That night, Gao Sijin had secretly taken the elevator downstairs by himself. He had thought it was a momentary lapse on Tsukiyuki Rio’s part. He never imagined he was nothing more than a plaything dancing in the palm of her hand.
“So, Gao-kun tried to sneak away last night after I fell asleep, is that right?”
Her moist lips were like cherry blossoms. Her snow-white body was flawlessly perfect, her long, alluring legs crossed high, giving her the aura of a captivating seductress.
Without him realizing it, the aura of a maiden she once possessed had transformed into that of a woman of myriad charms. Tsukiyuki Rio seemed as if she had been nourished by something.
Although his body would honestly react whenever she teased him, Gao Sijin did not want to live through even one more day like this.
A life stripped of dignity and freedom could not be replaced by fleeting desires.
But Gao Sijin had been completely imprisoned here. There was no escape anymore.
“Really now, my dear Gao-kun always loves to do meaningless things.”
“Meaningless? For me, whether I can escape concerns the greatest happiness of my life.”
Her slender ankles stepped onto the red carpet. Tsukiyuki Rio smiled radiantly at the man shouting at her:
“My dearest Gao-kun, I must also hold onto this hard-won happiness of mine. If you run away, I will die. In days without you, I would rather become a ghost by your side than be unable to see you.”
Her dark crimson eyes gave off a faint glow, truly like the alluring, bewitching ghost of a tomb. Being stared at by such a gaze made Gao Sijin shiver uncontrollably.
“Actually, Young Miss, the Master didn’t mean it on purpose. Maybe he really was just hungry, so he went downstairs.”
Sensing the atmosphere was turning strange, Yu Qingxue spoke up.
“Is that so?” Tsukiyuki Rio tilted her head. “I remember there’s a kitchen on the 30th floor as well. The 4th floor is a warehouse for storing ingredients. If Gao-kun was truly hungry, why would he go to the 1st floor? Besides the reception hall, the only thing on the 1st floor is the exit from this building.”
“Maybe he was sleepwalking? After all, he’s not the sharpest tool in the shed,” Yu Qingxue patted Gao Sijin’s shoulder, seemingly trying to lighten the mood.
Gao Sijin looked at Yu Qingxue with some gratitude. Although she said he wasn’t sharp, it seemed she was helping him defuse the crisis of this incident.
But Tsukiyuki Rio said with a hint of sour jealousy:
“Qingxue really cares about Gao-kun, doesn’t she? Compared to you, I feel like a villain now. Qingxue, are you enjoying this feeling?”
“Ah, no! What I mean is, Young Miss, you should severely punish the Master. Such a foolish Master deserves to be strictly disciplined, to make him behave more honestly from now on.”
Please give me back the gratitude I felt just now.
Gao Sijin shot a sidelong glance at Yu Qingxue.
“Forget it. Let’s just let Gao-kun see the 1st floor for himself. Even if you really did have a chance to reach the 1st floor, you still couldn’t escape.”
Tsukiyuki Rio changed into a loose black kimono that wrapped around her enchanting figure. Her beautiful bare feet stepped into wooden geta. She used a wooden comb to tidy her hime-cut hairstyle, then hooked her arm around Gao Sijin’s and headed toward the elevator.
The two were inseparable. Although being pressed against that beautiful exterior of Tsukiyuki Rio made Gao Sijin’s heart race uncontrollably, the anguish inside him felt suffocating.
If one cannot even ensure their ability to breathe normally, can this still be considered love?
On the 1st floor, the maids responsible for reception and standing by were lined up in two rows. Their long maid skirts perfectly accentuated their figures, each dazzling in her own way.
Having lived here for some time now, Gao Sijin could name most of the maids.
Seeing Tsukiyuki Rio and Gao Sijin appear on the 1st floor together, the maids quickly made way, forming a wide, straight path. At the end of the red carpet were two glass doors.
Gao Sijin instinctively wanted to break free from Tsukiyuki Rio’s arm and run for that door. Through the glass door, he could even clearly see the pedestrians of Kabukicho. For the first time, the myriad facets of the human world were so close. A wrinkled old man was taking a walk, girls in JK uniforms were chatting, and a middle-aged man in a suit, nursing a hangover, trudged arduously toward his company.
“Gao-kun is just like a little dog cooped up at home for too long. Are you that eager to go out and frolic?”
“Rio, you wouldn’t understand. Let me go.”
“Then as you wish.”
Tsukiyuki Rio released Gao Sijin.
Regaining his freedom, Gao Sijin strode quickly toward the glass door. Such a flimsy door should surely push right open. Although he had no idea what tricks Tsukiyuki Rio had up her sleeve, Gao Sijin was not about to give up this chance to escape.
Seeing Gao Sijin about to flee, the maids instinctively rushed to stop him but were halted by Tsukiyuki Rio.
In the blink of an eye, Gao Sijin reached the glass door. His hands touched the door.
Light and freedom, old acquaintances and nostalgia—it was all right before his eyes.
“Huh?”
The door wouldn’t budge.
Clearly, looking at this door, it seemed like it could be easily pushed open. Yet there was a heavy, immovable force, giving Gao Sijin the illusion that he was pushing against a solid wall.
“Rio, what is the meaning of this?”
“Who knows?”
The mocking expression on Tsukiyuki Rio’s face made Gao Sijin realize he had been played yet again. No matter how he pushed, the door remained indifferent, heartlessly isolating Gao Sijin from the outside world.
Separated only by a single door, yet the distance felt like the divide between heaven and earth.
“Stop wasting your energy, Master,” Yu Qingxue said. “Without the Young Miss’s permission, it’s impossible to push this door open.”
Gao Sijin slammed his body against the door and kicked it violently several times, but the door didn’t show a single scratch. As if to demonstrate to Gao Sijin that he was merely wasting his effort, Yu Qingxue even picked up an awl and stabbed at the door; it still left not even a crack on the door’s surface.
Clearly so close, yet why?
He shouted at the top of his lungs, trying to make the people outside hear his voice, but the people outside were completely indifferent.
“On a side note, the door is absolutely soundproof and one-way transparent. You can see the people outside, but the people outside absolutely cannot see you.”
“How can there be a door with such twisted delight…”
At that moment, Gao Sijin’s gaze was suddenly drawn to two beautiful figures outside. He saw Feng Xiaohe holding Feng Xiaona’s hand, walking down the streets of Kabukicho.
“I’m right here! Xiaohe! Xiaona!” Gao Sijin pounded on the door, shouting to them.
“I’m coming, Gao-kun. However, I am not the Xiaohe or Xiaona you are calling out for.”
Tsukiyuki Rio stepped over in her wooden geta, stood before Gao Sijin, and slammed him against the door in a classic kabedon.
Her snow-white arms wrapped around Gao Sijin’s neck. The merciless red lips pressed against the mouth that had been crying for help, and her soft pink tongue easily pried open Gao Sijin’s teeth.
Clearly, in his memory, the person he had ended up with in the end was Xiaohe. But now, the one forcefully kissing him was Tsukiyuki Rio…
This sort of thing—it clearly shouldn’t be allowed—and yet, it was happening right now.
His eyes watched the retreating figures of Feng Xiaohe and Feng Xiaona, while Tsukiyuki Rio became utterly intoxicated by the sensation of kissing Gao Sijin.
No matter how he struggled, he could not escape. Bringing him to the 1st floor was nothing more than Tsukiyuki Rio’s twisted delight. She intended to use heavy shackles to completely lock down his heart that yearned for freedom.
