"You sleep with me," Qingcang stated in a deep, menacing voice.

Lina gave him a bewildered look. "Ah!" She poked Qingcang in the chest to assert her boundaries, causing him to be shocked by her behavior. "Hold up! Have you lost your senses? Did the portal and our... moment... make you silly? I'm a female; you're a male. We can't sleep together!" She still looked at him funny.

Lina's sudden poke took Qingcang by surprise and made his temper rise. He could not believe the audacity of this mere human to touch him with such disrespect and arrogance. His eye twitched, and he closed his eyes to suppress the urge to unleash his Hellfire and reduce her home to ashes.

'I never thought that being in the presence of this Silly Little Human would be harder than conquering the three realms combined in a day,' Qingcang thought as he lowered his head and buried his forehead in his hand. When he opened his eyes again, Lina looked funny at him. He lowered his hand and returned her gaze. "What moment of ours are you referring to?"

Lina hesitated before answering, "You know...that...thing we did." She was embarrassed to answer his question, feeling silly for even bringing it up. 'Our kiss, you dummy!' she thought, unable to believe how dense Qingcang was regarding the male-female interaction. Then again, in a way, she was too.

Qingcang's eyebrows furrowed in genuine bewilderment. "What thing?"

Finally, Lina broke the silence with a sigh and a bead of sweat on her forehead. "Nevermind. We can't sleep in the same room. I have a reputation to maintain. If news spreads that I'm keeping a random man in my house, my dignity will be ruined."

Qingcang closed his eyes in arrogance. "That's easy. I'll kill anyone who bullies you."

Lina's heart was alarmed. "NO! Don't destroy my prestige, and don't cause me trouble!"

Qingcang opened his eyes and raised an eyebrow. "Are you threatening me?"

Lina's expression turned defensive. "I-it's not like I haven't done it before," she retorted, her voice laced with disturbance.

Qingcang sighed, closed his eyes, and shook his head. He thought, 'How much longer must I endure her?' He reopened his almond-shaped eyes and gazed at Lina, waiting for her to continue.

Lina shifted awkwardly, avoiding Qingcang's gaze. "Besides, if we sleep in the same bed... we... you..." she trailed off, unable to complete her thought.

Qingcang crossed his arms over his chest and tilted his head as he intensely stared at Lina. "What will happen?"

Lina was taken aback by his ignorance. 'He seriously doesn't know? How innocent can he be?' she thought. Qingcang continued to wait for her response, his piercing gaze fixed on her. She took a deep breath, mustered up the courage, and spoke. "We..." she started but trailed off again. She shook her head and decided to let it go. "Nevermind. If you want to stay, then stay. But I am leaving," she declared, determined to regain control of the situation. She realized that there was nothing she could do to control him, so the best she could do was control herself. She had had enough of his outrageous behavior and decided to leave him behind and walk away.

However, before Lina could take a few steps, Qingcang suddenly appeared before her, blocking her path. "You're not allowed to leave," he commanded.

'H-he's so fast...' Lina thought, frowning at Qingcang's statement and eyeing him warily. His sudden appearance surprised her, and she took a step back. "Are you done? No one has ever controlled me as you do!"

"You'll only be safe when I'm around."

Lina was not convinced. "You're the only danger here!" she yelled.

Qingcang's anger was tangible, but he managed to contain it. He gritted his teeth and thought, 'I'll kill her soon.' His eye twitched as he imagined what it would feel like to take revenge on Lina.

Lina continued to walk away, her footsteps heavy with rage. As she finally left her large house, she felt a sense of relief wash over her. "Never in my life has someone made me so ang—" she trailed off, catching herself before saying 'angry'. Then, she realized that Qingcang was not the person who had hurt her the most. That honor went to someone else – Yichen. The thought of Yichen made her anxious. 'That jerk, Yichen.' She could not help but think about how he had broken her heart into a million pieces. 'Nevermind him. Tonight, he finally got himself a wife... I forgive him; it's not as if we were dating. He only lied to me and made me believe that he loved me...'

Lina got into her metallic, lilac car and quickly drove to the nearest hotel in her city. She needed to clear her head and forget Yichen's backstabbing and Qingcang's possessiveness.

Lina arrived at the luxurious five-star hotel, the place's grandeur catching her breath as she walked in. The walls were adorned with ornate carvings, while the floors were made of polished marble, adding to the classical Italian elegance of the interior.

Unfortunately, Lina soon realized she had forgotten her wallet, a pit forming in her stomach as she would have to explain her situation at the front desk.

As she made her way to the desk, she held her breath, praying to God they could help her. "Hi, I'm Lina. I'm so sorry, but I left my wallet at home. Is there any way I can pay for my room digitally?"

The receptionist smiled warmly, "Of course, we accept digital payments. You can pay using your phone. And would you like a single room with one bed?"

Lina breathed a sigh of relief, grateful for the hotel's accommodating policies, "Yes, please."

As soon as she entered her hotel room, Lina let out a deep sigh of relief, the plush king-sized bed welcoming her. She tossed her keys onto the bed, and her eyes wandered over the lavish interior of the room. The walls were painted a soft beige color, while the curtains were made of thick velvet, adding to the luxurious feel of the space.

She made her way to the bathroom, the thought of a warm bath filling her with anticipation. As she stepped into the bathtub, the warm water enveloped her, washing away the stress and tension of the night. "Ah, this is what I needed." Lina closed her eyes and sighed. Not this. Not after such a chaotic evening. The thought of never having to see that annoying guy again brought a smile to her face.

As Lina emerged from the bath, she felt rejuvenated and refreshed with the towel wrapped around her head. She had purchased a pair of soft, cotton pajamas from the hotel store near the front desk, the comfortable material adding to her sense of ease, and now slipped into them.

With a sense of contentment, Lina crawled into bed, sinking into the plush pillows, ready to enjoy a well-deserved rest. 'Finally, I got rid of him, and now I can get some sleep,' she thought as she closed her eyes, finally felt a sense of relief, and was eager for a good night's sleep. However, as she tried to drift off, she found her mind racing with all the events of the past few hours. 'So much has happened in just one night. My life was turned upside down... Thank God I'm back at home... well, not now, but I will go home tomorrow...' she mused, her thoughts interrupted by the room's silence, a deep sigh escaping her lips as she tried to relax. "It's going to be okay. Everything will work out in the end," she murmured, trying to soothe herself, and rolled over to lie on her other side.

'Wh—'

And to her utter shock and horror...

'WHA—'

The guy who had been bothering Lina was lying beside her, his hands behind his head, and he had a calm yet arrogant expression. Her peace was quickly disrupted when she rolled over and saw Qingcang lying beside her. She could not believe her eyes; she had never imagined that he would appear in her hotel room unannounced.

This is the first half of the chapter. Read the next episode for the rest of the chapter. I'm only limited to 15.000 characters.

From Ice to Ashes is my original book, and it's available on Tapas and Wattpad!