Heh… heh…
Even though she felt a great disaster looming, Ye Xingmian couldn’t help but let out a cold laugh in her heart. Looking at Qin Haiyue’s face, she actually found her behavior so similar to Lin Ziyan’s.
Their statuses were worlds apart, and the two had never met, yet Ye Xingmian sensed an identical trait in them—immaturity.
It was like a child’s display of insecurity, pinching someone’s neck, playfully, violently, insisting it must be that way, forcing you to admit that it was her possession, that it was her toy.
And they only dared to act this way toward those weaker than themselves; they wouldn’t dare provoke those stronger.
Unfortunately, right now, she was both the weak one and the toy.
Like a small boat drifting with the current, tossed about by the waves, her fate was completely out of her own hands, forced to act according to others’ whims.
So, to escape terrible punishment, there was only one thing Ye Xingmian could do.
She closed her eyes for a moment, her tone almost devoid of fluctuation, unable to tell if it was willing or unwilling. The intense, cramping pain from where she had just been kicked was still radiating from her stomach.
“Master…”
The hand on her neck didn’t loosen. Her voice sounded strained and somewhat hoarse.
She only hoped her obedient performance would buy her a moment of peace.
Hearing her response, Qin Haiyue couldn’t help but show a pleased smile on her face.
“Ah, so good.”
She released the hand pinching Ye Xingmian’s throat and rewardingly stroked the girl’s soft black hair, as if the person before her really was her little dog.
“That’s better,” she forced Ye Xingmian to open her eyes. “From now on, when it’s just the two of us, you have to call me that, understand?”
Ye Xingmian had no choice but to nod obediently. Then, Qin Haiyue got off her, and she finally collapsed onto the sofa as if drained, clutching her stomach, her gaze distant and unfocused.
She thought she could rest for a while, at least until the stomach pain subsided and she caught her breath.
But Qin Haiyue didn’t grant her wish, instead pouring herself a glass of water, taking a sip, and then holding it out in front of Ye Xingmian.
“Drink!”
Ye Xingmian was stunned. Lying on her side on the sofa, her dazed gaze turned to Qin Haiyue, her tone hesitant.
“I…”
She seemed to have given the wrong reaction. Qin Haiyue frowned. But fortunately, her mood was still relatively good and she didn’t just pour the water over her head.
“When I tell you to drink, you drink. When I tell you to do something, you do it. Don’t you understand?”
Her forceful tone made Ye Xingmian fall silent. After a moment, she replied in a hoarse voice.
“Okay…”
She used one hand to push herself up from the sofa. Her vision darkened slightly, her throat and stomach both hurt. Finally steadying herself, she reached out to take the glass from Qin Haiyue’s hand.
“I’ll feed you. Don’t move,” Qin Haiyue said.
Hearing this, she obediently stopped moving and sat on the sofa. Qin Haiyue sat beside her, holding the glass in her left hand, her right arm wrapping around Ye Xingmian’s waist.
“Come on, open your mouth.”
There was a hint of laughter in her voice. Ye Xingmian just didn’t know what Qin Haiyue was laughing about. Was she laughing at her wretched state, or did she find a sense of achievement in holding power over her life and death? It confused her.
She obediently opened her small mouth. The liquid slid down her esophagus. The water was ice cold. She only felt exhaustion and some nausea.
Qin Haiyue’s right hand wasn’t well-behaved either, brushing against her injured area, causing sharp pain. Her body trembled, but the water kept being poured into her mouth.
She didn’t dare make any excessive movements, only carefully swallowing while enduring the pain from her body.
But Qin Haiyue fed her too quickly. A lot of water still spilled from the corners of her lips, soaking her clothes wet and making her very cold.
Finally, it was finished. Qin Haiyue placed the glass on the table. Thankfully, this time she didn’t hit her again.
Instead, she quite gently pulled Ye Xingmian into her embrace. This huge contrast between before and after left Ye Xingmian somewhat at a loss.
She didn’t dare move. Time passed bit by bit. Qin Haiyue played with her hair.
“Stay here overnight tonight. Don’t go back.”
Stay here overnight? Would Lin Ziyan get angry again? Would Liu Yinuo worry if she didn’t get any news from her? These worries flashed through her mind in an instant, but she didn’t dare voice them. Saying them would surely earn her a beating.
She moved her throat and had to agree.
“Okay…”
Perhaps because she had been forced to drink a lot of ice water, her throat didn’t hurt as much, and her voice recovered a bit, no longer so hoarse.
Her only hope was that Qin Haiyue wouldn’t do anything else excessive to her. But she still hadn’t recovered from that kick to her stomach.
“Mmm~ Good girl.” Qin Haiyue once again contentedly smoothed her hair and hugged her a little tighter, almost making it hard to breathe.
Now she was almost a different person from before, no longer so violent, instead seeming a bit… clingy?
Heh, clingy. Ye Xingmian thought either she was going crazy, or Qin Haiyue was.
Their interactions were always filled with uncertainty. Or rather, this Qin Haiyue was just too mercurial.
“Come on, let’s go to my room. I prepared a gift for you.”
A gift? Hearing that word, Ye Xingmian instantly felt a surge of ominous foreboding.
“Can I rest a bit first? I can’t really walk right now…”
She tried to beg, but it clearly had no effect. Qin Haiyue directly grabbed her hand and, without a shred of pity, dragged her off the sofa, nearly making her fall.
She barely managed to stand steady, enduring the pain from her lower abdomen, only to be dragged upstairs by Qin Haiyue.
She tried to get the other to stop, to let her catch her breath, but she failed.
“Hah… hah…”
Qin Haiyue had no intention of stopping at all.
Dragged all the way to Qin Haiyue’s bedroom like this, the nearly collapsed Ye Xingmian was casually tossed onto the floor. Fortunately, the bedroom had carpeting, much better than the living room floor.
Then, Qin Haiyue rummaged around the room and soon pulled out something that seemed extremely ominous to Ye Xingmian—
A collar.
It was a white collar made of sturdy leather, looking very durable. At the connection point was a round cat paw pattern, looking somewhat cute. It was probably meant for a pet.
But Qin Haiyue was taking it out here, saying it was a gift for her…
Ye Xingmian just felt a chill run down her spine.
Qin Haiyue turned her head, looked at Ye Xingmian, and revealed a malicious smile.