“It hurts, doesn’t it?”
Su Ling glanced at her and shook his head. ‘Does it hurt? Of course it does, but this person before me wouldn’t comfort me. On the contrary, she’ll only mock and bully me.’
“Lying is wrong, you know. I know your heart must be aching right now. If you want to cry, go ahead and wail. Oh, right, I forgot your throat is already ruined.”
Su Ling’s brow furrowed slightly. ‘Is she doing this on purpose?’
“Ugh!—”
Gu Qingyuan’s expression suddenly shifted. The smile on her face vanished instantly, replaced by a dark gloom! She abruptly grabbed Su Ling’s chin.
“Do you think I’m joking with you?”
Su Ling’s pupils trembled and his body tensed, his eyes staring at her uneasily.
“You know, I really didn’t like the way you looked before! You’re suffering? I know that, but what does that have to do with me? Or have you still not realized that I am your Master? Bringing your bad mood to your Master—do you think that’s appropriate?”
Su Ling bit his lip and subconsciously tried to turn his head away, but as soon as he moved, a heavy slap landed on his cheek!
“Answer me!”
Su Ling shook his head slowly, a hint of grievance in the eyes he turned toward Gu Qingyuan.
“Heh, little thing, you’re mine! Do you think your Elder Sister doesn’t know I took you away? I’m telling you, she knows, but she didn’t come to save you!”
Hearing this, Su Ling’s pupils shrank momentarily before quickly returning to normal. ‘Elder Sister doesn’t want me anymore, so it’s normal for her not to show up.’
Slap!
“I told you, don’t show your pain to me. I don’t like it! Smile!”
Just as a trace of a smile appeared at the corners of Su Ling’s mouth, another slap hit his face.
“Ugly. Keep going!”
Su Ling had no choice but to pull the corners of his mouth up again. However, because he had taken three consecutive slaps, the right side of his face was already swollen. It was inevitable that his smile looked awkward and his appearance was somewhat unsightly. Without surprise, another slap landed on his face.
Tears finally couldn’t be held back anymore and fell pitter-patter onto the hand gripping his chin. Looking at those tears, Gu Qingyuan’s lips suddenly curled upward as she released her grip. Su Ling covered his cheek, looking at her with confusion and fear. ‘What is she trying to do now?’
“Tell me, if I were to video call Certain Ye right now and take you right in front of her, what do you think would happen?”
“Ugh!—”
Su Ling’s pupils shrank violently. ‘No, I absolutely cannot let that happen. Elder Sister can’t see this.’ Ignoring the pain in his face, he grabbed her thigh and shook his head repeatedly.
“You don’t agree? But you’re being disobedient. This little thing really cares about his Elder Sister! As your Master, I’m very angry that you’re sad for another woman!” Gu Qingyuan’s fingers gently brushed over Su Ling’s red, swollen cheek. He had clearly become her Pet, yet he had no self-awareness and was still grieving for another woman. He really needed to be properly Disciplining!
Su Ling looked at her. He desperately wanted to say he would be obedient, but not a single sound could come from his mouth, and he didn’t know how else to express it. He could only hug her legs and plead with his eyes.
“Let go! Do you know how disgusting you look right now, crying for another woman? It makes me want to vomit!”
Su Ling’s body trembled. He wanted to reach up and wipe away his tears, but not only did they not stop, his growing fear and terror caused the tears to flow even more.
“Get lost!”
Gu Qingyuan kicked out, sending the little thing hugging her leg flying.
Su Ling lay on the floor, his body curled up in pain as tears flowed uncontrollably. What should he do? How could he get her to forgive him? He didn’t know; he had no idea what to do. He couldn’t speak, and he couldn’t stand up. He couldn’t do anything…
Gu Qingyuan walked over, picked him up, and threw him directly onto the medium-sized bed in front of them. This was a Private Cabin partitioned off inside the plane, similar to a small room. It even came equipped with a small bed for resting, a dining table, and various other amenities.
Thrust onto the bed, Su Ling already guessed what was coming next. His body shook uncontrollably as he subconsciously shrank toward the corner of the bed. The bed wasn’t large, only providing enough space for a bit more than one adult, but since Su Ling had a petite frame, that extra space was just enough to hold him.
“Look at you, being disobedient again. I threw you onto the bed, so you should be more proactive for your Master. But what are you doing? Hiding? Fearing?”
Su Ling froze slightly upon hearing this. ‘Should I be more proactive? Maybe if I am, she won’t hit me anymore. But that kind of thing… for me to be proactive… no, I don’t want to…’
Gu Qingyuan saw the little thing shaking his head, and the anger in her heart grew even stronger. This little thing was becoming more and more out of line! She had to give him a proper Penalty!
“Mmph—”
Su Ling was forced to tilt his head back. He bit his lip hard and kept his eyes tightly shut, his expression of pain fully on display! He felt like he was nothing more than a toy; his resistance seemed nonexistent in her eyes. It was so painful, so miserable. He just wanted to sleep…
***
When Su Ling woke up again, he found himself moving. He turned his head blankly and realized he seemed to be inside The Manor. With one hand carrying a suitcase, she had him slung over her shoulder with the other, walking slowly toward the depths of The Manor. Su Ling didn’t dare to struggle, nor did he dare to show any sign that he had woken up.
Was The Penalty over? No, it wasn’t. It definitely wasn’t over yet. Gu Qingyuan wouldn’t let him off that easily; there must be something else waiting for him.
Suddenly, the corner of his eye was caught by The Manor’s Garden. It was so beautiful. The light of the setting sun happened to spill over the Garden, coating the vibrant flowers in a faint layer of gold.
“You’re awake!” The sudden voice shattered the brief moment of beauty in Su Ling’s heart. He bit his lip, his body shaking uncontrollably, completely unsure of what to do.
Gu Qingyuan suddenly stopped walking. This pause caused the fear in Su Ling’s heart to reach its peak. Why did she stop? Was it because he hadn’t responded to her? But how was he supposed to respond? His throat couldn’t make a sound, and with his head against her back, she wouldn’t see him shake his head.
‘How can I respond?’ Su Ling’s simple mind raced. Suddenly, he thought of a way. He twisted his waist with all his might, using every ounce of strength to raise his head and gently nuzzle the back of her neck with his forehead.
‘This should count as a response, right?’
Gu Qingyuan was slightly taken aback before letting out a light chuckle and continuing her pace forward.
Su Ling let out a heavy sigh of relief. ‘Good, it worked. I won’t be hit—at least for now.’