Now it was certain—the girl had been forced by her to lose control.
Realizing this, Qin Haiyue fixed her gaze tightly on the girl’s broken expression. Those eyes had lost all their luster, drowned in shame, filled with despair and hopelessness.
As she stared, Qin Haiyue felt an inexplicable thrill. The girl looked so beautiful like this, more than at any other time. If only she could stay this way forever. Yes, just like this.
She entertained the thought with a twisted pleasure.
After a brief surge of excitement, Qin Haiyue’s expression grew cold again. No matter what, since the girl had wet her, she must accept her punishment.
She couldn’t wait to see the girl’s next, utterly broken reaction.
In the cramped Restroom Stall, one tall and one short girl squeezed together. The clothes soaked in the warm liquid gradually turned icy. The cold wind brushed by, making the girl’s skin shiver.
Slowly, the girl came back to her senses. The shameful blush faded from her cheeks, leaving her deathly pale. She stared blankly at the girl who was nearly two heads taller than herself.
What should she do?
She had no idea. Her mind had crashed, unable to think of anything at all. She just stared dumbly at the person before her, not daring to speak, her breathing growing fainter. In this moment, she truly didn’t know what to do.
“Click…”
Another sound came from outside—the door opening. The girl who had come in had finished in the bathroom and, after lingering for a moment, her footsteps slowly faded away. It seemed she had left.
Only then did the air in the small Restroom Stall begin to flow again.
Qin Haiyue’s expression was cold as iron. Compared to Ye Xingmian, only a bit of her own pant leg was wet.
But that didn’t stop her from being furious.
Suddenly, she shoved hard, slamming the girl against the stall’s tiled wall. She viciously grabbed the girl’s slender neck, lifting her up.
“Ugh…!”
With a cry of pain, Ye Xingmian was pressed against the icy wall. She coughed violently from lack of air, her small face flushed and twisted in agony.
“You peed on me.”
She stated the fact coolly, as if it didn’t matter, all the while savoring the girl’s look of painful struggle.
Her body could barely support itself on tiptoe, swaying miserably, wanting to grab at her but too scared of even more terrible violence. Her smooth hand struggled weakly up to the other girl’s arm, trying to pry it off, but only managed the faintest pressure.
“I… I’m sorry…”
She forced out the words with difficulty, barely able to catch her breath. Tears spilled from her eyes, falling in increasing numbers, tracing soft arcs down her cheeks and pooling on Qin Haiyue’s hand.
“I… ugh… I…”
“I… I’m sorry… please… you…”
“Ugh… I… I won’t do it again…”
The suffocation was getting worse; she could barely get her words out, coughing fiercely between each gasp. She knew it was her own fault, that she shouldn’t have wet the other’s clothes. Being punished was only to be expected.
She was just afraid—afraid of suffocating, afraid of the pain, afraid of being strangled to death like a stray dog in this deserted corner.
She only wanted to live quietly, clinging to her pitiful scrap of dignity.
She hadn’t yet fulfilled her wish to see her mother.
“I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”
She repeated it like she was bewitched, her voice growing softer and weaker. The light in her eyes was fading more and more. She didn’t know why she lived so humbly, why she was bullied for no reason at all. She only knew it hurt so much.
And the tears just kept flowing.
Would she die? She probably would. Her consciousness was slipping away; apart from the barely audible apologies tumbling from her lips, she couldn’t do anything at all.
Drowning in the suffocating pain, just as she was about to black out, Qin Haiyue finally let go.
She collapsed to the floor, powerless, never mind the filth that pooled there. She was already dirty—what did it matter anymore?
She had no strength left…
She coughed violently, icy air flooding her lungs, making her acutely aware that she was still alive.
Being alive… is that… a good thing…?
She didn’t know what she was thinking anymore.
The girl before her was so tall, looking down from above.
Her gaze was cold, unfathomable.
“Come out.”
Ha… as expected… it wasn’t over yet…
She didn’t move; her limbs were still numb and weak. The girl cowered in place, utterly wretched.
“Do I need to say it a second time?”
The suddenly raised voice made the girl shudder all over. Terrified, she struggled to her feet and followed behind the other.
“Wash your hands.”
She commanded, turning on the faucet. The cold water quickly filled the Sink.
Wash hands…
She felt a sense of unease instinctively, but had no time to think. The coldness in the other’s eyes brooked no distraction. Stiffly, she walked over and put her hands under the running water.
She bent down, just about to scrub earnestly, when a hand suddenly reached behind her head.
Her movement froze, and before she could react, the hand suddenly exerted force!
“Ugh!”
Her head was shoved into the Sink brimming with icy water. The freezing water flooded her nostrils, ears, and mouth. Everything went blurry. She pressed desperately against the bottom of the Sink, trying to push herself up, but she couldn’t budge—the other’s grip was too strong. Only when she was about to suffocate did that strength finally relent. She hurriedly raised her head, gasping free of the water.
“Cough cough—cough—”
She coughed violently, trying to expel the icy water that had gotten into her lungs. Her whole body trembled from the cold.
“I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”
That hand still held her head down, and fear drove her to apologize instinctively. Waterlogged ears could barely hear anything—she didn’t know if Qin Haiyue said something, or nothing at all. She could only keep apologizing, praying to be spared.
But before she could even finish, that hand clamped down again—
Cold water once again engulfed her head.
Again and again—she didn’t know how many times. Ye Xingmian felt like she was losing her mind. No matter what mistake she’d made, surely it should have stopped here? But Qin Haiyue didn’t stop. All she could do was mechanically repeat her apologies, begging for mercy, praying this inhuman torment would end soon.
She didn’t know how long it lasted. Finally, Qin Haiyue pulled Ye Xingmian out of the water for the last time, and at last, let her go.
By now, the girl was hardly recognizable. Cold water dripped ceaselessly from her soaked hair, her lips were blue, and she shivered uncontrollably. Her voice was as faint as a mosquito’s, barely noticeable without close attention.
Warm tears—or some other liquid—occasionally traced down her face, but she could no longer tell what they were.
Qin Haiyue never spoke; so she kept apologizing, one line after another. Unseen by her, Qin Haiyue’s smile grew deeper and deeper.
Qin Haiyue took a Paper Towel from her pocket, and gently wiped the girl’s face.
Her tone, for once, was unusually soft.
“All right, you can go.”
The words reached her as a blur. Ye Xingmian didn’t know why this sudden gentleness had appeared. Her body kept trembling, unable to stop from fear.
Yet, the other seemed to truly let her go, repeating herself once more. Only then did Ye Xingmian realize she hadn’t misheard.
She really… was being let off?
Thank goodness… She’d thought for sure she wouldn’t escape without being beaten half to death today.
It felt as though a huge stone in her heart had finally dropped. Dragging her freezing, soaked body, she hid her hair inside her cap and headed for the stairs.
“I’ll wait for you here tomorrow morning. Don’t be late.”
The flippant voice sounded like the devil’s whisper, suddenly drifting from behind her. Gritting her teeth, she sped up and fled.
I’ll just go Home first, she thought.
She had originally wanted to get some free soup and steamed buns at the cafeteria for lunch, but now that was out of the question.
She could only go back and change her clothes.
She hoped Uncle and Aunt weren’t Home…
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