“You have feelings for him, Wan Nu,” Yang Haoran said after they had separated from the crowd and reached a quieter spot. His voice reached Xiao Shaowan’s ears.
Xiao Shaowan fell silent for a few seconds upon hearing this before slowly replying, “I used to.” Her cool voice carried a hint of detachment.
Yang Haoran understood her meaning and did not press further.
“Do you know what I meant earlier?”
“I guessed some of it… but I didn’t dare confirm.” Xiao Shaowan knew he was referring to what had happened before.
Yang Haoran suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Xiao Shaowan.
Their gazes locked. Yang Haoran’s eyes conveyed a domineering sense of invasion, while Xiao Shaowan’s crystalline pupils clearly reflected his handsome features, which now appeared somewhat cold and ruthless.
“I have no taste for being cuckolded, Wan Nu. Listen clearly,” Yang Haoran said in an icy tone.
Despite the cold ruthlessness in Yang Haoran’s voice, Xiao Shaowan found it familiar—this was the demon!
Faced with this side of him, Xiao Shaowan knew exactly what to do. Her eyebrows trembled slightly as she lowered her gaze, avoiding his eyes to signal her submission.
“Master, Wan Nu understands,” she said. Her usually cool voice now sounded utterly meek.
If the setting had allowed it, she would have much preferred to kneel at his feet and declare her loyalty that way.
“Mm.”
“So what should I do?” After a moment’s hesitation, Xiao Shaowan felt unsure of the right measure. She decided to ask Yang Haoran directly to avoid unintentionally angering him in the future.
“You keep the place you hold in Xu Liang’s heart—ideally, make him see you as a goddess. That way, it’ll feel even better for Master when he fucks you. Got it?”
“Mm.” Xiao Shaowan nodded to show she understood, leaning in to listen closely. She knew there was more to come; this was about boundaries, and those were what she needed to watch from now on.
Yang Haoran continued instructing her as they walked. “I provoked him pretty hard today, so he might start pursuing you actively. Play hot and cold with him then. The bottom line is simple: don’t even let him touch your hand. Let him look but not touch.
“And when Master fucks you in the future, do you know what to say proactively?”
“Mm.” Xiao Shaowan grasped his meaning. Despite her shyness, she voiced it. “I’ll proactively report to Master about Xu Liang’s pursuit of me—to spice things up for Master!”
“Right, to spice things up. Wan’er, you’re so cultured—you nailed my inner thoughts right away. Excellent.” Yang Haoran was very pleased.
As for Xu Liang, he had been reduced to a mere tool for spicing things up. At that moment, back in the classroom preparing for self-study, his heart burned with fierce determination thanks to Yang Haoran’s provocation. It refused to settle down for a long time…
……
After escorting her to the girls’ dormitory, Yang Haoran couldn’t go inside, so they parted ways there.
In a good mood, Yang Haoran hummed a little tune as he headed toward the school gate. On the way, he ran into Wei Ming, who was heading to the classroom. They exchanged greetings, and Yang Haoran casually explained that something had come up and delayed him; now he was going home.
Wei Ming was also on his way to the classroom for self-study. After a brief chat, the two separated.
The school distinguished between boarding students and day students. Boarding students had to attend evening self-study in the classroom from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m., supervised by a teacher.
Day students had no such requirement. If they stayed for self-study until 9:00 and then went home, the school would be responsible for any accidents on the late-night journey home. That was why there was no evening self-study mandate for day students.
Yang Haoran, a big shot like himself, wasn’t afraid of anything. But unbeknownst to him, someone at home was pacing anxiously, repeatedly calling his phone—only to get no answer.
Yang Haoran had his phone set to silent, a habit from back in the day. He’d been sneaking phone games in class when a call came in, and the piercing ringtone had echoed through the room. Every classmate and the teacher had turned to stare, exposing him completely.
That class had ended with him standing in the corner as punishment. Afterward, he’d made a habit of silencing his phone.
Yang Haoran boarded the bus leisurely, in high spirits, unaware of what awaited him at home.
It wasn’t until he got off at his stop that he remembered to check the time. He pulled out his phone, and the screen lit up—not with the time, but with a dense cluster of missed call notifications. Dozens of them.
It was 8:07 p.m. He unlocked the screen and scrolled through: calls from Dad, Mom, Yaoyao. Most were from Mom, with the latest one just a minute ago.
Staring at those glaring notifications, Yang Haoran’s heart plummeted. His face paled in fright.
This was shaping up to be a big deal.
As Yang Haoran hesitated between turning himself in proactively or… proactively turning himself in, a pleasant melody rang out beside his ear.
What he used to find melodious now sounded piercing. He glanced at the screen: Mom.
His mind raced for an excuse as his finger instinctively tapped to answer. Now that he knew, he couldn’t bear to keep her waiting even a second longer.
He knew how important he, her son, was to his mom. Or rather, no mother didn’t worry about her child—barring rare exceptions.
Before Yang Haoran could speak, a roar laced with anxiety, worry, apprehension, and anger exploded from the phone.
“Yang Haoran! It’s so late—where the hell have you been?!”
Yang Haoran recognized the voice well, but the trembling tone was unmistakable, piercing straight through the cold device to the depths of his heart.
His brain whirred frantically, scrambling for an excuse. Despite her efforts to hide it, he caught the quiver in her voice. His heart clenched, thick guilt flooding him and stalling his thoughts.
“Mom, I’m fine. Almost home,” Yang Haoran said. Uncharacteristically, he didn’t play around or make excuses; his serious tone made Liu Ruoxi on the other end tremble too. She forgot her scolding as her anxiety seemed to leap through the phone to him.
“Haoran, what’s wrong? Don’t scare Mom. Are you with kidnappers…? No, no… Put them on the phone. We can negotiate any amount.”
By the end, she seemed to imagine something and snapped back to reason. Her final words carried a chill.
“Mom, what are you thinking? I’m fine, really.” Yang Haoran was somewhat exasperated. He’d been serious for once, only for her to assume he’d been kidnapped.
“You’re really okay?”
“Really, Mom. I told you, I’m almost home.”
Silence lasted a few seconds on the other end, as if she were gathering her emotions. Just as Yang Haoran expected.
“Get your ass home!”
Her icy voice cut through the phone like a winter gale, sharp and bone-chilling.
