“No smoking, no drinking, no bad habits. Solid foundation.”

Inside the car.

The short-haired woman drove.

In the back sat Lu Huai and Xu Wenxi—the latter radiating villainess energy.

Calm-faced, she stared at her phone,

as if her own file glowed on the screen.

Lu Huai avoided her gaze, silent and withdrawn, pretending nothing happened—though the memory refused to fade.

Some wounds still ached.

Before leaving the villa, the suited man had applied medicine. No warmth. No intimacy. Just duty.

“Did you hear me? Were my words not clear enough about your situation?”

Blunt. Familiar voice—the same one behind the in-game name *The Cutest Heroine in the Entire Server*, cooing “Big Brother” in voice chat… now a smirking villainess.

Lu Huai wanted to vanish. Move. Transfer schools. Make his parents change jobs… but—

“I heard…”

A weak reply.

“I *complimented* you. No reaction?”

Xu Wenxi crossed a leg, black over-the-knee socks hugging flawless calves, voice dripping mischief.

Lu Huai held his breath.

“Thank you…”

*Endure. Not over. Not a normal world. No false hope. Your family depends on you, Lu Huai!*

“Smile?”

She turned. Hair spilled over her shoulder, soft, faintly fragrant.

Lu Huai lifted his flushed face, forcing a stiff grin.

Xu Wenxi laughed, patting his cheek lightly.

“I love how you fake it for me. So cute.”

*“For you?” he thought bitterly. “You’ve got quite the ego.”*

He looked down.

“Xu Zhixi assigned you the literature club task?”

Her shoe dangled. Lu Huai’s eyes dropped—black sock, heel visible, a hint of skin tone trembling slightly.

No arousal. Only nausea.

*Vomit now? She’d toss me out. Let traffic finish me.*

“How do you know…?”

Xu Wenxi tapped her screen, pinky resting delicately along her jaw.

“Intel. I prepare. Answer.”

“Yes…”

Lu Huai looked away.

“She gave you the blackboard newspaper task too.”

“…”

“Special attention, hm?”

“…”

*Jealous? I’m just a toy. What’s so collectible about me? Can’t I just… change?!*

Xu Wenxi murmured, “I allow others to covet my property—it proves value. But I dislike them touching what’s mine. Understand?”

*Ah.*

Lu Huai nodded. Compliance was survival. Defiance risked his parents. Zero guarantees.

This world wasn’t his anymore.

Life’s tough. Ugly guy sighs.

“First rule starts now.”

“…”

“When I speak, you look. You listen. Or I get unhappy.”

Lu Huai snapped his head up—obedient, rigid.

Flushed cheeks betrayed him.

Xu Wenxi smiled. “Good. Keep this posture. Get your writing in the school publication.”

“But… grades aren’t stable. Essays vary. They might reject it…”

He fumbled excuses, gaze locked forward, ears burning.

Xu Wenxi savored his panic. “Top twenty? Mediocre. Reach top three this semester.”

“That’s impossible—grades aren’t something I can just…”

Words died. Heart hammered.

Her fingers pinched his earlobe. Gentle tug. Pain sharpened with her icy stare.

“Hurts…”

“Then *do it*. I want results.”

He nodded, jaw tight. “I’ll… make it happen.”

“No ‘trying.’ Only results.”

“Yes! I will!”

“Better.”

She released him.

Relief washed over Lu Huai—until he instinctively slumped.

“Hm?”

He bolted upright, facing the girl who was flawless except for her soul: his mistress.

Xu Wenxi leaned into cushions, lifted both legs, and rested them on his lap.

Smooth skin. Perfect lines.

“Next time… don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Toes tapped his stomach. Light. Threatening.

Lu Huai nodded. Resistance was gone. For now.

She dozed off mid-ride. He stayed frozen, legs heavy on his stomach.

*Smell? No foot odor… but who cares. Malice is all I have left.*

He studied her sleeping face.

Softer. Sweeter. No sharp eyes. No cruel smirk.

*So cute I want to strangle you.*

*…Can’t even crash the car. Forget it.*

A bump jolted the car.

Xu Wenxi stirred. Drowsy eyes, hazy with sleep, met his rigid posture.

“Mmm…”

A honeyed, sleepy hum.

“Where?”

“Almost home.”

*She said she’d drop me off…* He dared not refuse.

“Li Yuanyuan crushed your phone, right?”

“Li Yuanyuan?”

“The driver.”

“Oh…”

*That icy woman—such a silly name?*

He glanced up. Rearview mirror: Li Yuanyuan’s warning glare. Expression vanished. *Don’t offend anyone here. Especially not me.*

Xu Wenxi ignored it. “Li Yuanyuan.”

“Yes, Miss.”

“Stop next street. Buy him a phone.”

“No! I have money—”

“Refusing my gift?”

Her tone turned glacial. Lu Huai shivered.

“No! I just… I’m not worth your money…”

*Slap myself? No. For Mom and Dad’s safety.*

Xu Wenxi laughed, eyes mocking. “Lying’s obvious. But adapting? Good. Warning: my words, my gifts—you accept. No refusal.”

“Yes.”

“You’re my property. Not a subordinate. That reply… displeases me.”

*What do you want?!*

He turned, forced a smile. “Thank you. I praise you.”

“Hmm.”

Her smile held only scorn.

Car halted. Li Yuanyuan returned with a top-tier iPhone.

Rich people logic: only the priciest.

“Swap the SIM.”

Lu Huai obeyed. Powered on. Saved her number.

“Miss my call past five seconds? You know the consequence.”

“I know…”

*I’ll answer on six.*

Dropped at his compound. Car vanished. No farewell. Preliminaries done.

*Unfriending → kidnapping → extortion? How did I lose everything?*

Clutching the new phone.

No gratitude.

Classic slap-and-sweet-date trick.

Dejected, he stumbled home.

“Hm? Back already? Sky’s dark. That girl across the hall visited *three times*…”

Su Xiangrong lounged on the sofa in breezy attire, takeout beside her, beer in hand—making Lu Huai blush as always.

But today, he stared blankly… not at her. At the table.

“Hungry? Eat some—”

He lunged.

Su Xiangrong tensed, hand flying toward her hidden knife—

*Gulp. Gulp. Gulp!!*

Eyes wide, she watched the bewildered boy grab her half-finished beer and chug it down.

"You... what's wrong?"

The young woman’s face was slightly flushed as she sensed something seemed seriously off.

The boy had just taken a big gulp of beer. Instantly, the alcohol hit him—cheeks burning crimson. He stared blankly at the bottle in his hand, voice thick with resentment:

"I... I’m not pure anymore."

"So the sassy bottom finally met his match in a dominant top?"

"???"