Pathological attachment is an excessively unbalanced and uncontrollable emotional bond, often stemming from emotional neglect, unstable care, separation trauma, or abuse during childhood.
And Lin Sangyu perfectly fit every one of these criteria—she was like a clay doll waiting to be molded.
Jiang Wenzhe understood this all too well. Lurking in the shadows, he launched his sinister hunt.
From the very beginning, he had sensed that Lin Sangyu possessed a self-destructive tendency—a “burn the boats” mentality. He realized this when she took up residence in his home disguised as a sugar glider and refused to leave no matter what.
Sugar gliders are naturally sensitive and timid. Even after being discovered and discarded many times, Lin Sangyu persistently made her way back into the villa—a place that could be dangerous to her.
In the wild, she might starve to death; living in his home, she might face the wrath of humans.
Caught between two forms of death, she chose him.
Jiang Wenzhe knew that, in that moment, Lin Sangyu had, to some extent, entrusted herself to him.
But that wasn’t enough.
To further deconstruct and reshape her, Jiang Wenzhe placed Lin Sangyu in a vacuum-like state of “waiting.”
He used the villa’s silent, desolate environment to constrain the boundaries of her movements. Limited social interaction and tedious private tutoring repeatedly compressed her personal space in the silence.
It wasn’t exactly captivity, but it was worse than captivity. In her day-in, day-out existence, her spirit was forced into a state of limbo; the only thing she had to do was wait for him.
Sometimes, he would deliberately stay late at the office before returning home. When he pushed open the door bathed in moonlight, he would find a flustered Lin Sangyu with a racing heart—her eyes misty with anxiety, nervously clutching the hem of her shirt, her whole being devoted to him.
At such moments, all it took was a gentle embrace, a touch of tenderness, and that elusive sense that he would be gone again tomorrow. As her anxiety is soothed, she would grow even more addicted to this twisted warmth, just like clutching a red-hot branding iron in the dead of winter.
Of course, this was still far from enough; Jiang Wenzhe needed to leave a deeper imprint—by permeating her daily life—so that true spiritual taming could be achieved.
Virtually everything in the house came in matching sets for two, and their belongings were always mixed together—there were never any strict boundaries drawn between them, as if their lives had been completely fused and intertwined.
Jiang Wenzhe would also buy plenty of clothes and accessories reflecting his distinct aesthetic to forcefully adorn Lin Sangyu, ensuring she felt his presence at all times.
Oh, wait—I shouldn’t say “force,” because Lin Sangyu does it willingly.
When he’s home, he’ll light cedar incense with calming and sleep-inducing properties; the moment he leaves, he’ll ruthlessly snuff it out, reinforcing Lin Sangyu’s state of “waiting” over and over again.[1]he’s twisted alright. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3194052_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3194052_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });
Only through collapse can one be reborn.
The forced posture—her neck pinched and her head tilted back for an extended period—was somewhat uncomfortable. Lin Sangyu let out a series of broken whimpers, and only then did Jiang Wenzhe snap out of his perverse delusion, his gaze returning to her face.
Lin Sangyu furrowed her slender brows, her expression slightly contorted; her rosy lips parted unconsciously, revealing a hint of her pink tongue as she exhaled wisps of warm breath.
Fragmented, yet beautiful.
“Are you uncomfortable?” Jiang Wenze gently traced her slender, snow-white neck as if polishing a jewel.
Lin Sangyu nodded fearfully.
Receiving her response, Jiang Wenzhe first fixed a deep, piercing gaze on Lin Sangyu with his jet-black eyes, then immediately withdrew his hand without emotion. He took a wet wipe from the coffee table and, under Lin Sangyu’s lingering gaze, methodically wiped his fingers.
Then, without a word, he turned and walked away.
There had been no warning—he was still just as cold as ever, even though the lingering warmth on her neck was still there.
Why?
Lin Sangyu completely broke down; tears streamed down her cheeks as she frantically shouted at Jiang Wenzhe’s retreating back, “Don’t go!”
“Aren’t you feeling unwell?”
Her desperate cry instantly stirred the last remnants of Jiang Wenzhe’s twisted sense of satisfaction and control; this intense sensation made his blood nearly boil. Yet his expression remained as impassive as water. After uttering those words, he turned and walked away again. Just as he neared the staircase, a rush of hurried footsteps sounded from behind him.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lin Sangyu stumbling toward him.
“Thud—” With a sound accompanied by the sharp rustle of fabric, she fell.
Her hair lay in disarray over her shoulders, her hands clenched tightly against the floor, and the collar of her shirt flapped haphazardly. Lin Sangyu looked up at Jiang Wenzhe with a pitiful, bloodshot gaze.
It was as if she were saying, “Don’t leave me.”
Jiang Wenzhe walked toward her, his heart pounding like thunder, crouched down beside her, smiled gently, and spoke in a rare tone of tenderness:
“How could you be so clumsy?”
Lin Sangyu began to cry even harder. She crawled forward on her knees a couple of steps and threw herself eagerly into Jiang Wenzhe’s embrace.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said I wasn’t feeling well.”
Even though Jiang Wenzhe clearly hadn’t hurt her, Lin Sangyu suddenly hated herself for what she’d said just a minute ago.
Jiang Wenzhe patted her trembling, slender back, carried her back to the sofa, and said seductively, “So, will you accept your punishment?”
Lin Sangyu let out a hoarse “Mm-hmm,” then propped herself up, offering her vulnerable neck as if in sacrifice.
“Such a good girl.” Jiang Wenzhe clasped her neck once more, gazing at the tears streaming down her face as he spoke, mesmerized.
The next second, without warning, Jiang Wenzhe lowered his head and kissed her, his scent finally enveloping her completely once more.
Lin Sangyu’s heart, which had just settled, was once again left hanging in the balance, as a sensation he’d never experienced before sent shivers down her spine.
She had expected this kiss to be fierce, but it wasn’t. Jiang Wenzhe was unexpectedly gentle; he first tentatively pecked the corner of her lips, then followed with a series of delicate kisses. The hand that had been gripping her neck had, at some point, moved to the back of her head, gently soothing her racing heart.
As their lips and tongues touched, Lin Sangyu suddenly felt a tingling numbness in her lips; her heartbeat felt as if it would shatter her chest, and, overcome with shyness, she quickly withdrew her tongue.
Jiang Wenzhe wasn’t annoyed; instead, he kissed her even more forcefully and passionately, gradually tightening his arms around her. Between breaths, he pressed against Lin Sangyu’s lips and said commandingly, “Open your mouth. Stick out your tongue, baby.”
Lin Sangyu froze for a moment, then closed her eyes again, obediently parting her lips and surrendering herself once more to Jiang Wenzhe.
Outside the window, the night was as thick as ink; even the light inside seemed to dim, leaving only the person before her glowing. Light and shadow danced between them, their silhouettes stirred by passion.
After parting from the kiss, the two rested their foreheads against each other and caught their breath for a moment. Jiang Wenzhe kissed her eyelids again: “You’re really such a good girl.”
Just stay this obedient forever—don’t even think about leaving.
Lin Sangyu pursed her lips and said somewhat awkwardly, “But… aren’t men and women supposed to keep their distance?”
Jiang Wenzhe raised an eyebrow, looking at her cheeks—so red they seemed ready to bleed—and chuckled softly, “Are you sure you don’t want to be close to me?”
“Close… close.” Lin Sangyu’s fingertips involuntarily clenched the hem of her shirt; her body temperature seemed to rise again.
“All right, then.” Jiang Wenzhe knew when to stop and decided not to tease her any further.
Lin Sangyu was still preoccupied with that question, so she mustered her courage and asked, “Does that mean I can go on business trips with you now?”
“Of course you can.” Jiang Wenzhe pinched her cheek gently.
“Will you take me along in the future, too?”
“I will.”
“Will you promise?”
“I promise.”
Lin Sangyu was finally satisfied; the summer breeze outside the window seemed to calm down along with her racing heart.
Jiang Wenzhe picked Lin Sangyu up, holding her face-to-face, carried her upstairs into the bedroom, and laid her on the bed. He turned and went into the bathroom to run a bath for her, and when she went to bathe, he headed back to the walk-in closet.
The destination for this business trip was the United Kingdom, a country at a higher latitude and surrounded by the sea; the weather in early June was somewhat cooler there than back home.
Jiang Wenzhe opened two suitcases: one contained ten outfits he had carefully selected for Lin Sangyu to wear, while the other held a hotel-quality four-piece bedding set—which he had washed and disinfected in advance—as well as some toiletries from the same brand she was accustomed to using and a first-aid kit.
The first-aid kit was stocked with plenty of medicine to treat homesickness; he was worried Lin Sangyu might have trouble adjusting once they arrived.
Halfway through checking the luggage, Lin Sangyu emerged, steaming hot from her shower, into his line of sight.
Jiang Wenzhe lifted his eyelids: “All done?”
“Mm, all done.”
“You sure got that done quickly today.”
“Because I wanted to see you sooner,” Lin Sangyu said, her words tinged with a touch of embarrassment. Pretending to be busy, she crouched down to look through the suitcase and changed the subject: “You’re already done packing?”
Jiang Wenzhe didn’t call her out on it and went along with her: “Yeah, pretty much.”
With her hair tied up in a bun, a few stray strands lazily draped over the nape of her fair neck, the protruding neck vertebrae forming a beautiful curve, Lin Sangyu blinked and asked Jiang Wenzhe, “So should you pack me in your luggage too?”
“Are you crazy?” Jiang Wenzhe said with a hint of exasperation. “You’re not my luggage.”
Lin Sangyu lowered her head again and muttered a subdued “Okay.”
Jiang Wenzhe took a step forward, crouched down beside her, and lifted her chin with his slender fingertips. “Don’t always keep your head down when you talk,” he said earnestly. “Look at the person you’re speaking to.”
Lin Sangyu wanted to say that she only acted this way around him—for some reason, she never dared to look him in the eye for too long—but after a moment’s thought, she decided against it. Her gaze drifting away, she replied, “Got it.”
“Good. I’m glad you know.”
Jiang Wenzhe told himself silently: I’ll have to teach her more.
Finally, Jiang Wenzhe zipped up the suitcases and pushed them down to the first floor to set them aside in advance.
Lin Sangyu was like a shadow—wherever Jiang Wenzhe went, she followed, saying nothing, just tagging along as a quiet little tail.
Jiang Wenzhe let her follow him until everything was organized. Only then did he ask with interest, “Aren’t you going to sleep?”
Lin Sangyu: “You’re not sleeping either.”
“Fine, I’ll go to sleep now.”
After the two went upstairs and parted ways, Lin Sangyu’s hand brushed against the doorknob of the home theater. She instinctively glanced back and saw Jiang Wenzhe standing casually with his arms crossed about three meters away from his own door, watching her.
Only the light on her side of the hallway was on, creating a stark contrast between light and shadow between them. Jiang Wenzhe’s gaze, in the darkness, carried the terrifying intensity of a predator fixated on its prey—a clammy, sinister aura that sent a chill down Lin Sangyu’s spine.
Just as she was about to speak, Jiang Wenzhe’s seductively deep voice reached her:
“Want to sleep with me?”
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