Chapter 50.1

Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW

Qiao Ziman stared blankly at the ceiling, her tear-filled eyes unfocused as fragmented images flashed through her mind.

Her body had been bound, powerless to resist. Struggling had been useless. Like a ship lost at sea, adrift without sails, she had been tossed higher and higher by the relentless waves. Drowned, submerged in that salty, humid ocean. Each time she surfaced for air, another wave crashed over her, dragging her down even deeper.

“Chi Yin, stop…”

“Stop.”

“What did you just call me?”

“Yin Yin.”

“Good girl.”

“Stop it.”

“Turn it off.”

“Just hold on a little longer—one last time.”

She had no idea how many times she had begged her to stop last night. And every time, Chi Yin had reassured her it was the last.

Liar. A damn liar!

How could she take advantage of someone just because they were drunk?!

…Though, admittedly, it had been a little thrilling. But that wasn’t the point!

There wasn’t a single trace of remorse!

Unforgivable! Absolutely unforgivable!!!

Tears of frustration, regret, and humiliation slid silently from the corners of her eyes, soaking into the pillow.

The arm wrapped around her waist tightened. Chi Yin’s voice, still tinged with the remnants of alcohol, murmured sleepily, “What’s wrong?”

Qiao Ziman instantly froze, holding her breath. She curled up in Chi Yin’s arms, not daring to move an inch. The last thing she wanted was to wake up the drunken beast and invite another round of madness.

She waited.

The steady rhythm of Chi Yin’s breathing reassured her that she was still fast asleep. Only then did Qiao Ziman cautiously slip out of her embrace, climbing out of bed. She grabbed her phone and darted into the nearby wardrobe.

After a whole night of intense activity, exhaustion finally caught up with her.

She buried her face in Chi Yin’s clothes and dozed off.

—

Qiao Ziman was jolted awake by Chi Yin’s anxious voice calling her name. Rubbing her bleary eyes, she groggily glanced down at her phone. The screen was flooded with WeChat notifications—dozens of messages from Chi Yin.

Qiao Ziman let out a barely audible hmph, swiping to unlock her phone and lazily scanning the messages.

[Qiao Qiao, where are you?]

[Where did you go?]

[I drank too much last night. Some things are a little blurry… Did I scare you?]

Qiao Ziman: “???”

Blurry? Ha.

Her molars ground together as she furiously jabbed at her phone, typing out a reply:

[Your credibility is officially at zero!]

Just as she was about to hit send, she suddenly remembered—she was still mad.

Stay cool. Stay cool. Stay cool.

Chin lifted, she took a deep breath and long-pressed the message, deleting it.

Right then, another message from Chi Yin popped up.

[Still angry?]

[Qiao Qiao, come home, okay? If there’s a problem, let’s solve the problem—just don’t solve me, alright?]

Qiao Ziman let out another soft hmph.

The next second—

Her phone started ringing, the sound blaring through the cramped, suffocating space of the wardrobe.

Sharp. Jarring. Absolutely panic-inducing.

Her heart shot straight to her throat. With the reflexes of a seasoned survivor, she silenced the call in record time, setting her phone to mute before pressing herself against the wooden panels, ears straining.

She waited.

One minute passed. No sound of footsteps approaching.

Letting out a slow breath, she lifted her chin in smug satisfaction. Then, carefully, she pressed her ear against the wardrobe door, listening for any movement outside. 

Faintly, she could hear Chi Yin on the phone.

“Ji Yun, has Qiao Qiao contacted you?”

“You’re sure she’s not with you?”

“If you hear anything, let me know immediately.”

Qiao Ziman scoffed. Traitor.

Chi Yin’s footsteps drifted away.

The door creaked open. Then silence. The bedroom returned to stillness.

Qiao Ziman hurriedly cracked the wardrobe door open just enough to gulp in some fresh air. 

Right then, her phone lit up—Ji Yun was calling. She glanced warily at the bedroom door before answering, keeping her voice low. “What do you want, you little traitor?”

“Qiao Qiao, Boss Chi just called me. She said you disappeared. What’s going on? Are you… are you really breaking up with her?”

Qiao Ziman rolled her eyes so hard she practically strained a muscle. “Who said I’m breaking up with her? Sure, Yin Yin set me up, but she’s never actually hurt me. She treats me well, she treats my mom even better—genuinely so. I like her, she likes me. A mutual love like this is rare, so why the hell would I break up with her?”

Ji Yun: “…” Ugh. So sweet it’s giving me cavities.

“So, what’s your plan now?”

Qiao Ziman clenched her fist, gritting her teeth. “Why should I always be the one getting dragged around? I need to take back control. She needs to understand that I, Qiao Ziman, am not someone she can just mess with. I need to teach her a proper lesson!”

“Otherwise, what if she keeps tricking me? What if she lies to me again? She hasn’t even fully realized her mistake yet, and on top of that, she—” Qiao Ziman’s tongue twisted mid-sentence. “Anyway, until she truly reflects on what she did wrong, I refuse to show up! I want her to suffer trying to find me. I’m running away from home!”

Ji Yun immediately zeroed in on the real issue. “Hold on, how exactly did she bully you?”

Qiao Ziman panicked. “None of your business!”

Like hell she was going to say it out loud. Some things were just too embarrassing.

Ji Yun rolled her eyes. Please. As if she couldn’t guess. Obviously, it was that kind of bullying.

Running away from home? Tsk. This was just another chapter in their kinky little couple dynamic. She was kind of getting used to it.

Ji Yun chuckled, lowering her head to continue sketching.

Hearing nothing but silence from the other end of the call, Qiao Ziman grew curious. “Why aren’t you asking?”

Ji Yun paused, pen hovering over the page. “Ask you what?”

Qiao Ziman’s voice took on a mysterious tone. “Aren’t you even a little curious about where I’m hiding?”