“I didn’t mean to hurt you!” Mu Xi tried to defend herself, her voice hoarse and panicked.
“Didn’t mean to?” Ye Lan raised an eyebrow, her gaze falling on Mu Xi’s tightly clenched fists.
Her tone was icy, “Then tell me, what were you trying to do by pushing me?”
Mu Xi instinctively released her grip.
“I…” She opened her mouth, wanting to explain.
Ye Lan’s gaze grew even colder, like frost in the dead of winter, freezing Mu Xi to the bone.
“Little Xi, you’ve really disappointed me.”
Ye Lan sighed, her tone carrying a hint of disappointment, but more anger, “I thought you’d at least gotten a little smarter. Turns out you’re still this foolish.”
With that, she suddenly pushed Mu Xi with force, sending her tumbling onto the slick floor.
Mu Xi let out a startled cry as she lost her balance and fell backward.
The back of her head slammed heavily against the cold ceramic tiles.
A sharp pain shot through her entire body, and her vision went dark.
She felt as if she were falling apart.
Her entire body ached and felt weak.
Her head spun, and her consciousness began to blur.
Ye Lan looked down at Mu Xi lying on the floor, her eyes cold and sharp, like she was staring at a prey struggling in its death throes.
“Since you like playing games so much, let’s keep playing.”
Ye Lan slowly crouched down, her slender fingers pinching Mu Xi’s chin, forcing her to lift her head and meet her gaze.
“But this time, I make the rules.”
Mu Xi gasped weakly, her eyes filled with fear and despair, she had failed again.
In front of her, Ye Lan’s power was so overwhelming, like child’s play, yet carrying an unshakable authority.
Ye Lan’s strength far exceeded her imagination.
“Call me mom.” Ye Lan suddenly spoke, her voice low and magnetic, but carrying an undeniable command.
Mu Xi froze, unable to process it at first, wondering if she’d heard wrong.
“Mom?” she repeated the words in a murmur, her tone full of confusion and disbelief.
“What, you don’t understand?”
Ye Lan raised an eyebrow, her fingers gently stroking Mu Xi’s chin, her tone laced with threat, “Or do you find that form of address hard to say?”
Mu Xi finally understood what Ye Lan meant.
Her cheeks flushed crimson instantly.
Shame and anger surged like a tidal wave through her heart.
‘Call mom? That’s… simply absurd!’
“You… don’t even think about it!” she ground out through clenched teeth, her voice trembling with rage.
“Don’t even think about it?” Ye Lan laughed, a cold and dangerous smile.
“Little Xi, it seems you still don’t recognize your current situation. Do you think you have the right to say ‘no’ to me?”
With that, she squeezed harder, her fingers tightening on Mu Xi’s chin, causing such pain that Mu Xi could barely breathe.
“Are you going to call me or not?” Ye Lan’s voice suddenly turned ice-cold, carrying a murderous intent that made one’s heart quake.
Mu Xi trembled all over.
Tears of humiliation welled up in her eyes, blurring her vision.
She knew she had no choice.
Before Ye Lan’s absolute power, all her resistance was futile.
“M… Mom…” she choked out, forcing the words past her lips.
Her voice was as faint as a mosquito’s buzz, but filled with endless humiliation and sorrow.
Ye Lan smiled in satisfaction.
She released her grip on Mu Xi’s chin, stood up, and looked down at her like a pitiful ant.
“Good child.” Ye Lan’s voice carried a hint of pleasure, as if she had heard the most beautiful music in the world.
She turned and left the bedroom, her back seeming to be carved with the word “victory,” impossibly glaring.
Mu Xi curled up in the corner of the bed, her fingertips gripping the sheets tightly.
Her teeth bit her lower lip until it turned pale.
Regret washed over her like a tidal wave, drowning her.
She felt she was utterly stupid, like a puppet manipulated by strings, each step clumsy and awkward.
All her resistance seemed laughable and powerless before Ye Lan.
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.
She absolutely could not continue like this, couldn’t keep bumping around like a headless fly.
Just as her thoughts tangled like a mess, an idea suddenly popped into her mind, like a lightning bolt cutting through the chaotic night sky, clearing her vision.
She had to find a way, had to find a breakthrough.
Even if there was only a glimmer of hope, she had to hold onto it tightly.
‘Apologize? Yes, apologize!’
Wasn’t Ye Lan always waiting to see her bow her head and admit fault?
Fine then, she would give her what she wanted.
Why not satisfy her nasty interest?
As long as she could find an opportunity, as long as she could get close to Ye Lan, everything was worth trying.
An even bolder thought followed, like a new sprout breaking through the soil, quickly growing in Mu Xi’s heart.
The way to apologize… stepping on her back!
Ye Lan liked her feet.
Mu Xi knew this well.
That kind of predatory gaze, those ambiguous touches—they had always disgusted and made her wary.
But now, that disgust could become her weapon.
She could use her feet as bait to lure Ye Lan into letting down her guard, giving her an opening.
Thinking this, a barely perceptible glint flickered in Mu Xi’s eyes.
This plan might be risky, but it was the only idea she could come up with now.
For Li Xin, for Little An, she had to take a gamble.
She stood up, smoothed her slightly disheveled silver hair, took a deep breath, and pushed open the bedroom door.
The faint smell of disinfectant still lingered in the air.
Silent Language Building was as cold and oppressive as always.
The metal staircase gleamed with a cold, hard luster under the dim light.
Ye Lan was sitting on the living room sofa, her slender fingers idly playing with an exquisitely crafted dagger.
The blade glinted dangerously under the light.
She heard the movement and looked up.
Her phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, her gaze sharp as a blade, as if she could instantly see through Mu Xi’s thoughts.
“Little Xi, have you come to your senses?”
A meaningful smile curled at the corner of Ye Lan’s mouth.
Her voice was low and magnetic, carrying a hint of laziness, but also an unquestionable dominance.
Mu Xi suppressed the fear and disgust in her heart, forced out a stiff smile, walked up to Ye Lan, and said in a low voice, “Ye Lan, I’m sorry. I was too impulsive earlier. I shouldn’t have done that to you.”
Ye Lan raised an eyebrow, looking at her with interest, as if admiring a rare specimen.
“Oh? Has the sun risen from the west? Little Xi is actually apologizing on her own?”
Mu Xi gritted her teeth, trying to make her tone sound sincere.
“I’m serious. I really know I was wrong. I shouldn’t have betrayed you, shouldn’t have laid a hand on you.”
Ye Lan put down the dagger, leaned forward slightly, her deep phoenix eyes fixed on Mu Xi, as if trying to see into her soul.
“So, how do you plan to make it up to me?”
Mu Xi’s heart tightened.
She knew the main event had arrived.
She took a deep breath, gathered her courage, and said, “I… I remember back at the manor, I stepped on your back before. You seemed to like it… If you don’t mind, I can do it again as… an apology.”
A glint of amusement flickered in Ye Lan’s eyes.
Her smile deepened, “Stepping on my back? Little Xi, you sure know how to hit where it hurts.”
Mu Xi endured the humiliation, keeping her head down, not daring to meet Ye Lan’s eyes.
“If you don’t want to, that’s fine too. I can do… something else.”
“No, who said I don’t want to?” Ye Lan suddenly stood up, walked over to Mu Xi, and gently lifted her chin with her long fingers, forcing her to look up and meet her gaze.
“I’m very willing to accept Little Xi’s apology. After all, having you step on my back is a rare treat.”
Mu Xi only felt a sharp pain in her chin.
The temperature of Ye Lan’s fingertips was cold and aggressive, making her extremely uncomfortable.