Eleven’s eyes were wide open as she could not believe that people as shameless as he existed. She was extremely infuriated and her anger rocketed in an instant at how he jeopardized himself to play her concern for him against her. He was too much!
The ice was extremely slippery and the two of them were extremely quick on ice. As she thought of how quick Anthony was, him losing his footing and slipping would have had unthinkable consequences. She, without thinking, immediately turned back to grab him. Little did she expect it to be his gimmick to lure her to turn back. Anthony was really too much!
How could he manipulate her thoughts and be so certain she would turn back? If she did not have those thoughts for him, she would have never turned back. Would he then rather he really fell?
As she was extremely infuriated, she could not be bothered with Anthony kissing her and forcefully pushed her palms against his chest. Anthony, seeming to expect her actions, gently held her wrists and wrapped his fingers around his palms and locked fingers with her. Eleven’s forceful palms were ingeniously neutralized by his tight grip on her.
He never let go of Eleven throughout the process and still kissed her deeply. As he planted his warm lips on her, he merely sucked on her lips and did not dare to go overboard.
Eleven’s mind was in a mess and she could not recall anything as though her reasoning was lost to a cooking pot. She was caught off guard when he kissed and her face was clearly reddened. Eleven was terrified at how her heart palpitated and the scent of his cologne made her tizzy and lose all semblance of reasoning. Only he utterly filled her eyes, heart…
Anthony…
There were whistles and screams around from both men and women. While the two of them were strangers, they felt that this scene they saw was extremely beautiful—a wintry snowscape accompanied by the perfect match who was in love with each other. Their romance was somewhat mysterious yet romantic, and the young men and women who were genuinely happy for the couple cheered them on.
Anthony kissed Eleven until she was almost out of breath. Eleven could not help but look away, and Anthony was clearly unsatisfied. He slightly leaned forward and pecked the edges of her lips that were reddened from the kiss. When Eleven saw his gentle countenance and deeply passionate eyes, her heart thumped and she struggled to wriggle away.
Anthony seemed to know her thoughts and was unwilling to let go of her. He held her waist tightly and smiled. “Where are you going?”
She could not respond, and the whistles and cheers from the crowd still remained. Eleven was still trapped in his embrace and could not escape. Eleven eschewed her weakness…
“I won Little Seven!” Anthony looked at her deeply as he smiled.
When this was mentioned, Eleven felt a wave of anger come upon her and she stared at Anthony angrily. “What kind of person are you to resort to such trickery? Trickery aside, didn’t you know the danger you had put yourself in earlier? What if you had…”
As Eleven talked, she felt that she was a tad too agitated. Her look betrayed her mood. She then kept quiet and quietly stared at him.
Although Anthony was scolded, he was in an even better mood and smiled even more generously. “Are you worried about me?”
“No, I am not.” Eleven vehemently denied as she tried to stand away from Anthony. Anthony saw through what was on her mind, and she was clearly not Anthony’s match in that field.
He would not allow her to have her wish and said, “You are my girlfriend from now on.”
“I…” Eleven panicked and almost bit her tongue. Now that was mentioned, she looked around in panic and saw the young men and women around. Some of them were starting to play whilst others were talking about the two of them. She then realized… was it too late to regret?
“Little Seven, what’s there to regret?”
“You’re shameless.”
“I’m not asking about the how, but the end result,” Anthony flatly said as he held her hand and smiled. “Little Seven, are you that afraid of me?”
“Please don’t provoke me, I won’t fall for it,” Eleven coldly said. Since she had made a promise, she would not renege on it. “I agree.”
“Are you serious?
Eleven nodded, and Anthony suddenly burst into a big grinning smile, hugged Eleven, and spun on the ice. Eleven thought she would have a heavy heart, but she saw his happy face and felt this indescribable elation as she smiled uncontrollably. She then realized that they were still on the ice, and would be in a tight spot if they fell.
“Anthony, stop spinning me. I’m feeling giddy.”
When Anthony heard her, he quickly put her down although he was still extremely elated. As he held her hand, he did not know what to say and suddenly held her face and kissed her on her lips.
This guy… Eleven could not help him and simply let him be.
The two of them ice skated for a while more. They were not far from the Kurts’ home, so the two of them placed their ice skates in a visible place before walking around in the snow. As Anthony was not famous, he did not walk next to her and instead held her hand with exceptional pride and satisfaction.
Eleven smiled bitterly.
“What exactly do you like about me?” Eleven was extremely perplexed as she was not one whom the boys fancied. When she recalled her original, and current, self, she suddenly felt extremely solemn.
Oh, yes indeed, how could she forget?
Little Seven was lively, adorable, smart, and extremely likable. As for Eleven… Anthony liked Little Seven and not Eleven.
Eleven felt her heart tense and slightly regretted why did she become another person with no way to back out? If she could not change her ice-cold character, Anthony would become extremely disappointed if he learned that she was a cold and uninteresting person.
She could not describe how she felt but felt she was slightly disappointed. While it did not sound too serious, she was subconsciously thinking about how she never really gained anything and hence did not quite regret this loss.
“You’re good in everything,” Anthony said. He seemed to sense Eleven’s emotions fluctuating. “Dear Little Seven, there are many sides to a person. You, regardless of which side you put on, are always yourself,” he said meaningfully.
Eleven looked at Anthony in shock and he smiled back at her. She felt a little weird, but could not quite put a finger to why she felt this bizarre.
“You seem to know everything.”
“Little Seven, you sure look really solemn. I’m less than ten minutes into being your boyfriend, and surely you won’t’ just let me go this quickly?” Anthony looked at her with doggy-eyes and tried to divert her attention.
Eleven indeed broke into raucous laughter. “What nonsense are you spouting?”
“You’ve scared the daylights out of me! Really! I thought people would be booted off this position after a short time, and I was planning to fight on for good, say eighty years?” Anthony waved his hand and talked vividly and in high spirits as though it had happened.
She was at a loss whether to cry or laugh.
This man was extremely adorable, and he would cause her heart to flutter. Despite the tension between them, he could occasionally allow her to feel the warmth and sunshine in him. She liked to be around him.
The two of them walked in the snow for a moment. Eleven wanted to ask him about his background but decided against it. Since he did not ask her about his background, she chose not to ask anything. When they had to speak, they would speak to each other.
As Eleven unintentionally saw the small black hut, she was slightly taken aback and froze in her steps. The weather was good today, and the snowstorm in the afternoon was much smaller. As a larger snowstorm would arrive much later in the evening, visibility was much better and she could see the little black hut in the distance.
Anthony saw her sullen face and felt a chill run across his heart that he quietly endured. Eleven, who was watching the little black hut, felt waves of emotions come across her that would not quell. When she saw that little black hut, she was reminded of Mo Ye.
She did not want to recall Mo Ye. Ever since she left that little black hut, she relegated that thought to the deepest part of her heart and stopped thinking, pursuing it to the point of ignoring it.
With Anthony by her side, she for some reason or other did not recall Mo Ye. When Anthony and she were ice-skating earlier, she agreed to be Anthony’s friend and did not even think about Mo Ye.
Eleven felt terrible. Did that mean that she had let go of the past and stopped loving Mo Ye? Back then, she remembered everything clearly and felt extremely despondent. As everything was as fresh as though it happened yesterday, how could she simply forget anything?
She did not understand. While her rational side reminded her that she hated Mo Ye, she looked at the little black hut and felt a sharp pain in her heart. She did not seem to hate him, and had she reconciled with it?
No!
She just did not know why she felt this way. Was Anthony the reason?
“What happened?” Anthony asked her worriedly as he wrapped his hands around her body so that she would not catch the cold wind.
Eleven smiled. “I suddenly recalled this person.”
“Do you really hate him?” Anthony asked a little shakily with an uneasy gaze. “You didn’t look quite okay earlier.”
Eleven quietly smiled and then changed the topic. “I’m feeling a little cold. Shall we go back?”
Anthony immediately nodded and covered her as they walked back. He could not help but take a look at the little black hut in trepidation.
“Little Seven, do you like me?” Anthony suddenly stopped and pulled her into his embrace. He had persistence in his voice and Eleven was taken aback as she did not know how to answer him.
She could not bring herself to say ‘like’.
“I…”
“Forget it. Don’t say anything until I’m prepared to hear it,” Anthony suddenly interrupted Eleven’s words and left Eleven slightly aghast. While she could not quite guess Anthony’s mood, she wanted to tell him that she somewhat like him. Why did he interrupt her? He seemed to be certain that she would tell him that she was not interested in him.
Why was he so persistent about being her boyfriend?
The atmosphere between them on the way home was still extremely good as the incident earlier had nary an effect on them. Eleven took her ice skates home because she wanted to skate whenever she could since it felt extremely good.
Once they reached home, Anthony prepared a cup of warm tea for her to warm her hands. As it was still too early for dinner, Anthony returned to his room whilst Eleven picked up Mrs. Kurt’s call. Mrs. Kurt said she would be back in another two days.
Eleven nodded and chatted with Mrs. Kurt. She talked about anecdotes from her wedding and called two days ago and mentioned she will be back in another two days to get busy with a wedding. She said she was visiting friends and would travel a little before coming home.
“Is everything fine at home?”
Eleven nodded. “All is good, don’t worry.”
As she hung up the phone, Anthony came out. “Mrs. Kurt said she will be back the day after tomorrow,” Eleven said.
“She said so two days ago,” Anthony smiled. “Are you hungry? Do you want to have a bite?”
“I’m not hungry,” Eleven smiled as she lay down on the sofa and read a magazine. Anthony scooted over curiously and asked,” What are you reading?”
“I’ll read anything, maybe the financial magazines,” Eleven said as Anthony helped her up and sat on the couch. He then embraced her. As a somewhat famous person, he finally got his wish of hugging her after yearning for it after several days.
Eleven was not used to being this physically intimate with another person, but… she indulged Anthony given how pleased he looked. Anthony was extremely easily pleased.
He had better not get greedy and step into her room. If he did, she would cripple him.
The heater was nowhere as warm as Anthony’s chest, and she felt extremely comfortable snuggled in his embrace. Anthony enjoyed this atmosphere as much and laid back as he talked to her.
Once Eleven finished reading the financial news, she casually turned on the television and saw the news. Three Italian Members of Parliament (MPs) died of unnatural causes, of which were not specified. The report claimed that Left-aligned parties clashed with the Partito del Potere during election vote-canvassing and both parties had sent their own hitmen against the other party.
The official narrative however differed and it was ambiguous on the identity of the killer despite indignantly claiming justice for those killed. That, the art of theatrics, was how the government was playing its hand.
Anthony squinted dangerously.
Little Jue, what the f*** are you doing?
Mo Ye returned to his room and changed the battery in his cell phone before turning it on. He then approached the bathroom.
Just as he turned on his phone, his phone displayed tens of missed calls that were almost from the same person. Mo Jue’s missed call was one of the few, and the same person left the voice messages in his email. Mo Ye frowned and called back.
“Big Boss, you are finally alive. Thank goodness, I was panicking like heck and miss…”
“Cut the crap. What happened?” Mo Ye flatly asked as he had a bad omen.
“Big Boss, Miss Meng came over and is staying in a nearby restaurant. She seems to be finding ways to get people to clear the mountain pass. I must say, B, whatever the heck is wrong with you to turn off your cell phone for days? If I were unable to contact you in the event of an emergency, Second Boss will murder me” he replied in a flurry.
“How the f*** did she know I’m here?” Mo Ye looked down. That Meng Lianying sure had the gall to look for him. Since he did not have time to pick on her, she ought to run as far as she could.
“How the hell do I know? If I have to point a finger to somebody, it’s the Second Boss who said it, not me.” Birmingham immediately sold out Mo Jue while Mo Ye harrumphed and ignored Birmingham’s tirade. Mo Jue would never reveal his traces.
Figuring out how she learned of his traces was to no avail, and Mo Ye pondered for a moment. “Delay her.”
“Big Boss, I’m afraid we have some difficulties here.” Birmingham sounded a little more unconfident. Mo Ye had a bad omen and barked, “What happened?”
“Miss Meng’s henchmen have gotten down to clearing the mountain path since the morning. Big Boss…” Birmingham knew that Mo Ye had flown into a rage and deliberately dragged the term Big Boss whilst sounding like he was on the verge of tears and throwing a tantrum.
Somebody else on the receiving end of this man’s voice would have felt chills running down his back. To Mo Ye, it was business as usual.
“Birmingham, you’re a spineless person. Why didn’t you stop her?” Mo Ye flew into a rage but did not roar as he was afraid Eleven would hear him. If Mo Ye did fly into a rage, Birmingham’s eardrums would be the first to go.
“Big Boss…” Birmingham wailed and pounded his head as she shouted shrilly, “Big Boss, you need to know that we are on Russian territory. It isn’t our territory… People have parents, spouses, and children to take care of, and they don’t want to die. Wow, Big Boss, you must trust my loyalty and not dock my pay. Second boss has finally agreed to increase my pay, and all that inflation and stagnant wages are making things difficult. Please empathize with us oh Big Boss…”
“You’re really a…” Mo Ye was at a loss to cry or laugh. Birmingham, however, spoke extremely quickly, and he was thankfully used to Birmingham’s style of speaking. If Birmingham dared to speak to Mo Jue in the same manner, Mo Jue would have hung up on him and not entertained his dribble.
“When will they be able to clear the path?”
“About two hours.” Birmingham sounded much more serious when it came to proper business.
“Did she rejoin the Russian Operative Organization?”
“We’ve yet to confirm specifics. We only learned that she talked to a man along the beach for a long time and then came here. Chances are said man revealed your traces,” Birmingham reported. “Miss Meng initially wanted professionals to clear the mountain path, and you know how I’ve made arrangements so that no workers in the area would end up under her beck and call. She hence had another group of men over, and they – based on the situation – should be trained agents. Even if she did not rejoin the Operative Organization, she must have made some deal.”
“I know,” Mo Ye had a malicious and insidious look as his veins throbbed while he gripped his cell phone.
Birmingham knew that Big Boss Mo was in a rage and did not act excessively presumptuously. He was not too certain about what transpired between Meng Lianying and Big Boss Mo except Big Boss Mo instructing him to closely monitor Meng Lianying’s traces before he disappeared. Big Boss Mo guessed that Meng Lianying would locate where he was, and hence instructed Birmingham to stop her. Birmingham, however, did not know what happened between them since Meng Lianying was associated with Big Boss Mo, and Big Boss Mo turning off his cell phone for days meant that he was unable to ask Big Boss Mo what was going on. Given the situation at hand, he had no choice but to quietly observe how the situation evolved.
He really ought not to be blamed.
While he sounded as though he was slightly joking, he was however as serious too. Since Meng Lianying had mobilized her forces, he had to evacuate and not needlessly sacrifice himself. Since they were on somebody’s turf, they knew that their strength (relative to their opponents’) and ought not to go against them toe-to-toe.
“Big Boss, what do we do now?” Birmingham spoke after guessing that Big Boss had enough time to ponder.
Mo Ye grunted. He could not allow Meng Lianying to go up the mountain as she would meet Eleven. Eleven would learn his actual identity. While he was not afraid of Eleven knowing his actual identity, he actually missed these days very much. Secondly, he ought to confess his actual identity to Eleven then have Meng Lianying encounter her. If that happened, Eleven’s thoughts would run wild and imagine some conspiracy that he could not quite refute.
He took much effort to draw close to her again and would definitely not allow what happened five years ago to repeat itself. Meng Lianying would definitely not have her way this time. Big Boss Mo’s anger flared up and took much effort to suppress the anger in his heart.
“I’ll meet her at the foot of the mountain.”
“By yourself? Big Boss, do not blame me for not reminding you that you are no match against everybody who’s on her side. Shall I have people lay in ambush in the area lest things become hot?”
“That won’t be necessary.” Mo Ye turned down the offer.
“I know that Big Boss is capable as heck and moves mountains without the need for protection. While you may be fearless about dying, I am bloody afraid of dying out here. If you bleed, Second Boss will outright murder me. Big Boss, please take mercy on my loyalty and concern for you.”
“Don’t be startled. Do not take any action until I’ve given the code to go ahead.”
“Roger that. Big Boss is wise,” Birmingham flattered Birmingham in satisfaction.
Mo Ye ended the call and looked at his wristwatch. Since it was still early, he should still have time to prepare dinner. Mo Ye knocked on Eleven’s door and opened it to see her lying down whilst looking at Mrs. Kurt’s photo albums. Mrs. Kurt had many photo albums, and the elderly couple had been to many places and took many beautiful scenery photos that they kept.
“How come you’re still awake?”
“I lied down and wasn’t tired.” Eleven smiled as Mo Ye took off his shoes. Eleven stared at Mo Ye and said, “What are you doing?”
“Accompanying my girlfriend,” Mo Ye replied certainly and snuggled into Eleven’s bed despite Eleven’s opposition and hugged her. He enjoyed the ecstatic feeling of being in her warmth.
“Anthony, please do not go overboard or I’ll wallop you.”
“Am I overboard?” Mo Ye looked at her innocently. “I was afraid that you are bored. Won’t it be nice if two people are looking at them together?”
Eleven gritted her teeth while Mo Ye kissed her cheek. He hugged her whilst she flipped the photo album and leaned against his warm chest. Their limbs tangled together in as compromising a pose as it could get since she was sitting on his legs. Eleven squirmed about in slight embarrassment whilst Mo Ye quickly steadied her body and whispered into her ear, “Little Seven, please do not anyhow move when a man hugs you like this. If you do, he will assume that you are hinting him to take it further.”
Eleven felt her face warm up and she felt that her brains were about to burn up. Her ears were utterly red as she felt a seeming threat loom in his lower half. Eleven’s neck was red and she did not dare to anyhow move and simply rest contently in his embrace.
Mo Ye gently smiled. He saw her reddened ears from the side. Her pink neck seemed somewhat cute and he could not help suck at and gently tingle her earlobes. Eleven felt her body become jelly and drop the thick photo album on the blanket. She shuddered and felt her strength utterly sapped by an insane feeling that turned her into a mush that he wantonly caressed. She was shuddering to the point she was no longer herself…
“Er… Anthony…” She could not help but gently moan and harshly cut herself off while she tried to push him away from her to no avail. She was even more terrified when she realized that she sounded so… alluring.
As his member stiffened, Eleven clearly felt his stiffness push between her legs and panicked. She wanted to spread her legs to run, or take things into her hands and mercilessly slash away at it.
When it came to matters of lust, she was nothing short of new and could not handle it.
Mo Ye wrapped his hands around her waist and forcefully drew her into his embrace. He, in the spur of the moment, almost called out her real name. Eleven, Eleven…
“Anthony, don’t…” Eleven resisted him but she felt her head being turned around and their lips locked. He kissed her so intensely that he could not allow her to resist while his hands naughtily roamed in her shirt.
As his ice-cold hands came into contact with Eleven’s warm skin, she felt waves of paralysis come over her as she tried squirming to avoid him to no avail. She ended up squirming into his embrace while he greedily lapped at her sweetness. As his hands kneaded her tender bosoms outside of her bra, he could not resist the temptation and undone her bra. He directly fondled and caressed her smooth mounds.
He was not an intensely passionate person and, because of his identity, rarely had women around him as he could not trust anybody, let alone bed them. Mo Ye and Mo Jue received similar levels of education since young and were innocent people with few desires. He, however, was not as ridiculous as Mo Jue and had a woman or two in his youth. He later developed feelings for Eleven and could not resist trying to hug her, kiss her, and take her for himself in that little black hut. It was then that he learned of his carnal desires. After he mistook Meng Lianling for Eleven, Meng Lianling did not give him the same feeling that Eleven did. The immense poison in Meng Lianling would have harmed him if it combined with his body, and one wonders who would have poisoned Meng Lianling with such a vicious poison. Meng Lianling knew, and she did honestly tell him.
He did not quite feel anything back then and did not place any particular significance on the incident. If he didn’t have it, so be it. It wasn’t until several years later that he relieved himself if he could not resist his urges.
Since Meng Lianying could not fulfill Mo Ye’s sexual needs, he – out of his affection for her – was not sexually unfaithful.
Did he really love Meng Lianying? He actually didn’t. The simplest proof of that was his lack of sexual desire towards her. He hoped to cure her so that she would be ok and live well.
He had always told himself that he loved her the most. How much more wrong could he be?
He, however, felt differently about Eleven. Whether five years ago or now, he was always attracted to her. Whenever he hugged her, his thoughts would wander and think of kissing her, hugging her, and wanting her for himself. His desire to take her was so intense and furious that he had to suppress them with his dear life.
Before he knew of her, he had such feelings when he was in City A. It was exactly this reason that he was afraid of betraying Meng Lianling and his promise towards her.
He had struggled to whether he ought to use her to save Meng Lianying, but eventually opted to. He only wanted to save Meng Lianying and fulfill his promise to her back then. As she saved him, he owed his life to her.
Even if he did not fall in love with the person who saved him back then, he would be as ruthless when she encountered a tough spot so as for her to fully recover. They had been through one tribulation too many, and any additional trials were trivial.
Little did he expect to get the person wrong.
Once he knew the truth, all of Eleven’s words were seared into his heart. To meet her using the pseudonym of “Anthony” required him to immensely keep himself in check just so he could talk to her normally.
Such evasion and promises gave her an indelible nightmare.
“Anthony, stop,” Eleven’s voice interrupted his memories. Mo Ye looked at her deeply with a gaze that had a few hints of persistence and hurt that tore at her heart.
“Little Seven, do you really dislike me touching you?”
“I’m not used to it,” Eleven was extremely embarrassed as he had not removed his hands from her bosom when he asked. It felt so… embarrassing that she felt her face become warmer.
“Since that’s the case, start getting used to it from today,” Mo Ye quietly said as he kissed Eleven’s ear lobes. Eleven felt herself shudder, and he smiled. This innocent lass responded in a clear manner, and that was her erogenous spot that left her powerless to resist.
If she really wanted to have her for himself… He thought about it every night. When he saw her smile, he was especially excited. Now that she officially belonged to him, he would not give up his right to have his way with her. As Eleven’s coat was loose, she suddenly recalled her body when he tugged at her coat. Eleven suddenly gained the strength and wore her coat on.
“Anthony, stop horsing around,” her face was slightly less warm. She did not want him to see her messed up body, let alone the many needle punctures in her arm…
She did not want anybody to see them.
“What’s happened?” While she was clearly lost in the throngs of her passion, why did she suddenly become this glum? What did he do wrong?
He did want to have her, but he also knew that it was not the right time as he ought to check in on her then go down the mountain to meet Meng Lianying. He did not expect his thoughts to roam once he hugged her and could not stop.
“Nothing,” Eleven smiled. “You did go overboard too. That’s some negative points for thinking of those things first when you are my boyfriend.”
Mo Ye laughed. “Negative points to you if I do not think about these.”
Eleven’s neck, which became cold, became warm again.
“Fine, I’ll stop teasing you. I’m going out to catch a breather. You’ll be okay alone?”
Eleven shook her head and Mo Ye kissed her. “Little Seven, wait for me to return.”
“Okay!”
