“How come? From the way you’re talking, little wildcat, are you looking forward to sleeping with your Master?” The deep, magnetic voice echoed through the silent bedroom.
Chu Tian habitually teased the girl before him, the corners of his lips lifting into a playful arc, a mischievous glint flashing in his deep eyes.
“N-no way!” Su Nian’s face flushed red, like a kitten whose tail had been stepped on, hurriedly denying it.
Two rosy clouds bloomed on her delicate cheeks, like the evening glow at dusk, vivid and alluring.
She lowered her gaze slightly, her long lashes fluttering gently, trying to hide her inner panic and shyness.
“Ding dong, Humiliation Value increased by 3437.”
“Ding dong, Annoyance Value +3437.”
The cold, mechanical System Notification echoed simultaneously in both of their minds.
Before this, when Su Nian heard Chu Tian promise not to touch her, she had actually felt a trace of relief and surprise.
At the very least, she could get through these days of summoning the Contract Beast.
Yet, fate always seems to enjoy toying with people.
The System’s mission… arrived, albeit late.
“Ding dong, daily mission for Master triggered: Sleep in the same bed with the Horned Demon Master every night. Each successful completion grants 20,000 Humiliation Value.”
“If the host fails to sleep in the same bed with the Horned Demon Master before dawn, 20,000 Humiliation Value will be deducted, and the Humiliation Value gained that day will be halved.”
Staring at the transparent words before her, Su Nian’s heart surged with mixed emotions, as if a bottle of five flavors had been overturned—sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, salty—all jumbled together, leaving her at a loss for what she truly felt.
Logically speaking…
Triggering such a daily mission, being “forced” to sleep in the same bed with that Horned Demon Bastard every night, she ought to be furious.
After all, this meant she would have to share the same space with this devilish man, breathing the same air, and even… feeling each other’s body heat.
This was a trampling of her dignity.
Absolutely not!
But… at the moment the daily mission was triggered, her heart was actually filled with joy.
It was a complicated feeling, hard to put into words—partly a craving for increased Humiliation Value, partly a fear of her own descent, and partly… a confusion toward the unknown fate ahead.
This is really bad!
If this keeps up…
She was truly afraid that one day, for the sake of Humiliation Value, she would stare at that Horned Demon Bastard and do something humiliating.
A terrifying thought flashed through Su Nian’s mind, like a bolt of lightning in the darkness, illuminating the deepest, most hidden corner of her heart.
She was afraid she would lose herself, sink into endless humiliation…
Afraid she would give up her bottom line for power, afraid that… she would become the person she hated most.
No way!
She wasn’t that easy to break.
Su Nian shook her head sharply, as if trying to fling that dreadful thought out of her mind.
She reminded herself to stay clear-headed, to hold fast to her boundaries.
As for the punishment for failing this daily mission, there was a new twist this time…
Previously, she remembered that if the “Master’s Mission” failed, it would usually result in some odd temporary negative status effects.
For example, “Pink Enchantment Mark,” or “Lactation Constitution”—embarrassing, yes, but at least they didn’t directly affect her strength.
But now, why did it become a deduction of Humiliation Value?
This was even worse than being killed!
“Ding dong, to urge the host to gain Humiliation Value and become a deity above the heavens as soon as possible, the failure penalty will dynamically adjust according to tasks the host cannot bear and the difficulty of the mission.”
The System’s cold voice rang out again in Su Nian’s mind, answering her confusion.
Su Nian was stunned for a moment.
So, the damn System had determined that she could accept temporary Enchantment Marks and Lactation Constitution, but absolutely could not accept losing Humiliation Value?
Hiss…
It really did make sense for the current her.
Humiliation Value was her lifeline now!
All her hopes rested on it.
Without Humiliation Value, she couldn’t activate Destiny Reversal, couldn’t change her fate, couldn’t… escape this devil’s control.
‘Treacherous System!’
Su Nian cursed silently, and at the same time felt the tug of the leash on her neck again—the one connected to the Lover’s Prison Collar, being gently pulled by Chu Tian.
She was like a tamed pet, obediently led to the bedside, then sat meekly at the edge of the bed.
Now that she had already accepted the daily mission of “sleeping in the same bed with the Horned Demon Master every night,” Su Nian naturally had no reason to refuse sharing a bed with Chu Tian anymore.
Even though, deep down, she still felt extremely uncomfortable.
‘Ah, geez!’
Su Nian sighed heavily in her heart, trying her best to console herself.
Just think of it as… back in her previous life, when she went out with friends from school and squeezed onto the same bed to save on hotel costs.
No big deal!
She kept telling herself this, trying to use such reasoning to ease her resistance and unease.
“If we’re sleeping, can you take this off my neck?”
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Su Nian’s slender fingers gently stroked the Lover’s Prison Collar at her neck, forcing a smile that looked as if she didn’t care, and asked in a casual tone.
In truth, this was already her third attempt at using such a method to coax Chu Tian into removing the collar.
After those eleven long, painful Time Reversals, she knew well that getting Chu Tian to willingly remove the Lover’s Prison Collar was the best battle plan.
However…
“Click.”
With a soft sound and a flash of white light, the Lover’s Prison Collar, under Chu Tian’s mental control, instantly changed form—from a black leather collar to a delicate blue crystal necklace.
It no longer felt uncomfortable, at least not affecting her sleep or going out…
But that cold touch still reminded Su Nian all too clearly that she was still bound by this damned collar.
Sigh…
Su Nian sighed helplessly in her heart.
She understood that the Lover’s Prison Collar’s form and appearance could change at Chu Tian’s whim.
This meant that even by tomorrow morning, she would still have to wear this damned collar, unable to escape its control.
‘Damn it!’
Su Nian cursed inwardly, biting her lip so hard she almost drew blood.
‘Sooner or later, I’m going to smash this thing to pieces!’
“I’m going to sleep. Do as you like.”
Saying this, Su Nian dove under the covers as if fleeing for her life, tightly shutting her eyes and turning her head away, not daring to look in Chu Tian’s direction at all.
At this moment, she still couldn’t imagine that she actually had to share a bed with a man.
And not just any man—a Horned Demon Bastard she utterly despised.
The rustling sounds in the silent night tugged at Su Nian’s heartstrings.
She knew it was the Horned Demon Bastard undressing.
Every soft rustle seemed to drum against her taut nerves, making her heartbeat quicken and her breathing grow rapid.
In the darkness, Su Nian’s body trembled slightly, not from the cold, but from a deep, indescribable sense of humiliation and fear.
The mattress sank slightly—the sound of the Horned Demon Bastard climbing into bed.
A flush of unnatural red bloomed on her exquisite face, like a ripe apple, vivid and alluring, yet tinged with a morbid beauty.
She instinctively pulled the covers tighter and wrapped herself up like a silkworm cocoon.