Su Ling slumped by the door, his small hands hanging weakly. His throat was so dry it felt like it was smoking, and every breath brought a searing pain.
He wanted to scream and struggle, but even the strength to lift his hand was slowly being drained away.
Inside the kitchen, a metal spatula clinked against the side of a pan with a crisp sound, and a rich aroma filled the air.
Ye Moran hummed a soft tune, her movements elegant and composed, as if she couldn’t hear the faint pounding on the door and the gasping from the room next door.
She leisurely transferred the food onto an exquisite white porcelain plate. Her fingertips lightly brushed the rim of the plate, and a faint, cold smile rippled in her eyes.
“The meal is almost ready. I hope the Little Fellow can learn to be a bit more obedient this time. If it really doesn’t work, then I’ll just have to send him to the Young Slave Pavilion!”
After serving the meal, she still wasn’t in a hurry to open the door.
When he was hot enough, when the Little Fellow completely softened and cried while admitting his mistake to her, never daring to lie to her or harbor any more wicked thoughts again, she would naturally open the door.
After all, she was a very Tenderness Elder Sister.
But this Tenderness was only for obedient people.
The temperature in the room was still rising. Su Ling curled up on the floor as his consciousness gradually blurred.
Sweltering heat and despair submerged him together.
‘Was he wrong?’
‘He just didn’t want to be controlled; he just wanted to escape. Was that wrong?’
From outside the door came the light clinking of bowls and chopsticks being set.
Next came the sound of footsteps, slowly approaching the bedroom.
Su Ling trembled violently. Using the last bit of his strength, he raised his head and looked at the tightly closed door!
Click.
The lock turned!
The door was slowly pushed open.
A gust of cool air rushed in from outside, colliding with the 50-degree heat in the room, instantly condensing into a thin layer of mist.
Ye Moran stood at the doorway, her figure elegant, carrying the faint scent of food. It formed a stark contrast with the suffocating heat in the room.
She looked down and saw the dying Little Fellow slumped by the door at a glance.
Su Ling’s hair was messily stuck to his face. His cheeks were flushed, his body was covered in sticky sweat, and his lips were cracked and peeling. He was so weak he looked like he might break at any moment.
Ye Moran sniffed carefully. There was a rich Milky Scent mixed with a fruity aroma in the air.
She leaned down, moving closer, before confirming that the source of the fragrance was the Little Fellow!
She licked her lips, suppressing the urge to swallow the Little Fellow right then and there. She extended her cool fingertips and lightly touched his burning cheek.
“Do you know your mistake, Little Fellow?”
Her voice was still gentle, soft as if she were coaxing him like usual, but every word carried an irresistible pressure.
Su Ling trembled all over. Tears fell onto the floor without warning, mixing with his sweat to form a small wet patch.
He nodded vigorously, exhausting what little strength he had left. His voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible.
“I… I was wrong… Elder Sister…”
“Wrong about what?”
Ye Moran asked patiently, her fingertips gently wiping away the tears and sweat on his face.
The youth sobbed, his voice broken.
“I shouldn’t have… lied to you… I shouldn’t have…”
“And what else?”
“I…”
Su Ling’s eyes darted around, not daring to look at her.
“Speak. If you say it now, I might not get angry. But if you continue to hide it, I will be even angrier!”
“I hate being lied to, you know that, Little Fellow!”
Ye Moran’s voice was like a devil’s whisper, enticening Su Ling to say the rest.
Su Ling closed his eyes. At this moment, his brain was dizzy. Hearing her coaxing, he thought she really wouldn’t be angry.
He instinctively thought the punishment was over. In the past, whenever the punishment ended, she would return to being that Tenderness Elder Sister.
He didn’t think much of it and revealed his true thoughts.
“I—I shouldn’t have… I shouldn’t have thought about escaping. I’m sorry, Elder Sister…”
“Escaping?”
Ye Moran repeated those two words. The smile on her face deepened, but it didn’t reach her eyes, making his heart tremble.
“So you really were thinking about escaping!”
“Hehe, I treat you so well, and yet you’re still thinking about escaping!”
“Time and time again, time and time again… Do you think I have a lot of patience?”
“Elder Sister, I — “
“Don’t speak. I don’t want to be angry with you right now. I just finished cooking, so let’s eat first. We’ll talk about this after we finish eating, all right?”
She picked up the Little Fellow and placed him at the dining table.
“Don’t say you don’t want to eat or won’t eat. You know I’m very angry right now. Don’t do anything to add fuel to the fire!”
Although his brain was still dizzy, Su Ling tremblingly picked up the chopsticks and ate carefully.
Su Ling’s small hands shook violently. Every mouthful of food was difficult to swallow.
The searing pain in his throat hadn’t faded yet. It was dry and painful, but he didn’t dare to stop, much less raise his head to look at Ye Moran across the table.
The air was frighteningly quiet, leaving only the faint sound of chopsticks clinking against porcelain bowls.
The residual heat in the room hadn’t fully dissipated, making it suffocating. Compared to the high temperature from earlier, this dead silence made him even more afraid.
That light phrase “talk after dinner” was like a sword hanging over his head, ready to fall at any moment.
Ye Moran ate slowly and deliberately, her movements remaining elegant, but the pressure around her was terrifyingly low.
Occasionally, she looked up at Su Ling. Her gaze fell on his trembling shoulders and on his panicked, lowered eyes. A faint smile still hung on her lips, but that smile was bone-chillingly cold.
Wanting to escape over and over.
Lying over and over.
She gave him the best room, gave him everything he wanted, and even offered him her heart, yet this Little Fellow always thought about escaping, wanting to leave her at any time.
He really was… so disobedient!
Su Ling ate small mouthfuls of rice, hardly tasting anything. He only felt a tightness in his stomach.
He didn’t dare eat too slowly, nor too quickly. Every movement was cautious for fear of angering the person before him even further.
He remembered the Mobile Phone hidden in the wardrobe just now, the clothes Nangong Wan had given him, and the tiny bits of freedom he hadn’t had a chance to grasp. His heart suddenly constricted.
‘That Mobile Phone must never be discovered by Ye Moran!’
‘If it’s discovered, the consequences will be unimaginable!’
Su Ling’s mind was a mess. He finally managed to swallow the last bite of rice in the bowl when he noticed her gaze shifting toward him!
Su Ling immediately put down his chopsticks. His body was stiff, and although his voice was still hoarse and weak, he tried his best to appear as obedient as possible.
“I… I’m finished, Elder Sister.”
Ye Moran put down her utensils and picked up a napkin to gently wipe the corners of her lips. Her movements were slow and deliberate.
She looked up, her gaze falling directly on Su Ling. There wasn’t a hint of warmth in those indifferent eyes.
“Finished?”
Ye Moran spoke softly, her tone frighteningly calm.
“Then let’s settle the score for your escape attempt now.”
“Back in the room, you said you knew your mistake, right?”
“Yes…”
Su Ling trembled violently. His face paled even further. His small hands gripped the seams of his pants tightly, and he didn’t even dare to breathe too heavily.
“I… I really know my mistake, Elder Sister. I won’t ever dare to do it again, I really won’t…”
“You won’t dare?”
Ye Moran gave a light chuckle and stood up, walking toward the other side of the table step by step!
Her high heels clicked against the floor, a crisp sound. Every step felt like it was treading on Su Ling’s heart.
“Little Fellow, you’ve lied to me too many times.”
She stopped in front of Su Ling and leaned down slightly. She reached out and gently pinched the youth’s cold chin, forcing him to look up and meet her gaze.
The Tenderness in her eyes had completely faded, leaving only a paranoid madness and fury!
“Tell me, how should I punish you so that you’ll remember the lesson?”
“Should I keep you locked in that sweltering room, or — “
She paused. Each word was light as a feather, yet they made Su Ling instantly fall into an ice cellar.
“Should I just send you straight to the Young Slave Pavilion you fear the most?!”
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