Chapter 5: Why Does It Feel So Good to Be Pushed Around?

She bit her lower lip until it blanched, a faint trickle of blood seeping through the delicate skin.

Once, she had been a man—bold, unyielding, a pillar of strength.

But now, she was trapped in the fragile body of a girl, a delicate plaything at the mercy of another’s whims.

Ye Lan’s arms, like iron bands, encircled Mu Xi’s waist, pinning her in place with unyielding force.

There was no escape, no room to even flinch.

Ye Lan’s breath, warm and damp, brushed against Mu Xi’s ear, sending shivers cascading down her spine like ripples on a still pond.

“You still seem to reject me,” Ye Lan murmured, her voice low and husky, laced with a playful edge that echoed through the silent room.

Mu Xi’s body stiffened.

Her eyes snapped open, and she lifted her gaze to meet Ye Lan’s.

Those deep, almond-shaped eyes gleamed with a dangerous light, like stars piercing the midnight sky—beautiful, yet impossible to decipher.

“How could I?” Mu Xi forced a smile, her voice trembling despite her efforts to steady it.

“I’m already so comfortable, my body’s all tingly. I can barely get out of bed.”

She fought to keep her body from shaking too visibly, willing her nerves to obey.

She knew resistance was futile; angering Ye Lan would only tighten the noose.

Submission, flattery—these were her only tools for survival in the grasp of this formidable woman.

Ye Lan pushed open the window, and sunlight poured in, bathing the room in a golden glow.

The pink curtains fluttered gently in the breeze, dreamlike and surreal.

She yanked the blood-stained sheets from the bed and tossed them into the humming washing machine in the bathroom.

Turning back to Mu Xi, her voice carried the weight of an unspoken command.

“Stay in bed and wait for me. Don’t you dare get up. If I find out you did, there’ll be consequences.”

The door clicked shut with a soft thud.

Mu Xi sat up, glaring at the closed door and sticking out her tongue in defiance.

‘As if I’d obey you like some puppy!’ she thought, her heart simmering with rebellion.

But then, the door swung open again.

Ye Lan had returned, catching Mu Xi mid-grimace.

“What are you doing?” Ye Lan asked, one eyebrow arched in amusement.

Mu Xi froze, her expression petrified on her face.

She quickly rubbed her cheeks, scrambling for an excuse.

“Oh, my face—it’s so stiff! I was, uh, practicing my smile. You know, to greet you properly when you come back.”

Ye Lan’s lips curled into a mocking smirk.

“If you don’t get it right, you’ll earn an extra punishment.”

The door closed again, this time with a heavier thud.

Mu Xi slumped onto the bed, wilted like an eggplant left out in the frost.

Moments later, though, she sprang up like a coiled spring.

“You tell me not to get out of bed? Well, I’m getting up! I’m not your little doll to dress up and pose!”

She didn’t bother with slippers—those might give her away if Ye Lan had memorized their position.

Instead, she padded barefoot across the room, the soft pink carpet cushioning her steps like clouds.

Defiance coursed through her.

She wouldn’t obey.

She’d fight back, even if only in these small, secret ways.

After all, as the saying goes, even a Buddha fights for a single stick of incense, and a person fights for a single breath of pride.

Mu Xi paced, her thoughts a whirlwind of defiance.

Outside, the distant forest roared like a green sea, its waves crashing in the wind, as if ready to swallow everything in its path.

Inside, the pink curtains snapped in the breeze, their rustling like a drumbeat against her anxious heart.

This was Ye Lan’s domain, and Mu Xi was nothing more than a caged canary, her wings clipped, her freedom a distant memory.

Going head-to-head with Ye Lan would be suicide.

Mu Xi needed a plan.

She thought of those domineering romance novels, where headstrong heroines clashed with powerful men, sparking their desire to conquer.

Perhaps she could turn the tables—play the part of the docile, obedient girl to earn Ye Lan’s trust, biding her time for an escape.

Even if escape proved impossible, she might bore Ye Lan enough to be cast aside.

The idea lightened her mood, and the blue sky and white clouds beyond the window seemed to brighten with her resolve.

She began to rehearse how she’d embody this compliant, perfect little doll.

Just then, the door creaked open slowly.

Mu Xi’s heart plummeted, expecting Ye Lan’s return.

She held her breath, watching carefully, but no one entered, and the hallway beyond was silent.

Why would the door open on its own?

Wary, she tiptoed to the doorway and peeked out.

The corridor was empty, not a soul in sight.

As she let her guard down, the door slammed shut with a bang, so fast it was clearly deliberate.

Mu Xi jerked back just in time, but the edge grazed her forehead.

Ignoring the sting, she scrambled back to the bed, wrapping herself tightly in the blankets.

Playing innocent was her only defense now.

She waited, but the room remained eerily silent.

No one came.

Realization hit her like a cold wave: it was a trap.

Ye Lan couldn’t know if she’d left the bed, so she’d orchestrated this—leaving the door ajar to lure Mu Xi into checking, then slamming it shut to catch her in the act.

If Mu Xi had fallen for it, she’d have no defense.

“Ugh!” Mu Xi groaned, kicking herself for nearly taking the bait.

Ye Lan would surely punish her harshly when she returned.

The rest of the day dragged on, each moment heavy with dread.

At noon and evening, a woman in a black suit and sunglasses delivered cakes, placing them on the bed.

Mu Xi had no appetite but forced herself to eat, afraid to disobey even in this.

Late that night, Ye Lan returned, her presence heavy with the dust and weariness of the day.

The moment she stepped inside, her voice cut through the air.

“Who gave you permission to get out of bed? I told you to stay put. Disobedient again, are we?”

Mu Xi’s mind raced for an excuse, but before she could speak, Ye Lan continued, “And where’s that smile you were practicing?”

Mu Xi froze, struck dumb.

A smile?

She’d forgotten all about it.

Ye Lan had planned this, hadn’t she?

A combo attack, and Mu Xi was utterly unprepared.

Ye Lan stepped closer to the bed.

“Turn around,” she ordered.

“Lift your hips.”

Mu Xi pouted but complied, reluctantly shifting from the head of the bed to the foot.

She turned, raising her hips as instructed.

“Slap!”

A sharp sound echoed through the room as Ye Lan’s hand connected with Mu Xi’s backside.

“Slap! Slap! Slap!”

Three more followed, each louder than the last.

Mu Xi gasped, pain flaring, but she bit back any cries.

She collapsed onto the soft bed, tears streaming down her face like broken pearls, her sobs thick with grievance and helplessness.

“What are you crying for? You brought this on yourself,” Ye Lan said coldly, assuming the tears were for the punishment.

But Mu Xi knew the truth, a secret buried deep in her heart.

The pain was slight, overshadowed by an inexplicable sensation—a tingling, almost electric feeling radiating from where she’d been struck, like a thousand tiny ants marching across her skin.

If this continued, punishments might start to feel like rewards.

Terror gripped her.

Was there something wrong with her?

Did she have some strange constitution that found a twisted pleasure in being spanked?

The thought horrified her, and her tears fell harder, her mind spiraling into fear and confusion.