“Make me yours, young master. Please… don’t push me away anymore.”

Nan Mengling’s voice was soft and melodious. To keep Zhou Jiuyu from slipping away, she pinned his arms on either side with her own, leaving not even a sliver of space. Her eyes were hollow—not the usual ethereal lightness, but a deep, desolate void.

Even when she first descended the mountain, lost and confused, Nan Mengling would still try to think things through. Clumsy as she often seemed, she always gave her best.

But now? She was ready to surrender everything to Zhou Jiuyu.

Her bare, alluring body was only the surface. What she offered ran deeper: her heart, her thoughts, her entire self.

She had accepted herself as a doll. The more she saw the world’s vastness on their journey, the more she felt she couldn’t survive alone. Maybe her strength now let her scrape by—but where to go? What to do? What future awaited?

None of it mattered anymore…

“Use my body as you wish, young master. Punish me, reward me, control me.”

Let young master handle all the complicated things. She only needed to follow quietly behind him—forever obedient, forever a docile doll.

Then everything would fall into place.

Revenge.

The future after that.

The wish to never be abandoned again.

“I’d punish you even without you asking.”

*Snap!* A crisp sound cut the air. A sharp sting bloomed on her round behind, but she didn’t resist. Lips bitten, eyes locked on Zhou Jiuyu: “Then… please continue disciplining Mengling, young master.”

“That was for your stupidity. You actually expect a reward? Damn it—do you even know acting like a dumbass is practically a crime? I’ll reward you only when you’ve truly grown up and smartened up.”

Zhou Jiuyu flicked her forehead again, pushed her back gently, adjusted her posture, and fastened the straps of her long dress.

Nan Mengling kept her head bowed, silent. Before, being called dumb would’ve sparked protest. Now? Not even a flicker of defiance remained.

“Only you and I are here on this mountain, young master. No one would know. Even if you… did whatever you wanted with me until I died, no one would find out. I wouldn’t tell… If young master desires…”

Her mind flashed to Little Sword God Mountain—to the words “Sword God” had spoken.

Without young master, she’d likely be Sword God’s slave… or worse, handed off to others.

At least young master wasn’t cruel like that…

So…

“…If, if young master desires… Mengling can be your exclusive plaything… Mmmph—!”

“What were you about to say, Nan Mengling?”

Zhou Jiuyu clamped a firm hand over her mouth. Her expression went blank—not from lack of air, but from seeing his face: stern, serious, utterly unfamiliar.

“If it were a joke, fine. But why are you *serious*?” Zhou Jiuyu held her gaze.

He never imagined she’d say something like that.

They stayed locked like that for a long moment before he slowly lowered his hand.

She could speak again—but kept her head down, silent.

“Stop calling yourself a doll. Thinking you’re a doll doesn’t make everything meaningless.”

Zhou Jiuyu’s voice was quiet. Nan Mengling’s delicate frame trembled slightly. She lifted her eyes to him, then quickly looked away.

“Young master… of course sees everything clearly.”

“Of course it’s right to leave everything to you.”

“Right my ass!”

Another flick to her forehead. “I don’t have time to arrange your life. Think for yourself. What—do you believe sharing my bed means I owe you forever?”

Head still bowed: “If young master discards me… I have no choice. I’m just… a doll. I have no say. The choice is yours.”

“Can you *stop* fixating on this damn doll thing?” Zhou Jiuyu sighed, lips tight. After a pause: “One day, you won’t be my maid anymore. You’ll stand on your own. Plan your path. Your future depends on *your* effort.”

“I tried, young master… But today I realized—I can’t. I’m just… a doll. A doll can’t live without its puppeteer.” Her voice was low, heavy.

Young master’s words echoed what her father, mother, even her master had once said.

She *wanted* to be that person. But today, she finally saw the truth: she couldn’t.

“On Little Sword God Mountain… I didn’t truly trust you. Yet even doubting you, I still followed your lead—walking forward even while knowing I might be deceived.”

She hugged her knees, curling small. Staring at the muddy grass: *My choices are as messy as this dirt.*

“Thankfully… you didn’t betray me. But… that’s only because *you* were there.”

“Without you, I’d never have left Sword God Mountain. Even after seeing my master’s true face… I’d have obeyed him. Let those men defile me. Lose my purity, dignity, everything… become less than a doll.”

“But you’re not like him. You’re a little mischievous, a little lecherous… but you’re *good*. So being your doll… is happier than that life.”

Zhou Jiuyu fell silent a long while, then rubbed his forehead. “You compare yourself to the worst… and call ‘not terrible’ ‘wonderful’? Still denying you’re a dumbass?”

Nan Mengling clenched her fists lightly, bit her lip. A whisper: “I’m… not dumb, young master.”

“Not dumb? You’re the dictionary definition!”

“Then *tell me*—where am I dumb?” She looked up, earnest.

“Fine.” Zhou Jiuyu smirked coldly. “You’re dumb because you were *this close* to standing on your own. The path to being your own woman?”

He pulled her up, led her from the tent to the cliff’s very edge. Pointed down at the grass beneath his feet.

“…About *this* far.”

Nan Mengling froze. She glanced back. So close. Just a few steps.

“Young master… don’t lie. How could it be… *this* near?”

Zhou Jiuyu chuckled. “That’s why you’re a dumbass. You were almost there—then ran backward screaming ‘I’m a doll!’ What else is that? A genius?”

“A mental hospital genius?” He laughed softly.

Her body trembled. Gaze wavering. Still disbelieving.

“Sit.”

He guided her to the cliff’s edge, then cupped her cheeks from behind, tilting her face upward.

“Look.”

Above them, the star-strewn night sky glittered.

“A doll trapped on a stage never gets to see this.”

A gentle breeze swept past. Starlight shimmered at the edge of her vision. After a long silence:

“But… on Sword God Mountain, I *did* sneak out to watch the stars.”

“You *sneaked out*. So tell me—are you a doll?”

Nan Mengling stilled. The starlight in her eyes trembled. “I… am not.”

Yes. Why had she been so foolish?

She was never a doll. From the moment she descended the mountain, she was Nan Mengling—a person. A girl with a name. She would avenge her father. See new sights. Walk unknown paths. Taste delicious food. Wear pretty clothes. Dream of a future *she* chose. Love someone *she* chose.

Blind infatuation had nearly twisted love into dependence.

Foolish. Young master was right.

“I am not a doll.”

“No.”

She whispered the words like a vow. Lifted her gaze—to the stars, to the valley.

She stood on the mountain… yet finally felt she had truly *descended*. Her heart, unclouded. The world, vast and open.

Her crimson lips parted. The wind rushed past—*not enough*. The stagnant air of eighteen years wouldn’t vanish so easily.

She drew a deep breath and shouted into the valley:

“—I AM NOT A DOLL!”

“—NOT!!!”

The cry tore free. Nan Mengling leaned back, lighter than she’d ever been.

Zhou Jiuyu sat beside her, watching her profile. In that moment, the trembling starlight settled deep within her eyes.

Never had they shone so brightly.