On the checkered tablecloth, a transparent stemmed glass held a red liquid.
A gentle sway sent ripples dispersing.
Purple curtains danced in the breeze, and the black-and-white mosaic-style walls looked deep and noble.
“A-Ying, what’s wrong? Is it not to your taste?”
Zhao Yicheng asked gently, looking at her with tenderness, completely different from the door-smashing madman he was before.
“It’s fine.”
Xu Yinsheng cut her steak, not looking at Zhao Yicheng, keeping her gaze on her plate.
“Um, could you use a different address? ‘A-Ying’ sounds a bit awkward.”
Zhao Yicheng paused, then seemed to ponder for a moment before chuckling softly.
“Little Kitty.”
The low, velvety male voice echoed in every corner of the restaurant’s third floor.
Xu Yinsheng’s face instantly flushed crimson.
Her eyes widened, making her look incredibly cute.
Meow!
Why does that feel even weirder?!
The expression on her small face was like that of a newborn kitten, adorable and endearing.
“Why did you invite me out?”
Xu Yinsheng paused, then added, “Did you bring what I asked for?”
But Zhao Yicheng seemed to miss the point.
He raised his hand and used a napkin to wipe away the brown dipping sauce from Xu Yinsheng’s cherry lips.
The warm, soft touch made Xu Yinsheng feel a bit shy.
“Little Kitty, there’s been a misunderstanding between us,” his low, magnetic voice whispered in her ear.
“I want to make it up to you.”
In the middle of the night, he came with a fire axe to smash the door, held the axe blade to her delicate neck to intimidate her, tore her clothes into rags, tied her to the bed, and played until she was on the verge of death.
Misunderstanding?
You’re telling me this is a misunderstanding?!
Don’t think that just because you have a mental illness, you’re above the law and can do whatever you want, act lawless.
“Do you like pearl necklaces?”
Zhao Yicheng suddenly asked, his conversational logic completely unfathomable due to his mental condition.
Without waiting for Xu Yinsheng’s reaction, he clapped his hands, and a white-clad attendant stepped forward, respectfully presenting him with an exquisitely crafted jewelry box.
He opened it to reveal a dazzling pearl necklace, composed of nineteen pearls.
Each pearl was the size of an index finger, delicate and translucent, with a warm luster, sparkling brilliantly in the candlelight.
He picked up the pearl necklace, leaned closer, and gently placed it around her neck, his movements soft and delicate, as if fearing he might damage such a beautiful treasure.
He whispered in Xu Yinsheng’s ear, “Little Kitty, do you like the master’s gift?”
Xu Yinsheng was slightly stunned.
She looked into his beautiful, deep eyes, and her heart pounded violently a few times.
“Mr. Zhao, please respect yourself.”
She forcefully pushed away Zhao Yicheng’s hand from her neck.
The strange feeling in her heart grew stronger, but she still spoke with righteous indignation.
“Give me the milk tablets.”
Dammit, Zhao Yicheng is probably having another episode.
I need to get the milk tablets quickly and then make a run for it.
It’d be best if I could get the manufacturer’s address too.
Zhao Yicheng shook his head slightly.
“That stuff isn’t good for you. Too much of it is bad for your health.”
Who was it who forced my mouth open and force-fed me milk tablets before?
And now that I’m addicted, he won’t give them to me?
He invited me out to dinner saying he had milk tablets for me, but it turns out he doesn’t.
What is this?
Treating me like a cat!
“A clear answer, are you giving them to me or not?”
Xu Yinsheng gnashed her teeth.
If she weren’t afraid of triggering his mental illness, she would have already spewed obscenities and cursed his ancestors for eighteen generations.
“No.”
Zhao Yicheng shook his head.
Xu Yinsheng ground her pearly teeth fiercely, her beautiful eyes narrowing slightly, half-threatening, half-intimidating, “Mr. Zhao, you wouldn’t want Xiao Yin to know that you invited me out, would you?”
“If he knew that you, his good brother, were plotting against his girlfriend, who do you think he’d choose: his brother or his girlfriend?”
Zhao Yicheng intertwined his fingers, propping up his chin, watching the bristling little wildcat before him with a leisurely air, a playful smile playing on his lips.
“You can tell her.”
Xu Yinsheng was startled at first.
Then, he pressed harder, continuing his threat.
“Mr. Zhao, you wouldn’t want Xiao Yin to know that you, his good brother, are harboring ill intentions towards him, would you? He’d be very upset if he knew.”
He looked at her with a heavy, meaningful gaze from his gray eyes.
“I want him to know.”
“You, you, you…”
Xu Yinsheng pointed at him, so angry he could barely speak.
Is this what a mental illness is like?
He’s practically asking to be punched.
If only his current physical state allowed him to fight and not risk being counter-killed, he would definitely show the man what a “fist of justice” felt like.
A large hand grasped his questioning small one.
Zhao Yicheng squeezed it gently in his palm, then slowly and tenderly whispered, “I want Xiao Yin, and I want you too. I’ll take good care of you until you recover.”
What the heck?
Does he think I’m sick?
He really is mentally ill.
Xu Yinsheng forcefully pulled her hand from his grip.
She took out her phone from her bag and aimed the camera at Zhao Yicheng.
“Last chance, are you giving them to me or not?”
“Otherwise, I’ll record a short video and write a little exposé. You’ll see what a ‘fist of justice’ looks like.”
Gender swapped, comments over ten thousand.
Time to give Zhao Yicheng a small internet shock.
Zhao Yicheng looked at the male phone in “Xu Yinsheng’s” hand, his gray eyes narrowing slightly, a dangerous glint flashing through them.
***
Ultimately, after some back and forth, Xu Yinsheng successfully blackmailed half a bottle of milk tablets from him.
Her only regret was not being able to force out the manufacturer’s address.
If she wanted more in the future, she’d have to go through Zhao Yicheng.
She didn’t dare push too hard; after all, he was mentally ill.
A man hitting a woman would instantly break the internet with trending topics, but a mentally ill person hitting someone usually didn’t generate much buzz.
“Let me see you out.”
After they finished dinner, Zhao Yicheng offered to escort her.
He reached out to put his arm around Xu Yinsheng’s waist, but Xu Yinsheng deftly dodged him.
“No need, I can walk by myself.”
With that, she left the room without looking back.
Zhao Yicheng sat back down in his seat, not at all disappointed.
He leaned back in the leather chair, his head slightly tilted, eyes half-closed, a faint smile playing on his lips.
“Xiao Yin, A-Ying… truly… marvelous~”
***
~ Flashback: Days Ago ~
The scene rewinds to several days prior.
Inside a newly renovated surveillance room in a villa.
Zhao Yicheng, dressed in black casual wear, his hands on the keyboard, watched a computer screen in the monitoring room with a strange and somewhat neurotic expression.
In the colored screen, the woman waking up on the sofa mumbled a few words, then suddenly transformed into a soft and adorable young boy.
There was no warning, as if there was no process at all.
The footage paused.
Zhao Yicheng rewound the progress bar and watched the recording again, confirming the situation.
The short surveillance video, less than three minutes long, was pulled back and forth and watched several times.
The cats out the bag. 🐈 🎒