Ye Moran stayed with the little fellow until he fell into a deep sleep before she finally chose to leave.
Returning to the surface, she could not help but stretch lazily. A smile remained on her lips, and she seemed to be in a very good mood.
Qin Siyu walked over cautiously.
“CEO Ye…”
“Mm. Send a few people to keep an eye on this place. Don’t let anyone get close, and don’t let the little fellow inside come out. Do you understand?”
“Understood!”
“By the way, I remember you keep a little pet, don’t you?”
Qin Siyu’s brow furrowed slightly. ‘Why did CEO Ye suddenly bring this up?’ She instinctively did not want anyone to have contact with her pet.
“Speak!”
“Yes… Yes, CEO Ye. I do indeed keep a little pet, but…”
“Fine. Bring him over tomorrow and let him accompany my little fellow.”
“???”
Qin Siyu was momentarily stunned. She was being asked to let her little pet keep Ye Jin company. However, after thinking about it carefully, it was not a big deal as long as CEO Ye was not interested in her pet herself.
The only thing she worried about was Ye Jin’s temper. She hoped he would not influence her little pet and make his temperament turn sour. If that happened, she would have to spend a lot of effort to properly discipline him again.
***
Click!
The glare of the strong lights caused the person huddled in the corner to instinctively shrink back. Qin Siyu glanced at him indifferently, a flash of impatience crossing her eyes.
The youth caught this immediately. Gritting his teeth, he struggled to crawl up from the floor. He ran over in a small trot, lugging the heavy chains with him.
When he reached the doorway, he immediately took a pair of slippers from the shoe rack. He came before her respectfully and lowered himself onto his knees. Carefully lifting one of her feet, he helped her change her shoes.
“Your reactions are getting slower. Remember to wait at the door next time. Don’t stay so far away.”
“I… I understand, Master. Please don’t be angry, Master. I’ve finished cooking. I’ll go reheat the food.”
“Reheat it?”
“I’m sorry, Master. I made it a bit too early, and the dishes have already gone cold…”
The youth’s figure, which was just about to leave, suddenly froze. He turned around quickly and prostrated himself on the floor, his body trembling violently.
“Alright. I didn’t mean to blame you. Go on, hurry up!”
“Also, don’t wear so much at home next time. Like last time, just wearing a cooking apron is fine.”
“I… I understand…”
A flash of hesitation crossed the youth’s eyes. He knew very well that if he really only wore an apron, he could become a tool for her to vent her frustrations at any time.
Yet, he had no choice but to listen to her. If he didn’t, things would go very, very badly for him!
He quickly ran to the kitchen, lit the stove, and then ran back to the dining table to carry the dishes back to the kitchen one by one.
He reheated the dishes one after another. Fortunately, the rice cooker had a keep-warm function, so the rice did not need reheating.
After setting the table again, he scooped out two bowls of rice and then stood obediently by the table, waiting for her command.
“Today was good. You’re much more obedient than before. If I catch you doing anything else besides your daily afternoon grocery shopping again, you know the consequences.”
“I won’t. I never will again. This time, I came back immediately after buying the groceries. I started cooking as soon as I returned, which is why the food was ready so early.”
“You can put the groceries in the refrigerator first next time.”
“Understood. Then, what time should I start cooking?”
“Start around 5:00 PM. Just make sure it’s ready before 6:00 PM. I usually get home between 6:00 PM and 7:00 PM.”
“I was a bit late today because I had some business to attend to.”
“Understood. Then, what should I do tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow?”
The corner of Qin Siyu’s mouth curled up, and she crooked her finger slightly. The youth’s body trembled, and he immediately ran over. He crouched beside her, his head slightly raised as he looked at her with tearful eyes.
“Accompany me to the company tomorrow. I want to take you to meet a friend. The two of you should have a lot of common topics to talk about.”
“A… friend…”
The youth bit his lower lip hard. Was that a word he was even allowed to have?
Since he was 5 years old, he had stayed in a dark place like the Young Slave Pavilion. Every day, he was taught how to please others. Being beaten and scolded had become a regular part of his life.
Until he was bought by the person in front of him. In the beginning, she had acted very tenderly toward him, making him mistakenly believe she could give him a warm home.
But once, after he had stayed outside playing for too long and came home late, she had revealed her true nature.
He had never had a friend. He knew that other normal people had friends; even the person in front of him had friends.
But now, this person was telling him that he could make a friend tomorrow and that they would have many common topics. ‘What kind of common topics? Is it about being tortured, beaten, and trained?’
He did not dare to think about it. He just blindly shoveled the food in his bowl. The food was delicious; it was one of the few useful things he had been able to learn in a place like the Young Slave Pavilion.
That place taught people like him every possible way to please someone, including cooking, massages, and various… positions.
“Are you finished eating?”
“Go take a bath when you’re done, then go to bed. I’ll allow you to sleep in the bed today!”
“Th-thank you, Master. But I have to wash the dishes first. I can only go bathe after I’ve finished the dishes.”
“No need. I’ll call a cleaner to tidy the room tomorrow. Now, go take a bath!”
“Ye-yes…”
The youth’s heart tightened. ‘What am I going to do tomorrow that would even allow me to skip washing the dishes?’
He went to the bathroom and stripped off his clothes. His pale skin was covered in various scars, large and small. Some had already scabbed and fallen off, while others were still covered with bandages, faintly revealing a hint of blood.
He picked up a nearby towel, soaked it with hot water, and wiped his body bit by bit. When he wiped over the scabbed wounds, he was extremely careful, terrified of breaking them open again.
Bleeding after breaking them was a minor issue, but it would be disastrous if it caused a permanent scar that could never be removed!
She would definitely despise him and then throw him out. If he were discarded, he would die. He had no identity, and he still carried the mark of the Young Slave Pavilion on the back of his neck. No one would want him. He wouldn’t be able to find a job and would end up on the streets. If he were lucky, he would become a beggar, relying on the charity of others to survive.
But in all likelihood, he wouldn’t even be able to be a beggar. He would only become someone else’s toy—the kind that was thrown away after use. He would rather die than live that kind of life!
And the only other place he could go was the Young Slave Pavilion. But he wanted nothing more than to escape that place; how could he possibly step foot in it again?
After washing his body, he put on a loose bathrobe and gently pushed open the bedroom door. He saw Qin Siyu already lying on the bed, tapping away on a laptop.
Qin Siyu was wearing loose silk pajamas and had already bathed in the other bathroom.
She had renovated this apartment. There were two restrooms and one separate bathroom, but only one bedroom.
The smaller toilet and bathroom in the same room were for Lu Yu’s use, while the ones she used were separated into two different rooms.
However, this did not matter to Lu Yu. He did not feel that she was looking down on him; he was even grateful to her.
After all, when he was in the Young Slave Pavilion, many people had to share the same toilet. The bathroom was also the kind where several people stood in a row, like a large public bathhouse.
“Come here!”
Lu Yu walked over obediently and leaned against her chest of his own accord. His gaze stared unblinkingly at the computer. He could not understand the things on it, and he didn’t even recognize the words, yet he was still very curious. He watched without blinking.