*Step Step Step...
The sound of measured, deliberate steps echoed through the oppressive darkness, each step a reminder of the menace approaching. The flickering light from a swaying bulb cast shadows across the cold, concrete floor, highlighting the forms of two captives whom "I" had finally been able to capture.
"You know..." 'My' voice, soft and childish yet imbued with a chillingly unique quality, sliced through the silence, "...I consider myself a rather reasonable person. So, Mr. Joseph, what do you think about my proposition?"
My steps came to a halt, the echoes of my shoes against the hard ground slowly fading away. I turned to face Joseph, who was likely kneeling, trembling on the cold, hard floor.
With calculated precision, I placed the tip of my cane on his chest, feeling the rapid thump of his panicked heartbeat against the wooden tip.
"Fuck o-!"
Joseph attempted to show his defiance, but his words were abruptly cut off as I twisted the handle of my cane. The concealed mechanism inside activated, sending a jolt of electric agony through his body. His muscles spasmed, and a sizzling sound filled the air, mingling with the pungent smell of burnt flesh. "It’s truly fascinating," I mused, my voice remaining calm
"They say that an injured beast, when cornered, can bring great harm through it's reckless attacks, but humans are no beasts, are they? Possessing intelligence beyond any beast, there is simply no way that a human will charge at another without regard for their own life."
I turned to my left, staring into the familiar abyss of the surrounding darkness, my blind eyes unable to catch the faintest glimmer of fear in the other captive yet, i could feel his fear, "What do you think they'd do?"
"..."
"No answers? Well, that's quite alright, I won't hold it against you. The answer is they'd set traps. Now, I've been setting this trap for years and have finally caught two little rats, the perfect baits to feed the prey or perhaps a tool for my hunt?"
"..."
"Still silent? You know, I am not quite fond of being given the cold shoulder. Sigh... Amanda, let's 'greet' Mr. Wang's family as well. Perhaps they might even have a little get-together with Joseph's family later on~"
*Thud!*
The sound of something heavy hitting the floor reverberated through the space, breaking the silence. I didn’t need to guess what had happened, the familiarity of the situation told me everything.
My grandaunt, my sister's ex-fiance, his father, the boss of a crime syndicate, and many others had done a similar thing. They had knelt and begged for my mercy for their precious ones.
"Please..."
Mr. Wang's weak and trembling voice faded away into the darkness as the darkness of the dream slowly dissolved, giving way to the cold reality of the waking world.
...
Haoren felt the urge to throw up as memories surged through his mind. "Hypocrite," the word echoed relentlessly, attempting to drown his very existence.
With strings of saliva leaking from his lips, he feebly crawled into a fetal position, hugging his knees tightly, seeking solace in the darkness of his own mind.
...
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...
"Urgg..."
Li Feng groaned atop her bed as she barely opened her tightly shut eyelids. "Damn it..."
Li Feng had barely gotten any sleep last night as she squirmed atop her bed, remembering what had happened yesterday.
After their breakfast yesterday, Haoren had led her to practice, and afterward, she had to cultivate without rest until night time when Haoren once again prepared a meal and even went as far as preparing a bath for her. Well, it wasn't the first time he had done that, but it was still quite considerate of him.
Also, the dinner looked slightly (very slightly) better than the breakfast, and it even seemed to taste better.
As Li Feng joyfully enjoyed her meal, the corners of Haoren's lips slightly raised upwards. Let me reiterate this, the corners of his lips were lifted by a very extremely slight bit, that under any circumstances would not be considered a smile.
His satisfied expression—if it could be called that—kept flashing through her mind. Maybe it was because she had become quite perceptive of his micro-expressions, or perhaps it was his good looks, or maybe it was the allure of his contrasting yet charming nature. Whatever the reason, she couldn’t get him out of her mind.
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It was a strange feeling, similar to the excitement she felt before a grand theft when she desired a treasure within her grasp that left sleepless. But this feeling was different, more unpleasant, bordering on frustration.
Whenever she recalled Haoren’s faint smile, she’d feel a brief happiness, but then negative thoughts would pour in, causing her face to crumple into a frown. This cycle had continued throughout the entire night.
“He’s not here?” She looked around downstairs, unable to find Haoren. As for upstairs? She didn’t bother checking since she couldn’t sense any signs of breathing earlier.
“Did he go som—!”
Suddenly a terrible sense of unease screamed into her mind, its source being upstairs from her employer's room.
"Ha..." Even her breathing became laborious as her instincts screamed to run away, to escape.
But even then, her body moved towards the room upstairs.
Li Feng rushed upstairs, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. Every fiber of her being screamed for her to turn back, to flee from the oppressive aura.
Yet, the image of his faint, almost unnoticeable smile flashed in her mind, propelling her forward despite the mounting pressure that bore down on her body.
She clung to that smile, the one she had come to cherish, and it gave her the strength to push on.
Each step felt heavier than the last, her legs trembling as if wading through quicksand. She reached the top of the stairs, her hand trembling as it gripped the doorknob. With a deep breath, she forced the door open, bracing herself for the origin of the terrifying aura.
Darkness had engulfed the room, an unnatural void that seemed to swallow all light. It was still morning, but the sunlight that should have streamed through the windows was completely absent, consumed by the inky blackness.
The air was suffocating bereft of any life, and as she stepped inside, Li Feng felt her Qi being sapped away, her strength waning with every passing second.
Her vision blurred, her mind growing faint under the oppressive force that filled the room. Desperation clawed at her, urging her to retreat, but she bit down hard on the inside of her cheek.
The sharp, bitter taste of blood flooded her mouth, jolting her senses and maintaining her to consciousness. She couldn’t afford to lose herself now.
She staggered deeper into the room, her eyes scanning the darkness for any sign of him. She called out his name, her voice barely more than a whisper in the void. “Haoren... where are you?”
Just when her strength seemed about to give out, she noticed a faint outline on the bed. Haoren was curled into a fetal position, his figure fragile and lonely. A sense of urgency gripped her heart, and she moved towards him, a golden glow settled within her eyes yet, she remained unaware of this radiance.
She climbed onto the bed, her arms encircling Haoren’s trembling body. “Don’t worry, I’m here... Don’t worry... You’re not alone...” Her voice was soft yet firm, filled with a compassion that pierced through the darkness.
The darkness recoiled, retreating and letting the sun's radiance fill the room.
In Li Feng's embrace, Haoren’s body was tense at first, his breath hitching in his chest, but as the warmth of Li Feng’s body seeped into him, he began to relax. The oppressive aura that had pinned Li Feng down lifted, and she collapsed onto Haoren's body.
Li Feng couldn't lift her body, but her consciousness still remained. "Hu... Hu..." She breathed laborious breaths, her chest heaving as she tried to calm her racing heart.
The oppressive force that had filled the room moments ago had left her drained, her entire body covered in sweat. She could barely move, her limbs feeling like lead, but her mind began to settle, allowing her thoughts to wander.
"Huh, this..." She noticed the faint, unnoticeable yet pleasant scent emanating from Haoren's body. It was subtle, almost elusive, but it lingered in the air around them.
Mixed with the slight sweat on his body, the scent became even more tantalizing, enveloping her senses. The scent brought to her mind the image of his barely noticeable smile, and her face began to burn up in a crimson hue.
Her chest heaved and her heart raced again for entirely different reasons from earlier.
She found herself drawn to him. She felt his broad chest, and his muscular physique while her eyes traced the way his silky silver hair fell across his forehead and his long lashes. Each detail stirred something within her, deepening the crimson hue on her face.
After a few moments of battling with her inner devil, Li Feng managed to gather some strength. With great effort, she rose from Haoren's body, her legs trembling as she stood. She stumbled out of the room, her thoughts a chaotic mix of embarrassment and tiredness.
"Uh..." She paused at the doorway, as she looked back. She couldn't just leave him like this.
Taking a deep breath, she returned to Haoren's side and carefully moved his body into a more comfortable position on the bed while trying her best not to feel or see anything that might deepen her heart's turmoil.
...
Later, having prepared a light meal, Li Feng carried a bowl of porridge up to Haoren's room. As she entered, she saw that his eyes were open, staring blankly at the ceiling. Relief washed over her at the sight of him awake.
"Here, I made some porridge." Li Feng tried her best to remain nonchalant, though her heart still raced from the earlier ordeal.
Haoren's eyes slowly shifted to her, "Li Feng?" His voice was soft and a bit dazed.
"Yes, it's me." Li Feng answered, her voice a bit stiff. She approached the bed, setting the tray on the nightstand. "You need to eat something. It'll help you recover."
Haoren struggled to sit up, and Li Feng quickly moved to assist him, her hands gently supporting his back. The proximity made her heart pound, but she focused on steadying him, ignoring the fluttering in her chest.
"Haha." Haoren's sudden laugh startled her.
"What?" She looked confused at his strangely expressive laugh- this was the first time she saw him being this expressive.
"Nothing," Haoren smiled, his eyes seemed cloudy and his voice slightly intoxicated.
'Is he half asleep?' Li Feng wondered as Haoren continued.
"It's just that this is just like our first meeting except the roles have been reversed."
"???" Question marks seemed to appear above Li Feng's head as she heard his remark.
...
...
...
Having fed Haoren, Li Feng was just going back to check on him as she continued to mull over his strange words, "It's just that this is just like our first meeting except the roles have been reversed."
"What did he..."
Suddenly, she recalled a memory from back when she had just arrived in this world. When her body was barely functioning on the brink of collapse through starvation. "He..."
As if the last puzzle piece had fit into an elaborate puzzle, her heart began to pound wildly, feeling a strange heat within. Li Feng rushed into her room and locked it up.
She stood against the door, trying to calm her beating heart yet to no avail. At that point, her gaze moved to a mirror that was recently placed in her room. In that mirror was a woman with reddened cheeks and ears, with a crooked smile showing pure bliss. Seeing that, her blush only deepened.
"Could it be..." she whispered to herself, her voice trembling with realisation. "Could it be that I've... fallen for him?"