Chapter 76: New Home? Old Home!

After a short broadcast, Lin Xue’er followed the usual route and pushed her suitcase into the quiet woods.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, scattering dappled shadows across her beautiful face. Her gentle smile was as dazzling as a spotlight on stage, stealing all attention.

But unfortunately, although her eyes and smile glimmered with brilliance, they seemed shrouded in a thin veil, dim and without warmth. She was clearly smiling, yet no one could sense a trace of joy.

Walking along the cobbled path through the woods, Lin Xue’er arrived at a wooden cabin that looked quite old.

Because the wooden cabin was locked, she only managed to enter after unlocking it with a key.

Both the exterior and interior of the cabin were extremely old-fashioned, but remarkably sturdy, without a single sign of damage. From this, it was clear that the wood used to construct the cabin was of the finest quality.

However, how could such a cabin be allowed to stand within a school of this scale?

“Little Meng, just wait a bit. We’ll be at our new home soon.”

After saying this to her suitcase, Lin Xue’er walked to a dust-covered bookcase.

On closer inspection, you could see that this side of the wall was built to accommodate three bookcases. But at the moment, only the left and middle bookcases were in place, while the right was empty.

Standing directly in front of the middle bookcase, Lin Xue’er pushed the boxes of books on the shelf in sequence, according to a specific order. When the last book was pushed in about a thumb’s length, a dull sound echoed from behind the bookshelf.

Scrape

With a mechanical movement, a loud noise came from the base of the bookcase.

At the same time, the entire bookcase seemed to have triggered some kind of hidden mechanism, starting to slide toward the empty space on the right. The floor where Lin Xue’er had been standing also moved inward with the bookcase, revealing a stairway leading down underground.

“A school actually has a place like this—if people heard about it, it would shock everyone. But I have to thank the person who built this place, otherwise I wouldn’t have anywhere that brings me peace of mind, a place where I can comfort and soothe Little Meng, and…”

As the mechanism activated, Lin Xue’er murmured to herself as she watched, until the stairway appeared. She stood her suitcase upright, grasped the handbag with both hands, and dragged it all the way down to the bottom of the stairway.

Then, after pushing open the heavy iron door underground, Lin Xue’er rolled her suitcase along the dimly lit hallway, heading straight for the center of this underground space.

“We’re here, Little Meng.”

As the suitcase was laid flat on the floor, Xia Meng could faintly hear the sound of a zipper being pulled.

Just as that sound faded away, the dim surroundings were suddenly illuminated by a glaring overhead light.

“Little Meng, let me help you up.”

“Thank you.”

After being crammed inside the suitcase for who knows how long, Xia Meng’s body was already a bit numb. Only with Lin Xue’er’s help did she manage to escape that cramped space.

“This place…”

“This place is our new home now.”

Of course, Xia Meng knew where they were; after all, she had lived here for months with the very person holding her now. But to avoid arousing Lin Xue’er’s suspicions, she deliberately put on an innocent, unknowing look.

At the same time, she breathed a sigh of relief in her heart. Lin Xue’er had brought her to the room above the prison cell, not to the cell at the end of the hallway, which undoubtedly gave her a greater chance of escaping.

“Alright, Little Meng, let’s get you dressed so you don’t catch a chill.”

Seeing Lin Xue’er pull her over to sit by the bed, Xia Meng obediently cooperated as she was dressed in a flower-patterned kimono, then in a new Lolita dress that matched.

Because there were many accessories for this outfit and Lin Xue’er wouldn’t allow her to dress herself, Xia Meng was like a doll for Lin Xue’er to dress up as she pleased.

She didn’t know how much time had passed before a crisp sound snapped Xia Meng out of her half-asleep, half-dazed state.

“All done, Little Meng.”

“Mmm… okay.”

Lin Xue’er got off the bed, then had Xia Meng pose as instructed and took a photo of her with her mobile phone.

Then, Lin Xue’er returned to her side and let her see how she looked now.

“This Lolita outfit has lots of fancy accessories, but after you put it all on, it looks really good. But, well, only someone as cute as you, Little Meng, can bring out the charm of this dress. Anyone else couldn’t wear it as well as you do.”

“Ah… is, is that so…”

Since she rarely looked in the mirror, seeing herself on the mobile phone screen made Xia Meng’s cheeks involuntarily flush. She had to admit, she actually did look pretty good like this.

But soon, her delight turned into a shudder. After all, as a boy, it was outrageous to feel happy and be complimented just for looking good. How shameful!

“Alright, Little Meng, I’m going out for a bit to buy some things. Do you need anything?”

“Me…”

Seeing Lin Xue’er nod, Xia Meng hesitated, planning to repeat the strategy she used last time she was locked in.

“Xue’er, can I ask what kind of things I can request?”

“That depends on what you want. If you’re asking for a mobile phone or a tablet or anything like that, I can’t bring those to you. I’m afraid you’ll use them to get online, and I just can’t feel at ease with that.”

Lin Xue’er’s answer was expected, so Xia Meng only intended to ask for manga and novels like before.

However…

“In that case, I’ll just pick out some new clothes for you.”

Ugh.

Seeing Xia Meng’s hesitant look, Lin Xue’er first smiled, then her expression suddenly darkened, startling Xia Meng so much she instantly straightened up.

“Little Meng, when I ask you a question, no matter what I say in the end, you must agree. You’re not allowed to say anything negative, nor are you allowed to show any expression I haven’t permitted. Understood?”

“Um… okay…”

What… What is this?

Lin Xue’er’s sudden rule left Xia Meng stunned, but Lin Xue’er’s next words made her obey despite herself.

“Twice. You’ve made two mistakes in a row, Little Meng. Tell me, should I punish you?”

“No… don’t! I… I mean… that’s not—!”

The moment she heard Lin Xue’er mention punishment, Xia Meng panicked, stumbling over her words.

Crap! Wait, is she going to or not?!

“You’re safe.”

Lin Xue’er laughed softly, the shadows on her face dissipating.

She gently patted Xia Meng’s head, soothing her anxious, overstrung nerves.

“Alright, since it’s you, Little Meng, I won’t punish you this time. But from now on, you have to remember, okay?”

The tension in Xia Meng instantly eased, and at this moment, she felt truly relieved that Lin Xue’er had let her off despite her mistakes.