He blinked, his hand lightly twitched, and he leaned over to plant a soft kiss on her eye. After a few seconds of stillness, he released her and left for the bathroom without so much as a backward glance.
She lay there as if dead.
A few minutes later, he emerged with water still dripping from his body, a towel in his hand, which he used to dry off his hair.
He walked over to her, let his gaze slide over her body, a cryptic smile gracing his lips, "A clean girl. Good."
"..."
"Take a shower." His strong fingers gripped her chin, "If you don't want a repeat of what we just did, do as I say."
Wanqing shivered. Slowly, she got up, wrapped herself in a blanket, and staggered into the bathroom.
Her whole body was racked with pain, but it was nothing compared to the anguish that consumed her heart – her own father had turned her into a trade commodity, even as her mother was in dire need of aid!
Submerging herself in the bathtub, she broke down and burst into tears. Without warning, someone held her head and pulled her up, "Done washing yet?"
She looked at him, wide-eyed with fear.
"Five minutes more!" Having said this, he walked out.
Five minutes?
She nervously grabbed the shower gel and scrubbed herself clean as quickly as she could. She then stepped out to find him sitting on a Xi Mengsi modelling couch. He was watching her, his gaze cool and his command curt, "Come here!"
Slowly, she made her way towards him, biting her lip to keep from crying.
Seeing her obedient behavior, he let out a small, dry chuckle, rose to his feet, and walked away, "Sleep here tonight."
The moment he was out of sight, she instantly contemplated fleeing. But as she took a step forward, her head spun, and she nearly collapsed. She quickly regained her balance, massaged her temples, and proceeded towards the door.
Listening by the door, she heard no movement. She cautiously opened the door, not quite sure whether she could make a successful escape....
Seems doable! With a firm resolve, she carefully closed the door and walked back to the center of the room to put on her dress.
Suddenly, a harsh voice sounded from behind, "Still not done?"
"Ah——" She screamed, turning around to see Mu Tianying standing in the doorway.
She gasped in shock, hand over her heart, stuttering out, "I...I was going to bed."
"Sleeping in a dress?" He arched a brow dangerously, approaching her, "You weren't planning on running away, were you?"
"I wasn't!" Wanqing denied reflexively. Her denial was evidently weak, meeting his gaze only confirmed her lie, she backed away fearfully, "I...I don't have any pajamas, so I have to wear my dress..."
He scrutinized her for a moment, then coldly nodded, "Go to sleep, don't make me angry."
Wanqing spun around, dove under the covers, and closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling in fear.
A moment later, Mu Tianying lay down next to her, causing her to stiffen.
Noticing her reaction, Mu Tianying laughed dismissively, ignoring her.
She was exhausted and soon fell asleep, but her dreams were haunted by nightmares.
When she woke up the next day, it was late morning. She bolted up, taking in the unfamiliar room, consumed with shame and anger.
Running water echoed from the bathroom; she knew it was Mu Tianying inside and didn't know what to do.
Flee? Could she actually get away?
The door creaked open, and Mu Tianying stepped out.
Wanqing looked over to see him towel-drying his hair, water droplets trickling down his strands and wetting his chest, following the muscled contours of his torso...
Witnessing this, inexplicably, fear began to creep up on her.
"Take your medicine," commanded Mu Tianying.