When Jiang Ling first heard Mo Ran say those words, a similar concept flashed through her mind:抖M (masochist).
Pain and verbal abuse were almost the simplest ways to bring pleasure to people like that.
But Jiang Ling quickly realized — this was completely different.
Because Mo Ran didn’t derive pleasure from it.
She simply needed something sobering, like an anchor. As long as she could touch it, she would no longer be lost in chaos and confusion.
Jiang Ling had seen similar examples in certain articles before, though she couldn’t quite remember the details. She could only vaguely connect them to the slightly complicated expression on Mo Ran’s face right now.
Mo Ran felt no pleasure from those actions, nor did she pity that scumbag of a father, and she certainly wouldn’t develop anything resembling Stockholm syndrome.
She simply needed him to exist.
This kind of relationship gave her a sense of reality. Even though the relationship was already so distorted it barely resembled anything normal, for Mo Ran, it held value — it could even be called the most cost-effective option.
Mo Ran had never been someone who lived in a haze. Jiang Ling knew that clearly.
So… why couldn’t that person be her?
With that thought, Jiang Ling spoke slowly, using a tone similar to their last negotiation:
“No matter what you need, as long as it’s something I can do, I’ll do it for you. I absolutely won’t be any worse than him.”
After hearing those words, Mo Ran let out a very soft laugh, tinged with disbelief:
“You won’t.”
“I will!”
Jiang Ling answered stubbornly. This made Mo Ran fall silent again for a moment before her lips parted slightly.
“Then let’s do an experiment.”
Looking at Mo Ran standing right in front of her, Jiang Ling’s mouth twitched. Her voice came out a little timid:
“Do we… really have to hit?”
Mo Ran’s expression remained calm. She even smiled and nodded.
A few minutes earlier, Mo Ran had put her clothes back on, stood in front of Jiang Ling, and indicated that she should slap her once.
Jiang Ling instantly doubted her life choices.
But she had already made such big claims — there was no way she could back down here. Trembling, she slowly raised her hand… and then held it in the air for an embarrassingly long time without bringing it down.
“Didn’t you say you would do it for me to see?”
Mo Ran’s voice carried a trace of amusement, as though she had already predicted Jiang Ling wouldn’t actually do it. Her tone even turned slightly provocative:
“Is this what you meant by ‘I’ll do anything’?”
“So weak, Jiang Ling.”
Even though Jiang Ling knew Mo Ran was deliberately provoking her right now, she refused to give in easily — because that would give Mo Ran the perfect excuse to reject her.
After thinking it over again and again, Jiang Ling gritted her teeth and realized she really only had one path left — to hit her.
But this act, which in Jiang Ling’s mind was tied to something lowly and despicable, no matter how she tried to dress it up or justify it, still wouldn’t let her bring her hand down with peace of mind.
In that state, Jiang Ling stayed silent for a long time. Then she raised her arm and, using the lightest force possible, slowly let her palm rest against Mo Ran’s face.
So light that it didn’t even make a sound.
Her hand simply touched and then quickly withdrew, like it had only been pasted there for a second.
“That’s enough, right?”
When Jiang Ling said this, she sounded guilty. Her eyes kept wandering, not daring to meet Mo Ran’s directly.
Sure enough, Mo Ran’s almost teasing voice rang in her ear:
“I told you — you can’t do it.”
If this had been earlier, Jiang Ling might have argued back with all her strength. But now, she could only move her lips wordlessly, unable to come up with any rebuttal for the moment.
“Go back and get a good night’s sleep. We’ve been really busy lately — don’t waste time on unimportant things.”
Mo Ran spoke lightly and dismissively:
“Besides, in essence I haven’t left NOVA, and I’m basically in a positive emotional state most of the time, so you really don’t need to worry too much…”
“I’m very worried.”
Jiang Ling spoke with a firmness even she herself found surprising:
“The relationship between you and your father has already become twisted. It can give you temporary clarity, but what about later?”
Facing Jiang Ling’s urgent and worried gaze, a flicker of dimness passed through Mo Ran’s eyes before it returned to normal.
“I have my own plans—”
“You’ve never even thought about ‘later’.”
Jiang Ling felt her voice trembling uncontrollably, as though every sentence ended in a wavy line, but she still gritted her teeth and continued resolutely:
“This won’t do, Mo Ran.”
This time, Mo Ran didn’t argue back. The lively smile gradually drained from her face, leaving it pale and bloodless.
Even though she had once promised Jiang Ling she would stay in NOVA, the words she used were vague and noncommittal. A mindset so devoid of planning only appeared in people who had lost all hope for the future.
Mo Ran lived every day just getting by.
Strictly speaking, she had no family. The only near-bond she had was a distorted one.
Jiang Ling’s mind raced. A thin sheen of sweat appeared on her forehead.
She couldn’t help Mo Ran maintain this twisted relationship.
“Maybe… we can talk about other ways.”
Jiang Ling stepped forward. Her ears flushed unnaturally red. Then she threw herself into Mo Ran’s unprepared embrace.
“Mommy.”
But she could build a brand-new, healthy relationship with Mo Ran.
She remembered how strongly Mo Ran had reacted with interest the very first time she heard that word.
Thinking back now, perhaps Mo Ran’s mother had left her very early, and her father had constantly used oppressive, gaslighting tactics to emphasize that the mother’s departure was her fault.
The concept of “mother” was foreign to the current Mo Ran. The fragmented memories from childhood weren’t enough to sustain anything into the present.
So Jiang Ling felt that she would be interested.
For a pale, empty future, something had to be dangled in front of her to keep her going.
Sure enough, looking at Jiang Ling who had thrown herself into her arms, Mo Ran froze for quite a long time. Confusion filled her eyes. She only repeated in a small, fragmented voice:
“…Mommy?”
“I need you. And you need me too. So in essence, it’s the same.”
Jiang Ling closed her eyes, feeling Mo Ran’s faint fragrance up close — probably hastily sprayed to cover up the smell of blood:
“Now you make the choice.”
“That stupid, evil old man… or me, this sweet-smelling, cute little girl!”
Jiang Ling practically shouted it out in desperation, throwing all caution to the wind.
But the moment the words left her mouth, an inexplicable wave of shame flooded her heart. She buried her face even deeper into Mo Ran’s chest and rubbed against it.
After who knows how long, Mo Ran’s voice — now laced with amusement — rang out again.
“Looks like you’re pretty confident in yourself, huh?”
Mo Ran watched as Jiang Ling slowly lifted her head from her chest. She enunciated each word clearly:
“Sweet-smelling… cute… little girl?”
Jiang Ling covered her face and let out a muffled affirmative.
She had bragged so hard — now she had to see it through even if she cried.
Looking at Jiang Ling’s expression of wanting to cry but having no tears, the previously dull light in Mo Ran’s eyes finally sparked with interest.
She really was a little intrigued by Jiang Ling’s proposal.
“Then let’s test whether your plan is feasible.”
Jiang Ling looked at Mo Ran, who was now staring at her with great interest. She pursed her lips, lowered her eyes shyly.
Test?
How was she supposed to test it?
Soon, Jiang Ling understood what Mo Ran meant by “test.”
She watched as Mo Ran slowly began to undress again. Today she had already repeated this action many times. The snow-white skin crisscrossed with scars was once again exposed to the air.
And the first thing to seize Jiang Ling’s gaze — naturally — was the snowy peaks she had once埋 (buried/whined into) countless times.
Jiang Ling stared blankly for a while, then hurriedly looked away, face burning red. Her voice carried a trace of panic:
“Why are you taking your clothes off again…”
“To test, of course.”
Mo Ran looked quite cheerful. She casually tossed the shed clothes aside, then lifted one leg and knelt on the bed. As she slowly advanced, the last scraps of fabric on her body disappeared as well.
Jiang Ling still wasn’t used to it.
So she quickly turned her body away and kept her head firmly down.
But the more she tried not to look, the clearer the brief glimpses replayed in her mind on loop. In the end, even her neck flushed with a suspicious red.
Before she could steady her breathing, a warm body pressed against her from behind.
Mo Ran wrapped her arms around Jiang Ling from the back, her scorching breath and body heat transferring through the thin fabric, slowly spreading.
“If you don’t turn around, you’re not being a good girl~”
Mo Ran murmured in Jiang Ling’s ear with a faint smile. She had already fully slipped into the role of “mommy.” Her voice had softened beyond recognition — exactly like how a real mother would speak to a very young child.
Jiang Ling’s whole body tingled from those words.
But she felt that this was still far better than Mo Ran getting slapped by that scumbag.
Moreover, Mo Ran had always been gentle and considerate toward others. So-called mother-daughter play was merely shifting from one distorted relationship to another relatively gentler one. It wouldn’t bring any truly harmful effects.
So Jiang Ling’s tense body slowly relaxed. She let Mo Ran turn her around. Once again she threw herself into that uncovered softness. In her daze, she caught a whiff of sweet fragrance.
“You sprayed a bit too much perfume today.”
Mo Ran sounded slightly annoyed. She pondered for a moment, but her fingers continued to slowly stroke Jiang Ling’s head.
Both of their expressions were relaxed, as though they had sunk into some warm, gentle dreamscape.
This caused Jiang Ling’s guard to drop quite a bit.
It seemed she really only needed to play the role of an obedient daughter.
After maintaining this position for a while longer, Jiang Ling started to feel a bit short of breath.
Because Mo Ran was hugging her very tightly — almost as if she wanted to melt Jiang Ling into her own bones and blood.
So Jiang Ling desperately tried to draw in oxygen from the surrounding air, then spoke in a muffled voice about her current state:
“I… can’t breathe—”
“When you talk to me, you need to use the proper address.”
Mo Ran reminded her slowly and deliberately. Her arms didn’t move an inch.
Tears welled up at the corners of Jiang Ling’s eyes. Her lips moved for a long time — even brushing against the tender skin of Mo Ran’s chest — before she finally endured the shame and responded.
“…Mommy.”
Jiang Ling said it very softly.
But Mo Ran didn’t scold her for it. The curve of her lips deepened even further. The darkness in her eyes completely vanished, replaced by pure satisfaction.
A fragile, sensitive little girl curled up in her arms, pitifully calling “Mommy” with a crying voice.
She really was pleased. This was far more entertaining than getting slapped by that idiot man.
But after that brief moment of satisfaction, something began stirring inside Mo Ran again.
Not enough.
She could feel her heart pounding hard — as though it was delighted by this brand-new relationship.
This wasn’t just play. It was their unique transaction — or rather, their secret.
So Mo Ran soon pushed Jiang Ling toward the head of the bed, leaning her against the not-too-prominent edge. She herself knelt straddling Jiang Ling’s knees, leaning forward, bringing the soft, sweet vulnerability right up to her lips. Her eyes sparkled.
“Good girl… time to eat.”