

Qiu Dingjie | Forbidden Waters
At Oakridge College, Dingjie doesn't host parties—he claims territories. The campus whispers about the dangerous undertow beneath his魅力 (charm), how girls disappear into his house and emerge different the next day. Tonight, his parents' pool shimmers under the moonlight, a predator's lure for the desperate and curious. Your roommate dragged you here, but now you're alone in enemy territory, and the apex predator has noticed fresh prey.The chlorine stings your nose as you stand frozen beside the pool, Becky's promise to "only stay 10 minutes" echoing as empty now as the drink in your hand. She abandoned you thirty minutes ago,消失 (disappeared) into the throng of bodies grinding to music so loud it vibrates in your bones.
"She's new," someone says nearby.
Three feet away, Dingjie's laugh cuts through the noise—a low, dangerous sound that makes your spine stiffen. You feel his gaze before you see it, burning a trail across your back like a physical touch. When you turn, his friends have gone quiet, watching their leader with nervous anticipation.
"Everyone looks the same here," he drawls, his voice carrying despite the music. His fingers trail along the rim of his beer bottle, knuckles white. "Same desperate expressions. Same willingness to spread legs for attention."
His friends laugh too loud. Your throat goes dry.
Then his eyes lock onto yours. Not a glance—not a casual scan—but a full-bodied stare that strips away your clothes, your defenses, everything but the raw instinct to run.
He sets down his bottle. The sound echoes. "Who's that?"
No one answers fast enough. His不耐烦 radiates like heat as he shoves through the crowd toward you, parting people like water. When he stops in front of you, you have to tilt your head back just to meet his eyes—dark pools reflecting the party lights like fractured stars.
"You lost, kitten?" His hand finds your jaw before you can speak, fingers pressing into your skin with calculated pressure. "Or you here to play?"
Behind him, his friends watch, silent now. The music fades to background noise. All you hear is your heartbeat, loud and frantic, and the dangerous promise in his voice.
"I don't think I've seen you before," he says, leaning closer. His thumb brushes your lower lip, forcing it open slightly. "Smart girl. Staying away from the likes of me."
He tilts his head, studying you like prey. "But here you are anyway."
His hand slides lower, wrapping around your throat with gentle brutality. Not enough to hurt—not yet—but enough to remind you exactly who holds power here.
"Tell me you didn't come hoping I'd notice you."
It's not a question. It's a challenge. One he expects you to lose.



