But Mu Xi still held back, forcing herself to stay calm.
“So… should we start now?”
Ye Lan smiled in satisfaction, released her grip, and turned toward the bedroom, “Of course, right now. I can’t wait to enjoy Little Xi’s ‘atonement.'”
Mu Xi followed Ye Lan back to the master bedroom.
Ye Lan walked straight to the bed and lay face down, burying her face in the soft pillow, letting out a muffled sound, “Start, Little Xi. Let me relax properly.”
Mu Xi watched Ye Lan’s back on the bed, her heart suddenly racing.
This was her chance!
Her only chance!
She took a deep breath, trying to suppress her nervousness and excitement, walked to the bedside, and began carefully stepping on Ye Lan’s back.
Her movements were a bit clumsy, and she couldn’t control the force well, but Ye Lan didn’t seem to mind.
She just let out a comfortable sigh.
“Mmm… a little harder, Little Xi. Are you tickling me?” Ye Lan’s voice carried a hint of mockery.
Mu Xi gritted her teeth and increased the force, while carefully observing Ye Lan’s neck.
That fair neck was as graceful as a swan’s, yet also fragile and vulnerable.
If she could find the right moment and strike with full force, Ye Lan’s neck would definitely snap!
To distract Ye Lan, Mu Xi took the initiative to speak.
“Ye Lan, what have you been busy with lately? You seem tired.”
Ye Lan answered casually, a hint of disdain in her tone, “A lot of things outside the city. That woman Nan Qiao is ambitious, trying to swallow up all the surrounding forces. She’s a real nuisance.”
“Like what?” Mu Xi asked, feigning curiosity, “You only spend a little time with me every day.”
Ye Lan said lightly, “Just attacking a steel fortress. Nothing special.”
While chitchatting with Ye Lan, Mu Xi secretly adjusted her position and posture, making sure she could attack with maximum speed and strength.
Her gaze was locked on Ye Lan’s neck, waiting for the perfect moment.
Just as Mu Xi felt the timing was right and was about to leap, putting all her weight onto Ye Lan’s neck, Ye Lan’s body suddenly shifted slightly.
Mu Xi’s heart jolted.
A strong sense of danger surged through her.
Ye Lan noticed!
She had actually sensed her intention!
Almost instinctively, Ye Lan twisted her body sharply and, with lightning speed, grabbed Mu Xi’s ankle from behind.
Mu Xi felt her ankle tighten, her body instantly losing balance.
She screamed as Ye Lan yanked her violently onto the bed.
“Ah!” Mu Xi cried out, landing awkwardly on the soft mattress, dizzy and disoriented.
A sharp pain shot through her ankle.
Ye Lan flipped over and looked down at her from above, a cold sneer curling on her lips.
“Little Xi, still so naive. Did you really think I let you step on my back because I wanted relaxation? I just wanted to see what little trick you’d try this time.”
Mu Xi struggled to get up, but Ye Lan pressed her firmly onto the bed, rendering her unable to move.
Ye Lan’s strength was astonishing, like forged steel, filling her with despair.
“How… how did you know?” Mu Xi ground out through clenched teeth, her voice trembling with anger and resentment.
Ye Lan let out a cold laugh, her eyes like frost in the dead of winter, chilling Mu Xi to the bone.
“Know? Little Xi, your little tricks aren’t worth a second glance in front of me. The moment you sit down, I know what kind of fart you’re going to let out. Because I know you too well. I know your stupidity, your naivety, your… overestimation of yourself.”
Mu Xi was deeply stung by Ye Lan’s words.
Shame and rage burned like fire in her chest, she glared at Ye Lan with fierce hatred.
“You demon! You’ll die a horrible death!” Mu Xi screamed, gathering all her strength and spitting a mouthful of saliva straight at Ye Lan’s face.
The saliva, with its distinctive taste, struck Ye Lan’s cheek viciously.
Mu Xi had expected Ye Lan to fly into a rage, but instead, Ye Lan just blinked in surprise, then actually laughed.
She raised her hand and slowly wiped the saliva off her face, her movements elegant and composed, as if she were wiping away some precious cream instead of filth.
“Tsk, tsk, Little Xi. Your saliva is quite moisturizing. Consider it a free toner for me.”
Ye Lan teased, her tone frivolous and cynical.
Mu Xi was utterly disgusted by Ye Lan’s reaction.
Her stomach churned, and she felt like vomiting.
She realized she had only humiliated herself.
All her resistance seemed ridiculous and powerless in front of Ye Lan.
Ye Lan watched Mu Xi’s pale, twisted face, a flicker of complex emotion passing through her eyes.
She leaned down, close to Mu Xi’s ear, and whispered: “Little Xi, the game has just begun. Don’t give up so quickly. I’ll make you understand how foolish it is to resist me. I’ll make you fully realize that you can only belong to me. Forever, forever…”
Mu Xi turned her face away, unwilling to look at Ye Lan’s smiling face anymore, ‘You think I would ever love you?’
Those words, like poison, were her only weapon now.
“After everything you’ve done to me,” Mu Xi said, her voice dry and broken, “You’ve fallen in love with me?”
Ye Lan’s smile faded slightly at that.
Her deep, phoenix-shaped eyes churned with complex emotions, like turbulent undercurrents beneath a calm lake.
“Little Xi, you’ve got one thing wrong.” Ye Lan’s voice dropped low, carrying a magnetic, hypnotic quality.
“You’re crazy!” Mu Xi snapped her head back, glaring at her as if she’d heard the biggest joke.
“I’m not crazy.”
Ye Lan resumed her condescending posture and said, “It’s just that your love isn’t deep enough. It’s covered by hatred, like clouds covering the moon. But the moon is always there.”
Ye Lan’s fingertips lightly brushed Mu Xi’s pale cheek, cold to the touch.
Her finger pads stopped on Mu Xi’s lips, gently rubbing.
“But it doesn’t matter.” Ye Lan withdrew her hand and stood up straight.
“I no longer expect you to love me in a normal way.”
She took two steps back, her long black hair swaying gently with the motion, drawing soft curves in the dim light.
“The feelings between us were always rooted in twisted soil. Hate, resentment—they’re all nutrients.”
Ye Lan’s voice was terrifyingly calm, “So I’ve changed my mind.”
Mu Xi’s heart skipped a beat.
A sense of foreboding seized her.
Ye Lan spoke slowly, each word like ice, “I’ll keep you locked up here forever, in this Silent Language Building. I’ll make you get used to my presence, depend on what I give you, fear my departure. Until one day you can’t leave me—like a Stockholm syndrome patient, hopelessly in love with me.”
“Stockholm syndrome.”
Mu Xi had never heard the term, but the meaning behind Ye Lan’s words was chillingly clear.
She wanted to turn her into a complete appendage, a pathetic thing without a self!
A mentally broken monster that could only cling to its tormentor?
“You… you lunatic!” Mu Xi’s voice turned shrill with extreme fear and anger.
“What do you want to torture me into? A soulless puppet? Ye Lan, you’re really sick!”
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