The car purred softly as Ye Lan guided it through the wrought-iron gates, carrying Mu Xi into the heart of the sprawling manor.
The world outside blurred past the window, a tapestry of green and stone unfolding under the late afternoon sun.
Mu Xi pressed her face closer to the glass, her eyes wide with curiosity.
This was no fleeting glance like before; now, she could drink in the manor’s grandeur in its entirety.
It was less a manor, she thought, and more a castle plucked from some ancient European tale.
The main structure loomed with breathtaking majesty—sharp spires stabbed at the heavens, and the gray-white stone walls gleamed with a cold, unyielding sheen in the sunlight.
Gothic arches curved gracefully, rose windows bloomed with intricate patterns, and ornate carvings whispered of opulence and gravitas.
The lawns, manicured to perfection, rolled out like an emerald carpet, framed by dense, shadowy woods that stood as a natural fortress, sealing the estate from the outside world.
An air of mystery clung to the place, heavy and oppressive, as though the very stones harbored secrets too dark to be spoken.
The car rolled to a stop, and Ye Lan stepped out with the grace of a panther.
She circled to the passenger side, opening the door for Mu Xi with a gentleman’s flourish.
“A rare treat,” she said, her lips curling into a faint, enigmatic smile.
Her phoenix eyes, deep and unreadable, glinted with something Mu Xi couldn’t quite place.
“Let me show you around. Get to know your new home.”
Mu Xi’s heart quickened.
This was precisely what she’d longed for.
Since her arrival, she’d been confined to a saccharine pink room, a prisoner in a velvet-lined cell, ignorant of the world beyond its walls.
Now, the chance to map the manor’s labyrinthine layout felt like a gift from the heavens.
“Oh, yes, please!” she chirped, flashing a sweet smile as she fell into step behind Ye Lan.
“Thank you, Sister.”
Ye Lan led her down a winding path of smooth cobblestones, their footsteps soft against the stone.
“This is the front courtyard,” she said, gesturing to a broad plaza that stretched before them.
At its heart, a grand fountain danced, its water jets catching the sunlight and scattering it into prisms of color.
Statues, carved with lifelike precision, stood sentinel around the square—some pensive, others gazing into eternity—lending the scene an air of quiet artistry.
They approached the main building, where two massive oak doors loomed, their surfaces etched with intricate floral motifs and cryptic symbols.
Ye Lan pushed one open, and it yielded with a low, mournful creak, as though exhaling a sigh from centuries past.
Stepping into the grand hall, Mu Xi was enveloped by a wave of decadence.
The ceiling soared into a vaulted dome, adorned with dazzling crystal chandeliers that cast fractured light across vibrant murals.
Exquisite furniture, polished to a gleam, spoke of wealth beyond measure.
On either side, female bodyguards in sleek black suits and dark sunglasses stood like statues, their sharp eyes scanning the room with unyielding vigilance.
“This is the great hall,” Ye Lan’s voice echoed, tinged with a subtle pride that resonated in the vast space.
“We hold banquets and grand events here.”
Mu Xi’s breath caught as she turned in a slow circle, her mind reeling.
The manor’s splendor was staggering, far beyond anything she’d ever imagined.
She felt like a wayward Cinderella, stumbling into a palace of dreams—yet every glittering detail only deepened her sense of entrapment.
Ye Lan guided her through a maze of corridors, each room more breathtaking than the last.
The library’s towering shelves stretched to the ceiling, brimming with books that filled the air with the faint, comforting scent of ink and aged paper.
The gym gleamed with state-of-the-art equipment, its cushioned floors and abstract oil paintings exuding modern elegance.
The media room, with its colossal screen and plush sofas, promised the luxury of a private cinema.
Every corner was a testament to meticulous design, every detail a hymn to extravagance.
But with each new marvel, Mu Xi’s unease grew.
The manor’s grandeur was a gilded chain, binding her ever tighter.
She needed to learn its secrets, to trace an escape route through its opulent halls, or risk being caged here forever.
Her heart thrummed with a quiet, desperate resolve.
As if sensing her thoughts, Ye Lan paused abruptly and turned, her gaze piercing Mu Xi like a blade.
“What’s wrong? Not to your liking?”
Her voice was low, magnetic, laced with a strange, almost hypnotic power.
Mu Xi’s pulse spiked, but she shook her head quickly and replied, “No, it’s beautiful. I love it,” she said, her voice bright with forced enthusiasm.
Ye Lan’s lips twitched into a knowing, almost playful smile.
“Good. Because this, my dear, is your home now.”
The word home struck Mu Xi like a blow.
Home?
No, this was no home—it was a prison, its beauty a cruel mockery of freedom.
She clenched her fists, her soul burning with a fierce, unspoken vow: she would escape.
She would reclaim her world.
***
Back in the suffocatingly familiar pink room, Mu Xi sighed, resignation settling over her like a heavy cloak.
The moment she’d dreaded had arrived.
This time, she didn’t wait for Ye Lan’s command.
With practiced obedience, she climbed onto the bed, slipped off her gauzy dress, and positioned herself, hips raised, her voice soft but steady.
“Please punish me, Sister.”
Ye Lan approached, her fingertips grazing Mu Xi’s bare back, sending a shiver down her spine.
“No more ‘Sister,'” she murmured, her voice a velvet command.
“From now on, you call me Master.”
Defiance flared in Mu Xi’s chest, but her tongue betrayed her, blurting out, “Pig-person.”
The words hung in the air, and she froze, mortified, wishing she could swallow them back.
Ye Lan’s eyes narrowed, a dangerous glint flashing in them.
“What was that?”
Mu Xi’s heart pounded. “I—I’m sorry,” she stammered, scrambling to recover.
“It was my accent. Let me try again… Master~”
She stretched the word, her tone syrupy with a mix of coyness and appeasement.
Ye Lan’s expression softened, and she stepped closer, raising her hand.
A sharp “slap” rang out as her palm met Mu Xi’s raised hips.
“This perfect curve,” Ye Lan said, her voice laced with amusement and something darker, “was made for me to punish.”
Mu Xi bit her lip, indignation warring with an unsettling truth: her body responded to the sharp sting, a twisted pleasure threading through the pain.
She hated admitting it, even to herself, but the sensation was… intoxicating.
“Slap! Slap! Slap!”
The rhythmic strikes echoed through the room, each one precise, leaving a warm flush across her skin.
Exactly one hundred, as promised.
Ye Lan handed her a tiny piece of gold, no larger than a fingernail.
Mu Xi’s excitement dissolved into disbelief as she stared at the pathetic nugget, certain her eyes were playing tricks.
Ye Lan’s chuckle was infuriatingly smug.
“You’re not strong enough for anything heavier. This suits you perfectly.”
Mu Xi seethed, cursing Ye Lan’s stinginess, but she forced a smile, her voice dripping with false gratitude.
“Thank you… Master.”
The words tasted bitter, and her smile was a fragile mask of compliance, equal parts pitiful and endearing.
Ye Lan swept out of the room, her hips swaying with infuriating grace.
Mu Xi glared after her, teeth gritted, her gaze lingering on Ye Lan’s retreating form.
In her mind, she lunged, sinking her teeth into that smug sway to vent her fury—but it was a fantasy she’d never dare act on.
Alone now, Mu Xi sat on the plush bed, turning the tiny gold piece over in her fingers.
It was a paltry prize, but a prize nonetheless.
She rose and drifted to the dressing mirror, its ornate frame catching the light.
Her reflection stared back—a vision of beauty, trapped in a gilded cage, her heart heavy with the weight of her longing for freedom.