Forty minutes later, the car drove into a villa district.
The rain had let up, and the sky was completely dark.
The car stopped in front of a three-story villa. It was European-style, with neatly trimmed shrubs growing in the yard.
“We’re here.” Su Qing let go of Lin Mo’s hand and got out of the car first.
Lin Mo followed her out, the cold autumn night wind making him shiver.
The interior of the villa was exquisitely decorated but very desolate. All the furniture was covered with dust sheets; only the living room and kitchen showed signs of being used.
Su Qing took off her trench coat and high heels, walking barefoot on the smooth marble floor. Her feet were very white, her ankles slender.
Just as Lin Mo stepped into the living room, Su Qing suddenly turned around.
“Look at me,” she said, her voice carrying an unquestionable command.
Lin Mo subconsciously looked into her eyes.
Su Qing snapped her fingers.
Lin Mo immediately felt that familiar wave of energy trying to invade his mind — and then it was neutralized by his immunity.
However, he still skillfully relaxed his shoulders and let his gaze become vacant, entering his “hypnotized” state.
Su Qing stared at him for a few seconds. After confirming the Hypnosis was successful, a trace of expression finally appeared on her face — a complex look mixed with pain and pleasure.
“Brother —”
“You made me wait for a long time today.”
Her voice became soft, sweet and gentle, a complete departure from the cold woman in the car earlier.
Lin Mo maintained his dazed state, but inside he was thinking, ‘Wait for what? A chance to deal with me?’
“Follow me.”
Lin Mo followed her up the spiral staircase like a marionette.
Su Qing walked barefoot on the marble steps, her movements light as a cat’s. Occasionally, she would look back at him, her eyes filled with a certain sickly satisfaction.
At the end of the second-floor hallway was a heavy wooden door. Su Qing pushed it open to reveal a windowless room.
The room was large but simply furnished. In the center sat a deep red velvet sofa. On the coffee table in front of the sofa, several items were neatly arranged:
A Black Silk Scarf.
A small Sandalwood Ruler.
A Black Leather Collar.
“Come in,” Su Qing said, entering first.
Lin Mo followed her into the room. The door closed automatically behind him, the sound of the lock turning clearly audible.
Su Qing walked to the sofa and turned to face him. She took the small bag from Lin Mo’s hand and shook it gently under the light.
“Shen Qingyue gave this to you.” Her voice was still sweet, but her eyes had already turned cold. “Bread, Mint Ointment, yogurt. She’s so good to you, isn’t she?”
Lin Mo maintained his “hypnotized” daze, but alarm bells were ringing in his mind.
Su Qing took the tube of Mint Ointment out of the bag, unscrewed the cap, and brought it to her nose to sniff it.
“Mint,” she said. “Refreshing, just like her.”
She then took out the notes, flipping through them one by one.
“Formula Shorthand Cards,” Su Qing read softly. “She even categorized them for you. Organic, inorganic, oxidation-reduction… how meticulous.”
She looked up at Lin Mo.
“Do you know? I sent someone to follow you two all day today. From the way you smiled at her this morning, to when you sat together for lunch, to when she gave you these things tonight.”
Su Qing walked up to Lin Mo and reached out to pinch his chin. “You smiled at her seven times. Seven times.”
Her fingers were ice cold.
Lin Mo’s heart tightened — she was actually counting?
“I cook for you every day, I wait for you to come home, I worry that you’re hungry or tired — how many times have you smiled at me?”
Lin Mo could not answer. In a “hypnotized state,” he could not respond to such complex questions.
Su Qing let go of his chin, walked to the coffee table, and picked up the Black Silk Scarf.
“Turn around,” she said.
Lin Mo slowly turned his back to her. The moment the silk scarf covered his eyes, his world plunged into darkness.
The darkness amplified his other senses.
He heard Su Qing pick up the Sandalwood Ruler, heard the sound of her approaching footsteps, and heard her slightly hurried breathing.
“The first time was this morning when she gave you the pen,” Su Qing’s voice rang out from behind him.
The ruler landed on his left shoulder. It wasn’t heavy, but it carried a clear sense of warning.
“The second time was when she asked if you rested well last night.”
His right shoulder.
“The third time was when she gave you the notes.”
The center of his back.
Each time, Su Qing counted clearly. Each time, Lin Mo could feel the sting. After the seven hits were over, his back was burning with pain.
Su Qing moved around to face him. Even with his eyes covered, Lin Mo could feel her gaze.
“Does it hurt?” she asked, her voice suddenly becoming very soft.
“…It hurts.”
“Where does it hurt?”
“My back.”
“Where else?”
Lin Mo was silent for a few seconds. “My heart. My heart hurts, too.”
This was the truth. Being treated like this, his heart truly felt uneasy.
Su Qing’s hand paused. A few seconds later, she untied the silk scarf covering Lin Mo’s eyes.
Light flooded back into his vision. Lin Mo saw Su Qing standing before him, her eyes red and tears hanging from her lashes.
“You can feel heartache too?” Her voice was somewhat choked. “Then do you have any idea how much it hurt here when I saw those photos?”
She grabbed Lin Mo’s hand and pressed it against her chest. Beneath his palm, her heart was beating rapidly.
“Here, it felt like it was being torn open.”
Su Qing looked at him, and tears finally fell.
“Lin Mo, I really don’t know what to do anymore. I want to be good to you, I want to make you happy, I want you to like me just like when we were little… but I can’t do it.”
She let go of his hand, took a step back, and sank onto the sofa, burying her face in her palms.
“Sometimes I think, maybe I could love you in a normal way, but I’m afraid. I’m afraid you won’t accept the real me.”
Lin Mo maintained his “hypnotized” state, but his mind was in turmoil. He looked at Su Qing’s trembling shoulders, her tears, and her fragile, curled-up figure on the sofa.
At this moment, he felt a genuine sense of fear — not fear of physical punishment, but fear of this twisted and heavy love.
He also felt… a sliver of pity.
“But I’m already like this.”
Su Qing looked up and wiped her tears, her voice suddenly becoming calm.
“I’m already a monster. So Lin Mo, you can’t escape.”
She stood up, walked to the coffee table, and picked up the Black Leather Collar.
“This,” she held the collar up in front of Lin Mo, “was custom-made. It has a built-in GPS tracker, a miniature camera, and a microphone. If you wear it, I’ll know where you are, what you’re doing, and who you’re talking to at all times.”
The leather of the collar looked soft, but there was no way he could wear it.
Su Qing took a step closer, holding the collar against Lin Mo’s neck to measure it. “The size is just right. Do you want to try it?”
Lin Mo’s heart was practically jumping out of his chest. He couldn’t wear it. Definitely not.
But in his “hypnotized” state, he shouldn’t be able to refuse.
Just as Su Qing was about to put the collar on him, Lin Mo’s phone rang.
Su Qing’s movements paused, and she looked at Lin Mo’s pocket.
“Who is calling?” she asked.
Lin Mo remained dazed. “…I don’t know.”
Su Qing pulled the phone out of his pocket. On the screen, the name “Shen Qingyue” was displayed.
Time seemed to stand still.
“Put it on speaker. Remember, you are in a hypnotized state, but you can answer the phone normally.”