Xue was confused and about to ask when he suddenly touched her face. His thumb brushed against her sensitive earlobe, seemingly without realizing what he was doing.

Did he even know?

Her heart was in a mess. Her ears burned, her chest fluttered.

He stared at her with an unreadable intensity. “Are you like her?”

“Like who?” she asked hoarsely. The faint fragrance on her body reached his senses.

His arm muscles tensed, and the bulge pressing against her lower body grew harder.

She felt it. Her heart sank. “Y-You… let go of me, now…”

He didn’t seem to hear her. His dark eyes burned with primal hunger.

He lowered his head—not to kiss her lips—but to bury his face in the curve of her neck, nuzzling her soft skin like a child greedy for the scent of his mother.

“Yan Yongxuan, are you… crazy?” she whispered, her voice trembling. If he truly forced himself on her, she’d resist with everything she had. But he wasn’t doing that.

Still, he was being a scoundrel…

“You can’t do this… You’re drunk, you don’t even know what you’re doing…”

It was unfair. Should her first time really be given to a man who wasn’t even in his right mind? Would he even know who she was in the moment?

Who did he think she was? His wife? A random girl off the street?

“Don’t move… you’re not allowed to move.” Even in bed, he still gave orders. He licked her earlobe, then bit it lightly.

She shivered.

He sucked on her earlobe, then kissed her lips. She shyly responded. With every kiss, his desire intensified, growing wild, and he kissed her like a torrential downpour.

His hands tore at her pajamas.

She was terrified. His kisses weren’t gentle anymore—just desperate, demanding. As someone inexperienced, she couldn’t handle this overwhelming lust.

“Please… slow down… don’t…” she pleaded, not wanting to beg, but fear revealed her heart. Tears welled up in her eyes.

But he didn’t notice her tears. All he saw was a soft, warm body that gave light to his darkness. He couldn’t let her go—not even the sea could take her—because she belonged to him.

He stripped away every barrier between them, and with a sudden thrust, entered her. She screamed, tears spilling from her eyes.

“You… you’re awful… I hate you, Yan Yongxuan. I hate you…”

As he reached the peak of pleasure, she bit into his shoulder, leaving a deep mark of hatred.

The pain finally brought him back to his senses. He looked at her in a daze, touched the corner of her eye, and caught a tear with his trembling fingers.

In a hoarse voice, he asked—
“Am I that terrible?”

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