Reborn to Redeem: Their Abusive Love-Chapter 86: Xu Si, don’t start something and not see it through.

The storm howled outside the window, obscuring the vast full moon and washing over each leaf of the Blue Eucalyptus trees like viscous, clinging threads that seemed to cement one’s soul.

Pei Zhen extended a pale hand and picked up the robe beside him. He loosely draped it over himself. The high-quality fabric hem fell, dragging along the floor. His icy eyes were barely open, the red mole on his nose bridge gleaming faintly in the night.

He surveyed the room. The safe was open, its contents taken. The empty envelope, now weightless, had been blown by a gust of wind to the side of the bed, like an unsigned farewell letter.

"Gone?" He affectionately parted his lips and closed his eyes.

He walked to the bathroom and stood before the mirror.

Once again, he opened those frenzied, brooding eyes. He felt his blood coursing coldly and slowly through him as he indifferently scanned his body, his gaze exceptionally detached.

All else was a washed-out, void-like backdrop, save for the stark, bright red mark on his fair neck—a remnant of last night’s folly.

"Heh." He pressed a hand to his face, a cruel smile curving his lips. His voice seemed to lurk in the flickering shadows, then leap into the fog outside the window.

Laughing uncontrollably, he slowly bent and knelt on the ground.

Ate and ran.

Pei Zhen thought of the phrase, then felt like an abandoned stray dog.

In an instant, the word "abandoned" once again dominated his thoughts.

A searing pain bloomed in his chest. A familiar sensation washed over him, and he urgently needed a way to stop the violent emotions.

He barely mustered a shred of reason. Swathed in a white robe, he stood up, fetched a bucket of ice, and poured it into the bathtub with a CLATTERING SPLASH.

The next second, he swayed, on the verge of tumbling, then sank into the clear, faintly blue, ice-cold water.

His silver hair fanned out in the water like living threads, clinging to his handsome profile. He didn’t struggle, numbly succumbing to the extreme cold that gnawed at his skin, unafraid even of losing all signs of life.

Ice cubes floated around his body, rapidly easing the overwhelming malevolence—a malevolence that made him want to blow up the entire Hong Kong Island.

His body finally felt some relief.

The servant knocked and entered. Standing before the bathroom, he gazed at the man submerged in ice, who looked like a corpse. Unsurprised, the servant merely bowed and said, "Boss, Lord Hei Xiong met Xu Si on the Duquhao. Judging by the time, they should be arriving at the north shore of Hong Kong Island soon. Xu Si asked Lord Hei Xiong to give you a message: she asks you to wait for her."

The man didn’t respond. He wasn’t breathing or moving. The muscles on his bare back, exposed above the ice, were sharply defined, his extensive tattoos all the more terrifying.

After a long moment, the CLATTER of small ice cubes colliding could be heard.

He lifted his head slightly and extended a hand from the ice. His fingertips, soaked by the ice, were even more chilled and white. A gemstone ring was conspicuous on his finger.

His voice was unutterably cold. "I really want to kill you all. You can’t even keep an eye on one person."

The servant bowed again. In truth, they had never considered that Xu Si would run away.

"No need to wait. I’ll go get her back myself."

"Yes, Boss."

"Go and have Gu Jing’s arm broken."

"Yes, Boss."

The torrential rain continued that day, with a destructive, world-ending ferocity.

The man didn’t know how long he had soaked in the ice-filled bathtub. Once he had calmed his thoughts, he wrapped himself in a bathrobe and stepped out of the bathroom barefoot.

His silver-white hair draped behind him. His superior hairline featured a prominent widow’s peak. His face was expressionless, but the ice cubes gripped in his hand CRUNCHED and CRACKLED, disintegrating into slush.

「In the lounge.」

The Goddess Statue still stood off to the side, her face saintly and merciful as she gazed out the window.

Pei Zhen lazily picked up a half-finished bottle of fruit-infused wine. He slowly dribbled the liquor onto the statue’s lips, his touch making them feel even colder, as if he were applying a layer of red lipstick to the goddess.

He picked up the phone and casually dialed a number.

The person on the other end spoke briefly, "Boss, your orders."

Pei Zhen let out a light chuckle. "Xu Si. Put her on."

「Onboard the Duquhao.」

Xu Si leaned back in the ship’s lounge, cradling her radiant face. She peered through the cabin window at the storm’s raging fury, her gaze fixed on the emerging skyline of Hong Kong Island’s northern coast. Suppressing a twinge of pity, she pondered how to secure power for Wen Jiaojiao.

BANG—BANG BANG—

Suddenly, there was a knock on the cabin door. Though the knock seemed deliberately softened, it still vibrated through the room’s frame.

Xu Si stood up and pulled open the door.

A black mobile phone came into view.

The giant held out the phone, his expression speaking volumes.

Xu Si sniffled and, wisely, took the phone. For a split second, her heart nearly stopped.

She closed the cabin door and settled back into the small, plush sofa. She tucked her hair behind her ears, then brought the mobile phone close to her ear, her fingers slightly cold.

With trepidation, she murmured, "Hello?"

His deep voice trailed out of the receiver, like smoke intertwining with rain. "Xu Si, I thought that after sleeping with me, you’d at least be responsible enough to stay."

Xu Si choked.

Unbidden, her thoughts drifted to her departure: he had lain there subdued, cheeks flushed crimson, forced into unconsciousness—so powerful, yet bizarrely pitiable.

"Azhen, I had to leave. Wait for me to return; I’ll make it up to you."

"Will you come back?"

"I..." Xu Si bit the tip of her tongue. "I will."

He laughed, his voice heavy with desire. "Xu Si, you truly are an accomplished liar. What am I to do? I don’t believe you."

Xu Si was at a loss for words and could only ask, "Since you don’t believe me, what compensation do you want?"

Travel by ferry wasn’t as quiet as other modes of transport. Even hidden in the most enclosed space, the buzz of complex machinery filled one’s ears. Occasionally, the sound would become overwhelming, muffling all hearing until a swallow cleared the ears.

He was silent for a while. She could hear him swinging a samurai sword through the air, the blade emitting a sharp SWISH as if tearing the atmosphere.

"What I’ve always needed is just for you to come back."

In that moment her heart seemed to stop, she heard his dream-like murmur.

Across the vast sea, Xu Si felt something very heavy drop in the depths of her heart, sending out ripples.

His voice suddenly became clear and crisp again, as if to mask that moment of vulnerability, as he whispered in her ear, "Xu Si, this is the last time I’m letting you run away. Next time, don’t leave me behind."

Her lips parted slightly, but before she could speak, he had hung up.

She turned to look at her reflection in the window.

Beneath her tightly wrapped coat, her slender neck bore not a single red mark.

Under those circumstances, he had restrained himself very well.

He hadn’t hurt her, allowing her to arrive here spotless, without needing to cover anything, and free from others’ critical gossip.

But... if I remember correctly, I gnawed on Pei Zhen’s body until it looked ravaged, not even sparing the thin skin over his collarbones. It was torn yet sensual.

Xu Si sighed. A sense of guilt for having wronged someone and being powerless to make amends overwhelmed her, and she sank into deep self-doubt. I’m truly sorry. No wonder he’s angry. How could I be this kind of person? Was I born to be a scoundrel?

Seagulls stubbornly circled in the stormy night sky.

Xu Si took the mobile phone to return it to the giant. Holding a black umbrella, she went out onto the deck, trying to ease the unsettling throb in her heart.

However, she had only taken a few steps when she saw the man in the garish clothes whom she had kicked down earlier.

He was being guarded by men from the Triad Society, stripped of his freedom to move about the ship.