Chapter 5: Why Does It Feel Better the More I Get Hit?

She bit her lower lip so hard that it turned white and began to bleed.

She had once been a man, a man who stood tall and proud.

But now, she had become a frail little girl, a doll at the mercy of others.

Ye Lan’s arm, like an iron hoop, wrapped tightly around Mu Xi’s waist, rendering her immobile.

Ye Lan’s breath, warm and moist, brushed against Mu Xi’s ear, sending shivers down her spine.

“It seems you’re still quite resistant to me,” Ye Lan’s voice was low and hoarse, laced with a hint of amusement as it echoed in the silent room.

Mu Xi’s body stiffened.
She snapped her eyes open, looked up, and met Ye Lan’s gaze.

In those deep phoenix eyes, a dangerous light flickered, like stars in the night, impossible to fathom.

“How could that be,” Mu Xi forced a smile, her voice trembling, “I was already very comfortable. I still feel all tingly now, I can’t even get out of bed.”

She tried hard to control her body, to stop it from trembling so violently.

She knew she couldn’t resist, couldn’t provoke Ye Lan.

She could only be obedient, only curry favor, to eke out a meager existence in the hands of this terrifying woman.

Ye Lan pushed open the window, and sunlight poured in, dyeing the entire room a golden hue.

The pink curtains swayed gently in the breeze, like a dream.

She stripped the blood-stained sheets from the bed and tossed them into the humming washing machine in the bathroom.

“Wait for me obediently on the bed. Don’t get off. If I find out, you will be punished,” Ye Lan turned and said to Mu Xi, her voice carrying an unquestionable command.

The door closed softly with a light “click.”

Mu Xi sat up on the bed and made a face in the direction of the door.

‘The only one who’d listen to you is a little dog!’ she thought angrily.

But just at that moment, Ye Lan turned back, pushed the door open, and saw Mu Xi making the face.

“What are you doing?” Ye Lan asked, raising an eyebrow.

Mu Xi’s body stiffened, the expression on her face instantly freezing.

She quickly rubbed her face and explained, “Oh, my facial muscles are so stiff. Uh, I was actually practicing my smile, to welcome you back every time.”

The corner of Ye Lan’s mouth lifted with a hint of mockery. “If you don’t practice well, there’ll be extra punishment.”

The door was closed again, making a dull thud.

Mu Xi felt like crying but had no tears, slumping onto the bed like a frost-bitten eggplant.

A moment later, she sprang up from the bed like a coil.

“You won’t let me get off the bed, but I insist on getting down, or I’ll really become a doll for you to play with!”

She thought, gritting her teeth.

Considering that Ye Lan might have remembered the position of the slippers, Mu Xi got off the bed without shoes, walking around the room barefoot.

The pink carpet was soft and comfortable, like walking on clouds.

She would not obey! She would resist!

As the saying goes, a Buddha fights for a stick of incense, and a person fights for a breath of dignity. This was exactly it.

Mu Xi encouraged herself inwardly as she walked.

The distant forest, like a green sea, churned with waves in the howling wind, roaring as if to devour everything.

In Mu Xi’s room, the pink curtains whipped about in the wind, making a “pat-pat-pat” sound, as if beating against her heart.

She paced back and forth on the carpet barefoot.
The pink carpet was soft and comfortable, yet it couldn’t soothe the anxiety in her heart.

This was Ye Lan’s territory.
She was like a canary trapped in a cage, utterly powerless to resist.

A head-on confrontation was undoubtedly suicide.
Mu Xi began to think of a strategy.

She remembered those classic overbearing CEO novels, where the female lead was always rebellious and defiant, clashing with the CEO, yet always managed to arouse his desire to conquer.

Perhaps she could do the opposite.

Pretend to be obedient and submissive to first gain Ye Lan’s trust, then find an opportunity to escape.
Even if she couldn’t escape, at least it might make Ye Lan get tired of her sooner.

At this thought, Mu Xi’s mood lightened considerably.
The blue sky and white clouds outside the window seemed to become brighter as well.

She began to think about how to play the role of an obedient, good girl.

Just then, the door slowly creaked open.
Mu Xi’s heart sank, thinking Ye Lan had returned.

She held her breath and observed carefully, but saw no one enter, and there was no sound from outside.

But how could the door open by itself?

Puzzled, she tiptoed to the door and peeked outside.

The hallway was empty, not a soul in sight.

Just as she let her guard down, the door slammed shut with a “bang,” so fast that it was clearly intentional.

Mu Xi reacted quickly and pulled her head back in time, but her forehead was still lightly bumped.

She ignored the pain and hurried back to the bed, wrapping herself tightly in the quilt.

Playing innocent was the only thing she could do now.

However, after waiting for a long time, the room remained silent, and no one came in.

Mu Xi sat up on the bed, completely baffled.

A few seconds later, it dawned on her. It was a setup!

A trap!

Ye Lan couldn’t be sure if she had gotten off the bed, so she deliberately had someone open the door to lure her to check.

If she had gone to look, it would prove that she had gotten off the bed and walked around.
By slamming the door shut then, she would have no way to explain herself.

“Ah!” Mu Xi cried out in frustration.
How could she have been so foolish at such a critical moment?

It was really over this time.
Ye Lan would definitely punish her severely when she returned.

For the rest of the time, Mu Xi was on tenterhooks, each day feeling like a year.

At noon and in the evening, women in black suits and sunglasses brought her cake, placing it on the bed.
Mu Xi didn’t want to eat, but she didn’t dare not to.

Late at night, Ye Lan finally returned, looking travel-worn and weary.

As soon as she entered the door, she questioned Mu Xi.

“Who allowed you to get off the bed and move around? Didn’t I tell you to be good? Disobedient again, are you?”

As Mu Xi racked her brain for an explanation, Ye Lan asked again, “Where’s the smile you were practicing?”

Mu Xi was stunned, only then remembering that matter.
She felt as if struck by lightning. ‘You must have prepared this combo in advance, I wasn’t ready at all!’

Ye Lan walked to the bed and ordered Mu Xi, “Come, turn around and stick your bottom up high.”

Mu Xi pouted and reluctantly moved from the head of the bed to the foot.

She obediently turned around and stuck her bottom out.

Smack!

A crisp sound echoed in the room, and Mu Xi’s bottom was immediately struck.

Smack! Smack! Smack!

A few more consecutive smacks followed, louder than before.
Mu Xi sucked in a sharp breath from the pain, but she grit her teeth and didn’t cry out.

She turned onto her side, collapsing onto the soft bed.
Tears fell like broken strings of pearls, streaming down her face.

She sobbed, her voice filled with grievance and helplessness.

“What are you crying for? You brought this on yourself,” Ye Lan said coldly, thinking Mu Xi was crying because of the punishment.

In truth, only Mu Xi herself knew the real reason for her tears.

Although she was being spanked, a strange sensation spread from her bottom through her body.

The pain was slight; it was more of an indescribable tingling numbness, as if countless tiny ants were crawling on her.

If this continued, she was afraid that punishments would turn into rewards in the future.

Mu Xi was terrified.
She even began to suspect if she had some special constitution that made her feel a faint pleasure from being spanked.

For example, a natural-born masochist’s body.

This… this was too terrifying… The more Mu Xi thought about it, the more frightened she became, and her tears flowed even more fiercely.