Late night.
Su Ling opened his eyes and turned his head to glance beside him. Gu Qingyuan slept peacefully next to him, one hand resting on his waist and the other arm dangling casually.
‘This guy can’t even sleep quietly! His hand is so heavy, pressing on my waist is unbearable.’
Su Ling pouted, but he hadn’t forgotten what he needed to do tonight. Carefully, he used both hands to grab her arm and slowly moved it away. Finally, he took his own pillow and placed it where her arm had been, then let go.
She didn’t notice at all. Her breathing didn’t change.
Su Ling smiled happily, quickly rolled off the bed, and crouched low as he crept to the wardrobe. He opened it gently. Inside, his clothes were sparse and looked ill-fitting, as if they’d been bought carelessly. Su Ling grabbed all of them, stuffed them into a small bag, and picked out a thicker shirt to wear.
‘If I run away like this, I won’t be cold.’
Thinking this, Su Ling quietly approached the door and opened it cautiously, keeping his eyes fixed on Gu Qingyuan the whole time. Once he was sure she showed no sign of waking, he couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
‘Luckily, she’s a heavy sleeper. Otherwise, I wouldn’t even have a chance to escape.’
Closing the door, Su Ling felt a surge of relief as he tiptoed out. He went to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and searched inside. He found a few slices of bread and some milk and packed them into his bag. Su Ling couldn’t help but praise his own cleverness. His elder sister had said this would help him last for a while without going hungry!
Arriving at the first floor, Su Ling didn’t run away immediately. He thought that when others escaped, they just ran, but he had the sense to bring food and clothes, so he wasn’t stupid at all. But… thinking about his sister, Su Ling felt a pang of loss.
He quickly shook his head, pushed the thoughts aside, and focused on escaping!
Su Ling went to the door and gave it a gentle push, only to find it locked. But he didn’t give up. He ran to the windows. Carefully, he opened a window without bars, dragging his heavy bag as he climbed out.
The moment he was outside, he couldn’t help but shiver. It was really cold out here! Hugging his bag, he chose a direction and bolted.
The manor was huge, stretching as far as the eye could see. He had no idea where to go. He didn’t know where the gate was, so he decided to first run to the edge of the property and then look for it.
But it felt like he ran for ages and still couldn’t find the edge. Su Ling kept running and running, pausing to rest when he was tired. ‘Am I lost?’ He scratched his head, unsure if he was truly lost, but he kept going.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he spotted a wall!
His heart racing, he ran over without a second thought. He looked around but couldn’t find the gate, so he started running along the wall. After circling the entire perimeter, he finally saw a gate. Joy surged through him, and he quickened his pace.
But just a few steps later, his foot slipped, and he fell hard, sliding forward a bit.
Pain shot through his knees. Su Ling’s eyes stung, and tears welled up. But he held them back, refusing to let them fall.
He wiped his eyes and was about to get up when, suddenly, a powerful force pressed down on his head, slamming it back into the ground.
“Mmph!”
Su Ling’s mind went blank, and his body began to tremble uncontrollably.
Gu Qingyuan coldly stepped on Su Ling’s forehead, pressing down harder and harder.
“Running away? You’ve got some nerve!” she sneered. “I told you, your legs should have healed by now. So why haven’t they? You’ve been planning to escape all along! And according to what I said last time, if you run, I’ll cut off your legs. Now it’s time to make good on my promise.”
“Mmph!”
Su Ling jerked his head free, kneeling forward and grabbing her thigh, shaking his head with pleading eyes.
“Slap!”
Su Ling covered his cheek, his eyes filled with confusion and despair. He didn’t know what to do. She was asleep. He was so close to getting out. Why did this happen? His legs were going to be cut off. He’d never escape again.
Tears streamed down uncontrollably. He was scared, so scared. “Sister… save me…”
“Slap!”
Gu Qingyuan grabbed him by the hair and yanked hard, forcing his head up to look at her. Her eyes were dark and cold. She patted his cheek with her hand. “Why aren’t you begging for mercy anymore? Realized it’s useless?”
She didn’t like this from the little thing. She was about to cut off his calves, and he only begged once before stopping. Even if it was useless, he should keep begging! Because she loved watching him beg. His pleas gave her immense satisfaction.
Su Ling opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He wanted to beg, had so much to say, but he couldn’t speak.
Gu Qingyuan frowned and let him go. “Go back. Stay in the room and wait for your punishment.”
Su Ling glanced at her but stayed rooted to the spot. He didn’t want to be punished…
“What, you want me to punish you right here?”
Su Ling bit his lip and finally moved, heading back the way he came.
“Wrong way. That direction.”
Following her finger, Su Ling changed direction and trudged forward. He walked slowly, head down, wanting to run, but his feet kept moving forward.
He stopped only when he reached the door. It was closed, and he couldn’t get in, so he shrank into a corner, hugging himself tightly.
Gu Qingyuan approached unhurriedly, watching the little thing curled up in the corner. She felt a flicker of curiosity—he hadn’t tried to escape again. She’d thought he might take the chance to run.
His sobs turned into choked whimpers from fear. When he saw her approach, his body involuntarily shrank back. Gu Qingyuan entered the password and opened the door. Without a word, she walked inside.
Seeing she hadn’t called for him, Su Ling hesitated for a moment before standing up and stepping into the house. As soon as he entered, he saw her sitting on the sofa. He flinched again, but he had no choice. He had to go to her. If he didn’t, she’d only get angrier…
He walked up to her slowly, thought for a moment, then dropped to his knees. ‘If I admit my fault sincerely enough, maybe she won’t cut off my legs?’
“Heh. You’re kneeling so completely, little thing. But how sincere is it really? Are you trying to beg me not to cut off your legs?”
Su Ling nodded, his eyes pleading with her.
“That won’t do. There has to be punishment! Without it, wouldn’t this whole thing just be swept under the rug? So, remember not to cry out in pain. Oh, that’s right—you can’t even scream, can you? Haha!”