“Xiao Xi, you’ve been very well-behaved these past few days, so I’ve decided you don’t have to go back to the cell below anymore.”
“Eh? Really?!”
Seeing Lin Xue’er nod with a smile, Xia Mengxi happily sprang up from the hard iron bed.
After all, even if Lin Xue’er was willing to turn on the lights for her, the living conditions in the metal cell were still terrible.
Just because she could handle it mentally didn’t mean her body could endure it.
But despite her joy, she didn’t forget her ‘good girl’ persona.
So once she entered the room outside the metal cell, she ‘sincerely’ thanked the person before her.
“Thank you, Xue’er!”
“This is the reward you deserve. By the way, Xiao Xi, I need to go out for a while. Is there anything you’d like?”
Daring to leave right after letting her out? Since when had Lin Xue’er become so trusting of her?
Xia Mengxi froze for a moment, then pretended to hesitate while secretly pondering Lin Xue’er’s change in behavior.
The only explanation she could think of was that her recent good behavior had made Lin Xue’er lower her guard.
Perfect. The three-step plan to turn the tables had concluded flawlessly.
Now, all she had to do was ‘pretend’ to be even more obedient to Lin Xue’er, and she would gain the freedom to move around.
“Xue’er, can I ask what I’m allowed to request?”
“That depends on what you want, Xiao Xi. Don’t be nervous-just say whatever you’d like. If it’s something I can bring you, I’ll agree. If not, I won’t be angry with you.”
Even though Lin Xue’er had gone this far, Xia Mengxi didn’t casually voice her desires.
After all, the words of someone who had turned dark were the least trustworthy.
“Then… then I’d like some comic books or novels.”
After much deliberation, Xia Mengxi still felt that books were the safest option.
Aside from passing the time, books couldn’t help her contact the outside world or escape from here.
Choosing them now was absolutely risk-free.
“Alright. Then, Xiao Xi, stay well-behaved in this room. I’ll be going out now.”
“Okay.”
Xia Mengxi watched Lin Xue’er’s figure leave the room, only letting out a sigh of relief once the door was shut and locked.
Then, she surveyed her surroundings, scanning the layout of the room.
“Hmm?”
While inspecting the various items in the room, Xia Mengxi’s gaze was drawn to a notebook on a table.
Curiosity drove her to walk over and even reach out to flip it open.
“September 1st?”
The first line on the first page was a date-undoubtedly the format of a diary entry.
Xia Mengxi was speechless.
“Wow, people still write diaries these days? Who even keeps a diary—”
Oh, wait. The owner of this notebook wasn’t exactly normal, so keeping a diary was actually pretty reasonable… right?
“Hold on! If she dares to leave me alone in this room, that means she isn’t worried about me reading this diary. This is an open scheme, a blatant trap!”
Xia Mengxi curled her lips, but her hands didn’t stop moving.
Yes, even though she knew this was Lin Xue’er’s trap, she was still intensely curious about what Lin Xue’er had recorded.
If these entries weren’t fabricated, she might just find some useful information.
【September 1st was the day I was most furious, because my only childhood friend now actually harbored thoughts of betraying our friendship. To prevent such a tragedy, I took her to an abandoned place and locked her up, hoping this method would make her realize the severity of the situation.】
Pfft, talking about imprisoning someone so righteously the mindset of someone who’s gone dark is truly different.
If it were before, Xia Mengxi would have harshly scolded Lin Xue’er for this, but now, she didn’t.
【September 2nd: Faced with the sudden imprisonment, Xia Mengxi seemed very scared, but I can’t soften my heart. If I don’t give Xia Mengxi a lesson she’ll never forget, she’ll definitely think of betraying me again. So sorry, Xia Mengxi, for the sake of our lasting friendship, I have to do this to you.】
“Truly typical of you, Lin Xue’er.”
Xia Mengxi’s lips twitched as she flipped through the diary with exasperation.
Since the content of the third day was similar to the second, she skipped straight to September 4th.
But when she saw the entry for the fourth day, her hand holding the paper trembled slightly-because nearly the entire page was filled with the same words repeated over and over:
【Why did you run away?】
Just from this page full of questions, it was clear how much her escape that day had shocked and angered Lin Xue’er.
In fact, she could almost feel the terrifying aura Lin Xue’er had radiated that day, making her shiver and take a few steps back in fright.
“So… I guess I’m still pretty lucky?”
Recalling her memories from the second time she was imprisoned until now, Xia Mengxi quickly wiped the cold sweat from her forehead.
If she hadn’t discovered Lin Xue’er’s Conditioning methods, her mental state might truly be on the verge of collapse now.
After this little episode, Xia Mengxi placed even greater importance on her act of “pretending to obey Lin Xue’er.”
She wasn’t sure what unimaginable punishment she’d face if she defied her again, so she decided to refine her “good girl” persona to ensure her “obedience” wouldn’t slip up.
After all, she didn’t think her luck was good enough to help her uncover Lin Xue’er’s Conditioning methods a second time.
So when Lin Xue’er returned from her outing, Xia Mengxi greeted her with a warm, smiling face.
“Xue’er, you’re back.”
“Mm, I’m back.”
It was obvious from the smile on Lin Xue’er’s face that this gesture had pleased her greatly.
At the same time, Xia Mengxi had noticed that Lin Xue’er was dragging a portable shopping cart behind her.
Seeing this as another good opportunity, she stepped forward and asked, “Xue’er, did you go shopping?”
“I bought some ingredients.”
As she spoke, Lin Xue’er pulled out a shopping bag from a compartment at the back of the cart and handed it to Xia Mengxi.
“Here, Xia Mengxi, this is for you.”
“This is…?”
“These are the manga and novels you wanted.”
If Lin Xue’er hadn’t mentioned it, she would have almost forgotten about this.
Who would have thought Lin Xue’er would actually bring her the things she wanted?
Without expectations came surprise.
Lin Xue’er’s act of keeping her promise truly astonished Xia Mengxi, so her words of gratitude came straight from the heart.
“Thank you, Xue’er.’
“Don’t thank me too soon, Xia Mengxi. This time, I’ve just given you the reward in advance, so…”
Damn!
The moment Lin Xue’er said this, Xia Mengxi screamed internally, ‘That wretched Lin Xue’er! Give me back my touched feelings!’