That night, Jiang Chen cried until her voice grew hoarse.
Countless times she wept and begged for mercy, her eyes swollen and red from crying, tears dripping onto the back of her hand, wetting it only to dry again.
“No, no… I… I can’t…”
Her vision gradually blurred, her mind already a blank slate. The torn mohair sweater and that cute plaid skirt were still scattered on the floor…
“I was wrong, I really know I was wrong. Let me go, I… I’ll never dare again…”
She had resisted, she had bitten, she had fought with all her might against that man.
But…
The disparity in strength between men and women was ultimately too great.
All her efforts, in the man’s eyes, were merely means to stir desire.
“You…”
A sweaty palm gripped her chin, the man’s eyes flickering with a bewitching light. “I like your stubbornness.”
“You’re a madman, you, you’re a complete and utter madman!!”
He yanked her up, her lips already swollen and red, even broken at the corners.
“Still quite stubborn, even like this, you can still curse.” The man laughed instead of getting angry, the desire in his eyes burning even fiercer.
It burned her body into trembling.
“Jiang Chen, you’re really interesting.”
Before Jiang Chen lost consciousness, this was the last sentence she heard.
When she woke again, it was nearly noon.
She opened her eyes in confusion.
Last night… was it a nightmare?
She slowly sat up, even this simple action making her break into a sweat, her entire body aching as if it had fallen apart.
The glaring red marks around her wrists made her dizzy.
She remembered.
Last night, she had begged him in tears.
She had even been willing to kneel before him.
Just begging him to let her go, to stop tormenting her.
But the man was so cold, his handsome lips always curved in a smile, the desire in his eyes seemingly endless. He had bullied her all night, even… even…
Jiang Chen closed her eyes, forcing herself not to recall. She wrapped her body tightly in the blanket.
It was over, it was all over.
That demon wasn’t here, at least for now she was free.
Knock, knock, knock.
A faint knocking sound came from the door.
Jiang Chen instantly felt her scalp go numb, her entire body trembling uncontrollably.
“Who?! Who is it?!” She wanted to sound calm, but her trembling voice betrayed her inner fear.
“Miss Jiang, it’s me.”
Aunt Zhao’s voice came from outside the door, carrying a hint of caution.
Only then did Jiang Chen relax slightly.
“Miss, may I come in?”
Her heart, which had just settled, instantly tightened again. Jiang Chen almost instinctively shook her head desperately.
“No, you, don’t come in!!”
It was too shameful; she absolutely could not let anyone see her in such a wretched state.
“Miss, don’t be afraid, I’m here to help you.”
Aunt Zhao paused, seeming to hesitate for a long time before continuing, “Miss, you… after all, it’s your first time experiencing this, there are many… many things you don’t understand. This… this… you must be hurt, right? I, I’ll help you treat the wounds. Don’t worry, there’s no one else here, just me.”
“……”
Receiving Jiang Chen’s silent consent, Aunt Zhao gently opened the door.
Looking at the girl on the bed, wrapped tightly in the blanket with a terrified expression, Aunt Zhao’s eyes were filled with heartache.
“Miss, don’t be afraid. You’re still young, experiencing this for the first time, and on top of that, the master…” Aunt Zhao paused, seeming to search for words in her mind, “He doesn’t know how to be gentle. The places where you’re hurt should be taken care of properly, so they’ll heal faster and won’t keep hurting so much.”
Aunt Zhao’s voice was warm and soft, flowing like water to slowly soothe the fear in Jiang Chen’s heart.
Aunt Zhao gently pulled back the blanket. “Don’t be afraid, let me see, I’ll…”
The words she hadn’t yet spoken were abruptly swallowed back, and Aunt Zhao sharply drew in a breath.
The girl’s fair, delicate body was covered in bruises—on her neck, shoulders… even there… The circle of rope marks around her wrists was particularly shocking.
“You… this is… The master is truly reckless! After all, this is your first time, how could he be so brutal?!”
Aunt Zhao’s eyes were filled with pity. She helped the girl lean back against the headboard and fetched a thin blanket to cover her body.
“Miss, I need to apply some medicine there for you, otherwise it will keep hurting terribly.”
A faint coolness gradually eased the discomfort in her body, and Jiang Chen’s tightly furrowed brow finally began to relax.
“Don’t worry, Miss. You’re still so young; your body will recover quickly,” Aunt Zhao comforted her gently.
Aunt Zhao was a cheerful soul, not only cooking delicious meals but also telling jokes to lift spirits.
With Aunt Zhao’s company, the knot of anxiety in Jiang Chen’s heart gradually eased somewhat.
However, she was still afraid of nightfall.
To be precise, she was afraid of that man.
“Aunt Zhao, can I sleep with you tonight?” She couldn’t remember how many times she had clung to Aunt Zhao, pleading.
“That’s not proper!” Aunt Zhao waved her hands in fright. “I’m a servant, and you’re the mistress. What sense does it make for mistress and servant to share a room? If you sleep in my room, what if… what if it angers the master, then…”
“But… but…”
“Miss, don’t worry. I’ve already reported your condition to the master. He probably won’t… won’t trouble you again tonight. Rest easy.”
Despite Aunt Zhao’s reassurance, Jiang Chen remained uneasy.
Staring at the bedroom door, her legs trembled involuntarily.
After hesitating for a long time, she still didn’t return to her room. Instead, she lay down fully clothed in a guest room on the first floor.
Her body still ached, and she was exhausted, quickly falling asleep.
“Mmm…”
She didn’t know how much time had passed when she felt as if a heavy stone were pressing on her chest, making it hard to breathe.
She slowly opened her eyes.
With just one glance, she was terrified out of her wits.
“You… mmm…”
Her lips were firmly sealed, and what met her eyes was that handsome yet sinisterly charming face.
“Why are you sleeping here?”
The man curved his lips, half-smiling. “What, trying to resist again?”
“No, no…”
The “torment” of the previous night was still vivid in her mind. How could her body endure another “ravaging” now?
To protect herself, she had learned to be obedient.
“I… I was just… very tired, and I happened to see a bed here, so… so I just… lay down,” she stammered.
The man narrowed his long eyes, his hand gripping her chin tightening slightly.
“Really?”
“Really. I… I wouldn’t dare lie,” she said, her face pale like a pitiful little animal.
“Good.”
The man tilted his head thoughtfully, and the corners of his lips finally curved into a knowing smile.
He stretched out his long arm and lifted the girl into his embrace. “Jiang Chen, it seems I’ve been poisoned by you. I’ve been thinking of you all day today.” Tonight, shall we continue?”
With just a light, casual remark, Lu Jin frightened Jiang Chen so much that her hairs stood on end, and her voice faltered. “Mr. Lu, no, we can’t. I still… I’m not ready yet…”
“No matter.” Lu Jin’s eyes curved into a smile, his expression bewitching.
His gaze wandered over the girl’s body before finally settling on her red lips. “Perhaps we could…”