Coming to the dining table, Su Ling tilted his head up and looked at her.
“What is it?”
Su Ling sat up and rubbed his aching arms before pulling out his notebook to write down what he wanted to say. Gu Qingyuan didn’t care at first, but when the little thing held the notebook high for her to see, she finally deigned to glance at him.
“Do your legs hurt?”
Su Ling nodded immediately, pointing to his bright red knees to prove he wasn’t lying. Gu Qingyuan frowned slightly and stood up.
“Wait here. I’m going to get something.”
After watching her leave, Su Ling looked down at his knees. In truth, it wasn’t just his knees that hurt; his arms were aching too. However, he didn’t dare say anything. If the pain in his knees hadn’t become unbearable, he wouldn’t have spoken up at all. ‘I can endure the pain in my arms. If I just hold on a little longer until my legs recover, I’ll be able to stand up and walk. Then my arms won’t hurt anymore,’ he thought naively while rubbing his limbs.
Gu Qingyuan returned with two knee pads in her hand. “Put these on.”
Su Ling took the two knee pads and looked at them blankly, feeling a vague sense of disappointment. He lowered his head and silently strapped the knee pads onto his knees. Once finished, Su Ling stared at her expectantly. Since his legs wouldn’t move, there was no way for him to get up to the dining table to eat. He hoped she would pick him up.
Instead, Gu Qingyuan only gave him a glance before casually dropping a Food Basin on the floor. Su Ling stared at the Food Basin in a daze. He suddenly remembered that the woman in front of him had no intention of letting him eat at the table; she only wanted him to eat like an animal! He didn’t want this, but if he didn’t eat, he would go hungry, and being hungry was miserable. Su Ling tried to convince himself to give in, but the resistance in his heart made him feel sick, making it impossible for him to go through with it.
He eventually withdrew his gaze, pursed his dry lips, and crawled to the side. He leaned against the sofa and watched her eat. Gu Qingyuan only spared him a glance and ignored him. After she finished her meal, she cleaned up after herself and went upstairs.
Su Ling wanted to call out to her but didn’t quite dare. He couldn’t understand why her attitude had become so cold again. She had bullied him so much on the plane, yet now she treated him with such indifference. He looked at the cold food and still couldn’t bring himself to eat in that posture. Instead, he struggled to crawl onto the sofa and covered himself with a blanket.
He planned to sleep. As long as he was asleep, he wouldn’t feel the hunger. Besides, it didn’t matter if he skipped one meal. He didn’t believe that if he used a Hunger Strike as a form of protest, she would actually let him starve.
Su Ling pursed his lips and closed his eyes. However, Gu Qingyuan hadn’t returned to her room. She stood by the railing on the second floor, quietly watching the little thing lying on the sofa. She didn’t understand why he was so resistant to eating like a Pet. After all, his personality didn’t seem like the stubborn or unyielding type.
She couldn’t figure it out. She really couldn’t. ‘Do I really have to crush his bones inch by inch before he learns how to be an obedient little Cat?’ Gu Qingyuan’s eyes darkened as she began to walk down the stairs, each step making a *clack… clack…* sound against the wooden floor.
Su Ling, who was almost asleep, was startled by the approaching sound. He hurriedly sat up from the sofa in a panic. When he saw it was Gu Qingyuan, he was about to sigh in relief until he noticed the look on her face. His heart tightened instantly. ‘What… what does she want to do?’
Su Ling’s breathing quickened, and his body began to tremble involuntarily. He subconsciously tried to run away, but the moment he moved, the Chain around his neck was violently yanked!
“Ugh!~”
Su Ling’s mouth opened slightly, letting out an indistinct gasp.
“Where do you think you’re running to? This is my territory. Do you have any idea how big this Manor is? The grounds alone are as large as five or six football fields. Do you really think you can run away with those short legs of yours?” When she reached the last three words, Gu Qingyuan suddenly laughed. “Oh, right. I forgot. You can’t even use your legs right now!”
That laughter was terrifying and cruel, laced with a hint of clinical madness.
Su Ling endured the pain and frantically pulled the notebook from his chest, scribbling a few words. Gu Qingyuan frowned and swiped the notebook out of his hands!
“I don’t want to see it. Not a single word you say can be trusted!”
Su Ling looked at the notebook lying on the floor and cried out in despair. ‘Why? Why won’t she even give me a chance to explain?’ He really hadn’t been trying to escape; he was just too scared.
Gu Qingyuan reached out a hand and strode it pityingly down Su Ling’s calf. In her hand, his fair, smooth leg looked so thin and pathetic. She couldn’t help but fantasize about what it would look like if she snapped those two legs. The expression on the Little Fellow’s face would surely be exquisite!
Su Ling seemed to guess her thoughts. He desperately grabbed the corner of her clothes and shook his head, his eyes filled with a begging light. Those watery, large eyes were enough to make anyone feel both pity and a sense of attraction.
Gu Qingyuan withdrew her hand and wiped away his tears. Her gentle movements caused Su Ling to drift into a daze for a moment, feeling as though the person in front of him was his Elder Sister. But… she wasn’t. His sister would never treat him this way.
Slap!
“Are you thinking about that Elder Sister of yours again?”
Su Ling clutched his cheek and looked at the person bullying him. Suddenly, he’scritched his teeth and nodded firmly!
“You actually dare to admit it? Don’t you know that your sister doesn’t want you anymore? You’ve been abandoned. You’re just an abandoned little Cat. You’re nothing. If it weren’t for my kindness in taking you in, you’d be out on the streets!”
Hearing this, Su Ling found courage from somewhere. He shoved her hand away, lunged to the floor to grab his notebook, and picked up the pen tied to it. He quickly scribbled several lines:
(What do I have to be afraid of admitting?)
Gu Qingyuan froze. ‘Did this little thing take the wrong Medicine?’ Su Ling ignored her. After making sure she could see it clearly, he quickly wrote more lines:
(You bully me, hit me, and scold me! I can live on my own without you. I was doing just fine in my own house, but you were the one who took me away! I hate you! I will always hate you! You don’t treat me like a person, and I will never become your pet. I will not yield!)
Su Ling poured out all his grievances, crying as he wrote. He really couldn’t take it anymore. Every time, he was hit or scolded for no reason. He just missed his Sister. He just wanted to be a human being. Was that so wrong?
After Gu Qingyuan finished reading every word the little thing had written, the corners of her mouth suddenly curled up. “Are you done writing?”
Su Ling thought about it. He had said everything he wanted to say, so there seemed to be nothing left. He nodded.
“Good!”
Gu Qingyuan suddenly kicked out. Caught off guard, Su Ling’s body slammed directly into the dining table. The solid wood table let out a heavy groan from the impact. Su Ling’s eyes widened from the intense pain. It took a long, long time before he could catch his breath and begin gasping for air.
“To be honest, I was a little reluctant to truly hurt you before because you were always crying. When you cry, that pathetic expression of yours makes me feel a bit of pity! But now you want to play tough with me? Heh! I’m the type who can be persuaded by kindness but never by force. I hope you’ll enjoy the consequences of your choice!”
“Ugh!~”