His deep voice carried an insistence that left no room for rejection.

  The moment he said that it was as though she had been struck by a bolt of lightning that fried every last bit of her remaining sanity.

  She looked at him, stunned, as her heart palpitated madly. Then, she realized he was returning her stare, his deep and dark eyes giving off a hint of an unfamiliar glint.

  It resembled both anger and happiness.

  Yet, they also carried with them a look of threat and warning.

  She raised her hand intending to push him away, but when it made contact with his chest, all she could do was open her mouth. Not a word came out of it. The man narrowed his eyes.

  She could sense the ominous warning bearing down its invisible form on her.

  His trademark violent aura of a soldier was immediately evident.

  Li Beinian was terrified.

  She gulped and kept silent.

  \r \r \r

  Mu Xichen’s eyes were cold and knowing. At the same time, she felt his hand brushing across her legs.

  That was where she wore her switchblade!

  She stiffened and then reached out to stop him.

  Alas, it was too late.

  With one arm around her waist, his other hand fiddled with the ivory switchblade that she carried on herself as a habit.

  Li Beinian’s gaze fell on the switchblade. Her breathing was light and shallow.

  The man’s eyes darkened. He hit the button on the weapon, and a short but sharp blade popped out.

  As the scabbard fell away, the overly sharp blade baptized by the glare of the golden sunlight gleamed with icy coldness.

  Li Beinian jumped with a start and shrank back. However, she found herself tightly wedged in his strong grip.

  She eyed him nervously and hissed a warning. “What do you want?”

  Mu Xichen held up the switchblade and moved it slowly towards her. Then, he brushed it lightly against her neck and said deliberately, “I’ve said it yesterday.”

  Although the switchblade barely brushed her, Li Beinian felt as though it had been pressed against her neck. She trembled involuntarily.

  As though he wasn’t aware of her nervousness, Mu Xichen continued in his deep and slightly dulled voice, “I will have only one woman in my life. Last night was my first time.”

  He spoke so softly that only the two of them could hear it.

  She instantly turned a bright scarlet.

  “I’ve spent all my first times on you,” the man continued with his detailed breakdown. “First kiss, first confession, the first time I’ve ever cooked, the first time I’ve ever seen a woman’s naked body, the first time…… doing it.”

  His voice trailed off.

  Until it was barely warm air. However, its warmth caused a reddened glow to suffuse her cheeks.

  “And now that you’re done with me, you want to run away. Do you think you’ll get away that easily?”

  Ashamed, Li Beinian bit down on her lip and tried in vain to wriggle out of his grip. She said angrily, “I’m a woman, and it was my first time too. It was your gain, alright!”

  “I value chastity.” Mu Xichen looked at her steadily. “Marry me or die.”

  His words were sinister, and the threat was clear.

  The switchblade before her was cold as steel as it gleamed menacingly.

  She was previously kidnapped, and the mercenary who tried to rape her had a taste of her switchblade. It literally spilled his guts.

  Li Beinian did not doubt that her neck would be sliced right through with a stroke of that blade.

  “Worse comes to worst, I’ll kill myself after I kill you,” Mu Xichen’s voice was calm, but his words sank deep into her. “Even if you die, I’ll make sure we’re cremated and buried together.”

  She gulped like a coward and eyed the switchblade before turning away with her eyes shut. She shouted, “Fine! Fine! Fine! I’ll marry you!”

  Her words were full of grievance, and she couldn’t help muttering under her breath, “Who on earth…… proposes this way……”