Xia Nai turned sideways to check the state of her back.
Compared to the aesthetic, crisscrossed arrangement on her front, her back looked like a completely disorganized, chaotic mess
The dense, tightly packed knots gave Xia Nai a headache as she tried to mentally retrace how she had managed to turn herself into this tangled state.
She remembered that, at the very beginning, she had followed the instructional video step-by-step with plenty of order while tying herself up
Later on, she realized that since she was only going to film her front side, it didn’t really matter what her back looked like anyway. So, she started slacking off out of habit, ignoring the back and focusing entirely on the front, operating on the core philosophy of just tie it up and make it tight
Now she was in big trouble
Reaching her hands around behind her back, Xia Nai strained and pinched at a knot, completely ignoring the friction pain on her front as she tried once more to untie it.
After a flurry of effort, she felt like her freshly done manicure was about to snap off, yet the tightly pulled knots refused to loosen by even a fraction of a millimeter!
Frustrated, Xia Nai dropped her hands, put them on her hips, and glared at her miserable reflection in the mirror while gritting her teeth and mentally cursing Lin Yuran up and down!
It was all this damn wretch’s fault. She was completely certain that these knots hadn’t been nearly this tight to begin with. It was because of Lin Yuran’s sudden appearance and the chaotic rush of rushing around that these knots had tightened up to this degree!
She really wanted to tie Lin Yuran up and make her experience this exact same pain. Xia Nai was positive that her most sensitive areas had already been rubbed raw; just standing up right now produced a dull, lingering ache It was utterly miserable.
Xia Nai sniffled and abandoned the idea of untying it manually.
Fortunately, she had used rope instead of actual iron chains on herself. Even if she couldn’t untie it, she could still cut it.
Turning around, she walked with difficulty to the other side of the bed, opened the bedside table drawer, and pulled out a sewing kit containing a silver pair of scissors about half the length of her palm.
Enduring the pain, she limped back in front of the mirror, poked the scissors through her shoulder opening, and started cutting.
A minute later, her arms were sore, yet the rope hadn’t even suffered a shallow scratch on its surface!
Furious, Xia Nai tossed the scissors straight onto the bed and cursed, Uueless piece of junk!
If those scissors could talk, they definitely would have wailed in grievance!
Normally, their job was just cutting fine threads slightly thicker than a strand of hair. Today, they were suddenly expected to challenge hemp ropes a hundred to a thousand times thicker; the pressure was so high they were practically splitting at the seams!
Realizing that this small pair of scissors was useless, Xia Nai remembered she also had a utility knife.
If she couldn’t cut it, surely she could slice through it.
Making her way laboriously over to the desk by the window, she grabbed the utility knife. Gritting her teeth through the pain, Xia Nai returned to the mirror.
She was regretting it deeply right now, regretting buying this brand of rope that claimed to be custom-made by hand with super high quality. Of course, she hadn’t anticipated running into so many unexpected complications the very first time she tried tying herself up!
Come to think of it, it was still all Lin Yuran’s fault! Showing up neither early nor late, but choosing precisely today to drop by!
Channeling her annoyance toward Lin Yuran into strength, Xia Nai bit her lip and selected a spot that was relatively easy to reach, beginning to saw away at the rope.
In the mirror, the blade slowly scraped back and forth beneath her collarbone, and her previously defiant, perkily standing breasts trembled with every movement Xia Nai made, looking almost as if they were afraid of getting nicked.
Xia Nai was indeed terrified. The rope was bound so tightly against her body that she couldn’t even slip a finger underneath. The blade was scraping right against the rope, uncomfortably close to her skin, a single moment of carelessness could easily slice open her tender flesh.
She had to be extra, extra careful. When she finally managed to slice a tiny, shallow nick into the rope, Xia Nai’s eyes lit up. There was hope! This method actually worked!
Happily gripping the knife handle tighter, Xia Nai pumped her fist at her reflection in the mirror to cheer herself on!
Hang in there, Xia Nai. You’ll be out of this misery soon.
While encouraging herself internally, Xia Nai increased the pressure of her hand. But just as she was about to put real muscle into slicing through the rope, a sudden knock sounded at the door.
The abrupt noise startled Xia Nai, causing her forcefully applied hand to slip off track.
The sharp blade grazed across her fair skin, leaving behind a glaring red scratch!
Ah!
Xia Nai let out a cry of pain, and the utility knife slipped from her hand, hitting the floor with a loud thud!
The knocking stopped instantly, replaced by Lin Yuran’s startled, questioning voice with a distinct upward inflection.
Xia Nai?
Hearing the unusual commotion inside the room, Lin Yuran instinctively gripped the doorknob. What’s wrong?
Hiss,
Gritting her teeth, Xia Nai hunched over, clutched her chest, and hopped in place. It hurt so much!
The pain instantly brought tears to the corners of her eyes. Feeling that her palms were wetter than the corners of her eyes, Xia Nai pulled her hand away with a pained expression. Through her blurry vision, she saw a streak of oozing red
Damn it! It was bleeding!
Xia Nai? Are you alright?
Receiving no reply, Lin Yuran held her breath as she listened to the movements inside, her expression growing steadily grave.
I’m coming in.
Realizing something was wrong, Lin Yuran tried turning the door handle.
The door wasn’t locked.
With a sharp click, Xia Nai almost jumped out of her skin!
How could Lin Yuran just walk in? Not with her current condition!
Xia Nai glanced down. On her bare chest, a bead of blood was sliding all the way down, threatening to touch the already flushed red crest. Xia Nai hurriedly reached out and wiped it away!
In her panic, she brushed against the wound and accidentally tightened the ropes, adding fresh agony to the existing pain. Xia Nai bit her pale red lips until they lost color. This was killing her, what kind of day was today, and why was she so utterly miserable?
She couldn’t even cry out or scream; she just had to endure the pain and pretend nothing was happening!
I’m fine, don’t come in!
Her panicked voice clearly carried a note of weeping, which Lin Yuran, who had already pushed the door open by a crack, heard loud and clear.
Her furrowed brows knitted together entirely, and she clearly didn’t believe this I’m fine declaration.
I’m coming in.
Accompanied by an undeniable tone, the door let out a creaking squeak as it opened. The chair behind the door was pushed along with it, its friction against the floor producing a harsh, grating scrape.
All these sounds poured straight into Xia Nai’s ears, making her heart race wildly!
You’re not allowed in!
Just as Xia Nai let out a loud shout, she frantically searched for her trench coat, wanting to wrap herself back up!
However, she had discarded her trench coat at the foot of the bed. Judging by the sound, the door was already open, and anyone looking in from the doorway would see the end of the bed straight away. If she went to grab her clothes, she would definitely be seen completely naked by Lin Yuran!
Xia Nai decisively abandoned the idea. She looked at the open wardrobe, instinctively wanting to dive inside to hide. But no, the closet was packed full of clothes; there was simply no room to squeeze in!
Listening to the approaching footsteps, Xia Nai felt as though the top of her head was about to blow off. No, no, she couldn’t let Lin Yuran see her like this!
Stop right there, don’t come any closer!
At this critical juncture, unable to care about anything else, Xia Nai blurted out the raw truth: I’m not wearing any clothes, don’t walk any further!
Before her words had even finished dropping, the approaching footsteps stopped abruptly.
Lin Yuran frowned as she gazed at the open wardrobe door before her. The wide door panel completely blocked the person speaking, making it impossible to visually determine whether the statement was true or false.
She could only hear the rustling of fabric and the sight of an arm reaching out and pulling back, as if someone was hurriedly putting on clothes
Yet it was all extremely strange Lin Yuran checked her wristwatch. She had deliberately left Xia Nai plenty of time to deal with the ropes on her body; why hadn’t she changed into her clothes by now?
Her gaze dropped downward, and she spotted a pair of bare feet protruding from beneath the wardrobe door, standing shoeless on the old wooden floorboards.
Beside them lay an open utility knife.
Lin Yuran bent down and picked it up.
Xia Nai felt immensely grateful that this house had such old-fashioned decor, featuring old-style wooden wardrobes built by carpenters back in the day, where the vanity mirror was attached to the inside of the door and the doors swung outward.
Fortunately, the wardrobe door was large enough to completely block Lin Yuran’s line of sight; otherwise, the moment someone walked through the door, they would have seen her stark naked. How could she possibly have had time to get dressed?
Gazing at her reflection, tugging frantically at her clothes in such a ragged state, Xia Nai’s mind popped with an absurd thought: she felt right now like she was being caught in an affair in bed
Especially when the wardrobe door was pushed back by a hand, bringing her face-to-face with Lin Yuran’s deeply darkened eyes, Xia Nai actually felt a tiny twinge of guilt.
She instinctively crossed her arms over her chest, pulling the silk bathrobe tightly closed.
What are you doing?!
What are you doing?
Two voices rang out simultaneously, one shrill and filled with panic, the other subdued and heavy with unreadable emotion.
Lin Yuran’s gaze locked onto the reddened corners of Xia Nai’s eyes, where obvious water droplets hung from her long, thick eyelashes.
Crying?
It ought to have been a statement of a settled, observed fact, but because of the sheer unexpectedness, her tone rose at the end, making it sound much more like a question.
Her initial interrogation was swallowed up entirely by this surprise.
Gripping the object in her hand tightly, Lin Yuran took a step forward. What are you crying for?
Hearing that question made Xia Nai’s anger flare up to the heavens!
You’re asking what I’m crying for?!
Xia Nai spoke through gritted teeth, I’m crying over how utterly unlucky I am to have run into you! Are you out of your mind? Whose room is this? I told you not to come in, and you walked right in anyway! Do you know what kind of behavior this is? Trespassing! Do you believe I can sue you?
With a single breath of output, if Xia Nai hadn’t been physically hindered, she would have beaten someone up on the spot!
Get the hell out of here right now!
Since her hands were busy, Xia Nai threw out a kick, completely ignoring the painful friction of the ropes against her inner thighs.
To her surprise, however, instead of dodging, Lin Yuran stepped forward to meet it head-on, letting Xia Nai land a solid kick
Unfortunately, it didn’t budge the other person. Instead, Xia Nai stumbled back a step from the recoil and looked like she was about to fall. Fortunately, Lin Yuran had fast reflexes, reaching out to grab her and yanking her firmly back against herself.
Phew, just as Xia Nai regained her balance and breathed a sigh of relief, a Thank you slipped right out of her mouth.
The moment she said it, Xia Nai’s fur stood on end. What on earth was she thanking her for?!
She was supposed to be chewing her out!
Lin Yuran,
Xia Nai!
A cold, hard voice forcefully cut Xia Nai off. Before Xia Nai had a chance to say Are you sick in the head?, Lin Yuran had already grabbed her by the waist and shoved her back against the wall.
Hiss, the tender flesh of her inner thighs was severely scraped by the motion, and Xia Nai gasped in sharp pain.
Before she could start cursing a blue streak, Lin Yuran’s low, suppressed voice reached her ears first.
Why are you self-harming?
As she spoke, Lin Yuran pressed closer still, reaching out to tear open one side of Xia Nai’s bathrobe collar, exposing the wound she had caught a fleeting glimpse of earlier completely to view.
The fresh bead of blood hadn’t even coagulated yet; one look and anyone could tell it had just been freshly cut
Xia Nai was startled by this sudden movement. Seeing that the person was about to pull her bathrobe open further, she grabbed the collar with both hands, crossing them tightly over her chest to prevent total exposure.
Are you out of your freaking mind?!
Xia Nai lashed out with another kick, putting all her strength into it, but the person in front of her was like a sheet of steel that wouldn’t budge! Oh wait, she did move!
Wrapping her arms around Xia Nai, Lin Yuran executed a clean pivot and pinned her down onto the bed. Take it off yourself, or I’ll take it off for you.
Her gaze fixed firmly on the bleeding wound, Lin Yuran’s eyes burned with an irrepressible blaze of anger.
Xia Nai could play around however she liked, but things like this absolutely not!
Xia Nai: ?!
Lying flat on her back and staring up at the person looming over her, Xia Nai genuinely wondered if she had run into ghosts today. What on earth was happening?!
Disregarding the pain all over her body, Xia Nai crossed her arms tightly over her chest and yelled at the top of her lungs, Don’t you come any closer!
Her legs were pinned down so she couldn’t move, and her hands were occupied keeping her clothes shut, unable to move either. Watching the dark shadow loom downward and meeting eyes that looked entirely serious, Xia Nai’s heart skipped a frantic beat!
Wait, what on earth are you doing?
As she spoke, Xia Nai recalled what Lin Yuran had said just moments ago, asking her why she was self-harming.
Self-harm?
Xia Nai blinked, and as realization dawned on her, she looked down toward her half-exposed chest.
On the fair skin, a single line of blood sat among the crisscrossed red ropes, not particularly striking at first glance.
Yet it was obvious that Lin Yuran had seen it.
I am not self-harming!
Realizing what had caused this massive misunderstanding, Xia Nai quickly looked up at Lin Yuran to clear up the situation: I accidentally scratched myself!
Accidentally?
Looking down at her from above, Lin Yuran peered through her glasses with a gaze sharp as a knife. Clearly, she didn’t believe a word of Xia Nai’s explanation.
What kind of ‘accident’ results in using a knife to cut here?
With that, she glanced aside at the utility knife, whose blade she had already retracted and tossed aside.
When she had picked it up from the floor and noticed the bloodstains on the tip, the suspicion that Xia Nai was injured had crossed her mind, and she had hoped she was just overthinking it
Turns out she had underthought it instead
Her gaze dropped back to the half-exposed chest, where the red ropes remained tightly bound, still unremoved even after coming home Clearly, Xia Nai’s situation was far more severe than she had imagined.
She was engaging in self-abuse
Xia Nai had no idea that in Lin Yuran’s mind, she was already drifting toward some kind of morbid existence. Racking her brain for a way to shove the person off her, which looked nearly impossible at the moment, she decided she had no choice but to explain things politely.
Lin Yuran, are you brain-damaged? Do I look like the type of person who would self-harm? Get the hell off me right now!
If she didn’t know the other woman was straight, given the current posture and Lin Yuran’s recent actions, Xia Nai would have had every reason to suspect this person was trying to take advantage of her!
Lin Yuran didn’t move. In her memory, the real Xia Nai was definitely not someone who would self-harm.
Not only would she not self-harm, she wouldn’t use ropes in this near-masochistic way to chase a thrill either. Yet right now, the facts were staring her right in the face, leaving her no room for disbelief.
Then please explain how this wound happened.
Supporting her weight with one hand, Lin Yuran used her free hand to curl her knuckles and carefully wipe away the blood droplet to inspect the depth of the cut.
Good thing it’s not deep.
Hiss,
The touch against the wound stung, causing Xia Nai to gasp slightly. At the same time, remembering how she had gotten hurt in the first place, if she hadn’t needed to protect her chest, Xia Nai genuinely would have wanted to slap her across the face.
How did she even have the nerve to ask?!
If it weren’t for Lin Yuran, would she have gotten hurt in the first place?
What obligation do I have to explain any of this to you? Who do you think you are? Get off me right now, or I’m calling the police!
Call the police?
Gazing down with narrowed eyes, Lin Yuran straightened her upper torso, pushed up her sliding glasses, pulled her phone out of her pocket, and tossed it right beside Xia Nai’s ear.
Go ahead.
Her casual tone sounded as though she didn’t care in the slightest what kind of trouble or punishment she might face.
But before the police arrive, I need to make sure just how many more injuries you have on your body.