CHAPTER 447: CHAPTER 447: TAKING BY FORCE

"As long as it’s something I want, I’ve never failed to acquire it. Of course, you can refute me, but this time you must understand—your fiancé cannot stop me."

Gu Qixiao chuckled as he gazed at the person in front of him, as if his words were the most casual thing in the world.

It was the first time Ji Yu had seen this side of him.

For a moment, she didn’t even know what to say.

"Do you not find your words absurd when you say them?" Ji Yu was baffled to discover this side of his personality for the first time. But since they were temporarily apart, it was better to discuss these matters later.

"Miss Ji, I’ve already told you. When it comes to matters of affection, I’m very serious. Since I’ve set my sights on you, I won’t let go easily."

He had never been one to fear when it came to love.

"Your fiancé had better be prepared to challenge me, or else the outcome might be rather tragic for him."

These words were nothing short of a threat from Gu Qixiao.

Ji Yu was suddenly reminded of something Jiang Huai had said to her long ago.

He had said that they were all cut from the same cloth—only some people hid it so well that she hadn’t noticed.

Once again, she didn’t know how to respond—perhaps because, in this matter, Lin Zhiyuan was innocent.

She didn’t want Lin Zhiyuan to get hurt.

"If you dare harm him, don’t blame me for being ruthless. When it comes to strangers, I can be exceedingly cruel."

She only wanted to frighten him and make him leave. They weren’t suited to face each other now; if he started recalling past events, it would ruin everything.

"Ji Yu, you need to understand one thing: decisions I make are not easily taken back. Besides, we won’t remain strangers in the future."

He wouldn’t allow someone he liked to ever become a stranger to him.

A faint, casual smile lingered at the corner of his lips, as if everything before him was trivial.

"If you want to run away, I’ll let you. But bringing you back later might require much harsher means."

For the first time, Ji Yu realized how terrifying he could be. Yet, not a single word from him repulsed her—maybe she was inherently biased.

"Gu Qixiao, can you give me some time? I just need space to sort things out. If you continue like this, both of our lives might end up in chaos."

This sort of situation shouldn’t have occurred in the first place.

"I understand what you’re saying, but I’m not planning to let you go." While letting her leave might seem like a good option, in his eyes, keeping Ji Yu by his side was the best choice.

"Your entire demeanor screams resistance toward me—that’s not a good sign."

Gu Qixiao didn’t want to see the person he loved look at him like that. He wasn’t truly frightening—what he had said earlier was merely a tactic to make them yield.

Ji Yu, growing increasingly agitated, had no idea what to do to resolve the current situation.

"Gu Qixiao, have you lost your mind? Do you even realize what you’re saying? Your words are scaring me."

"I won’t use those methods on you, so there’s no need to be afraid." Gu Qixiao reserved his extremes for his enemies, never for the ones he loved.

But therein lay the problem.

He had forgotten the past and was acting recklessly now.

Was this his true nature?

"Gu Qixiao, you’ve become unrecognizable to me. I don’t know what you’ve been through recently, but the things you’re saying feel so foreign."

Ji Yu stood up and finally acknowledged their previous connection.

Yet her words left Gu Qixiao inexplicably flustered.

"Since you say we’ve met before, tell me—how do you feel about me? Help me think about how we should interact moving forward."

"I don’t know. I can’t tell if the version of you I remember is truly who you are. Back then, you never said such threatening things to me." They had never encountered this kind of situation before, so it caught her completely off guard.

"I must have been hiding my true nature from you back then. Even I’m curious about the version of myself you knew."

Ji Yu didn’t bother to describe him as she had remembered him.

"Maybe he was like this. But right now, I have no interest in such things. I hope you will let us go—I want to stop entangling ourselves further."

Staying here would only make things worse.

"Miss Ji, he can leave without any issue, but you cannot."

Lin Zhiyuan was also vexed by the tension in front of him.

Both of them had changed quite significantly.

"You two should stop arguing. I know you must both feel extremely confused about why things have turned out this way."

Ji Yu turned to Lin Zhiyuan, intrigued by his sudden remark.

"What do you mean by that? Do you know something?" Ji Yu was eager for answers, likely because the situation was increasingly hard to accept.

"Gu Qixiao is correct—he may have simply been disguising his kindness in front of you. To others, he’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing."

He had only softened because of one person.

"If you can’t accept that, you’d better say so sooner rather than later." Lin Zhiyuan wasn’t sure if the two of them had any chance of being together.

After all, it wasn’t much different from deceit.

"I don’t think I can accept this for now." Ji Yu had no idea how to process it all.

At least for now, their relationship didn’t seem poised for smooth growth.

"Maybe I was being too naive." Ji Yu stared at the unfamiliar man in front of her, unsure of what she had ever seen in him.

One thing was clear—this wasn’t the Gu Qixiao she had fallen for.

"Gu Qixiao, give me some time to calm down. You’re completely different from who I once knew, and I need a moment to digest all of this."

She had envisioned this scenario far too many times.

She needed proper rest and couldn’t go on like this.