Li Meilin stood frozen outside Long Shen's bedroom door, her hand trembling over the carved sandalwood handle.
Once she stepped in, there would be no turning back.
A storm brewed inside her—fear, hatred, desperation. She whispered to herself, "Maybe the floor will swallow me… maybe Aunt Lin Xue will burst in and say it was all a mistake…"
But the silence mocked her.
Her fingers retracted. Then clenched.
She spun and ran to her room. Her plan was reckless—childish even—but it was all she had. If she looked ridiculous, perhaps he'd reject her. She pulled on a pair of oversized denim trousers, an old polo shirt, smeared red lipstick far outside her lips, and knotted her hair into a frizzy bun.
She looked into the mirror and smirked bitterly. A clown. Maybe that's enough to repulse a monster.
---
Long Shen, shirtless and focused, was typing on his laptop. The faint light from his antique paper lantern cast golden shadows on his chiseled torso. At the knock, he rose, expecting Meilin.
When he opened the door, his brows arched in visible distaste.
There she was: baggy pants, clown makeup, and eyes daring him to reject her.
"…What the hell are you wearing?" he asked, voice heavy with contempt.
Meilin's head was bowed. "This is what I love wearing every night," she mumbled.
Long Shen blinked, unimpressed. "You look like a possessed opera doll. Is this a joke?"
She smiled sweetly. "So... can I go now?"
She turned. He caught her wrist and yanked her inside, slamming the door.
"Nice try, Meilin."
Her stomach clenched.
"Please," she whispered, voice cracking. "Don't hurt me. I'm not ready."
He studied her silently, then released her.
"I told you to prepare yourself. I didn't say I wanted you," he said coolly, stepping back.
Meilin blinked, stunned.
"You really think I'd waste my time on someone so stubborn and pitiful?" he mocked. "You're just a transaction. I'll take you when you stop pretending you have choices."
He handed her a brown envelope.
"What's this?" she asked warily.
"Open it."
She did. Inside was a thick document. Her eyes scanned the paper and suddenly lit up.
"A university enrollment form?!"
She gasped, then shrieked with joy. "I—this is real?! I'm going to school?!"
Long Shen waved her away. "Leave. You're distracting."
Meilin hesitated at the door… then turned back and hugged him.
He stiffled surprised.
"Thank you." She smiled—genuinely—and left.
Long Shen scoffed. "Ungrateful girl. Finally remembered her manners."
She rushed into the servant's quarters with the news.
"I'm going to school!" she exclaimed.
"Congratulations, Miss Meilin!" they chorused, clapping with delight.
"For once, I feel… free."
But the moment shattered as Long Shen's voice rang out behind her.
"Says who?"
The staff scattered like startled sparrows.
"You're not free," he said coldly. "Not until your aunt pays what she owes."
Meilin's smile fell. "Why must you always remind me?"
—
Later at lunch, the silence was suffocating.
Long Shen finally spoke. "You'll be attending school from home. A bodyguard will escort you."
Meilin's chopsticks froze mid-air. "The university is two hours away."
"I don't care," he said, sipping his soup. "You'll go. You'll return. I own your time."
"You still call me a slave," she muttered.
"Because you are. Your aunt sold you to me. You are my property until her debt is paid."
Meilin's fists clenched. "Why am I the one being punished? You and Aunt Lin made the deal. I was sixteen!"
He leaned back, smirking. "A cursed girl. That's what you are. Maybe that's why they abandoned you."
Her rage exploded. "I am not cursed! You're the one cursed—alone in this fortress, no family, no visitors. No wonder no one checks on you!"
Long Shen's eyes narrowed into slits. "What did you just say?"
"A monster. That's what you are!"
He slammed the table. The plates rattled violently.
"You want to see a monster?"
He stood and grabbed her, flinging her over his shoulder. She screamed and kicked, but he carried her up the stairs.
"Let me go!" she cried. The servants stared, terrified, frozen in place.
He slammed the door to his bedroom and threw her onto the bed.
"No, please…" she begged.
Long Shen stripped off his shirt slowly, like a ritual.
"You called me a monster. So let me show you one."
"No! I'm sorry!" she wailed, crawling away.
He climbed onto the bed, his face unreadable. But then—his hands slammed into the pillows beside her, not on her.
"GET OUT!" he bellowed.
She didn't hesitate. She bolted out, sobbing, the heavy door slamming behind her.
---
Long Shen sat on the edge of the bed, his fists clenched, eyes burning.
A moment later, he grabbed his phone.
"Get the car."
Minutes later, they pulled up to his private KTV club in downtown Hangzhou.
Inside the VIP lounge, flashing lights and thumping music surrounded him.
A girl in a tight short dress caught his eye and approached.
He smirked, signaling her in.
Her flirtation was aggressive, but he played along.
He needed a distraction.
But even as she whispered sweetly into his ear…
...all he could see was Meilin's fire.
The morning sunlight filtered through the thick curtains of a luxury hotel suite. Long Shen sat shirtless on the edge of the bed, a cigarette smoldering between his fingers, smoke curling around his chiseled figure. The scent of sandalwood lingered in the air, mingling with the perfume left on the sheets.
Beside him, a woman stirred, her red silk dress from the night before now crumpled at the foot of the bed. Wrapping herself in the duvet, she leaned against him, her manicured fingers gliding across his bare back.
"昨晚真美妙," she purred. "Last night was amazing."
Long Shen didn't respond. He stood, picked up a wad of red RMB notes from the table, and tossed it onto the bed.
"Take this," he said coldly in Mandarin. "Don't wait for a second round."
The woman's eyes gleamed at the sight of the money. She clutched it with a greedy smile. "Thank you, Boss Shen. Maybe next time—?"
But Long Shen was already buttoning his black silk shirt, ignoring her. With one final glance, he left the room, his expression unreadable.
---
A few hours later, his black Bentley purred into the driveway of the Suzhou-style mansion. Meilin—still called Xiao Yu in this world she never asked for—was in the garden, tending to a patch of azaleas near the koi pond. The dew on the petals sparkled like tears.
Their eyes met. Long Shen paused.
Meilin looked away first.
Inside, the house was calm. The staff bowed and greeted their boss with quiet reverence as he passed. He offered nothing in return but a curt nod before vanishing upstairs.
---
Two weeks passed.
Long Shen was away again, his underworld business pulling him to Shanghai and Chengdu. The compound grew quieter without him, though the guards remained alert. For Meilin, the silence was freedom. Or the illusion of it.
This morning, she dressed in crisp white sneakers, denim jeans, and a simple polo shirt. Her long black hair was pulled into a low ponytail, and a small jade pendant—one she'd secretly kept from her real home—hung around her neck.
"Wow, Miss Xiao Yu, you look beautiful," one of the maids said with a soft smile.
"It's Meilin," she corrected gently. But her tone lacked the fight it once had.
"Have fun on your first day at university!" another chimed.
Meilin gave a tight nod. But her smile faded when she stepped outside and spotted the matte black Audi—and the stone-faced guard waiting beside it.
"Is this necessary?" she muttered.
"指令就是指令," the guard replied. "Orders are orders."
Meilin sighed and climbed into the back seat. The two-hour drive was long, winding past rivers, city bridges, and green hills. When they arrived at the prestigious Guanghua International University, her heart pounded.
The sprawling campus shimmered with life—students chatting, bikes whizzing by, elegant red lanterns swaying in the breeze. The modern glass buildings gleamed under the sun, a stark contrast to the prison she came from.
---
But freedom was still an illusion.
The guard followed her everywhere—from the lobby to the Department of Business Administration. Students stared. Whispered. Laughed quietly.
Meilin felt like a zoo animal, walking under scrutiny. She found a seat in the back of the lecture hall, trying to shrink into the wall.
She wasn't Meilin the girl anymore. She was Xiao Yu the property.
---
That afternoon, they drove back. As they entered the mansion, Meilin saw Long Shen descending the stairs, a fitted black changshan hugging his lean frame.
"You're back," he said coolly. "How was school?"
Meilin muttered, "Fine."
"Good. Get dressed. You're coming with me."
She froze. "Where are we going?"
Long Shen's gaze hardened. "You have thirty minutes. You don't get to ask questions. You are mine. Understand?"
Meilin clenched her fists. "Yes… Master Long."
She hated how easily the words left her lips.
---
An hour later, they arrived at Nightshade, Long Shen's exclusive VIP club hidden in the heart of the city. Neon signs glowed under moonlight, and deep house music throbbed through the walls.
Long Shen led her past velvet ropes into the VIP section. "Sit," he ordered.
She obeyed, eyes scanning the crowd—businessmen, mafia lieutenants, and models draped in silk and glitter. Meilin stuck out like a sore thumb.
"Get to work."
"…Work?"
He snapped his fingers. A waitress arrived, bowing. "Take her. She'll serve drinks tonight."
The waitress nodded and tugged Meilin away.
Long Shen called out coldly, "Be the slave you were bought to be."
---
Within minutes, Meilin was changed—forced into a skimpy skirt and low-cut blouse, her jade pendant taken away for "safety reasons." A tray of cocktails balanced on her trembling hands as she weaved through the crowd.
Every step felt like another chain around her throat.
"宝贝儿,过来喝一杯," one man slurred, "Come have a drink with me, sweetheart."
Another reached out to grope her waist. She pulled back, swallowing the bile in her throat. She couldn't even scream.
A third man caught her wrist, leering. "你叫什么名字?" "What's your name?"
She jerked away. "Let go."
But his grip only tightened.