CHAPTER 299: CHAPTER 299; YOU CAN’T....

Huo Ting Cheng’s eyes were hard again, that storm back in full force. "Fei’er, you’re too trusting and that’s the reason I would prefer you locked back at home. Good people don’t stay good for long. Even godparents with kind smiles could be hiding a knife behind their backs."

"Do you understand?" He held her chin tightly up close.

Her brows knit, her heart twisting at the sharpness of his words, "They have been there for me, they treated me as their own. Ting Cheng, I know their hearts..." Even though she didn’t have many of their memories, she could tell they were good people.

He leaned forward suddenly, his hand catching her chin, forcing her to meet his piercing gaze. His voice dropped low, dangerous. "And what if you are wrong? What if their kindness is nothing but a mask? If tonight was proof that someone close wants me dead, would you still defend them?"

Tang Fei’s breath caught. The weight of his suspicion pressed against her chest, but she didn’t flinch away. Instead, she whispered, "Then let me be the one to find out the truth. If there’s a betrayal hiding in their hearts, I will see it before you do."

For a long, heavy moment, silence hung between them, broken only by the faint ticking of the antique clock on the shelf.

Finally, Huo Ting Cheng released her chin, his hand sliding away slowly. His eyes softened, but only just. "Fei’er... your loyalty is both your greatest strength and your greatest weakness and so is your kindness... You aren’t meant to go out."

She froze, gawking at him. What did he mean by this? Did he want to lock her up?

Her fingers went cold around the cotton swab. Tang Fei searched his face, unsure if he was serious, or if this was one of his fleeting warnings that carried more weight than he let on.

"You... aren’t you meant to go out?" Her voice wavered, but there was steel beneath it. "Ting Cheng, do you mean to keep me hidden away like some..." she swallowed, her jaw tightening, "....like some prisoner?"

His blue eyes didn’t flinch, didn’t waver. If anything, they hardened further, the storm darkening. "If that’s what it takes to keep you alive and out of dangerous scheming people."

Her breath hitched. She stared at him, the warmth of the study suddenly stifling, and oppressive. "You can’t mean that, right?"

"I can," he replied, his tone quiet but absolute. He leaned back on the couch, unbothered by the sting of antiseptic against his skin, his gaze fixed wholly on her. "Fei’er, the world I walk in doesn’t forgive softness. Tonight should have been proof enough for you. The next assassin won’t hesitate, won’t miss. And if you are in their sights..." His voice lowered, raw and edged. "....I won’t risk it."

Tang Fei shook her head fiercely, placing the cotton aside and grabbing his hand, gripping it tight. "Lock me up, hide me away, it won’t stop them. Don’t you see? I’ll be in danger whether I’m by your side or not. And if I’m not with you, I can’t protect you either."

Her words struck something deep in him. He looked at her, really looked at her, the storm in his eyes faltering for the briefest moment.

"You think you can protect me?" His voice was quieter now, almost disbelieving.

"You are not going anywhere, just stay put inside...." Huo Ting Cheng said, his voice soft but cutting, the kind of softness that left no room for argument.

Her heart lurched, "Ting Cheng...."

He seized her wrist before the protest could escape, pulling her onto his lap with sudden force.

The half-healed bruise on his arm didn’t slow him, didn’t even register. His hand clamped around her waist, keeping her pinned against him.

"You think I will risk you walking into someone else’s hands? You are too kind..." His breath brushed against her ear, calm and lethal. "Never would I allow it."

Tang Fei’s fingers curled against his chest, trembling. "I can’t live locked away...."

"You will live where I say," he cut her off, his grip tightening just enough to make her pulse pound. His eyes burned into hers, cold fire, possessive to the bone. "You’re mine, Fei’er. Mine to protect and mine to keep. Even if I have to clip your wings to do it."

Her breath hitched, her heart caught between fear and something far more dangerous, the way his claim pulled at her.

He lowered his face until his lips barely ghosted over hers, his words a vow edged in steel. "No one will touch you. No one will take you. And if they try... they will die for it."

The room fell into silence again, heavy with the weight of his resolve. The ticking clock, the faint smell of antiseptic, everything felt swallowed by the cage of his presence.

Tang Fei could only stare at him, her chest tightening, as she realized he meant every word.

And in Huo Ting Cheng’s arms, there was no escape.

Tang Fei’s chest heaved, every breath a mix of fury and desperation. She shoved at his chest, wrenching herself out of his arms. The sudden loss of his hold left her feeling both liberated and exposed.

"No!" Her voice cracked, raw and trembling with defiance. "You can’t decide this for me, Ting Cheng! I am not some caged bird for you to lock away!"

He didn’t move. He simply leaned back against the couch, his injured arm draped lazily across the armrest, his gaze following her like the eyes of a predator amused by its prey’s rebellion.

"You will stay, and do what I say!" This statement was final.

The sheer calmness of his voice made her tremble harder than if he had shouted.

Tang Fei’s throat burned. "You can’t...." She snatched the antiseptic bottle from the table and hurled it against the wall, the sharp crack echoing through the study.

Papers, books, anything her hands found next went flying, her fury filling the once-calm room with chaos. "I will not let you control me like this! I won’t!"