Chapter 29: Dog Leash

“Clumsy?”

What Su Ziyan didn’t expect was that Shi Lingge merely repeated his words in a very flat tone, without any other reaction.

This couldn’t help but make him feel a bit disappointed. After all, the reason he said that sentence, aside from not being very good at accepting such blatantly displayed concern from others, was also partly a counterattack to her earlier teasing of him.

But Shi Lingge acted as if she hadn’t heard the sarcasm in his words, instead responding very seriously:

“Then, can this clumsiness show my sincerity?”

Su Ziyan was completely caught off guard by her straightforward words, because he could easily sense the earnestness and sincerity within her speech.

To be honest, he wasn’t very good at accepting this kind of goodwill from strangers.

Just like how Xu Duyan, as a neighbor at the very beginning, was very kind to him, but he was still afraid of her.

Mother Su’s goodwill towards him was also sincere, yet he never truly opened his heart to her until he left that home.

And when Cheng Qingyun started being good to him wholeheartedly, his first thought, rather than being with her forever, was to run away.

He was the type of person who, once he accepted someone’s kindness, would feel indebted if he couldn’t repay them in some way.

And now, Shi Lingge was exactly like that. He didn’t know why a person who had never met him before would have such sincere and fervent concern for him.

But this concern left him at a loss for what to do.

So, for a moment, he simply didn’t know how to respond to her and could only remain silent.

“We’re here. The Young Lady is inside this room.”

Shi Lingge didn’t continue the previous topic, simply saying, “She said she wants to talk to you alone. Is it okay if you go in by yourself?”

That damned sense of security came again. Su Ziyan didn’t know why he felt so completely at ease in front of this girl who was only eighteen, but this feeling made him very uncomfortable.

‘Come on, she’s the one who kidnapped you. How can you feel safe in front of her?’

‘Even if she genuinely cares about you.’

‘Even if her cool voice can’t hide this warmth, you shouldn’t think this way.’

‘You’re not a Stockholm Syndrome patient.’

Thinking this, Su Ziyan intended to shake off her support, but the moment he moved, she had already let go.

“Don’t be afraid. The Young Lady is actually a very good person.”

His tiny act of resistance just now melted away without a trace, like a child rebelling against a parent who endlessly accommodates them, making him feel an indescribable awkwardness.

“I can manage on my own. My eyes can see blurry outlines when there’s light.”

“That’s good. I’ll wait for you outside.”

Shi Lingge’s voice was still so pleasant. “I believe your conversation with the Young Lady will be very pleasant.”

Su Ziyan felt that in front of Shi Lingge, he simply had strength with nowhere to use it. He originally wanted to ignore her, but he couldn’t bring himself to disregard her actions along the way, so he could only say, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Su Ziyan took a step forward and pushed the door open. After he entered the room, the door closed by itself behind him, making him involuntarily gulp.

The unknown is the most frightening thing, and losing one’s sight amplifies that unknown.

For a blind person like him, lamplight is inferior to sunlight, so his visibility was very low. He could only make out the sofa and tea table ahead, the desk by the window, and the person sitting behind the desk.

Of course, all he could see were blurry outlines, not even the colors clearly.

“Please, have a seat. You should be able to see where the sofa is, right?”

A woman’s voice came from ahead. Su Ziyan instinctively tensed up and took one step at a time forward.

To be honest, in sunlight he could barely make out the outline of a large object like a long sofa, but under lamplight, even the outlines were blurry.

But facing her, he didn’t really want to show weakness, so he could only inch forward slowly, one tiny step at a time.

The feel under his feet was that of stepping on a carpet, something he could sense even through his slippers.

This sensation was very unfamiliar, making his nerves tense up even more.

He had been so relaxed under Shi Lingge’s guidance, yet once he left her side, this unfamiliar environment suddenly became terrifying in his eyes.

Though he was very reluctant to admit it, after only a few dozen seconds, he already missed Shi Lingge a little.

‘As an ordinary person suddenly brought to such an unfamiliar place, it’s normal to be scared, right? Let alone a blind person like me.’

Though he didn’t know why Shi Lingge made him feel so relaxed, the Young Lady before him genuinely made him feel immense pressure in his subconscious.

The contrast between the two made him even more nervous and cautious.

And so, he shuffled step by tiny step to the side of the sofa and sat down.

Even though he tried his best to calm down, in the eyes of the woman behind the desk, his tension and wariness were completely exposed.

She had originally intended to face Su Ziyan with a vengeful mindset, but after seeing him like this, she only felt irritated, along with a trace of heartache she absolutely refused to acknowledge.

So she spoke up:

“There’s no need to be so nervous.”

She had personally put that leather collar on Su Ziyan to take him down a peg, but after their long separation, seeing him sitting before her so timidly and cautiously instead left her at a loss for words.

“Being brought to an unfamiliar place by a stranger, with this thing around my neck…”

Su Ziyan reached up and touched the collar around his neck. “It’s hard not to be nervous, right?”

What Su Ziyan didn’t know was that the woman opposite him grew several degrees colder upon hearing him say “stranger.”

Though she had anticipated he might not recognize her, hearing those words spoken still hurt her heart deeply.

“Because I picked you up like a little dog,” the woman said. “So of course you need a collar.”

The corner of Su Ziyan’s mouth twitched involuntarily. He truly hadn’t expected someone in the real world to seriously say such a thing. ‘Is this person a chuunibyou or something?’

“Though I don’t know why you wanted to die, it means you didn’t want to continue your previous life. Here with me, you’ll have a chance to start over.”

“Sounds rather tempting, like some kind of angel investor,” Su Ziyan retorted somewhat speechlessly. “And what if I don’t agree? Can you let me go back?”

After he finished speaking, he heard the woman’s utterly scornful laugh, followed by the sound of a chair being pushed back. The woman stepped closer to Su Ziyan, her hand gleaming with a cold light reaching for his neck.

Su Ziyan felt as if he had encountered some natural predator. The hairs on his body stood on end, and he didn’t dare move a muscle.

Until there was a click, and then, with a wave of the woman’s hand, he was yanked by the chain and fell to the floor.

“Have you misunderstood something?”

The woman’s voice was full of ice.

“If you don’t agree, I’ll lock you in the basement and electrocute you until you do. After all, the outside world just thinks you committed suicide.”