Up to now,
Lu Huai still missed running under the setting sun—that fleeting youth… Oh, and his first kiss too.
Wait… did that even count as a first kiss?
Why had she kissed him then? A habit? A flaunt of her carefree ways? Just to make him realize emotions meant nothing to her—that being treated as her possession and getting a kiss didn’t make him her boyfriend…?
Lu Huai never thought that way. He didn’t believe she’d fall for someone like him.
So why? He had a reasonable guess: he was just a toy. An interesting one. Maybe exactly what she wanted.
Snap out of it, kid.
Life’s only seventeen years in. Stay negative now, what about the rest? This isn’t the time to get all emo, damn it!
Lu Huai steeled himself, ready to break the stiff silence—
—but didn’t expect
—a pair of legs suddenly wrapping around his thighs.
His whole body trembled. A string of light, scornful laughter followed.
He steadied his breath. Watching those school-uniform-clad legs settle atop his own, Lu Huai stayed calm.
Good. Sure, many teens get flustered by uniformed girls—but not *this* style of Chinese school pants!
He could handle it!
Watch closely. The boy you mock as a toy is growing stronger, more resolute—faster than you imagine.
Then Xu Wenxi, lounging languidly against the opposite door with a tablet in hand, reached out.
Casually tugged her own pant leg.
Just her pant leg…
The air turned suffocating.
Stockings…
Black stockings…
Hidden beneath her uniform pants…
What a devious trick!
If she’d worn them openly, he’d have braced himself. But hiding them *under* the pants?!
Who does that?!
Lu Huai held his breath, staring straight ahead, forcing his gaze away from danger.
Xu Wenxi rested a cheek on her palm, voice airy:
“How was your day?”
Friendly. Almost soothing.
“Fine…”
*Thud!*
A barefoot kick—stocking-clad, but still sharp. His pitiful stamina couldn’t handle it.
Anger flared—then clarity.
He straightened through the pain, met her icy eyes.
“Fine.”
*Answer while looking her in the eye…* Lu Huai hated this forced reflex.
When under someone’s roof, you bow your head…
“Did you dig up gossip about me at school?”
“No…”
“Oh?” Her scornful smile screamed disbelief. “Why not?”
Lu Huai faced her disdainful, amused expression. Uncomfortable, but stubborn:
“You’ll tell me what matters. No need for me to pry.”
He thought it sounded okay.
Her face went cold.
“This says you don’t care about me at all…”
He felt the calves on his stomach tighten—coiling to strike.
“No! I want to see the real you with my own eyes! Others’ words hold no truth!”
Sweat dotted his brow. A desperate save.
Silence. Thick. Unsettling.
He watched her calm face until her gaze finally shifted.
“Not bad.”
He exhaled.
Bluffed through.
Danger truly unlocks hidden strength.
But as he relaxed—movement.
She was using him as a footrest.
Her black-stockinged foot tapped, kneaded his stomach absently.
Probably unintentional—Xu Wenxi scrolled her tablet, bored but pleased.
Lu Huai couldn’t move her foot.
Yes, a beautiful girl’s stocking-clad foot rested right on his sensitive lower abdomen—a spot that *should* thrill any hot-blooded teen.
But he didn’t want *her* to be the source.
Instincts betray you.
He’d tried so hard… until his eyes caught her toes faintly visible through the sheer black fabric, pressing through his thin summer uniform.
Unbearable.
*Li Xin saw me get in her car. Tomorrow’s gossip bomb. How to explain our relationship? Something Xu Wenxi won’t rage at… What even is it… Black stockings—NO. STOP.*
“Hehe…”
A laugh.
Lu Huai slumped back, eyes shut tight in shame. Face flushed to his neck, ears burning.
“Quite energetic, aren’t we?”
Her foot drifted like a scientist adjusting an experiment.
Ashen-faced, caught between bliss and torment, he steadied his voice:
“Miss Xu’s charm is irresistible… This is just a normal reaction.”
“How disgusting,” she added, dripping disdain.
“…”
No recovery.
Just hope she meant it.
Thankfully, her foot withdrew.
Of course—just teasing. Enjoying his flustered, flushed struggle.
First time faking calm… seemed to work.
The car stopped.
Not last time’s place.
But equally lavish—a villa district.
Glided into the garage.
“Where…?” Lu Huai murmured at the unfamiliar scene.
Xu Wenxi handed her tablet to Li Yuanyuan reaching from the driver’s seat.
“Get out.”
“Okay…”
He stepped out, about to wait—
—then caught her cold stare through the window. Familiar, yet chilling.
“What?”
“When I say ‘get out,’ didn’t you think what to do? I’m doubting your brain’s usefulness.”
“…”
Lu Huai rushed to open her door.
Arms crossed, icy-eyed, she watched him.
“Forget again next time? You won’t like the result.”
Killing intent lingered.
Lu Huai nodded. Zero dignity.
*Pfft…*
A muffled laugh. Li Yuanyuan’s face snapped back to stone.
He said nothing.
*If I ever turn the tables… you’re first.*
*Never underestimate a young man at his lowest, damn it!*
“Let’s go.”
Xu Wenxi strode ahead, hands confident at her sides.
Unlike Lu Huai, hands buried deep in pockets for false security.
Unfamiliar. Uncertain.
“Good evening, Miss!”
“Good evening, Miss!”
Uniformed servants bowed in the grand hall. The villa’s scale stunned him—suddenly, the Xu family’s wealth felt real.
Lu Huai looked away quickly. Didn’t want to seem green.
Xu Wenxi to Li Yuanyuan: “Wash him. Bring him to the study.”
“Yes, Miss.”
She swept off like a young queen.
Lu Huai stood frozen.
Li Yuanyuan approached. “Ten minutes to shower.”
“…Skip it?” he suggested earnestly.
“No. Miss hates sweat. You must be spotless.”
No choice. He followed her to the ground-floor bath—spacious, with separate shower and tub zones.
A servant left folded white cotton clothes inside.
“Will this fit…?” Lu Huai hesitated.
Li Yuanyuan checked her watch. “Timer starts now.”
“…”
He’d never showered this fast. Teens prefer leisurely hot showers, savoring the warmth.
No freedom left. Might as well be dead!
…Kidding. Gotta survive.
If you fear not death, what’s left to fear?
He changed into plain white tee and light wide-leg pants.
*Underwear? Probably fine. Doubt I’ll need to take pants off.*
Li Yuanyuan waited outside. Glanced at him, then her watch.
“Couldn’t have taken long…”
“Five or six minutes. Super fast.”
She nodded flatly. “Checking if you’re clean.”
“Why not wash me yourself…”
“…Flirting?”
Her cold stare froze him. He raised hands instantly.
Led like a prisoner to the second-floor study.
A calming fragrance filled the air.
Extravagant: computer, two full bookshelves, AC, radiator, a wide sofa.
There was no one else.
Li Yuanyuan gestured for Lu Huai to step inside.
“Go in and wait. The young mistress is bathing.”
“Okay…”
The door shut behind him.
Lu Huai sat on the sofa and pulled out his phone first.
After a brief pause, he brushed aside worries about shyness or initiative. He sent separate messages to Yan Ningning and Su Xiangrong: *Something came up. Might be very late getting home.* He didn’t dwell on explanations—just switched his phone to silent.
Who knew if Xu Wenxi would whimsically check his phone later and do something utterly baffling?
He waited quietly, untouched anything, perched stiffly in the sofa’s corner.
This wasn’t a friend’s home. This was an enemy’s.
An enemy savoring every moment of toying with him!
*Lu Huai, stay sharp. Make her bow before you.*
Even if it’s far off. Even if the future feels distant.
It *will* come. With this willpower, you won’t lose to anyone. Reclaim your dignity—even defy the world!!
Hypnotizing himself with a chuunibyou-tier conviction, Lu Huai felt his head grow heavier…
At some point, his eyes drifted shut.
Until…
…
A faint tickle brushed his cheek—itchy… strangely cold…
Fingers? An ice pop…?
He opened his eyes.
First thing he saw: a smiling face. Breathtakingly beautiful—yet instantly igniting boundless hatred deep within him.
Her large eyes locked onto his from inches away. Lu Huai instinctively tried to look away.
The moment he did, cold sweat slicked his back.
Because he saw it—a gleaming knife.
Its tip pressed against his cheek. So light… so gentle… so icy cold.
