In the room, Yan Zhen wolfed down his dinner. Sitting across from him, Yan Meng’er propped her chin on her hands and gazed at him tenderly, a slight curve forming at the corners of her mouth.
After quickly shoveling down his rice and polishing off the dishes, Yan Zhen set his chopsticks down with a clatter. He wiped his mouth and turned a serious gaze toward Yan Meng’er.
“Out with it. What’s your angle?”
Yan Meng’er blinked in surprise, then gave a faint smile.
“Meng’er doesn’t have any ulterior motives. Meng’er just wants to be with Cousin Yan Zhen like we used to.”
“You expect me to buy that?”
Yan Meng’er immediately adopted a pitiful, aggrieved expression.
“Doesn’t Cousin Yan Zhen believe Meng’er?”
I believe you my ass!
You’ve gone completely off-script!
I’m just a newbie actor, and now I have to clean up your mess!
“Talking like that at this point is pointless,” Yan Zhen said. “I don’t want to go through another betrayal. From here on out, you go your way, I’ll go mine. Live and let live.”
The later plot didn’t involve Yan Meng’er much anyway, so it was better to cut ties early.
“Cousin Yan Zhen, don’t say that.” Yan Meng’er shook her head. “Give Meng’er one chance. Meng’er will make up for her past mistakes…”
“Hmph.”
A woman’s words are as deceptive as a demon’s whisper!
“Cousin Yan Zhen, look at this.”
Yan Meng’er suddenly produced a red collar and handed it to Yan Zhen.
“What’s this?”
Yan Zhen glanced at it curiously. It looked a bit like a dog’s collar.
Yan Meng’er took the initiative to explain. “This is a Tier 3 Mystic Artifact called the Subordination Collar. Once you drip blood on it to claim ownership, anyone at the Mystic Master level or below who wears it will obey the collar’s master completely.”
A slave collar!?
“Y-You… what are you planning?”
“Isn’t Cousin Yan Zhen worried that Meng’er won’t obey? Then let Meng’er become Cousin Yan Zhen’s slave. Meng’er will obey every command completely, no matter what Cousin Yan Zhen asks her to do. Meng’er will… will carry it out~”
At those words, Yan Meng’er seemed to think of something. Twin spots of red bloomed on her cheeks, and her beautiful eyes shyly—yet expectantly—stole glances at Yan Zhen’s reaction.
“Once Cousin Yan Zhen breaks through to Mystic Master, you can replace it with an even higher-tier collar. That way, Meng’er can be your slave for life.”
Yan Zhen was left a bit dumbfounded. This girl seemed so pure and innocent, yet here she was jumping straight into slave play!
“Ahem, we couldn’t possibly. You’re my cousin. If word got out, I’d be sunk—dragged off and drowned in a pig cage.”
“Then we’ll just keep it from everyone else. It’ll be a secret between Meng’er and Cousin Yan Zhen. And Meng’er is doing this willingly—no one would have the right to interfere. Besides, blood ties between family cousins are so diluted that marriages between us are allowed…”
As she spoke, Yan Meng’er’s face flushed bright red. The implication hanging in the air was unmistakable.
Will this scare Cousin Yan Zhen away?
But she was out of options. Returning to the way things were before was impossible in the short term. This was the only way she could justify staying by his side and slowly mend the wounds in his heart!
It’s absolutely not because Meng’er wants to do anything weird. Cousin Ruyu, forgive Meng’er for jumping the gun—Meng’er had no choice~
Sitting across from Yan Meng’er, Yan Zhen pinched his chin with one hand, adopting the thoughtful pose of a scheming schoolboy.
This Yan Meng’er was far too fanatical. Even a sudden change of heart shouldn’t push her to these extremes.
Was there some kind of trap? Like the blood claim backfiring and binding him instead…
Goddamn it, playing dirty, huh? Fine, bring it!
Yan Zhen had his Trump Card, after all. He could counter-kill at any moment.
That’s the leeway of a true protagonist!
“Fine. I’ll trust you one more time.”
With that, Yan Zhen bit his fingertip and let a drop of blood fall onto the Subordination Collar.
As the blood seeped in, the conviction that “this collar belongs only to me” bloomed in his mind.
Once it was claimed, Yan Zhen slid the Subordination Collar back toward Yan Meng’er, motioning for her to put it on herself.
Yan Meng’er retrieved it, restraining her eagerness as best she could. She took a deep breath and fastened the collar around her neck.
The moment the clasp clicked shut, the enchantment activated. It drew Mystic Power from her body to forge binding chains, compelling perfect obedience to Yan Zhen’s commands.
Defying an order would trigger a rampage of her own Mystic Power, inflicting excruciating pain.
Only the master—or someone at Mystic General rank or higher—could remove it.
“Whew. Now Meng’er is Cousin Yan Zhen’s slave. Hehehe…”
The girl cupped her cheeks in her hands, her face twisting into a sickly, obsessed grin that clashed wildly with her pure appearance.
She actually put it on? Interesting. Yan Zhen’s gaze sharpened.
Time to test it with some shameful orders. Let’s see how long you can keep up the act.
“Ahem.”
At the sound of Yan Zhen’s deliberate cough, Yan Meng’er snapped back to attention. Like a well-trained house pet, she gazed at him expectantly.
“What would Cousin Yan Zhen like to command Meng’er to do?”
Heh.
“Lie down on the ground, limbs in the air, belly exposed.”
Yan Zhen delivered the order with the utmost seriousness, like a perfect gentleman.
Eh?
Yan Meng’er froze for an instant, but she followed the compulsion surging through her body. Obediently, she lay down on the carpet at Yan Zhen’s feet, splaying her limbs toward the ceiling. Slowly, she lifted the hem of her dress, baring her fair, tender little belly.
Her jet-black hair fanned out like silk behind her, contrasting beautifully with the rumpled fabric of her skirt in a picture of delicious disarray.
Yan Meng’er curled her hands into light claws and gave a few playful scratches in the air, the very image of a submissive little bitch fawning over her master.
“C-Cousin Yan Zhen, is this good? It’s Meng’er’s first time, so she isn’t sure if she did it right.”
The girl’s cheeks burned bright red, a thin mist gathering in her eyes. The sight was utterly heart-stirring.
Holy shit!
Yan Zhen was genuinely stunned.
What kind of insane plot twist was this?
Shouldn’t the normal reaction be “No more pretending—cards on the table!” followed by a villainous sneer?
Am I the crazy one here, or is she?
Damn it, one more test!
Gazing down at the beautiful girl acting like a bitch at his feet, Yan Zhen swallowed hard. He reached out and gently stroked her exposed belly.
The skin was slightly warm, impossibly smooth and springy—addictively so.
Still no resistance? Gritting his teeth, Yan Zhen pressed harder. His hand slipped under her clothes, sliding upward.
To his astonishment, Yan Meng’er didn’t resist at all. Instead, she closed her eyes and parted her limbs a fraction wider, yielding completely like an obedient puppy.
“Wu…”
A soft whimper escaped her lips, as if she were holding something back.
She’s for real?
Yan Zhen slowly withdrew his hand. He stared at Yan Meng’er, who lay on the floor lightly panting, and felt his mind shatter into a million pieces.
His childhood sweetheart had truly become his slave.
This sure as hell isn’t a no-harem power fantasy world. It’s straight-up hentai territory!
Wait—will this mess up the later plot?
【Please don’t worry, Host. It won’t affect anything at all, because Yan Meng’er isn’t a main character.】
“Right,” Yan Zhen murmured to himself. “In the script, she only has some early scenes. Later on, aside from that one reconciliation bit, she’s barely mentioned. No matter how much I add for her, it won’t impact the overall plot.”
Bruh