But as Yichen looked at the feral, protective fury blazing in Ji'an's dark eyes, as he processed the sheer, unadulterated violence she had just unleashed entirely on his behalf, a slow, dark, and utterly twisted flush rose to his pale cheeks.
'He didn't hesitate,' Yichen thought, his heart hammering a frantic, exhilarated rhythm in his chest.
To a normal person, attempted crippling was a red flag.
To a sociopath who had spent his entire life surrounded by sycophants, yes-men, and fragile courtiers who bowed to his every whim... it was the most intoxicating, thrilling, undeniably attractive thing he had ever experienced.
Yichen slowly stood up, brushing the mud off his crimson robes. He didn't draw a weapon as he waved Commander Mo away.
A wide, genuine, completely unhinged smile spread across Yichen's face.
His dark eyes shone with a heavy, suffocating obsession that made his previous flirtations look like child's play.
