Chapter 31
Xie Yao’s face was gentle, his expression dark, and his voice hoarse.
Yuli’s wrists were completely immobile. She told herself not to be afraid, but her whole body couldn’t stop trembling.
In the original novel, there had been several instances of bondage, all when the original heroine was resisting him to the death. But she wasn’t resisting him now!
In her past life, Yuli had also seen some films with special themes, with bondage, whips, and the like. He said it was a couple’s pleasure, but she had no masochistic tendencies!
He must be about to do something that would make her resist, which was why he needed to tie her up.
Yuli was so terrified that she broke out in a sweat, desperately wanting to resist. But she knew that resistance was futile and might even anger him.
Yuli’s mind was about to burn out. In the blink of an eye, Xie Yao had already explored downwards and held her two jade-white ankles.
“Don’t!” Yuli finally cried out in alarm.
She struggled with her wrists. Her hands were tied together with his belt, and the other end was tied to the bed rail. She couldn’t break free at all.
Xie Yao stopped, but he didn’t let go of her ankles. He looked up at her from below.
Yuli was covered in sweat from her terror, which glistened on her delicate skin, shining with a warm light. Her whole body was flushed red and pink, her breathing was rapid, and her body was rising and falling rhythmically.
She was very scared.
Xie Yao paused and said slowly, “I said it’s a couple’s pleasure.”
Yuli’s scorching body suddenly turned cold again. The alternating heat and cold made her throat catch, and she couldn’t make a sound.
Seeing Yuli so scared, Xie Yao sighed, bent down, kissed her lips, and said softly, “Good girl, I won’t let it hurt.”
If it won’t hurt, why are you tying me up! Yuli didn’t believe him, but she didn’t dare to say so. What if he went crazy and took out a knife? It would be good if it were aimed at himself, but she was afraid he would aim it at her!
Yuli turned her head and closed her eyes, humming a trembling agreement.
She sensed that the shadow in front of her had paused, then slid downwards. Yuli clearly felt his touch, his breath.
His scorching breath pressed against a solid place. Yuli trembled violently, her eyes wide with disbelief, her face hot and red, like a freshly cooked crab, steaming with rolling heat.
A tide swept over her, with a scorching wind.
A leaf fell on a calm lake, creating layers of ripples that spread continuously. The wind was fierce and the rain was heavy. The ripples deepened, swirling and rising, gradually turning into waves.
The urgent waves pushed to the peak. Yuli’s breath seemed to be blocked by the lake water. Her whole body lost its strength, and she was completely submerged.
“Alright, stop…” she wanted to say, but Xie Yao didn’t hear.
Yuli was tightly controlled by Xie Yao, and her arms were also immobile. She was continuously submerged, on the verge of drowning.
Xie Yao finally let her go. Yuli’s face was flushed, her whole body was soaked, and she had no strength left. She breathed through her mouth and nose, glanced at Xie Yao, her nose wrinkled, and she sobbed twice, then began to cry.
Xie Yao was breathing heavily. Seeing this, his breath stopped. He didn’t even dare to touch her.
Yuli cried. It turned out that it wasn’t that he wanted to indulge in his desires, but that he wanted to force her to indulge.
Yuli thought of the various terrible illegal drugs in the modern era.
It was probably like this.
Every drop of pleasure hidden in her blood was stimulated and then evaporated. Yuli felt as if her body no longer existed.
“Hold me… Xie Yao…” Yuli said.
Her voice was small and mixed with sobs. Xie Yao was still staring at her blankly, at a loss.
“Hold me, Mingyan,” she said a little louder.
Xie Yao immediately reached out and scooped her up. Her wrists were still tied. He untied the knot and held Yuli tightly in his arms.
“Hold me tighter,” Yuli cried.
Xie Yao was stunned for a moment, then let out a breath, pressed her back, and held her forcefully until his palms turned white and he could no longer get any closer.
Yuli didn’t move, didn’t push him, but stopped crying and turned to a deep sigh.
Xie Yao’s breathing grew heavier. He pressed against Yuli’s hair and greedily inhaled her scent. A smile gradually appeared in his dark, gloomy eyes.
*
Yuli slept so soundly that she lost track of time. When she woke up, the morning sun was already shining on the bed curtains.
She turned over, and a strange feeling came from her body. She immediately remembered everything from last night.
She closed her eyes, and her cheeks turned red at a visible speed.
She calmed down for a long time, and when she opened her eyes again, they were full of resentment.
It was all Xie Yao’s fault. He hadn’t tormented her, but he had disregarded her wishes and forcibly overdrawn her pleasure.
Originally, they could have done it plainly, every other day. Now, she probably wouldn’t want to be near him for several days.
But last night, he had finished quickly. It was unclear if he was satisfied. He probably wouldn’t allow her not to be intimate with him.
Yuli sat up. She didn’t see any red marks on her body. Fortunately, although he was crazy, at least he hadn’t left her covered in bruises and unable to get out of bed for three days.
Yuli got up and dressed. Xiyun quickly knocked and entered.
When Yuli saw her, a faint blush flashed across her face. Last night, she had been covered in sweat and water. Xie Yao had fed her a lot of water and had Xiyun come in to change the sheets before carrying her to wash.
Xiyun had a smile on her face and looked very relaxed and at ease. Her expression was normal, and she didn’t mention what had happened last night.
Yuli was a little embarrassed. How could she let others do these things?
Yuli thought of how she had already taken her manumission papers and indenture contract to the government office to have her status removed. She was now a free citizen and could plan a bright future for herself.
“Xiyun, do you want to go out and start your own household?” Yuli asked her.
Xiyun was stunned for a moment. After confirming that Yuli was not trying to drive her away, she smiled. “I have room and board here with the Mistress, and a monthly salary that is much higher than ordinary people, and occasional rewards. I can’t bear to leave.”
Yuli thought about it. By modern analogy, Xiyun was like a high-end family nanny. Although it was a bit tiring, with many trivial matters, and she occasionally had to bear the pressure from Xie Yao, her salary was very high, and it was indeed a relatively good job.
“And people like me, who have been freed from servitude, cannot start their own household without a house and land. If I leave here, I will be a vagrant,” Xiyun said.
Xiyun was trying to reassure Yuli, but when Yuli heard the words “house and land,” a wave of bitterness also rose in her heart. She was also someone without a house.
Today was the Mid-Autumn Festival. Yuli didn’t think much of it. After breakfast, she went to the kitchen, found some ingredients, and was going to make mooncakes.
The kitchen in the residence was not large, but it had all kinds of ingredients. Yuli wanted to make egg yolk and lotus seed paste and Yunnan ham mooncakes. These two were her favorites, one sweet and one savory, just right to satisfy different people’s tastes.
Yuli had never made them before, but she had seen many food bloggers make them. She described the ingredients and the process, and Uncle Hu and the pastry chef took over. Soon, they had made something that looked quite presentable.
Yuli tasted it. It was almost the same as what she had eaten in her past life.
Yuli then suggested some improvements. In the end, the result was really like modern mooncakes.
Tasting the reunion flavor of her hometown that she could never return to, Yuli almost cried.
“The Mistress always has wonderful ideas. I have never seen such a taste before,” Uncle Hu also tasted it and praised it endlessly. “If you reduce the sugar and salt and make the taste a little more refreshing, and sell it in the West Market, I’m afraid it would be sold out in a moment. And if you manage it well, it will definitely become a must-eat pastry in the capital!”
Yuli swallowed her tears and a strong desire arose in her to sell pastries in the West Market, make a lot of money, and buy a house.
Yuli found Jingyu and said to her, “There is one ingredient that the residence doesn’t have, and Uncle Hu and the others have never seen it. I want to go to the West Market to buy it. Help me arrange to leave the residence.”
Jingyu was stunned for a moment. Yuli’s heart leaped to her throat, but she heard her agree and actually go to have someone prepare.
She could leave the residence, she could order Jingyu around. Yuli acted on her decision immediately. She returned to Mingyue Residence, changed into a light outfit, and planned to go to the West Market to do some market research first.
Jingyu returned quickly, but her brow was slightly furrowed. “Reporting to the Mistress, the carriage wheel is damaged. I’m afraid you won’t be able to leave the residence today.”
Yuli paused, then smiled. “It’s alright. I don’t need a carriage. I’ll walk.”
Saying this, she was about to walk out.
After a few quick steps, Jingyu ran over in small steps and blocked her.
“The Young Master will be back soon. The West Market is far, and it will take a long time. The Mistress should go tomorrow,” Jingyu advised.
Yuli stopped, as if she had just realized. “Alright, there’s no rush.”
Yuli turned and went back into the room. She seemed normal, but her heart could not be calm.
At dusk, Yuli went to meet Xie Yao. From a distance, her cheeks grew a little hot when she saw him.
Last night’s experience had been too impactful. She still hadn’t recovered. The thought of her crying and begging him to hold her, and even feeling that it wasn’t tight enough when it was already a little painful, was just too pathetic.
As Xie Yao approached, Yuli saw his warm, jade-like face and light red lips, and her face and ears burned.
Xie Yao stared at her, the corners of his lips slightly curled, a smile in his eyes.
Yuli held her face and fanned her cheeks. “I’ve been waiting for you for so long, my face is hot from the sun.”
It was already the Mid-Autumn Festival. The evening was slightly cool, and the sunlight was light.
Xie Yao just hummed ambiguously.
So be it.
Yuli was even more embarrassed. She was about to turn and leave, but Xie Yao took a long stride, caught up with her, and held her wrist.
Yuli pretended to shake him off. He turned and his five fingers slipped into the gaps between hers, holding her fingers tightly.
Yuli couldn’t shake him off. She turned her head and didn’t look at him.
Xie Yao was not annoyed. His thumb caressed the back of her hand, and the corners of his lips were always slightly curled.
Since he was not displeased even like this, Yuli decided to really implement the plan she had conceived in the afternoon.
After the meal, Yuli pulled Xie Yao to hang up the colorful lanterns. She had had Xiyun and the maids make them in the afternoon. There was a rabbit lantern and a tiger head lantern.
Xie Yao was not interested in this. Yuli wanted to hang them high and specially asked him for help.
Xie Yao hung one on the corner of the pavilion and one on the flower trellis.
Yuli suddenly said, “When I was at home, every Mid-Autumn Festival, my father would make some paper lanterns and hang them in the house. Although they all doted on my brother more, on this day, we were always happy and harmonious.”
Yuli took Xie Yao’s hand, looked at him, and smiled. “What about you? You’ve never mentioned your family. It’s the Mid-Autumn Festival, and they haven’t sent a message? Do you have any brothers or sisters?”
Xie Yao’s expression was normal. He looked at her and said, “I’ll tell you in a while.”
He was not lying, nor was he being perfunctory, which made it a little difficult for Yuli to continue the conversation.
“Then do you have any other friends in the capital?” Yuli asked instead.
“What’s wrong? Why do you ask these things?”
Yuli: “This residence is so big. I’ve been here alone for a long time, and I’m a little lonely.”
Xie Yao was impassive.
“I want to go out and play,” Yuli said.
Xie Yao pulled his hand away and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “I’ll accompany you when I’m free.”
Xie Yao was too busy, and she didn’t want him to use his power to clear the place. She was only eighteen, and her future was still long. She had been lying flat for more than half a year and had done everything she could do at home. There were no mobile phones in this world, so she couldn’t watch videos or watch abstract things with countless netizens through her phone. The people she faced every day were just those few. She didn’t want to live like this for the rest of her life.
Even in the modern era, after resigning and lying flat, the thing she wanted to do most was to travel during the off-season.
“You just want to go out and play?” Xie Yao suddenly asked.
Yuli pursed her lips. She didn’t want to lie to him either.
Yuli pulled his hand away. “Let me give you a taste of the mooncakes I made.”
Yuli went into the room, brought out the mooncakes she had prepared in advance, and placed them in front of Xie Yao.
“Have a taste,” Yuli said, picking one up and holding it to his mouth.
Xie Yao took a bite, ate it, and said nothing.
“Uncle Hu said that the pastries I came up with are very special and delicious. If I open a pastry shop in the capital, it will definitely be very popular. I want to give it a try. What do you think?” Yuli said.
“If you want money, I can give it to you, an inexhaustible amount,” Xie Yao said.
“No,” Yuli said seriously. “I’m bored and want to do something.”
“Doing business is not simple. I can give you everything you want. You don’t have to suffer.”
Yuli paused. Yes, opening a shop was not simple. It was not like her previous breakfast stall, where she was the only one. But for a pastry shop, she had to hire people and also persuade Uncle Hu to help. Maybe Uncle Hu’s judgment was wrong, and her pastries would not sell well, which would lead to continuous losses and end in failure.
“Good girl, I’ll take you out to play in a few days when I’m free,” Xie Yao comforted her.
Yuli did not respond.
At night, after bathing and getting into bed, Yuli was still absent-minded. Xie Yao buried his head in the side of her neck and gently kissed her shoulder.
Yuli pulled up her collar and said in a small voice, “We just did it last night.”
“It won’t be so intense tonight,” Xie Yao said.
When he was normal, their lovemaking was still quite normal. Yuli let go and let him be.
Yuli closed her eyes, and the feelings in her body gradually drove away the thoughts in her mind. She bit her lip and panted.
Her mind went blank, and she felt even more clearly that she was not satisfied with her current life of being carefully kept.
Yuli’s eyelashes trembled, and she suddenly opened her eyes. “Wait.”
Xie Yao: “It’s wet enough.”