“…Then I can deal with you without any burdens.”
Jiang Niaoniao’s low murmur dissipated into the forest.
Her white figure melted into the deeper darkness, as if she had never been there.
At the same time, Xiran had finished dealing with Lin Zhizhi.
She turned around and walked back toward Bai Linlin, who was leaning against the tree trunk.
Her footsteps were light, producing only faint rustling sounds as they stepped on the fallen leaves.
Linlin’s heart tightened with every step.
Was it over?
The “punishment” for Lin Zhizhi was finished. Now it was her turn?
The image of Lin Zhizhi’s miserable state flashed through her mind.
Her teeth ached, and the injured spots on her swollen cheeks seemed to hurt even more.
Xiran stopped in front of her and crouched down.
The moonlight was blocked by her figure, casting a shadow over Linlin.
Linlin instinctively shrank her neck, her eyes darting around, not daring to meet Xiran’s deep, dark gaze.
What is Xiran going to do to me now?
To be honest, she still hadn’t fully figured out the exact relationship between the original owner and Xiran.
Master and servant?
Xiran was clearly the one in complete control—the “master.”
But that kiss from before… along with Xiran’s obsessive declarations of exclusivity… it didn’t seem like a simple master-servant relationship.
Could it be… something more intimate?
The thought made Linlin’s scalp tingle.
She quickly pushed it out of her mind.
While she was lost in thought, Xiran reached out. However, she didn’t hit her or touch her face.
Those cool fingers landed on the rope knot binding her wrists.
The knot was untied with swift, clean movements.
Then the one around her ankles.
The coarse hemp rope fell away, leaving deep red marks.
The skin where it had rubbed felt burning hot.
Blood flowed freely again, bringing a tingling numbness.
Linlin froze, subconsciously moving her stiff wrists.
She’s… letting me go?
She could hardly believe it and tentatively looked up at Xiran.
Xiran’s expression remained unchanged. After untying all the restraints, she stood up, then bent down.
Her arms slipped under Linlin’s knees and behind her back.
With a slight exertion of strength, she lifted Linlin into a princess carry.
“Eh?!”
Linlin let out a startled cry and frantically grabbed onto Xiran’s shoulder to steady herself.
I knew it. She wasn’t going to let me off so easily.
She lamented inwardly as the sliver of hope that had just risen instantly shattered.
“Hold on tight.”
Xiran’s voice came from above her head, flat and emotionless, as if stating a necessary procedure.
“…Okay.”
Linlin replied reluctantly, wrapping her arms around Xiran’s neck and tightening them slightly.
This position forced her to press close to the other girl.
She could smell the faint scent on Xiran’s body, mixed with a very light, possibly bloody smell that might have come from Lin Zhizhi.
Being held like this made Linlin feel extremely uncomfortable.
Although her body really did hurt all over, her cheeks were swollen, and her limbs were sore and weak after being tied up for so long, walking back on her own would probably be difficult.
Objectively speaking, being carried was much easier.
But she just felt… awkward.
Very awkward.
Her heart was beating irregularly. She couldn’t tell if it was from fear or something else.
“Um…”
She hesitated for a moment before speaking softly.
“Xiran… I can walk by myself…”
Her voice grew smaller and smaller, clearly lacking confidence.
“No.”
The rejection was crisp and left no room for discussion.
The moment the words fell, Linlin felt the hand supporting her under her knees gently lift and adjust its grip.
At the same time—
Smack.
A light but clear sound rang out.
Her bottom had been patted—not too hard, not too soft.
Linlin: “!!!”
Her entire body stiffened. Her face instantly flushed crimson, all the way to the tips of her ears.
What… what was that?!
It wasn’t a punishment.
The force wasn’t heavy.
In fact… it carried an indescribable undertone.
It felt almost like… flirting?!
This realization made Linlin’s mind buzz, blood rushing straight to her head.
She buried her burning face into Xiran’s shoulder, unable to utter a single word, even holding her breath.
Xiran, however, acted as if she had done the most ordinary thing.
She carried her steadily along the forest path.
Linlin barely recovered from her extreme embarrassment and began paying attention to her surroundings.
The path was pitch black and not in the direction of the hot spring hotel.
Is Xiran taking me to some dark room again to “bully” me?
New fear overwhelmed the shame. She couldn’t help speaking again, her voice trembling slightly.
“Um… Xiran… where are we going now? Back to the hotel?”
The arm holding her seemed to pause almost imperceptibly.
Xiran remained silent for a few seconds before uttering two words.
“Home.”
“Home?”
Linlin was even more confused.
“Which home? My home? Or… your home?”
She remembered from the character settings that the original Bai Linlin was the eldest daughter of the Bai family, but she had no idea where exactly “home” referred to.
Xiran fell silent again.
She simply continued walking while carrying her.
This silence was more unsettling than a direct answer.
Linlin’s heart was in turmoil. She couldn’t help pressing further.
“Why aren’t you saying anything? Which home are we going to?”
Her question sank like a stone into the sea.
Only the sound of footsteps and the wind rustling through the leaves remained.
Just as Linlin was about to ask something else, a strange sensation suddenly seized her without warning!
It wasn’t pain or numbness, but a feeling of… complete loss of control.
Her body suddenly stopped obeying her.
It wasn’t that she had no strength.
It was as if invisible ropes had bound her, or cement had been poured into her veins.
From her fingertips to her toes, every inch of muscle stiffened and solidified, completely unable to move.
Even turning her eyeballs became extremely difficult.
This feeling of being forcibly restrained…
Why did it feel so familiar?