Upon hearing her words, Ye Xingmian had absolutely no desire to respond. She turned her head away, refusing to look at Qin Haiyue.
Qin Haiyue suddenly grabbed her chin, forcing her evasive gaze back to meet her own.
“Answer me!”
Pressed like this, Ye Xingmian could only give a weak nod.
“Ah, you know it too, right? So don’t go looking for that Liu Yinuo anymore. Don’t get entangled with her again, understand?”
Qin Haiyue placed both hands on Ye Xingmian’s shoulders, looking down at her from above, her azure blue eyes filled with threat.
Ye Xingmian had no choice but to nod once more.
A smile appeared on Qin Haiyue’s face as she fished something out from her pocket.
“That’s good… that’s good… This is a diamond necklace I bought for you. Try it on.”
Ye Xingmian didn’t react.
Unbothered, Qin Haiyue smiled to herself and fastened the necklace around Ye Xingmian’s neck. A crystal-white silver chain held a particularly dazzling white diamond, not large, but exceptionally pure. It just looked somewhat out of place hanging over the collar.
Ye Xingmian silently watched her actions, not uttering a word.
Only when Qin Haiyue took a step back to look her over did she speak.
“How is it? Do you like it?”
She was clearly asking her, yet she wasn’t looking into her eyes. She probably didn’t care about Ye Xingmian’s answer at all; she was just asking herself.
And indeed, that was the case. Without waiting for a response, Qin Haiyue picked her up and placed her on the bed.
This time, she didn’t put pajamas on her. Her sensitive skin could clearly feel the temperature of the air.
Then, she pulled Ye Xingmian tightly into her embrace, like a child lacking security clinging to a doll that could give her a sense of safety.
Feeling Qin Haiyue’s suffocating hug, Ye Xingmian lay on her side, sensing the breathing of the person behind her gradually even out.
The arms wrapped around her unconsciously pressed on her injuries, sending waves of intense pain. She unconsciously furrowed her brow.
“Goodnight.”
Behind her, Qin Haiyue whispered softly.
Warm breath brushed against her sensitive earlobe, causing slight discomfort.
“Aren’t you going to say goodnight to me?”
Ye Xingmian lowered her gaze.
“Goodnight…”
“Mhm, good girl. Don’t move, okay.”
And so, time passed second by second. Until the person behind her truly fell asleep, and exhaustion once again swept over Ye Xingmian’s spirit.
In the silence and solitude, the curtains rustled as they were stirred by the wind.
A single teardrop suddenly slid from the corner of her eye, landing on the hair at her forehead. Ye Xingmian closed her eyes, took a deep breath, suppressing the surging discomfort in her heart.
So hopeless… I really want to cry…
But crying is useless; it will only invite anger. No one will pity her; suffering won’t spare her just because she cries.
She just couldn’t help it.
She closed her eyes, trying hard to calm herself, to comfort herself.
‘Just sleep. Tomorrow, I can escape.’
‘Tomorrow they still have to go to school. Once I get to school, I must not come back here no matter what.’
‘No matter what, I have to leave this place.’
‘And then, I have to leave the Lin family and go find Liu Yinuo.’
‘Get as far away as possible. It doesn’t matter anymore. All that talk of being a burden, inferiority, cowardice—let it all get lost.’
‘I’ll beg her. Beg her to take me in. It doesn’t matter anymore; nothing is important.’
‘I just know I can’t take it anymore. I need to hide somewhere safe, hide behind Liu Yinuo.’
‘And then I need to hide from Qin Haiyue, hide far away where she can’t find me.’
Thinking this, she closed her eyes and finally fell into a deep sleep.
***
She didn’t know how much time had passed. Her whole body felt weak, and a sharp, aching pain enveloped her. Indeed, even with the medicine applied, such injuries don’t heal quickly.
Ye Xingmian was startled awake by the shaking of the bed.
When she opened her eyes, she found that Qin Haiyue’s arm, which had been draped over her while sleeping, was gone.
She wanted to turn her head, but the moment she moved even slightly, a tearing pain shot through her waist, making her abandon the idea.
But she could be sure of one thing: Qin Haiyue was getting dressed beside her.
What time was it now? She didn’t know. The curtains were still tightly closed, not letting in a single ray of sunlight.
“Are you going to school now?”
She was only wearing her underwear, and she couldn’t feel the collar on her neck—perhaps it had become so natural she was used to it. Having worn it for so long, she no longer sensed that awkward feeling of restraint.
Even while sleeping, Qin Haiyue still wouldn’t let her take off the collar or that inexplicable necklace.
“Mhm, time for school.” Qin Haiyue nodded, seemingly already dressed. She sat on the edge of the bed to put on her shoes.
Despite the pain that made even moving difficult, Ye Xingmian still wanted to sit up and find her clothes.
“Then I… should get up too…”
Not for any other reason, just to avoid staying in this dark, suffocating place.
And also, she wanted to escape. She had to, she absolutely had to.
She couldn’t stay here any longer; she would go crazy!
However, just as she was about to sit up, Qin Haiyue suddenly pressed her down, causing all her effort to be wasted as she collapsed back onto the bed.
“Don’t worry, I’ll ask for leave for you. Don’t you still need to recover from your injuries? Stay here these few days.”
The moment she processed what Qin Haiyue was saying, Ye Xingmian almost instinctively cried out in alarm:
“Ah? Wh-what… No!”
Ignoring the pain caused by her movement, she turned over and grabbed the hem of Qin Haiyue’s clothes just as she was about to leave.
“What’s wrong?” Qin Haiyue turned back with a smiling face.
“Don’t… please… I don’t want to stay here… let me go to school… please…”
Qin Haiyue leaned down, wiping away the tears that had fallen from Ye Xingmian’s face due to despair and pain. Her tone was gentle, yet brooked no argument:
“That won’t do. You still need to recover. How can you go to school? Ah, you can barely even walk a few steps, right? Wouldn’t it be too much of a strain to go to school in this condition?”
With an expression of “it’s for your own good,” she effortlessly dashed Ye Xingmian’s hopes.
She got off the bed, pulled down the coiled chain from the ceiling, and without another word, hooked it onto the collar around Ye Xingmian’s neck.
“I’m leaving now, okay? Wait for me to come back.”
Using an extremely gentle tone, she softly closed the bedroom door and locked it from the outside.
And so, in the silent bedroom, only Ye Xingmian remained.
Darkness and silence permeated the air, transforming into an even more terrifying chain that locked her breath, her gaze, her very thoughts.
She wasn’t even left with breakfast.
She hadn’t eaten well last night. And today? How long would she have to endure hunger? It was all unknown.
Suddenly, she remembered something important. She pulled on the chain to estimate its length.
It seemed to have been replaced without her noticing, extended considerably. Its current length allowed her to move freely throughout the entire room.
At least… going to the restroom wouldn’t be a problem.
She curled up her body, her eyes empty, lying on her side on the bed, hugging her legs tightly.
‘It hurts so much. I feel so awful, so wronged, so alone.’
‘Liu Yinuo… Class Monitor.’