Mu Xi bit down hard on her lower lip, stifling any sound that might escape.
Her nails dug into her palms, the sharp pain anchoring her to a fragile semblance of calm.
She knew resistance would only fuel the madness of the woman before her, emboldening her reckless cruelty.
Qing Yun’s fingers began to wander, restless and invasive, tracing a path from Mu Xi’s back down to her slender waist, where they lingered with a teasing, deliberate pinch.
Mu Xi’s body went rigid, every inch of her skin recoiling from the touch, yet she was powerless to pull away.
“Please… stop,” Mu Xi finally whispered, her voice barely audible, trembling with a fragility she couldn’t conceal.
She fought to keep her tone steady, hoping a show of vulnerability might earn her a moment’s reprieve.
“Sister Qing Yun, I… I’m not feeling well.”
“Not feeling well?” Qing Yun’s laugh was light, almost playful, but it carried a chilling edge, devoid of warmth.
“Where does it hurt? Here? Or perhaps… here?”
Her fingers tightened abruptly, digging into the tender spot at Mu Xi’s waist with cruel precision.
Mu Xi gasped, the pain sharp enough to bring tears to her eyes, threatening to spill over.
She twisted away, desperate to escape Qing Yun’s grasp, but her wrist was seized in an iron grip, pinning her to the bed.
“Don’t squirm, little one,” Qing Yun purred, her smile twisting into something dangerous, her eyes alight with unmasked madness.
“I haven’t even begun to cherish you properly. How could you be unwell?”
With that, she leaned forward, her heated body pressing against Mu Xi’s icy skin, an oppressive weight that stole her breath.
“Sister Qing Yun, please, I’m begging you… don’t do this,” Mu Xi’s voice broke, tears streaming down her face as she shook her head frantically, struggling against the unyielding hold.
“Begging me?” Qing Yun arched a brow, her fingers brushing Mu Xi’s cheek with a mocking tenderness.
“Like this?”
Without warning, she leaned down, capturing Mu Xi’s lips in a fierce, possessive kiss, her aggression like a predator claiming its prey.
Mu Xi’s mind went blank, her gasps drowned in the onslaught, reduced to muffled whimpers of protest.
Qing Yun seemed to revel in her struggles, her kisses growing more forceful, as if she meant to consume Mu Xi entirely.
Despair washed over Mu Xi, her vision blurring with tears as she endured the sickening violation, helpless against the tide.
Just as she felt she might suffocate, Qing Yun pulled back, her lips curving into a warped, almost tender smile as she gazed at Mu Xi’s tear-streaked face.
“Such a pitiful little thing,” she murmured, her tone dripping with mockery.
“But oh, how I adore you.”
She leaned in again, her breath hot against Mu Xi’s neck, the sweet, cloying scent of her perfume turning Mu Xi’s stomach.
Mu Xi trembled, her instincts screaming to flee, but Qing Yun’s grip held her fast, immovable.
“Relax, I’ll be gentle…” Qing Yun’s voice was a lover’s whisper, yet to Mu Xi, it was the hiss of a demon.
Her lips parted, revealing gleaming teeth that hovered over Mu Xi’s pale neck, descending with agonizing slowness.
Just as those teeth grazed the fragile pulse at her throat, a deafening crash shattered the moment.
The door exploded inward, splinters flying as Lin Ke’er stormed in like a tempest, her emerald eyes blazing with fury.
She took in the scene—Qing Yun’s depravity, Mu Xi’s trembling form—and her blood boiled, her temples throbbing as she roared, “Qing Yun! Stop this at once!”
Qing Yun froze, then lifted her head, her lips still curled in that sickening smile, as if annoyed by the interruption.
She rose with deliberate grace, like an actress in a twisted play, casually pulling a blanket over Mu Xi’s trembling form to hide her disarray, as though she hadn’t been the cause of it.
“Well, well, Captain Lin,” Qing Yun drawled, her voice slipping back into its usual honeyed tone, though those who knew her could sense the venom beneath.
“What’s this? Feeling protective of our little princess?”
Lin Ke’er’s chest heaved with rage, her eyes burning as she spat, “Protective? I’m here to stop you from breaking her and ruining the boss’s prize!”
Qing Yun’s laugh was sharp, her eyes glinting with icy amusement.
“Break her? Oh, I’d never. I treasure her far too much.”
Her tongue darted out, grazing her lips as her gaze slid back to Mu Xi, filled with a chilling obsession.
“Besides, aren’t we all the same? We all want her, crave her. Why hide it? Why not… share in the pleasure?” Her words dripped with shameless audacity.
Lin Ke’er’s breath hitched, disbelief warring with fury.
She’d known Qing Yun was unhinged, but this—this was a descent into madness she hadn’t anticipated.
Her eyes narrowed to icy slits.
“You’re disgusting,” she hissed.
Before the words fully left her mouth, Lin Ke’er launched herself forward, her fist cutting through the air toward Qing Yun’s face.
Qing Yun dodged with serpentine grace, her gentle facade crumbling to reveal a venomous glare.
Her wrist flicked, and a gleaming folding knife appeared in her hand, its blade catching the room’s pink light with a menacing glint.
Mu Xi’s eyes widened in horror—she recognized that knife.
It was the one she’d hidden under her pillow for protection, now turned against her savior in Qing Yun’s grip.
The two women, once vying for her favor, now clashed in a whirlwind of violence, their struggle a twisted mirror of Mu Xi’s own turmoil.
In her past life as a man, she’d chased affection to no avail; now, reborn as a woman, she was the unwilling center of this chaotic obsession.
The irony was bitter.
As their fight raged—knives flashing, fists flying, the room’s delicate decor shattering in their wake—Mu Xi scrambled from the bed, fumbling to pull on her clothes.
She had to escape this nightmare.
She stumbled into the hallway, the sounds of their battle—shattering porcelain, furious shouts—chasing her as she fled.
Suddenly, a flood of footsteps echoed down the corridor.
The manor’s female guards and maids, alerted by the chaos, poured into the room.
With practiced efficiency, they waded into the fray, prying the two women apart as the scene dissolved into a total chaos.