Chapter 56: The Hunter’s Prey

Xia Zhiquiu was momentarily speechless upon hearing this.

But that wasn’t the main point; the crucial revelation was that this man actually intended to imprison her!

Could he truly mean to keep her as a pet?

As this thought took root, an boundless terror blossomed in Xia Zhiquiu’s heart.

She abruptly shoved the him away, her mind fixated on escaping by leaping from the window!

After all, for an ability user like her, a fall from such a height without injury would be a simple feat.

Watching Xia Zhiquiu, who had already scrambled to the window’s edge, Bai Hao shook his head with a resigned sigh before calling out.

“Auntie Xia, you dropped your wallet.”

Hearing this, Xia Zhiquiu instinctively turned her head.

Yet, a moment later, she realized the absurdity: she hadn’t brought a wallet at all!

But by then, her realization was too late, for her gaze had already locked with the Young Man’s.

What met Xia Zhiquiu’s eyes were the Bai Hao’s rose-red eyes…

In that instant, Xia Zhiquiu found those eyes incredibly beautiful, and strangely familiar, before her own gaze slowly lost its focus.

Witnessing this, Bai Hao let out a soft sigh.

‘Auntie Xia is still so easily fooled,’ he murmured, ‘even though I used this exact trick on her last time.’

After this quiet remark, Bai Hao walked over to Xia Zhiquiu.

As he gazed at the stunningly beautiful yet somewhat naive mature woman before him, his eyes darkened perceptibly…

***

When Xia Zhiquiu eventually stirred awake, she discovered herself inexplicably within a wine cellar.

Her mind was still muddled, and it took her a while to recall seeing his burning red eyes, and then… then nothing more!

The realization ignited a surge of anger within Xia Zhiquiu.

She finally understood: that scoundrel had hypnotized her!

No wonder she’d felt this way after returning from Suzhou last time!

It was utterly despicable and shameless!

It was then that she noticed her shoes were gone.

A chain, sparkling like diamonds, now encircled her ankle.

Her clothes had been changed as well; she was now clad in a black strappy mini-dress, short enough that a glance downwards offered a full view, and her legs were encased in black stockings.

The identity of the scoundrel responsible was, of course, self-evident.

Seeing all this, Xia Zhiquiu’s chest heaved with fury.

She attempted to break free from the wretched chain on her ankle, yet no matter how she struggled, it remained stubbornly fastened, to the point where she was tempted to try gnawing it off.

It was precisely then that he descended the stairs.

Observing Auntie Xia, now awake, and particularly her fiery, sensual form, he nodded in satisfaction.

Xia Zhiquiu glared at Bai Hao, her eyes blazing with indignation, and spoke icily.

“Release me!”

Hearing her, Bai Hao offered no reply, merely approaching the bar and saying.

“Auntie Xia, didn’t I tell you I’d learned how to mix drinks?

Would you care to sample my concoction?”

As he spoke, Bai Hao calmly prepared a vodka and extended it towards Xia Zhiquiu.

Xia Zhiquiu stared at him, utterly devoid of any intention to take the glass.

Yet, Bai Hao proved equally stubborn; if Xia Zhiquiu refused to take it, he would not lower the glass.

For a moment, they remained locked in a silent standoff.

Bai Hao, moreover, displayed extraordinary patience, a quality that marked him as a truly skilled hunter.

Eventually, Xia Zhiquiu could endure it no longer; she snatched the his drink with a huff and swallowed it in a single gulp!

Though it was a strong liquor, it posed no challenge for someone accustomed to drinking.

But in doing so, she became an unqualified prey, destined to be caught by the hunter sooner or later…

“What exactly will it take for you to release me?”

Xia Zhiquiu bit her crimson lip as she asked, a question she felt she had posed countless times, each instance leading to a bitter lesson…

Hearing her, Bai Hao stroked his chin.

“To be frank, Auntie Xia, I’ve never had any intention of letting you go.

From the very first moment I saw you, your fate was sealed.”

Upon hearing his words, Xia Zhiquiu’s face visibly paled, and her eyes immediately began to redden at the corners.

Yet, she refused to expose her weakness before this scoundrel; thus, she fiercely suppressed her tears, turned her head away, and gritted out.

“You’ll rot in hell!”

This venomous curse, however, merely amused Bai Hao.

Having already transformed into a ‘gui’ (TL Note: A type of demon or ghost in Chinese folklore), why would he enter heaven instead of hell?

“Auntie Xia, from now on, you truly belong only to me.

On such a special day, shouldn’t we have a few celebratory drinks?”

Xia Zhiquiu responded with a sarcastic chuckle, then slowly walked on her elegant legs to a corner, where she curled up, staring blankly at the darkened floor.

Bai Hao, in response, said in a low, lingering tone.

“Auntie Xia, if you continue to be so disobedient, then I truly will have to control you.

You wouldn’t want to find yourself unconscious and…”

The Young Man left his sentence unfinished, but Xia Zhiquiu had already grasped his sordid implication, and she instantly stared at him with a mix of shame and indignation.

“You’re shameless!”

Hearing her, Bai Hao elegantly poured himself a glass of red wine, a faint smile playing on his lips.

“Thank you for the compliment, Auntie Xia.”

Xia Zhiquiu clenched her delicate fists tightly; at this moment, she genuinely wished to kill this man.

Yet, after a moment, her fists slowly uncurled.

For reality starkly reminded her that she was powerless.

Whereas the Young Man could do anything he desired…

Watching Auntie Xia rise again and approach him, Bai Hao extended an arm, encircling her slender waist and drawing her into his embrace.

Instantly, a fragrant scent filled his nostrils.

Bai Hao buried his head in the mature woman’s jade-like neck, taking two deep breaths before speaking.

“That’s better, isn’t it?

In fact, Auntie Xia, if you behave well, I can even grant you your freedom.”

He mused, ‘By then, will this Auntie Xia, who now resists, beg me not to let her go?

I find myself quite looking forward to it…’

Xia Zhiquiu’s delicate frame trembled slightly upon hearing the his words, yet his promise only filled her with a profound sense of grief and indignation.

She truly wished this were all a dream, or even that she had never stumbled upon the truth of Bai Hao being a ‘gui’.

For after her discovery, he had indeed transformed into a malevolent ‘gui’.

As Auntie Xia was reluctantly coerced into cooperation, Bai Hao still required two bottles of red wine to get the ‘foolish’ auntie thoroughly intoxicated.

Gazling at her wine-scented crimson lips, Bai Hao showed no restraint, directly pressing his own to hers and savoring the taste.

Xia Zhiquiu initially offered some faint resistance, but ultimately, she could only submit to his torment.

The following day, the sun ascended.

Yet, for the underground wine cellar, there was no distinction between day and night, only the faint glow of artificial light.

Xia Zhiquiu spent the entire ensuing day confined there.

The young man would bring her food and attempt conversation, though Xia Zhiquiu typically remained silent.

Naturally, Bai Hao would also torment her, and these were acts Xia Zhiquiu found herself utterly powerless to resist…

He had taken her phone and sent reassuring messages to her acquaintances, a tactic that was utterly despicable!

Day after day, within a bedroom bathed in sunlight, Bai Hao, a ‘gui’, calmly sat writing in his diary:

“October 18th.

Today marks the third day since Auntie Xia was hidden away.

She remains highly uncooperative, even smashing three glasses.

Therefore, to ensure she fully comprehends her transgressions, her spare underwear has been confiscated.

Remaining tally: 190 instances…”