Tuesday was at a complete loss for words.
He raked a hand through his hair, stomping his foot in frustration.
“My dear lady, what do I have to do to make you believe me? Can’t you feel even a sliver of my sincerity?”
His voice trembled with urgency, as if he longed to rip his heart from his chest and lay it bare before Mu Xi.
“Sincerity?” Mu Xi let out a derisive laugh, as though she’d heard the most absurd joke in the world.
“How much is your so-called sincerity worth? I trust only my own eyes and judgment.”
With that, she turned to leave, her movements swift and resolute, not a trace of hesitation in her stride.
Panic seized Tuesday.
He grabbed her arm, his voice desperate.
“Don’t go! I’m truly trying to help you! Trust me, just this once!”
His grip was firm, causing a sharp sting in Mu Xi’s arm, his tone a raw blend of pleading and despair.
Mu Xi halted but didn’t turn to face him.
Her voice remained ice-cold.
“Let go. I’ll say it one more time: I’m not interested in your nonsense. If you want to escape, do it yourself—don’t drag me into it.”
Her words were final, unyielding, like a slab of ancient ice, hard and unbreakable.
Tuesday stared at her resolute back, a wave of profound helplessness washing over him.
It was only natural that Mu Xi didn’t trust him.
After all, they’d had little connection before, and he had deceived her once.
Taking a deep breath, Tuesday released her arm.
His eyes dimmed, his voice low and resigned.
“Fine. I know you won’t believe me. If that’s how it is, so be it. Take care of yourself.”
With that, he turned and trudged down the path, his figure lonely and forlorn, like an abandoned beast nursing its wounds.
Mu Xi walked away without a backward glance, a cold smirk in her heart.
Tuesday’s acting skills were getting better by the day, but to her, he’d always be a clumsy performer.
She wouldn’t fall for it again.
Hadn’t the last lesson been painful enough?
Sincerity?
Hah.
If he was truly sincere, he wouldn’t have lied to her in the first place.
Cutting through the sun-dappled garden, the overpowering scent of roses stung her nose.
Mu Xi quickened her pace, eager to return to her room and escape the suffocating weight of it all.
But as she passed the fountain, nearing the corridor, a strange tingling sensation surged from her lower abdomen, spreading like an electric current through her entire body.
Mu Xi froze, her expression shifting.
Oh no—it was that cursed lozenges!
Before she could process it, the tingling became unbearable.
Her lower abdomen burned as if set ablaze, a shameful desire surging uncontrollably within her.
A soft, unmistakable splash echoed through the quiet garden.
Mu Xi stiffened, her mind going blank.
Glancing down, she saw a dark, spreading stain on her pink skirt, its shape growing more humiliating by the second.
The air around her seemed to solidify, time slowing to a crawl.
Her cheeks burned crimson, shame flooding her like a tidal wave.
Not far off, a group of female bodyguards in sleek black suits noticed the commotion.
They approached with trained precision, their eyes sharp and calm behind dark sunglasses.
“Miss Mu Xi, are you alright?” one of them asked, her voice devoid of any emotion.
Mu Xi wished she could vanish into the ground.
She bit her lip hard, her fingers curling into fists.
“I… I…” she stammered, unable to form a complete sentence, her throat dry, her face burning as if it might explode.
The bodyguards seemed to understand.
They exchanged a glance, then moved with swift professionalism.
“Miss Mu Xi, please remove your undergarments,” the lead bodyguard said, her tone as calm as if she were discussing the weather.
Mortified, Mu Xi had no choice but to comply.
Her hands trembled as she fumbled with the hidden clasp on her skirt, awkwardly slipping off the soaked undergarment, wishing she could burn it to ashes.
The bodyguards produced cleaning tools, silently tending to the mess on the ground with practiced efficiency, as if they’d rehearsed this a hundred times.
“It’s alright, Miss Mu Xi. You can go now,” they said after finishing, their faces expressionless, their tone mechanical, as though this were just another routine task.
Relieved beyond measure, Mu Xi covered her face and fled, desperate to escape the scene of her humiliation.
She just wanted to leave this place of disgrace and return to her cage of a room, where she could at least catch her breath.
Rushing back, she slammed the door shut and leaned against it, panting heavily, her chest heaving.
The ordeal replayed in her mind like a relentless nightmare.
She stumbled to the bathroom, turning on the shower.
Icy water poured down, dousing the heat in her body but doing nothing to quell the shame and helplessness raging in her heart.
Staring into the mirror, Mu Xi saw her drenched hair, swollen red eyes, and the lingering embarrassment and anger on her face.
She let out a heavy sigh.
Damn that aphrodisiac lozenges, damn her own foolishness!
She slammed her fist against the sink, the cold, hard tiles jarring her hand, though the pain was nothing compared to the ache in her heart.
Mu Xi, once a proud man, had been reduced to this—a plaything stripped of even the most basic dignity.
The humiliation, the powerlessness—it threatened to consume her entirely.
She stood rigid under the shower, cold water pelting her face, sliding down her porcelain-like cheeks, trying to extinguish the uncontrollable heat within.
But it was no use.
The icy water didn’t cool her; it was like pouring fuel on a fire, making it burn hotter.
The water glided over her skin, mingling itch and heat, pooling in places that screamed with a need she couldn’t control.
She bit her lip so hard it nearly bled, fighting against the sudden, overwhelming tide of desire.
‘No. Absolutely not.’
She repeated it in her mind like a mantra.
She used to be a man, damn it—how could she let some vile drug control her?
Especially in a place like this!
But her body betrayed her, growing hotter, hungrier.
The unfamiliar desire wrapped around her like vines, tightening until she could barely breathe.
Deep within, something was awakening, clawing to break free.
“Damn it!” Mu Xi cursed under her breath, raising her hand to slap herself, hoping the sting would snap her back to reason.
But the pain was fleeting, and the heat clung to her, growing more defiant.
She slumped against the cold tiled wall, water dripping from her silver hair, pooling on the floor.
In the mirror, the girl staring back had flushed cheeks and glassy eyes, a far cry from the cold, defiant figure of before.
She looked like a kitten tormented by desire.
Mu Xi closed her eyes in agony, her long lashes trembling.