The air in the room felt heavy, tinged with the faint, cloying scent of the herbal bath.
Mu Xi’s skin prickled with unease as Ye Lan’s actions sent a shiver of dread through her.
The sight of Ye Lan casually sipping the bathwater—a concoction meant for soaking, not drinking—stirred a visceral revulsion in her gut.
How could anyone, let alone Ye Lan, find such a thing palatable?
“Master, please stop drinking that,” Mu Xi pleaded, her voice trembling with a mix of concern and disbelief.
“The liquid may smell pleasant, but it’s meant for bathing…”
Ye Lan’s lips curled into a teasing, almost predatory smile.
“Are you worried about me, Mu Xi?”
“I…” Mu Xi faltered, words catching in her throat like thorns.
She couldn’t admit the truth—that the very idea of consuming her bathwater made her stomach churn.
It was too humiliating to voice.
“I’m fine,” Ye Lan said, her tone light but laced with an edge of amusement.
She scooped another spoonful of the fragrant liquid and held it toward Mu Xi’s lips.
“Here, try some.”
Mu Xi recoiled, stumbling back in panic.
“Master, I don’t want to drink it!”
“Why not?” Ye Lan advanced, her steps deliberate, her eyes glinting with challenge.
“Do you think this elixir is beneath you?”
“No, it’s not that!” Mu Xi stammered, her heart racing as she scrambled for an explanation.
“I just…”
“Just what?” Ye Lan’s gaze sharpened, cutting through Mu Xi’s defenses like a blade.
“You’re not… disgusted by me, are you?”
“No! Absolutely not!” Mu Xi’s voice cracked, desperation creeping in.
She knew Ye Lan’s temper—mercurial and unforgiving.
Angering her would be a mistake she couldn’t afford.
“Then take a sip,” Ye Lan commanded, her voice leaving no room for defiance.
“Prove you’re not repulsed by me.”
Left with no escape, Mu Xi leaned forward, her lips trembling as they brushed the edge of the spoon.
The liquid wasn’t as vile as she’d feared—a subtle sweetness mingled with its rich, herbal aroma—but the knowledge of its origin made her stomach lurch.
She forced it down, fighting the urge to gag.
“Is it good?” Ye Lan asked, her eyes dancing with curiosity as she watched Mu Xi’s every reaction.
“Mm…” Mu Xi managed a weak nod, her throat tight.
“Then have another,” Ye Lan said, already ladling a second spoonful.
“A proper one this time.”
Mu Xi’s face paled.
There was no way out.
Resigned, she opened her mouth, letting Ye Lan pour the liquid in.
Ye Lan’s eyes gleamed with something unreadable—triumph, perhaps, or something darker.
Mu Xi squeezed her eyes shut, swallowing hard against the wave of nausea.
“Well done,” Ye Lan purred, her smile radiant with approval.
“From now on, you’ll join me in this little ritual every day. Understood?”
Mu Xi’s body trembled, a fragile leaf caught in a storm.
How much longer could she endure this torment?
“Enough for now,” Ye Lan said, glancing at the ornate clock on the wall.
“It’s time to get up.”
Relief flooded Mu Xi as she scrambled out of the wooden tub, the warm liquid cascading off her skin and splashing onto the floor in delicate ripples.
But Ye Lan’s gaze lingered, bold and unapologetic, roaming over Mu Xi’s exposed form as if claiming every inch of her.
Shame and fear coiled in Mu Xi’s chest.
She wanted to flee, to vanish from this suffocating room, but there was nowhere to go.
“Come here,” Ye Lan beckoned, her voice soft but commanding.
“Let me take a closer look at you.”
Mu Xi’s head bowed, her steps hesitant as she approached.
Ye Lan’s fingers caught her chin, tilting her face upward with a gentleness that belied the intensity of her stare.
“Look at this face,” Ye Lan murmured, her voice thick with fascination.
“It grows more beautiful every day.”
A flush crept up Mu Xi’s cheeks—whether from embarrassment or anger, she couldn’t tell.
“And this body,” Ye Lan continued, her fingertips tracing the curve of Mu Xi’s neck, “is becoming ever more… enticing.”
Mu Xi shivered, torn between pulling away and the paralyzing fear of Ye Lan’s wrath.
Before she could react, Ye Lan’s arms encircled her, pulling her close.
“Don’t be afraid,” Ye Lan whispered, her breath warm against Mu Xi’s ear.
“I’ll take good care of you.”
Mu Xi’s eyes fluttered shut, surrendering to the inevitability of Ye Lan’s touch.
Resistance was futile—she could only endure.
“Let’s go to the bed,” Ye Lan said, releasing her at last.
“You’ll come to enjoy this, in time.”
As Mu Xi sank onto the soft mattress, her mind rebelled.
‘If I could turn the tables, I’d relish making you squirm,’she thought bitterly.
‘But who in their right mind would enjoy this? It’s madness!’
“What’s on your mind?” Ye Lan asked, her fingers grazing Mu Xi’s cheek with a featherlight touch.
“Nothing,” Mu Xi muttered, turning her face away to avoid those piercing eyes.
“Your scent is divine,” Ye Lan said, leaning close to inhale the faint herbal fragrance clinging to Mu Xi’s skin.
“It’s the bathwater.”
The memory of the liquid she’d been forced to drink churned in Mu Xi’s stomach.
Desperate to shift the conversation, she mumbled, “Master, I’m feeling a bit tired.”
“Tired?” Ye Lan chuckled, a low, melodic sound.
“Then let’s play a little game to wake you up.”
“What kind of game?” Mu Xi asked, her voice tinged with wariness.
“Close your eyes,” Ye Lan said, her tone dripping with allure.
“I have a surprise for you.”
Reluctantly, Mu Xi obeyed.
A sudden chill grazed her collarbone, and she gasped, eyes flying open to find Ye Lan gliding a piece of ice across her skin.
“Don’t move,” Ye Lan ordered, pinning Mu Xi’s writhing form.
“This ice is special—infused with something to… heighten your senses.”
“You’re experimenting on me again!” Mu Xi cried, torn between fury and humiliation.
“Not an experiment,” Ye Lan said, her eyes glazing with desire.
“It’s a pleasure.”
The ice melted against Mu Xi’s skin, its coolness giving way to a creeping heat that set her nerves alight.
Her mind fogged, the room spinning as flames seemed to lick at her senses.
“Master…” she whispered, her voice frail and pleading.
“Shh,” Ye Lan murmured, capturing Mu Xi’s lips in a searing kiss.
“Let me cherish you.”
Ye Lan’s fingers danced across Mu Xi’s skin like serpents, each touch igniting shivers she couldn’t suppress.
Mu Xi bit her lip, fighting her body’s traitorous response, but it leaned into Ye Lan’s caresses against her will.
“Master, I…” Mu Xi’s words were cut off as Ye Lan’s lips claimed hers again, fierce and unrelenting, stealing her breath.
For a moment, Mu Xi felt herself falling, drowning in a void where pleasure and suffocation intertwined.
Her silver hair spilled across the pillow as she gasped for air, her cheeks flushed a soft cherry-blossom pink, her eyes hazy with confusion.
“Don’t you like it?” Ye Lan teased, her fingers brushing Mu Xi’s flushed face.
“Who… who would like this?” Mu Xi muttered, her voice barely audible.
Ye Lan leaned closer, her breath tickling Mu Xi’s ear.
“Your body begs to differ, little liar.”
Shame crashed over Mu Xi like a tidal wave.
She cursed her body’s betrayal, its craving for Ye Lan’s touch despite her mind’s protests.
Ye Lan’s hand drifted lower, her touch gentle yet possessive.
Mu Xi gasped, instinctively trying to push her away, but Ye Lan held her fast.
“Don’t move,” Ye Lan commanded, her voice firm.
“Let me feel you.”
Mu Xi’s eyes closed, resigning herself to Ye Lan’s whims.
She felt like a fish on a cutting board, helpless under the knife.
A sudden jolt of sensation surged through her, a delicate current sparking from below.
Her eyes snapped open to find Ye Lan’s hand venturing into forbidden territory.
Shame, fear, and an inexplicable thrill collided, blanking her mind.
“No… not there…” Mu Xi’s voice broke, a sob caught in her throat as she squirmed, but Ye Lan’s grip was unyielding.
She was a deer ensnared, struggling in vain as the hunter closed in.
Ye Lan’s movements were deft, intimate, as if she knew every secret of Mu Xi’s body.
Mu Xi felt herself unraveling, her body responding despite her protests.
“The bath’s effects are impressive,” Ye Lan remarked, her voice thick with satisfaction.
“You’re becoming so… responsive.”
Humiliation burned through Mu Xi.
She longed to disappear, to escape this unbearable exposure.
A sharp knock at the door shattered the moment.