Su Ling sat on the bed, the restriction on his legs making him feel incredibly uncomfortable. However, he did not dare to untie them, and could only purse his small lips while enduring in silence. But the more he endured, the more unbearable it became. He looked at the bindings on his calves. ‘Should I loosen it just a little bit? Loosening it just a tiny bit won’t be noticed, right?’
He bit his lip, hesitating as he slowly placed his hand on the bindings. If he used just a little bit of strength, his calves could be freed. He only wanted to move a little, and then he would be satisfied. But just as his hand touched the bindings, the sharp sound of wind cutting through the air echoed. In that moment, he felt a burst of intense pain, and his entire body fell backward uncontrollably.
Gu Qingyuan stood at the door, holding a long leather whip. She stared at Su Ling with a cold expression. “I knew you wouldn’t stay still!”
“Ugh… it, it hurts!”
Wisps of blood seeped from the leather suit, but Gu Qingyuan smiled. She walked over unhurriedly, took off her shoes, and climbed onto the bed. Su Ling’s body was curled up, and the intense pain made him tremble as cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
“It, it hurts…”
“It hurts?”
“But I don’t think it hurts, does it?”
“Otherwise, how could you be thinking about running away again?”
Gu Qingyuan raised her foot and stepped on Su Ling’s back, gradually increasing the pressure!
“Ah! It hurts, stop!”
“Shut up, did I tell you that you could speak?”
Another whip lashed down, this time across his back.
“Ugh, it hurts so much, please, stop hitting me, waah…”
“Stop hitting you?”
The corner of Gu Qingyuan’s mouth curled up. She grabbed Su Ling’s chin and lifted him up entirely. “Stop hitting you? You aren’t being obedient, so I still have to hit you. This is for your own good, you know?”
“No, it’s not, you’re lying to me… and, and you’re hitting me…”
Slap!
“I just want you to be obedient!”
Su Ling clutched his cheek, his eyes filled with confusion. ‘Be obedient, be a little better. As long as you are good, you won’t be hit.’
“I…” Su Ling opened his mouth, but he could not say a word. He did not know what he should do anymore.
“If you are obedient, you won’t be hit! Remember those words!” Gu Qingyuan smiled cruelly as she pressed the little fellow down beneath her. Su Ling struggled helplessly, the wounds on his body tearing further and bleeding. It hurt; it had never hurt like this before.
Su Ling woke up from his dream with a frown. The smell of blood that had yet to dissipate in the room made him feel nauseous. There was blood everywhere on the sheets, and even the quilt was stained with it. The wounds on his body had already healed, and he had been changed into a new leather suit. Furthermore, the restraints on his calves were no longer the previous bindings, but buckles. Delicate little locks were hung on them, signifying that he would never be able to undo them himself again!
Moreover, it was very uncomfortable to lie there tied up like that. He could only struggle, enduring the pain in his body as he tried to sit up bit by bit.
“Don’t move, let me hold you a little longer. You’re so soft.” The sudden voice made Su Ling’s body tremble. He gently lifted the quilt and saw the person lying on his stomach with her arms wrapped around him.
Su Ling bit his lip and could only continue to maintain this uncomfortable position while being held. He did not want to be her plaything — not at all.
‘Sister, where are you? Do you really, really not want me anymore? I hurt so much, it hurts so much, waah…’ Su Ling did not even dare to cry out loud; he could only weep silently in his heart.
***
Meanwhile, far away abroad, Ye Moran rubbed her brow. She grabbed the medicine the Doctor handed her and shoved it directly into her mouth, swallowing it with her saliva.
“How are you today?” the Doctor asked. “Do you still miss him?”
“Yes!” Ye Moran spat out the word heavily.
She thought of him all the time, every single moment. She wondered if the little fellow was doing well, if he was eating, and if he was still sad. She thought about everything she could possibly think of! Several times, she had wanted to rush back to the country and hold the little fellow tightly.
“Mm…” Hearing Ye Moran’s answer, the Doctor’s brow furrowed slightly. He then crossed off a line in the notebook in front of him. “Lady Ye, according to our deductions, the source of your illness may not be that gentleman. The source of the symptoms may come from somewhere else!”
“What?” Ye Moran looked at the Doctor in confusion.
“The facts are quite incredible, but that is likely the case. This may be related to some of your childhood experiences, so we need to have a detailed understanding of your childhood to create a new treatment plan.”
Ye Moran remained silent for a long time before finally nodding. Those memories were not many, only covering back to when she was four or five years old, but every single one of them was heavy!
“Then you may begin your narration.”
Ye Moran did not speak immediately; instead, she stared at him with cold eyes. The Doctor thought for a moment and immediately understood her meaning. “I will go and make the arrangements immediately. Please, rest assured!”
After saying that, the Doctor left the ward. Not long after, an old man slowly sat down in front of Ye Moran. “Little girl, I don’t have long to live. I have terminal cancer, with only about one week left to live. You can tell me with peace of mind. I will take the secrets I know to the grave.”
“Mm.” Ye Moran nodded upon hearing this and began to tell her story.
“My mother, she was a very strong and tender person. In my memory, she was always quite lenient with me. As for my father, he was just a weak, incompetent, and cold guy without any emotions.”
Ye Moran’s voice was calm as she began to describe her experiences. She first introduced her parents and then slowly began to tell her story. Unlike other normal people who basically have no memories from when they were three, she remembered her memories from age two very clearly. This was because those memories were so deep that she could never forget them!
“My father was very obedient at first. He would do whatever my mother told him to do. But gradually, he became disobedient. He started to argue and talk back to my mother. At that time, I didn’t understand why they were like that, until one day, a woman came to my house. I saw my father hugging that woman!”
“That was wrong! Father belongs to Mother; he shouldn’t have done that! So, I told Mother about it.”
“Mother was very angry that day. She locked Father in a room. Father cried for an entire night and didn’t come out of the room the next day. After one week passed, Father finally walked out of that room. From then on, Father began to treat me coldly and stopped liking me!”
“The look in his eyes when he watched me was filled with hatred. But I don’t understand. Clearly, he was the one who did something wrong, and I was just correcting him. Why did he hate me? Perhaps he was never a good person to begin with.”
Ye Moran’s face was ice-cold. That guy hated her, and she hated him just as much. If it weren’t for him, she wouldn’t have become a child without a mother.