“What, what, what?!”
Amidst a flurry of shocked whispers, Ye Siyu felt a sharp, violent cramp in her stomach.
Her face was pale, and her chest heaved with visibly rapid, shallow breaths.
Her eyes unconsciously remained fixed on the woman in front of her, the same deeply carved, striking facial features with a high nose and intense eyes, only now her tall frame appeared even more slender, and her features had matured into something even more breathtaking and dazzling.
Those outstanding eyes were dark and heavy at the bottom, like a deep sea, beneath the quiet surface, stormy and restrained emotions were surging.
It was Fei Shi.
It really was Fei Shi.
She had actually tracked her all the way to this small town.
The suspicious and uncertain glances from the people around felt almost tangible, probing again and again.
“This… how could she really be Xiaoyu’s kept canary?”
“No way, right? Didn’t Old Zhang just say she’s the new boss?”
“How is that possible? Xiaoyu said the new boss was the canary she kept, but the new boss isn’t denying it at all?”
“This is way too ridiculous. A big shot arriving in a stretched Bentley was kept by our fellow worker? My brain can’t even process this…”
The crowd was abuzz with continuous chatter until Old Zhang gave the talkative male employees a quick bop on the head one by one, ordering them to shut up.
Yet clearly, from Old Zhang’s expression, it was obvious he found it hard to believe as well.
As if to prove it to everyone, Fei Shi stepped forward and stopped right in front of Ye Siyu.
She looked down with narrowed eyes at the pale Ye Siyu, her brow furrowing slightly.
Just when everyone thought the big shot was about to lose her temper and refute the ridiculous canary theory, the powerful woman spoke.
“What’s wrong? Is your stomach hurting again?”
Everyone: ?
“Holy cow, could it actually be true?”
All eyes landed on Fei Shi’s back. Her tall, slender figure combined with a high-fashion suit featured impeccable stitching and tailoring, even those who didn’t recognize the luxury brand could tell the outfit exuded wealth and perfectly complemented its owner’s cool, breathtaking aura.
“Waaa…” Xiao Ai wiped away tears. “I said it! It really feels like watching a Girls’ Love novel! Why is this so sweet to ship!”
“…I feel like an NPC right now.”
The empty water bottle Ye Siyu was holding had dropped to the ground at some point without her realizing it.
The plastic bottle made a hollow echoing sound, bouncing a couple of times before coming to a rest by Ye Siyu’s feet, gently swaying.
Yet Ye Siyu seemed unable to hear anything.
The shadow cast by the figure in front of her enveloped her completely, covering her thin, fragile frame as if blocking every possible escape route.
Ye Siyu swallowed hard, her heart pounding frantically in her dry throat. She slowly raised her eyes and met Fei Shi’s gaze.
Those dark gold, amber like eyes looked down, paired with silky, falling black hair, exquisitely beautiful and intensely overwhelming.
She stared deep into Ye Siyu’s eyes for a long time, her gaze filled with unhideable longing and desire.
It was like a parched person catching sight of a sweet spring, dark currents swirled in her eyes, and the delicate tendons and muscles of her fair neck twitched slightly, as if she were swallowing with a dry throat.
Finally, she spoke again, as if addressing Ye Siyu, yet also as if addressing everyone else.
“Yes, I am her canary. She kept me, and then she abandoned me and ran away.”
The scene fell dead silent for a few seconds. Finally, someone broke it.
A male voice let out a strange howl. “Oh my god, her drunk talk was actually real!”
“Keeping a canary and then running off… is a GL novel becoming reality?”
“Although… our Xiaoyu is really quite a jerk…”
At that moment, someone maliciously summarized. “Oh, I get it! Traveling from afar, she came to demand back pay! Did Xiaoyu run away without paying?”
Everyone: ?
That suffocating pressure hadn’t disappeared at all, instead, it firmly gripped everyone’s hearts.
Ye Siyu pursed her lips and brushed past Fei Shi, but the scent of cold sandalwood followed her like a shadow.
She pushed open the glass door of the coffee shop and stepped onto the blue cobblestone path.
Her tapping footsteps sounded completely chaotic even to her own ears.
Yet in the back alley behind the coffee shop, she came face to face with a red brick wall blocking her way.
Ye Siyu’s breathing was uneven. Before she could even turn around after stopping, she felt that cold sandalwood scent pressing in.
The damp, chilly air wrapped around her like vines instantly ensnaring her body, intruding relentlessly alongside that cold fragrance.
With a sharp snap, her wrist was grabbed.
Although the back alley was sheltered from the rain, the ground was damp and the light was dim.
Caught unprepared, Ye Siyu was yanked backward.
She turned around abruptly and collided with Fei Shi’s deep, dark eyes.
“Still want to run?”
Fei Shi possessed immense strength. Holding Ye Siyu’s wrist, she pulled the fragile, thin girl close to her.
She stared into Ye Siyu’s eyes and pulled her hand higher. “Where else are you planning to run?”
Raindrops clattered against the cheap asbestos tiles, forming streams of water that trickled down the wall bricks onto the ground.
The air conditioner outer unit hanging under the eaves emitted a continuous hum.
Ye Siyu glared at Fei Shi without saying a word, trying hard to break free.
However, her body had been very weak lately. Any exertion made her feel dizzy, her slender, fragile frame was like a delicate kite that would sway precariously with the slightest breeze.
Fei Shi narrowed her eyes, her grip tightening on Ye Siyu’s thin wrist.
Her eye rims were slightly red. Unlike the cold, decisive CEO seen on television, as she stared at Ye Siyu now, her eyelashes were somewhat damp.
It was hard to tell whether it was caught raindrops or something else…
“Still running… After all this time… have you missed me even a little, even just a tiny bit?”
“No.”
Ye Siyu finally uttered her first word in a long time. Her voice sounded dry and hoarse, but extremely firm.
Rain poured down, washing over the small town and veiling all the buildings in a hazy mist.
The entire Shanhai Town resembled a background painting in a watercolor landscape.
Right now, Fei Shi’s shoulders were coated in moisture, and several strands at the ends of her long, silk like hair had clumped together.
“Fei Shi, let go of me right now.”
Ye Siyu began struggling again. It was at this moment that she caught sight of the freshly inked tattoo on the tiger’s mouth of Fei Shi’s hand. “YSY”…
In an instant, Ye Siyu froze, forgetting to struggle.
The hand gripping her wrist used the momentum to pull her hand up to those lips that smelled of cool fragrance.
Upon the smooth, jade white back of her hand, vivid red lips pressed down.
Fei Shi seemed deeply nostalgic, her lips clung to the back of Ye Siyu’s hand, her nose pressed against her skin as her eyes closed, seemingly inhaling deeply.
“When you’re with me, is that the only thing you have to say?”
She was so gentle, yet the words she spoke cut so deep into the heart.
“But sister, have you ever considered what I’ve been thinking?”
The pouring rain made one’s heart feel damp and heavy. Ye Siyu felt as though the softest part of her heart had been squeezed, a wave of sour heartache welling up inside.
“What… were you thinking?”
Fei Shi lifted her eyelids, her deep, dark amber eyes reflecting only Ye Siyu’s figure.
“I want to take you home, tie you up, and hide you in a place where nobody can ever find you.”
“Then continuously violate you, possess you, and mark everything about you once again with what belongs to me, so you’ll never even think about running away.”
Ye Siyu bit her lip. “Fei Shi, you’ve probably gone mad…”
Hearing this, Fei Shi paused for a second.
Then, she suddenly laughed. “Yes, I am mad.”
“I never thought there would come a day when my mind would be in total chaos and unable to function.”
“Ever since I thought you were dead, Ye Siyu… how did you manage it? How could your heart be so cruel?”
When mentioning her heart, Fei Shi’s fingertip tapped right against Ye Siyu’s chest.
Ye Siyu’s breathing grew rapid, her chest heaving continuously as her eyes turned red while glaring at the person before her.
She raised her other hand to push Fei Shi’s hand away, her eyes glistening with water as she gave a bitter smile. “So according to you, I’m the one who owes you?”
Rumble, a streak of dull thunder rolled across the sky.
With a surge of force from Fei Shi’s hand, Ye Siyu’s light frame tumbled straight into that cold, sandalwood scented embrace.
The cold fragrance surged over her head, making her feel dizzy and bewildered.
“Yes,” she heard Fei Shi’s voice clearly, echoing lingeringly right by her ear.
“Starting now, you will pay back your debt to me.”
“With your body.”