Meng Yao waited outside the Xiaoyun Guard. As soon as Meng Chi came out, she approached him: “Brother, let’s go home. I’ve been waiting for you.”
“No, I’m going to Yuan Ning’s,” Meng Chi said, trying to distance himself.
“Brother, I made you orange pancakes,” she said, showing a large, swollen burn scar on her hand. “I accidentally burned myself.”
Orange pancakes… When they were young, they were often hungry, and getting something delicious made them incredibly happy. Once, a neighbor gave them an orange segment, and they kept pushing it back and forth. Later, Meng Yao stole flour from the kitchen, made pancakes with the orange. The taste lingered in Meng Chi’s memory.
His heart softened. He sighed, took Meng Yao’s hand to examine the wound, and gently blew on it. “Let’s go home and apply medicine. Be more careful next time.”
Meng Yao nodded obediently.
Halfway through the orange pancake, Meng Chi felt his eyelids growing heavy. As he reached for a water bowl, he suddenly noticed a strange taste on his tongue – not from the orange pancake, but from a drowsing drug.
“Yao Yao, was this your doing?” Meng Chi fought against his lethargy, standing up to drink clean water that could counteract the drug.
“Brother, don’t go find that little bitch,” Meng Yao said, pressing her soft hand gently on his chest. “We’re the ones who’ll grow old together.”
But Meng Chi could no longer hear her and quickly disappeared into the night.
In the shadows of the roof ridge, Sun Jiacong silently clenched his fist.
“Jiaojiao, do you really have to provoke Meng Chi?” Ruan Ning chased after the chain, trying to reason, “I really have no interest in him at all. Who would like someone who ties them up?”
“Stockholm syndrome,” the standard female voice responded. “You literary youth love to study how complex human nature is.”
“Please, I’m not a literary youth,” Ruan Ning mumbled. “I’m just a vulgar person who wants money and has no interest in human nature.”
“Meng Chi is quite rich,” the voice said excitedly. “He’s made quite a bit from his underworld connections.”
“Forget it, even if you gave me a mountain of gold and chained me up, I wouldn’t want it.”
Jiaojiao, isn’t Zheng Yu also a yandere? Help me find an assistant so I can locate him quickly!”
“Can’t spoil the plot; host will judge for herself after meeting Zheng Yu,” the standard female voice responded. “There is an assistant, though.”
A transparent panel popped up: Long-distance communication: 100 Tyrant Tickets.
“So expensive?” Ruan Ning was shocked. “How many Tyrant Tickets do I have?”
The panel flickered, showing her score: 21 Tyrant Tickets, 16 bottles of nutritional liquid.
Such a poor score? Ruan Ning could hardly believe it.
“It’s exam week, so the platform’s traffic isn’t good, which inevitably affects the host,” the standard female voice encouraged her. “Hang in there. If you can make it through the winter break when all the kids are free, you might just turn things around!”
With a bang, the door was kicked open, and Meng Chi burst in, wearing only dark blue silk pants, water dripping from his cuffs. His face looked terrible, and his eyes held a sharpness.
Ruan Ning hurried to dodge, but he grabbed the silver chain and pulled her back, causing her to fall into his wet embrace. Her thin clothes quickly became damp, and Meng Chi’s voice was cold: “Trying to hide?”
His hand followed the silver chain downward, suddenly gripping her foot and slowly lifting it, making Ruan Ning uneasy.
Just as Meng Chi was about to struggle, his lips touched Ruan Ning’s ankle, kissing it slowly.
“You’re really not well-behaved,” he murmured. “Always making things difficult for me.”
Ruan Ning got goosebumps and quickly broke free. “Don’t do this!”
Meng Chi let go, but his expression darkened. After a while, he placed her on the bed, blew out the candle, and left.
Ruan Ning tossed and turned, afraid he might suddenly go crazy. However, he never returned, and she gradually fell asleep amid worry and confusion.
Meng Chi lay on the roof, the gray tiles pressing against his bare back, reminding him of his childhood punishments with his sister. So many years had passed; he could now protect her, but she had become someone he could not face.
His sister was not normal, and perhaps he was not either. Normal people wouldn’t lock up their stepsisters or develop feelings for them. But they were family, even sharing the same kind of illness.
As the sun rose, a new day arrived. Ruan Ning opened her eyes to see Meng Chi holding a hot towel, silently helping her up and wiping her face.
What is he up to now?
Ruan Ning tried to dodge. “I have hands and feet. Let me do it myself.”
But Meng Chi completely ignored her, carefully wiping her face.
After finishing, he picked up a water cup and blue salt, then brought a basin for her to rinse her mouth. Ruan Ning reluctantly complied, and Meng Chi quickly cleaned up the items and brought breakfast.
He held her in his arms, scooping up porridge and feeding her bite by bite, as if she were a child.
Ruan Ning, horrified, tried to grab the spoon: “I’ll do it myself.”
“Don’t you remember? I used to feed you when you first came to my home,” Meng Chi said, recalling how scared she had been in a strange place. “You cried and begged for me when I got beaten, and when I was fine, you fainted from crying.”
Ruan Ning felt a chill and said reluctantly: “That’s why I say I never wronged you. If you remember our kindness, then let me go.”
Meng Chi remained silent, scooping up more porridge, blowing on it, and bringing it to her mouth again.
Ruan Ning frowned, refusing to open her mouth. Meng Chi lifted the spoon, half-smiling: “Believe me, I’ll feed you with my mouth?”
Ruan Ning quickly opened her mouth. Meng Chi laughed. She was delicate and soft under his care, and she obediently listened.
This feeling was good. That day, Meng Chi stayed home with her, feeding her all three meals and holding her on his lap thoughtfully. In the cool evening, he even took her to the roof to enjoy the breeze.
Ruan Ning’s mind became more active, sensing his unusually gentle mood. Perhaps she could try to persuade him to let her go?
“Brother,” she said carefully, “I can’t keep staying here. If you don’t like going to the Zheng family, can we call off the marriage with Zheng Yu?”
Meng Chi’s warm expression turned cold. “Don’t even think about leaving,” he said, fastening the silver chain that bound them together, attaching the other end to his own wrist.
The next day, Meng Chi remained home with her, the chain forcing Ruan Ning to be inseparable from him. On the third morning, Meng Chi finally opened the chain to go out. Just then, a young man knocked on the door and called, “Meng Brother, are you there? I’m Zheng Yu.”
Ruan Ning was surprised. Meng Chi replied lightly, “My sister is happy?”
Tormented beyond caution, Ruan Ning snapped, “Yes!”
Meng Chi’s face darkened as he walked to the door and looked at the young scholar outside. His gaze was sharp: “You say you are Zhen Yu. How do you prove it?”
The young book boy behind him handed over a bundle. Zhen Yu took out an official document and a large red marriage certificate, smiling, “Brother Meng is truly cautious. With these two items, I can prove my identity.”
Meng Chi confirmed that Zhen Yu was indeed who he claimed to be. “Who passed on the message for you to come?”
Zhen Yu, unaware of any danger, smiled warmly, “Brother Meng, the agreed wedding date has arrived. I’ve come to take your sister home to get married.”
Meng Chi’s thoughts turned murderous. “Come in,” he said, stepping aside to let Zhen Yu enter. He then instructed the Xiao Yun guards, “Send the book boy to the inn.”
Zhen Yu happily entered and was momentarily stunned to see Ruan Ning. “Sister Yuan Ning, why are you dressed like someone who has left home?”
