Hengcheng is a city without a true spring.
The moment you peel off your down jacket, you can immediately switch to short sleeves. By the time June rolls around, if you do not turn on the air conditioning, you will feel too hot to sleep even while completely naked.
Today, Xia Nai felt that the temperature had ticked up another notch. Even with the air conditioning running in her bedroom and her sitting completely naked, she still felt a bit warm.
Of course, it was also possible that this was because she was currently engaged in a rather brain-intensive physical labor task.
Following a video tutorial, she wrapped the final length of rope around her body and tied a secure knot. Xia Nai let out a long sigh.
She had finally managed to tie herself up.
Wiping away the light sweat beading on her forehead, Xia Nai raised her eyes to look at the full-length dressing mirror standing in front of her.
In the mirror, crimson mercerized hemp rope crossed over her shoulders, followed her collarbones, ran diagonally beneath her breasts, and dug into her tender white skin. Intersecting horizontally and vertically, it forced her body into a posture that was both rigid and boldly seductive.
It was far too suggestive. It was the first time Xia Nai had looked at her own body like this, and it left her blushing and her heart racing She took a deep breath, reminding herself that this was all for the sake of art!
Turning her body from side to side, Xia Nai earnestly observed the details of the bondage under the play of light and shadow.
Her submission deadline was in two days, yet she still had zero artistic feel for it. The few sketches she had managed to force out previously always felt like they were missing something.
To find that missing sensation, Xia Nai had finally hardened her heart, gritted her teeth, and tied herself up, hoping that this direct visual impact would help her find the answer.
Her gaze drifted across various parts of her body, lingering on the red rope sinking downward past her waistline. Xia Nai blinked; it seemed tied just a little too tightly.
She tried to loosen the rope slightly, but as she tugged, the knot rubbed against her skin. Mm, Xia Nai let out a soft moan and quickly released her grip.
This feeling really was quite something.
Looking at her flushed face in the mirror, Xia Nai was grateful she lived alone; any strange sounds she made would go unheard, and given her current state, she did not have to worry about being seen either. She could look all she wanted.
As she kept looking, Xia Nai’s eyes lit up.
It seemed she had figured it out. She knew what had been missing before!
It was a sense of anticipation!
That sense of curious, suppressed shyness, wanting to try more yet feeling panicked and afraid, brimming with a suggestive sense of anticipation!
Previously, she had focused far too much on the intricate details of the bondage, completely ignoring or glossing over the emotional state of the character.
Having found the missing sensation, Xia Nai prepared to untie the rope immediately and get to work drawing.
Just at that moment, however, a digital lock prompt suddenly sounded from outside her bedroom door.
Verification successful. Welcome home.
Xia Nai’s heart skipped a beat. No way, not right now!
Xia Nai, are you home? Why aren’t you answering my phone?!
From outside the bedroom door, accompanied by hurried footsteps drawing closer, came the voice of her mother, Ms. Xia Lian.
This is bad, this is terrible. Xia Nai anxiously pulled at the ropes on her body, trying to untie them, but her frantic tugs only made them tighter!
She wanted to run and lock the door, only to remember that the door lock was broken and still hadn’t been fixed!
In her desperation, Xia Nai snatched a trench coat from her wardrobe and threw it over herself!
Right as she hurriedly tied the belt, the bedroom door was pushed open from the outside with enough force to kick up a gust of wind.
Xia Nai, you dead child, why didn’t you answer me when you were home?!
As the ammunition-loaded words hit her ears, Xia Nai was grabbed firmly by the arm by the approaching figure.
Hurry up, Xiao Ran has already been waiting for you at the station for over half an hour!
With a powerful yank, Xia Nai stumbled forward two steps off-guard. The rope wedged right between her thighs had a startlingly strong presence as it scraped harshly against her body.
Hiss, Xia Nai instinctively sucked in a breath of cold air.
Xiao Blue, Xiao Red, whatever, take it easy, mother dearest, stop pulling me!
Xia Nai resisted with all her might, but she was no match for her mother’s brute strength. Within moments, she was dragged all the way out to the foyer by the shoe-changing bench.
What do you mean, ‘Xiao Ran’?! Didn’t I call you and tell you this morning?! Xia Lian was burning with fury. Lin Yuran rented our spare bedroom, and she arrives at the City Station at one-thirty this afternoon. Didn’t you agree to it this morning? What are you doing now, deliberately defying me and going against my wishes?!
As she spoke, Xia Lian squatted down, yanked Xia Nai’s slippers off her feet, and aggressively shoved her feet into a pair of regular shoes.
What did I agree to?
Xia Nai was utterly bewildered. Before she could even ask for clarification, a set of car keys was shoved into her palm, and she was dragged right out the door.
Being forcefully shoved into the elevator, Xia Nai racked her suffering brain and finally remembered,
She had taken a call this morning. At the time, she had been half-asleep on her way to the bathroom, and seeing her phone light up, she answered it. As for what her mother said during the call, not a single word had registered in her brain; she had just hummed vague agreements and gone back to sleep.
Lin Yuran?
As the elevator doors closed and she watched her mother press the button for Basement Level 1, Xia Nai asked, her face a mask of pain and confusion: Which Lin Yuran?
Hearing this question, Xia Lian reached out and delivered a light smack to the top of Xia Nai’s head, knocking her loosely tied hair bun slightly askew.
Which Lin Yuran? How many other Lin Yurans do you know?
Xia Nai clutched her head. She genuinely couldn’t recall right now; her whole mind was foggy, and her attention was entirely consumed by the ropes chafing against her in pure agony.
If you don’t tell me, how am I supposed to know which one? What, is there only one Lin Yuran in the entire world?
Finding herself helpless against the ropes deeply embedded between her buttocks, Xia Nai’s temper flared up as well.
Who else could it be? The one who used to live next door to us.
Whenever people mentioned this person, neighbors usually triggered a certain keyword, and Xia Lian was no exception: The college entrance examination top scorer.
There might be many Lin Yurans in the world, but there was only one Hengcheng college entrance examination top scorer named Lin Yuran.
Xia Nai instantly matched the name to the person. Her mind conjured up the image of a little girl with a bob cut, blunt bangs, thick-rimmed black glasses, and a perpetually dazed expression.
Why on earth did she have to go pick her up?
Wait, hold on! What did you just say?! Lin Yuran rented our spare bedroom? Isn’t she abroad?
She came back a while ago. She works in Beijing now.
Xia Lian stared at the elevator panel with an expression that suggested time was running out. Why is this elevator so slow today?! And look at you, you hadn’t even left the house at this hour. I told you 1:30, told you not to be late. Look at the time now; it’s already 2:00!
Xia Nai still couldn’t wrap her head around the situation. If someone worked in Beijing, why would they rent a room in Hengcheng?
Besides, that didn’t make sense. Xia Nai looked at her mother in utter confusion: Why on earth would she rent a room from you? When did this happen?
Even though her mother and Lin Yuran’s mother used to be old colleagues, the two women despised each other and had even fallen out over her. As for her and Lin Yuran, well, that went without saying.
As for this whole affair, Xia Lian actually had her own doubts, but now was not the time to discuss it.
With a ding, the elevator reached the basement.
Seeing her mother reach out to grab her again, Xia Nai planted both hands firmly on the handrail inside the elevator.
I’m not going! And I don’t agree to you renting out the room to Lin Yuran either, ah!
Her ear was pinched and pulled outward, and the pain caused Xia Nai to instinctively let go, stumbling forward in the direction of the tug.
The moment she was forcefully pushed into the car and forced to sit down, Xia Nai had only one thought running through her mind:
I want to murder Lin Yuran!
She was losing her mind. The moment she sat down, the rope between her thighs dug in even deeper!
A vivid mental image flashed across her mind: a slab of raw meat being sliced right through the middle by a piece of twine!
How pitiable! What terrible karma had her precious, carefully pampered little sister accumulated to deserve such torment?
Step on the gas! Xia Lian urged the moment she got into the car.
Xia Nai didn’t move. She was the one behind the wheel right now; this was completely different from being dragged around by force!
While adjusting her posture to make herself slightly more comfortable, she flatly refused.
This room cannot be rented to Lin Yuran. I’m a lesbian, and she’s a woman! If she moves in, with us living under the same roof in such close quarters day and night, what happens if I accidentally take a fancy to her?
Xia Nai deliberately tried to scare her mother. If the two of us end up getting involved, see if Lin Yuran’s mother doesn’t come find you.
Xia Lian looked utterly speechless, as if Xia Nai’s words implied that whoever Xia Nai took a liking to would automatically fall for her.
Her biological mother poured cold water on her without a trace of mercy: As if Lin Yuran would ever look your way.
The open disdain in those words instantly bruised Xia Nai’s pride.
What’s wrong with me? Based on just this face of mine, the people lining up to chase me would stretch from our house all the way to the neighborhood gates!
Xia Lian let out a cold snort. You also know you only have a face. Lin Yuran is a prestigious university graduate with a master’s degree. And you? An utterly mediocre graduate from a tier-two university. What’s that saying again? Lesbians are academically screened out; show a little self-awareness.
Xia Nai hadn’t expected her mother to even know about academic screening standards. That’s crossing the line into personal attacks.
Now you know it hurts? Why didn’t you know how to study hard back then? Fine, stop spouting nonsense and start driving. Xiao Ran must be getting anxious waiting!
Xia Nai didn’t care whether Lin Yuran was anxious or not; she certainly wasn’t, and she stubbornly refused to move.
I don’t agree. If you dare rent it to her, I swear I’ll stand stark naked in front of her tonight and tell her I’m a lesbian, just to see if she runs away screaming!
Xia Lian:
How on earth had she given birth to such a bizarre, rebellious child?
Fine. I’ve already collected the rent anyway. If you scare her off and she demands a refund, you’ll be the one paying it back.
Xia Lian was completely immune to pressure.
Xia Nai was equally immune: I’ll pay it back then. How much is it?
Xia Lian held up one hand, then made the sign for a five and a two.
Fifty-two thousand.
How much? Xia Nai widened a pair of peach-blossom eyes. Fifty-two thousand?
Did being tied up with ropes impair her hearing? She felt like she was having auditory hallucinations.
She knew the rental market rates around this neighborhood; the spare room in her house at most topped out at two thousand a month, meaning even paying for a full year upfront wouldn’t exceed twenty-something thousand.
Knowing her daughter couldn’t possibly afford that kind of money, given her lazy habit of treating her main job like a side hustle and fishing for three days while drying her nets for two, having five thousand in her bank account would be a miracle. Xia Lian saw Xia Nai’s shocked expression and decided to calmly reiterate the facts.
Aside from three months of rent plus utilities totaling seven thousand, the rest is meal money.
Xia Lian looked at Xia Nai with the unarguable tone of someone issuing an imperial decree: You are responsible for Xiao Ran’s three daily meals.
Huh? Xia Nai furrowed her brows. What on earth?
It’s not free labor. Five hundred a day: two hundred is your labor fee, and three hundred is for grocery money.
How much? Xia Nai suspected her ears were playing tricks on her.
Five hundred a day. When Xia Lian had first heard Lin Yuran say it, she had been just as shocked. Calculated at thirty days a month, that’s fifteen thousand a month, forty-five thousand for three months. Add the seven thousand for rent and utilities, and that totals fifty-two thousand.
She wasn’t exaggerating; the money had already been deposited into Xia Nai’s bank account. Now she was certain Xia Nai genuinely hadn’t checked her phone.
Xia Nai indeed hadn’t checked it, and she felt somewhat dazed
Did reading too many books fry her brain?
Incredulity filled Xia Nai’s eyes, completely eclipsing her physical discomfort for a moment. With that kind of money, she’s hiring me to cook?
Xia Nai blinked at her mother: Am I really worth that price?
Why wouldn’t you be?
Xia Lian was the kind of person who could criticize Xia Nai all she wanted, but nobody else was allowed to, sometimes not even Xia Nai herself.
You have a culinary license.
Xia Nai reminded her mother: An entry-level one.
Never mind what level it is. If you can’t cough up fifty-two thousand, you better start driving right now!
Xia Nai took a deep breath. Of course she couldn’t cough it up; she couldn’t even manage a fraction of it.
Wait, hold on. Then this money,
It’s already been transferred to your card.
You should’ve said so earlier! Honestly, you old lady, you always save the crucial details for last. Fasten your seatbelts, I’m driving!
Fifty-two thousand! For a three-month stay, if she kept this up for a full year, let her calculate over two hundred and eight thousand!
Xia Nai’s eyes lit up. Why bother drawing anymore? If she cooked these meals for three years, she’d have enough for a down payment on a house!
With a stomp of the accelerator, she hit the road.
Fortunately, it wasn’t morning or evening rush hour, and traffic was smooth.
Urged on constantly by her mother, Xia Nai zipped through lane changes, flirting dangerously close to the speed limit, and arrived at the City Station in half an hour.
With a turn of the steering wheel, she pulled into the pick-up lane and let out a heavy sigh. Finally here!
Before setting off, she had been blinded by joy, but once on the road, she remembered her current predicament
The entire drive had chafed her raw. Xia Nai looked down toward her thighs; hidden beneath her trench coat, she couldn’t see, but she could guess things weren’t looking good. They were probably swollen.
She needed to pick up her passenger quickly, get home, and untie this damn rope!
What does Lin Yuran even look like nowadays?
Passengers waiting for rides outside the station were all standing on a long, elevated platform. Xia Nai slowed the car down, scanning the crowd for anyone resembling her childhood memories.
Xia Lian didn’t answer Xia Nai’s question; she didn’t know either.
I’ll call her and ask where she is.
Since she didn’t know what the person looked like, Xia Nai focused her search on women who fit the criteria of short hair and black-rimmed glasses, figuring she wouldn’t have changed much since childhood, at most looking a bit more polished and professional, considering she was now an executive at a listed company.
After learning about this on the drive over, Xia Nai had found it rather miraculous. She had a hard time finding it in her to imagine how a bookish nerd like that could turn into a leader.
She had always assumed Lin Yuran would end up as some lab-dwelling scientist burying her head in research.
Scanning the crowd broadly, Xia Nai didn’t spot anyone fitting her mental image of Lin Yuran. Instead, she caught sight of a woman whose style and appearance fell right into her aesthetic preferences.
Beneath a dusty sun canopy, the woman stood in profile to her. Perched on her high-bridge nose was a pair of minimalist, cool-silver wire-rimmed glasses that radiated intellectual elegance. Slightly wavy long hair was casually and loosely pinned at the back of her head, and the hem of her white shirt was tucked neatly into an off-white midi skirt, accentuating an exceptionally slender waistline as light and graceful as the wind.
Standing there so casually with her phone in hand, she seemed entirely detached from the crowd around her, like the heroine of an arthouse film whose entrance required nothing more than a cold, elegant profile to leave a lasting impression.
Xia Nai’s heartbeat skipped a beat. Her gaze drifted toward the suitcase beside the woman, and she couldn’t help wondering whether she was returning home or traveling for leisure. Was she waiting for a ride, or for family to pick her up
The slowly advancing car was already drawing close. Xia Nai subconsciously held her breath, as if afraid to disturb her. She desperately wanted to see what the face belonging to such a mesmerizing profile looked like
Right at that moment, the woman, who had been keeping her head slightly lowered, raised her phone to her ear, abruptly lifted her gaze, and looked directly toward her!
Their eyes locked in mid-air, and Xia Nai’s heart violently skipped a beat!
Xiao Ran, we’ve arrived. Where are you?
Before Xia Nai could process why the woman outside the car had waved at her, she heard her mother, who was on the phone in the passenger seat, suddenly scream at the top of her lungs: Stop the car!
The sharp, panicked yell caused Xia Nai to instinctively slam on the brakes.
The forward momentum threw her heavily against the rope wedged between her thighs once more,
Hiss, that hurts so bad!
Tears of physical pain welled up in the corners of her eyes. Xia Nai turned her head in agony to look at her suddenly shouting mother, only to see her rolling down the car window.
Beyond the lowered window, unbidden, Xia Nai’s trembling gaze pierced straight through her lenses and crashed into a pair of slender, inner-double-fold eyes.
With just a fleeting glance, the person outside withdrew their unreadable gaze, shifting their focus instead to the passenger seat.
Auntie Xia.
The gentle voice was unhurried, yet it sent Xia Nai’s heart crashing wildly against her ribs.
She widened her eyes in disbelief, staring straight at the woman outside the window.
This is Lin Yuran?
Xia Nai wore an expression of bewildered shock.
Her mother’s booming voice from the passenger seat answered the question in her mind.
It’s Xiao Ran! I’m so sorry to have kept you waiting so long. Quick, get in the car; it’s hot out here.
With that, Xia Lian turned and slapped Xia Nai on the arm. Hurry up, go help Xiao Ran put her luggage in the trunk.
Xia Nai was still immersed in the massive shock of seeing a former bookworm undergo a glamorous transformation into a cold, aloof goddess. Hearing this, she snapped back to reality and clutched her smarting arm.
Mom, you’ve got so much energy; it’d be much more appropriate for you to help her with the luggage.
She couldn’t move easily; that sudden braking had left her throbbing with a dull ache.
I told you to go, so go! Hurry up!
With her back turned to Lin Yuran and knowing the younger woman couldn’t see, Xia Lian immediately dropped her polite smile and resorted to glaring menacingly at Xia Nai to threaten her compliance.
Xia Nai:
What a masterclass in facial expression switching from her birth mother.
If Xia Lian wasn’t on such bad terms with Lin Qing, she would have gotten out of the car herself. She could already imagine that if she acted too enthusiastic, word would reach Lin Qing, who would probably assume she was trying to suck up to her daughter to squeeze out favors.
That woman Xia Lian didn’t even want to think about it. Seeing that her daughter still hadn’t moved, she reached over and unbuckled Xia Nai’s seatbelt. All you do is sit around drawing all day. Move, get some exercise!
Xia Nai:
Exercise was the last thing she was equipped for right now!
Looking past her mother out the window, Xia Nai saw the woman outside leaning slightly forward, peering into the car and silently watching the entire spectacle without offering a single Don’t worry about it.
With just a few bags of luggage, couldn’t she carry them to the trunk herself?
Whatever favorable impression she had harbored earlier from seeing a pretty face had mostly evaporated the moment she learned the person was Lin Yuran. Now, watching her stand there waiting for someone else to handle her luggage like some pampered young heiress, it vanished entirely.
She still wanted to murder her. Gritting her teeth, Xia Nai opened the door and stepped out!