Chapter 47: Welcome Home, Master

Mu Xi knew she was teetering on the edge, her body’s desires swelling to a breaking point, impossible to suppress any longer.  

She understood it was wrong, that this was Ye Lan’s cruel game, that she should despise the sensations coursing through her.

Yet her body, traitor that it was, responded with an honesty she couldn’t deny.

The warm water cascaded over her sensitive skin, each droplet intensifying the electric thrill, sharpening the hunger within her to an unbearable clarity.  

At last, just before her reason crumbled entirely, Mu Xi let out a stifled whimper.

Her trembling hand rose slowly, reaching toward that forbidden place on her body.

The moment her fingertips brushed against the damp warmth, a jolt of electricity surged through her, stealing her breath in a sharp gasp.  

Shame, anger, and helplessness collided in a turbulent storm, threatening to drown her.  

Yet the strange sensation at her fingertips carried an indescribable pleasure, one that tethered her to the moment, making it impossible to pull away.

Clumsily, hesitantly, she explored, her body igniting like a spark set to kindling.

Her breaths grew ragged, heat rising in waves, each one more consuming than the last.

The unfamiliar pleasure, laced with a faint thrill, crashed over her like a tide, eroding her resolve, pulling her deeper into its undertow until she was lost.  

A low moan escaped her lips, her body trembling beyond her control.  

She bit down hard on her lower lip, desperate to silence the sounds clawing their way out, but fractured moans still spilled from her throat.

A violent shudder tore through her, a rush of heat flooding her senses, leaving her mind blank for one fleeting, blinding moment.  

Her taut nerves unraveled, her strength sapped as though drained by some unseen force.

She sank to the floor, limp as a discarded ragdoll, the cold tiles a stark contrast to the water still pouring over her.

Gasping, her chest heaved with each labored breath, the air thick with the faint musk of desire—and the bitter tang of humiliation.  

Mu Xi’s eyes fluttered open, staring vacantly at the ceiling, her gaze hollow and adrift.  

Had she really… given in?  

Her fingertips still carried the lingering dampness, and a faint ache pulsed deep within, a cruel reminder that what had just happened was no dream.

It was real, undeniable.

She felt as though she’d stumbled through some absurd nightmare, only to wake to a void of shame and emptiness.  

“This is… just awful,” she murmured, her voice hoarse and frail, trembling with an emotion she couldn’t name.  

Was she truly beginning to enjoy this?  

The thought was ludicrous, unthinkable.

She should hate it, should fight it with every fiber of her being.

Yet her body had betrayed her, sinking shamelessly into this base desire.

Mu Xi felt like a lost cause—caged by Ye Lan, controlled by his drugs, toyed with like a pet, and now even her own flesh had turned against her.  

What was she to do?  

Would she really let herself sink further, until she became nothing more than Ye Lan’s plaything?  

No—never.

Her fist clenched, nails biting into her palm, the sharp sting anchoring her back to reality.

The pain cleared her mind, if only slightly, and fueled her loathing for her own weakness.  

She would not surrender.  

Struggling to her feet, she shut off the shower, hastily dried herself, and slipped into her nightclothes.

She stumbled back to her bed, collapsing onto the soft pink sheets.

They should have been comforting, but her body felt like ice, as though she’d been plunged into a frozen crypt.  

Curling into a tight ball, she clutched the blankets, burying herself in their softness, desperate to chase away the chill.

But the cold wasn’t in her skin—it radiated from her heart, an unshakable frost no warmth could touch.  

The room was silent, save for the rustle of leaves outside the window and the uneven rhythm of her own breathing.  

She closed her eyes, willing sleep to come, but her mind was a chaotic tangle.

One moment, it replayed the shameful pleasure; the next, Ye Lan’s sickly smile loomed before her, followed by the lonely silhouette of Tuesday fading into the distance.  

Her thoughts were a knotted mess, fraying her nerves, keeping sleep at bay.

Finally, in frustration, she rolled over, staring at the pink lace chandelier above.

A long, heavy sigh escaped her.  

Fine.

If sleep wouldn’t come, she’d stop fighting it.  

Thinking was pointless anyway.

In her current state, all she could do was wait.  

But for how long?  

Mu Xi didn’t know, and she didn’t dare dwell on it.  

All she knew was that if this went on, she’d lose her mind entirely.  

***

Over the next few days, Mu Xi found herself drifting to the garden path, her eyes lingering on the rusted lock that barred the way.  

It remained shut, untouched, a silent testament that no one had passed through since.

Tuesday was like a stone dropped into a still pond—gone without a trace, leaving no ripples behind.  

Had he escaped, or had he been caught?  

She had no way to know, no means to find out.

The estate was a sealed vault, cutting her off from the world beyond.

Yet deep down, she felt a quiet certainty that her choice to stay had been right.

Fleeing with Tuesday, given his familiarity with the estate and Ye Lan’s iron grip, would likely have ended in disaster.  

Time slipped through her fingers like sand.

Another week passed, the estate cloaked in an eerie calm.

Her days blurred into a monotonous cycle—eat, sleep, repeat—like a pig penned in a sty.  

The delicate cream cakes and dazzling array of sweets, once her delight, now tasted like ash.  

The only change came in the form of a throat lozenge each afternoon.

Ever since Ye Lan began feeding her those cloyingly sweet candies, she’d noticed subtle shifts in her body.

At first, they merely soothed her throat, leaving her mouth refreshed.

But gradually, a spark kindled within her, a faint, indescribable heat spreading through her core.  

During her baths, the warm water gliding over her skin amplified the sensation, sending tingles through her with every touch.

Even the lightest brush of her fingers triggered a shiver.

Her body had become hypersensitive, as though every inch of her skin had been wired to react to the slightest stimulus.  

Worse still—and she could scarcely admit it to herself—sometimes, a mere fleeting thought of something intimate would leave her body betraying her, growing warm and damp in ways that left her flushed with shame and panic.  

***

That afternoon, after days of stifling silence, the estate stirred with a faint clamor.

Ye Lan had returned.  

Mu Xi’s heart churned at the sound of his familiar footsteps, a mix of dread and an inexplicable flicker of anticipation.

She took a deep breath, forcing a sweet smile onto her face, and opened the door with a delicate, “Master, you’re back!”  

Ye Lan’s lips curved into a faint smile, her gaze softening as it settled on her.

She reached out, Ye Lan hand’s gently patting her head as one might a well-behaved kitten.  

“Have you been good while I was away, Little Xi?”

Her voice was low and smooth, laced with a subtle magnetism.  

Her eyes flickered, the rehearsed “I’m fine” catching in her throat.

Instead, she pouted, conjuring a look of pitiful grievance.

“Not good at all,” she murmured, her voice soft and plaintive.

“I was so lonely without you, Master. And… they all…”