Chapter 128 “You love me.”: “You obey me.”

Chapter 128: "You Love Me." "You Obey Me."

Tian Qin was stern, her face cold.

They were already extremely close, yet he still felt it wasn't enough, as if he wanted to be fused into her very flesh and blood.

"Brother-in-law."

She said quietly.

Xie Tanwei replied, "Mm?"

"You used to get tired of me and let me go. Now, when will you get tired again?"

Since being brought here, she had dreamed countless times of him growing bored, hoping he would get tired of her and drive her away again, just as he had when he expelled her from the Xie residence.

Back then, she didn't appreciate it. Being kicked out by him was actually the happiest thing in the world at that time—his aversion was always more comforting than his affection.

Xie Tanwei didn't answer, instead holding her tighter in his embrace, the increasingly suffocating force was already a reply.

"Don't wait."

Bored? There never was any.

He sighed. At the time, he hadn't seen his own heart clearly. Now that he did, he would hold on tight and never let her go.

In a few days, after she had suffered enough, accepted the discipline, and had a change of heart, he would take her back to the mansion.

He had sent Xian Qiu a letter of divorce. The mansion was empty, without a mistress. If she returned, she would be the only mistress.

This time, he was utterly determined.

"Instead of trying to leave, why don't you try to accept me."

Xie Tanwei no longer hesitated to express his feelings for her directly. He cupped her face, examining her restored eyes as if they were a treasure of the world. "If pain is inevitable, try changing your mindset and enjoying it. Things might not be as bad as you imagine."

Tian Qin refused clearly and soberly: "No. Pain is pain. No matter how you change your mindset, it's still pain."

She saw him as the root of her pain.

Xie Tanwei sighed, feeling regret but not sorrow. He was the same as before—he didn't expect Tian Qin's love. But previously, he thought that when fate ended, they would part. Now, his obsession with confining her ran deeper.

Perhaps, from the very beginning, when he resolutely planted the irreversible Love Gu, tragedy was already set in motion.

"We can make a trade."

After a moment of thought, he was ready to make great sacrifices to win a few forced smiles from her. His voice was low, coaxing: "If you make me happy, I'll make you happy. If you want to see that old woman, Mama, and Bo Ge, trade for it by doing the right things. For each right thing you do, I'll let you see one of them. Imagine: if you do the right thing every single moment, piling up a mountain of correct deeds, even the most unreasonable request would have to be granted by me. Even if you wanted to be with Bo Ge."

"Did you capture Bo Ge?"

"No. But it would be easy to catch him."

"You're forcing me."

"No. I'm just making a suggestion."

Tian Qin curled up in his arms, unconsciously fidgeting with the hem of her skirt. What were the right things to do? For him, it meant far more than her simply staying put and not running away.

On high alert, she asked in a whisper, "Tell me—what are the right things to do?"

Xie Tanwei didn't want to be too explicit.

His mind flashed with images of her mutual admiration with Bo Ge, her deep affection for Xu Junzheng—scene after scene, stirring up the darkest, most horrifying jealousy in his heart.

And here he was, using coercion to steal a little warmth. How pitiful and unfair.

The right thing is: you love me.

"You obey me," he ended up saying.

So obeying him was the right thing—much simpler than she had imagined.

Tian Qin accepted the condition. "Alright. I agree."

Xie Tanwei closed his eyes, remembering a beautiful past moment. Once, when she was in a wheelchair, he pushed her through a sunny field of flowers, where countless butterflies danced. Some landed on the tip of her nose, making her gaze at them fixedly. But that day, her beautiful silhouette flew right into his heart, making it impossible for him to forget for years.

He had already experienced the fulfillment of having her by his side. He couldn't bear to be an abandoned empty shell again.

"You promised. I'll be waiting." Xie Tanwei smiled and high-fived her, though it was somewhat forced, her expression reluctant.

Tian Qin washed up and brushed her teeth. Xie Tanwei stayed by her side the whole time, using twice the amount of soap pods. When she removed her hair ornaments, he helped.

When the familiar, ink-smooth strands of her long hair threaded through his fingers again, Xie Tanwei felt an indescribable satisfaction. Everything was worth it.

He would be the villain. She could hate him for all he cared.

Tian Qin didn't like him clinging like this, as if their feelings were good.

Did a prostitute in a brothel have good feelings with a client? How ridiculous.

"Pick me up." She put her arms on his shoulders and commanded.

Xie Tanwei complied easily, lifting her slender figure with one hand and settling her on his arm. Tian Qin was now higher than him, she bent slightly and wrapped her arms around his head. The fabric of her clothes covered his mouth and nose, making him feel faintly suffocated.

He didn't resist this suffocation; instead, he was deeply fascinated by it. His body and mind reached an unprecedented state of relaxation. He even wished she would smother him to death, so he might die by her own hand.

The bed was soon reached.

Tian Qin lay down, her eyelids looking a bit sleepy, and soon he covered her with rain-like kisses.

"What did you learn today?"

Xie Tanwei grabbed her wrist and asked, now it was his turn to suffocate her.

Liu Ruyan had disciplined her today, he knew.

"This." Tian Qin kicked him fiercely.

Xie Tanwei had to use one leg to pin her down and laughed. "Is that all you've got?"

Tian Qin could no longer move, her entire body restrained by him. Only her head was free.

She simply raised her chin and said contemptuously, "More like the person you hired to discipline me is the one with that little skill."

"Let me see how good you really are." Xie Tanwei, his voice thick with desire, pressed down and tore her apart inch by inch.

...

Yingge had been here for a few days, doing as she pleased and ignoring the rules as if they didn't exist.

Liu Ruyan was “Mama Liu” of Drunken Years—the one who disciplined and managed the girls, none of whom dared overstep her authority. Yet Yingge not only overstepped it—she treated Mama Liu like a mere maidservant.

“Next time, add the rose oil the Lord gave me to my wash water.” That morning, Yingge issued the command with a blank, impassive expression, as if it were her rightful due—as though she’d rendered some extraordinary service to the Lord the night before.

Liu Ruyan felt as though struck by lightning, humiliated to the core of her being—yet she clenched her teeth and suppressed her fury.

As far as she knew, Yingge’s original name was Tian Qin. She was a distant younger sister of the Lady of the House—but due to her seductive nature and repeated attempts to seduce the Lord, the Lady had banished her. The Lord, ever chivalrous and tender-hearted, unable to bear seeing her destitute on the streets, had temporarily placed her in Drunken Years to temper her temperament.

The Lady of the House should have been the one to discipline Yingge.

For a fleeting moment, the thought crossed Liu Ruyan’s mind—then she shook her head, laughing inwardly at its absurdity.

What did she imagine this place to be? A brothel—a place no respectable gentlewoman would ever set foot in, not even once in her lifetime. How could the exalted Lady of the House possibly stoop to such a den?

Every creature has its conqueror. Recalling how the arrogant Yingge had once been severely punished by the Lady of the House, Liu Ruyan felt a quiet, grim satisfaction.

That day’s training focused on bedchamber skills—designed to please male clients. The other girls obediently practiced—but Yingge deemed it an affront to her dignity and refused to cooperate.

“The night before last, Yingge locked the Lord out, forcing him to plead with her outside—gently, patiently, endlessly. This morning, she declared, ‘This is simply who I am,’ and the Lord merely smiled and replied, ‘I like it.’ He even slipped a fine mutton-fat jade bracelet onto her wrist.”

Yu Zhu whispered the report: the Lord often brought gourmet delicacies to Yingge—but Yingge ignored him entirely. One might mistake *her* for the master and *him* for the servant. Yet he tolerated it—willing to strike, willing to endure the blows.

Yu Zhu cowered, trembling, her voice barely audible: “The Lord instructed me to inform you, Madam—that if you ever dare skimp on Miss Yingge’s food or expenses again, you must cut off your own hands and boil them into soup to atone for your sin.”

“What?!” Liu Ruyan gasped, nearly collapsing. Her hand—broad as a palm-leaf fan—rose in fury.

Yu Zhu shrieked and scrambled behind the cabinet, utterly terrified. “Madam, it’s not my fault! Those were the Lord’s exact words!”

Liu Ruyan’s face drained of color, then flushed livid with shame. Overwhelmed by fear of the patron’s absolute power, she slunk away—enduring the humiliation in silence. Truth be told, everyone in this trade suffered indignities from clients—but never such crushing, soul-deep humiliation.

From that moment on, even starving Yingge into submission became impossible. The Lord shielded her as if indifferent to whether she was trained to yield—indeed, he seemed to relish watching Mama Liu and the others play the villain, giving himself ample opportunity to step in and protect her.

Training people—the Lord’s method was a cold yet tender assault.

Yu Zhu felt profoundly wronged. There were far more absurd incidents she hadn’t even mentioned. For now, Mama Liu ordered her to monitor Yingge closely—to serve her with absolute obedience, anticipate her every whim, and avoid anything that might offend her.

“And also, Miss Yingge just said the attic is too cramped and stifling. She feels suffocated and wishes to come out for a walk—at least within the building itself. She asked for your opinion, Madam.”

Liu Ruyan’s reply was immediate: “What did the Lord say?”

“The Lord neither permitted nor forbade it.”

Liu Ruyan paused, then decided: “Since the Lord hasn’t forbidden it, we’d best not provoke Yingge. Let her move freely about the third floor—she’ll get fresh air, and she won’t be able to escape.”

Yu Zhu felt as though pardoned—and hurried off to deliver the news to Tian Qin.

Tian Qin had waited in the attic for what felt like an eternity, growing increasingly impatient—until finally receiving the answer. Naturally, she resented being confined to the third-floor attic alone—but further freedom rested solely with Xie Tanwei, so she wasted no words arguing with Yu Zhu or the others.

Other girls and guests lived on the third floor—and by day, Tian Qin partied wildly among them: rolling dice, drinking heavily, playing finger-guessing games, mingling freely with everyone. By night, she staggered back drunk, sometimes too exhausted even to bathe—murmuring drinking-game verses under her breath, living a life of utter dissipation, collapsing like mud, her schedule completely shattered—sleeping straight through entire days and nights.

When she first arrived, she carried herself with haughty aloofness—as if a celestial maiden descended from heaven, above the common crowd. Now, however, she seemed to have emerged from her pain—indulging in debauchery for just a fleeting glimmer of joy.

Perhaps because of her natural charm and sweet, pretty face, the girls and guests on the third floor gradually grew fond of her—always inviting her to drink and revel together.

She always found ways to make others lose at drinking games—laughing heartily, igniting the atmosphere. She probed deeply into others’ bittersweet pasts, feigning interest—yet never spoke a word about her own—even though she had much to boast of, having once been a high-ranking noble concubine.

Sweet wine slid down her throat—only to turn, deep inside, into sour, bitter tears.

As long as she was happy—who cared?

As she mastered the brothel’s rules, her temper sharpened. The slightest displeasure triggered curses—or even blows. Everyone in the building knew she was both a sweet, adorable fairy and a demon who killed without blinking.

Under these circumstances, Mama Liu’s training—and that of the others—became virtually meaningless. She became the most legendary girl in the establishment: the one who walked unscathed from Mama Liu’s torments, the subject of endless gossip among the girls over tea.

Xie Tanwei visited her from time to time—and she served him.

When he didn’t come, she savored her freedom alone.

She assumed life would continue this way—until one day, a woman covered in dust arrived, calling herself “sister,” demanding to see her by name.

—

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