Su Ling smacked his lips twice in his sleep, a satisfied smile on his face as if he was having a pleasant dream. Gu Qingyuan withdrew her hand, holding a small object that looked like a key. She admired her handiwork with satisfaction, her mood improving. Her fingers lightly traced the little fellow’s delicate skin, traveling upward all the way to his neck. With a gentle squeeze, the soft, boneless neck quickly flushed red.
“So tempting!”
Without a second thought, Gu Qingyuan threw back the covers and slipped in, bringing a chill with her. The cold air jolted Su Ling awake instantly, his eyes hazy as he stared at the figure straddling him.
“Mm!~” Su Ling let out a nervous sound barely louder than a mosquito’s hum, his lips tightly pressed together, a trace of sleep-induced confusion still in his eyes.
“Don’t worry, I won’t do anything to you!”
Su Ling silently sighed in relief at those words. But no sooner had he relaxed than a sharp pain shot through his neck!
“Mm ah!~” Su Ling let out a few urgent, unintelligible cries, pushing desperately against the other person with both hands. But it was useless—he couldn’t move them. The pain in his neck grew deeper, and he could even feel liquid flowing from his body. He was going to die!
In that instant, images from movies he’d watched before flashed through Su Ling’s mind—scenes where people died after their throats were cut! He didn’t want to die. He didn’t want to die!
Gu Qingyuan grabbed the little fellow’s still-bleeding neck, breathing heavily, a hint of anger in her eyes. “Don’t move! In movies, people always die when their necks get hurt. This little thing doesn’t listen at all, says he’ll be obedient—it was all a lie to fool me. I was just playing a little, and he struggles this much!”
“Wuwu!” Su Ling didn’t dare to struggle. He raised his hand and carefully pointed at the still-bleeding spot, unprecedented fear in his eyes.
“What are you afraid of? It’s not like I’m actually going to eat you. You really don’t listen at all!”
Su Ling’s body trembled at those words, and he shook his head frantically.
“Slap!”
“I told you, don’t move. Lie still. If you dare to move, I’ll take care of you right now!”
Su Ling bit his lip, trembling, and nodded lightly. He tried to keep his body as still as possible, but the fear in his heart made him shake uncontrollably. He was scared. So scared. What should he do? What could he do? Su Ling couldn’t think of anything. He could only silently watch the other person, hoping she wouldn’t bite his neck again like before. That would really kill him.
Gu Qingyuan slowly leaned down, looking at the wound on the little thing’s neck. She gently extended her tongue and licked it slowly. Watching the little thing’s face contort in pain, tears streaming down from the pain, she felt utterly satisfied! She wanted to bully the little thing mercilessly, to bully him hard, and also heal his throat. She wanted to see him struggle, cry out, and beg for mercy! That would be beautiful!
Su Ling curled up pitifully in her arms, his pale body covered in bright red marks. Some places were even broken open, blood seeping out. His body hurt, but he wasn’t dead! His master hadn’t killed him. To him, that was the greatest fortune.
“Now you’re being good. From now on, no matter what your master does, you can’t resist. Understand?”
Su Ling nodded. His small hands clasped in front of his chest, his tearful eyes watching her nervously.
“Good. Behave from now on. Oh, right—you didn’t complete the task I gave you, so I gave you a little punishment.”
“!?” Su Ling’s head shot up in shock, staring at her in disbelief.
“Don’t look at me like that. I told you to write ‘Master’ one hundred times—did you do it? You didn’t, so naturally, there’s a punishment. You brought this on yourself. It has nothing to do with me.”
Su Ling bit his lip tightly. His master was right—it was his own fault. He really hadn’t completed the task she’d assigned. He hung his head silently, tears welling up in his eyes. Why? Why had he been lazy? He could have finished it. If he had, he wouldn’t have been punished. The more he thought about it, the worse he felt. He couldn’t help wanting to curl up, but the moment he moved slightly, the pain in his leg made him freeze. That’s right—he’d already lost one leg. He couldn’t curl up anymore. The thought made him even sadder.
“Alright, stop crying.” Seeing him cry so pitifully, Gu Qingyuan couldn’t help but interrupt him. “Don’t you want to know what punishment I gave you?”
Su Ling paused, wiped away his tears, and looked up with a confused gaze at the other person. What punishment would his master give him? Su Ling suddenly turned his head and saw that his other leg was still there. He breathed a sigh of relief, but then furrowed his brow. It wasn’t about losing a leg. So what was the punishment? He couldn’t help moving his body slightly but didn’t feel any obvious discomfort.
“Huh?!” Su Ling was momentarily stunned. He couldn’t help reaching down to feel, and instead of a soft touch, his hand met a cold, iron-like object! Su Ling slowly looked up at the other person. Gu Qingyuan’s lips curled up, an unreadable smile on her face.
Trembling, Su Ling slowly lifted the blanket and saw a metal buckle locked onto his body!
“Don’t be too shocked. This is just a small punishment. As my pet, all your rights belong to me—including going to the bathroom! From now on, you need my permission to use the toilet. If I don’t give it, you hold it in. As for whether it’ll be taken off later… that depends on your behavior. After all, your performance today was far from satisfactory!”
Su Ling wanted to say something, wanted to beg her not to do this. But all the words he wanted to say couldn’t come out. He didn’t dare to say them either. So he could only snuggle back into her arms, hoping that this way he could satisfy her and get her to remove the thing sooner.
“Now that’s being good!” Gu Qingyuan reached out and patted the little thing’s head. She’d expected him to resist as soon as he learned about this punishment. But he hadn’t. It seemed the little thing actually liked it. Her careful selection hadn’t been wasted!
—
Time flew by. One month passed. Su Ling’s body had mostly recovered—at least he could hop around, walk, and crawl without much trouble! Today, Su Ling finally got to meet his hand sign teacher.
Su Ling sat on the edge of the bed, full of anticipation. He imagined what it would be like to learn sign language. Once he knew it, his master would never misunderstand him again. He could clearly express his thoughts. And most importantly, he wouldn’t have to write anymore! Writing was exhausting, especially recently when his master kept punishing him by making him copy “Master” a hundred times. His hands were numb from it. He never wanted to write again!
The hospital room door opened. A slightly plump woman with a black-framed glasses walked in, dressed in casual clothes. Su Ling watched her for a moment, then shifted his gaze to his master, who had just entered. He happily started to move toward her, but Gu Qingyuan quickly stepped forward and pressed him down.
“Don’t move!”