After reading the alert from Hypnotic Depth Perception, Gu Qinghan’s mood plummeted.
The hypnotic depth had risen again.
Now he finally understood why Liana had remained silent.
His original plan—avoiding punishment to bypass her masochistic triggers and indirectly pressure her into speaking—had backfired.
As time passed, Liana gradually adapted to this unusual disciplinary method.
In other words, the absence of punishment had itself become a form of punishment.
Slowly, she began drawing even sharper pleasure from this novel approach.
“Mmm~”
Liana’s eyes grew hazy, soft gasps escaping her lips as a flush spread across her skin.
“Mr. Hohenheim…”
Her toes curled tightly; black stockings shimmered faintly under moonlight like translucent garlic cloves. Her body arched sharply, trembling uncontrollably, cheeks stained crimson.
“To take something I cherish and let beasts defile it… How cruel of you…”
With slender arms barely propping herself up, she lifted her head wearily—her eyes now perfectly heart-shaped.
“You must want to do equally cruel things to my body too, right?”
“Shut up!!”
Gu Qinghan buried his face in his hands, fury boiling over.
He wanted to sweep every prop into the trash, grab the security door, and flee into the night.
Why keep these useless items?
Leaving them here would only make Liana more twisted!
He’d thought this method would shatter her defenses and extract the key information.
Now he saw—he’d gravely underestimated her depravity.
Unprecedented. Unmatched.
Minotaur fetishists?
Even those who thrilled at the thought of a cat-cow hybrid warrior?
As night deepened, the crescent moon hung cold and lonely on the horizon.
*Bang!* Gu Qinghan slammed the door and fled.
Sitting alone on the stairwell steps, cold seeped through his trousers, chilling his backside.
For many, Friday night meant eager anticipation.
For some, the opposite.
This lonely city had gained another heartbroken soul.
…
Saturday morning.
Another hopeless day.
Gu Qinghan wandered the streets aimlessly.
The plan had failed.
Yet he couldn’t bring himself to discard the props.
Those lewd items were carefully packed into a cardboard box—never to be shown to Liana again.
Meanwhile, the orange cat returned to its ordinary life, sent back to its owner.
Gu Qinghan no longer knew what to do.
A dead end.
Punishment excited her. No punishment excited her.
Even violation by a cat-cow hybrid thrilled her.
Faced with such obsession, he was utterly at his wit’s end.
Time grew tighter.
Only two days remained until Miss Katarina’s routine inspection.
This situation absolutely could not be seen by her.
Gu Qinghan sighed deeply, head spinning.
What twisted Liana’s soul so deeply?
His expression darkened.
Such trauma rarely opened easily. Forcing her to speak would be harder than imagined.
Existing methods were useless.
“Just walk today… clear my head… find a clue…”
He took a deep breath and wandered on.
Morning passed. No inspiration came.
Instead, his stomach growled: *Time to feed Liana.*
Five minutes later, Gu Qinghan rushed back with lunch, sweat on his brow.
He stuffed the long, hard loaf into Liana’s mouth, waited for her to swallow, and left again.
Half the day wasted.
If afternoon slipped away too, the cost would be too high.
“I need to figure this out—fast.”
He steeled himself, opened the wooden door—and froze.
A familiar figure stood waiting with a smile.
Right arm crossed over chest, bowing slightly.
Ever the gentleman.
“Oh? Mr. Hohenheim?”
Gu Qinghan’s heartbeat skipped.
Richard stood there, smiling warmly.
“Hello, Mr. Richard,” Gu Qinghan replied smoothly, flashing a practiced smile and nod.
Meeting Richard now was unexpected.
“How fortunate—to bump into you two days straight!” Richard grinned, gaze drifting toward the slightly ajar door.
“Buying lunch for two again today, Mr. Hohenheim?”
Gu Qinghan kept his tone calm and gentle, subtly shifting to block the view.
“Yes. Prices are low—I’m stocking up to save money.”
Richard blinked, then offered a polite nod.
“Indeed. These are uneasy times. Kidnappings happen often.”
“Quite right.”
“About yesterday’s matter, Mr. Hohenheim—any news?”
Gu Qinghan held Richard’s sapphire gaze, smile unwavering.
He knew exactly what Richard meant.
*He* had kidnapped Liana.
“I found Miss Liana just before lunch,” Gu Qinghan said calmly, closing the door behind him.
“Really?” Richard’s eyes glinted faintly.
“She mentioned urgent business today. But she asked me to tell you—she hopes you’ll walk with her tomorrow evening. Please be punctual.”
He paused deliberately, then added with a smile, “Consider it compensation for your recent troubles.”
Richard’s lips curved into an inscrutable smile.
“I see.”
They faced each other, smiles not reaching their eyes.
A cold breeze rustled the stiff paper package in Richard’s hand.
Gu Qinghan’s gaze dropped—and he frowned.
“Then, Mr. Hohenheim, please bless my joyful day with Liana tomorrow.”
Richard bowed deeply, arm across chest, smiling.
“Of course. I never withhold praise for sincere love.”
Gu Qinghan returned a subtle smile.
His eyes fixed on the package.
Indistinct from outside—but at one corner, something sharp had torn the cardboard.
Metal glinted golden in the sun.
