The man tried to shake Lihua off his head, but she expertly dodged his grasp.

Dirty human! Don't dare touch me with your dirty hands! I am a Queen! How could a peasant like you touch me?

She scratched him even more by his audacity of trying to touch her. Blood trickled down his forehead and that goon shook his head hard to no avail. She kept on fiercely attacking him to no mercy. Lihua finally jumped off his head into Jiang Ruiling's lap as she felt satisfied.

As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, Jiang Ruiling saw the outline of the furry cat on her lap.

*Meow*

Lihua majestically settled on her lap as if it was her throne.

The Queen has fought her battle.

Jiang Ruiling stammered. "Y-you were here all this time…"

Of course, I was here, you stupid human.

The man was so enraged by this sudden onslaught that he blindly charged towards the cat. "You fucking bitch!"

Jiang Ruiling quickly sprung on her feet and rushed to the other side holding Lihua in her arms.

"What the hell a fucking cat is doing here!? How dare you scratch me!?"

She jolted. Even if Lihua saved her, how were they supposed to get out of here? The door was locked.

Lihua straightened up to jump at him again, but before he could touch them, the door suddenly broke open.

The man was grabbed by a powerful force that crushed his throat by the sheer anger rushing in every cell of his body.

"Fucking bastard…" a cold, quiet voice that plummeted the temperature of the room echoed in the air. The bloodthirst in the voice was unmistakable.

Jiang Ruiling froze. Her eyes teared up as she recognized her love's voice. "S-Shen Yang…"

He stiffened upon hearing her but what more shook him how her voice trembled in fear. His grip on that man's throat tightened so hard that he choked and felt breathless. His face turned almost turned blue due to lack of air and his eyes rolled back in dizziness.

"L-let me go…"

He felt his larynx crush as if somebody was breaking a kite. The pain was so excruciating that he could see stars in front of his eyes.

Consumed with rage, Shen Yang punched a strong fist on his face that instantly broke his nose.

"Ahhh!!"

He grabbed his head and smashed an upper knee jab on it.

"How dare you touch young mistress…" Even in that darkness, he accurately hit his vital spots.

The man paled, sensing the danger in his tone. His body was aching all over. "I...I…"

But then a sharp kick landed on his stomach and he puked blood. He felt his insides tear apart by that kick. He clutched his abdomen and staggered on his knee.

"Ah…"

Shen Yang then kept beating and punching him so hard that in the middle of it, he lost his consciousness and passed out. He broke his arm that was the last straw.

He immediately switched on his flashlight that finally lit up the room in some light. Lihua, the cat saw the man collapsed on the floor and was extremely pleased by his pathetic state.

You did a fair job I guess but not better than me, she arrogantly snorted.

Jiang Ruiling finally collapsed on her knees in relief.

"Young mistress!" Shen Yang rushed to her side.

She tremblingly raised her head and met his worried gaze. Tears plopped on her cheeks and her lips parted. "Y-you finally came…"

Shen Yang clenched his jaw. "Young mistress I am sorry-"

Jiang Ruiling jumped in his embrace as she cried her heart out. "Shen Yang…"

Her trembling body in his arms and the tears that stained his shirt wet made him extremely furious at himself. But at the same time, he felt his heart twist in pain seeing her sob so hard.

Jiang Ruiling clutched his shirt between her fingers and hugged him tighter. "I really thought that I would…"

"No! I wouldn't have let anything happen to you! As long as I am alive, I won't let a single enemy harm you. Young mistress...I am really sorry for making you wait."

He slowly placed his hands on his back, unable to stop himself from hugging her back. All this time, he had his heart in his throat, fearing for her safety. If something had happened to her, he would have never been able to forgive himself. Now he felt how fast his heart was drumming. To see a man attack her made his blood boil in anger.

Jiang Ruiling felt the warmth of his embrace and she buried her face in his chest.

Shen Yang said, "Everything is fine, young mistress. You are safe…"

Jiang Ruiling sniffled and lifted her head. Their gazes met in silence. His eyelashes trembled to see her tear-stained cheeks. His fingers softly brushed across them as he wiped them. She softly pressed her hand on his.

"Don't cry anymore...I am here," he whispered.

The words sounded melodious to her ears. The proximity in that dim light made their hearts race. In a trance, they slowly leaned towards each other and their lips met.

Jiang Ruiling shut her eyes and wrapped her hand around his neck. Shen Yang, too, who always brought duty before his feelings, couldn't help but get weak at this moment. Ever since her engagement announcement, he felt extremely uneasy and fearful of losing her. But he was bound by his duties that restricted him from loving his master.

But now he couldn't bear the distance anymore. He wanted to touch and assure himself that she was safe. He tilted his head and pressed his lips harder that lovingly swept across hers. He cupped her face and felt her soft skin gliding across his fingers, making him shiver.

Lihua, the cat who had already jumped off from her lap, looked away after seeing the couple kiss.

Why do I feel that I shouldn't be here anymore? she harrumphed.

Jiang Ruiling and Shen Yang shared their passionate kiss for a few moments before they slowly parted away.

"Shen Yang…" she stared at him, "will you still say that you don't love me?"