Inside the writing room, Gao Sijin felt his inspiration draining away with each passing day. The words he managed to produce even felt like the incoherent ramblings of a mental patient.
Crushed by the mental pressure, he walked to the fridge, pulled out a bottle of barley tea, and gulped it down noisily, hoping to revive what little inspiration remained. Yet when he sat back down at his computer desk, his mind remained a complete blank, utterly clueless about what kind of story to write.
“Sigh.”
Gao Sijin let out a soft sigh. He might as well stop writing altogether. Although failing to produce a story meant being reverse-pushed by Tsukiyuki Rio, even so, he refused to pass off shoddy, half-baked writing as the real thing.
Leaving the writing room and stepping outside the temporary palace, the fresh air felt incredibly comfortable to Gao Sijin. What soured his mood, however, was that the moment he stepped outdoors, the number of maids around him jumped from five to ten, as if they were terrified he might suddenly bolt.
“Even prison guards don’t watch their inmates this closely, do they?”
Gao Sijin grumbled with immense dissatisfaction.
The maids, however, offered no reply. They simply fixed their beautiful eyes on him with unwavering intensity, like venomous snakes lying in wait, their gazes utterly devoid of human emotion.
Ignoring their stares, Gao Sijin headed straight toward the iron gate.
But just as he was less than twenty meters from the gate, several maids swiftly stepped in front of him, blocking his path.
“Master, you cannot proceed any further.”
“I can’t even stand by the iron gate and look at the scenery? If you’re not comfortable, you can hold onto me. Besides, I’m just an ordinary mortal. There’s no way I could escape, alright?”
“That is still not permissible. We have a duty to ensure your safety, Master. If you truly wish to go outside and look around, please discuss it with Young Lady Tsukiyuki. We have no authority to decide anything else.”
Gao Sijin clenched his fists slightly, his expression twisting into something grim.
“It seems you’re harboring some unrealistic fantasies, Master. To prevent you from persisting in your folly, we’ve decided to use compulsory measures. Excuse us, Master.”
The maids stepped forward, hoisting Gao Sijin up by his arms on either side, and forcibly dragged him back into the mansion once more.
“Please don’t make this difficult for us. This is a matter of necessity.”
Aside from Yu Qingxue, Gao Sijin felt these maids were just like cold, emotionless robots, offering no room whatsoever for negotiation.
Indeed, these girls in their elegant and dignified maid uniforms possessed beautiful appearances. But in Gao Sijin’s eyes, their beauty resembled that of a viper with ornate, dazzling stripes.
Since leaving the premises was impossible, Gao Sijin could only head to the equestrian field. Now, that white horse had become his most important companion. Sometimes, animals were more trustworthy than people, because animals would never betray you.
“Come on, take me for a couple of laps.”
As if understanding human speech, the white horse galloped across the equestrian field, carrying Gao Sijin on its back.
Gao Sijin felt as free as the wind. Although this so-called freedom was nothing but a mirage, it was still better than nothing.
To some extent, he really had to thank Yu Qingxue. Horseback riding truly was a sport that could lift one’s spirits.
He rode while shouting out loud, “Yeehaw!”
It wasn’t until around four in the afternoon that Yu Qingxue drove the Mercedes-Benz sedan back, bringing Young Lady Tsukiyuki Rio home.
Seeing Gao Sijin riding the white horse alone, circling the field, Tsukiyuki Rio’s eyes sparkled with infatuation as if spellbound:
“Gao-kun, you look so dashing on horseback.”
She mounted a fine horse herself and followed closely behind him. Compared to the horse Gao Sijin rode, Tsukiyuki Rio appeared far more adept at taming a spirited steed.
They maintained the same pace, riding around the equestrian field while chatting.
“By the way, Gao-kun was shouting loudly just now. Was something bothering you?”
“Yes. I’ve been under your house arrest for almost two weeks now. There’s not a shred of inspiration left in my brain. Writing comes from life experience, but you keep forcing me to look at the exact same scenery. How do you expect me to write something good enough to satisfy you?”
“So that’s how it is. Gao-kun wants to go outside, is that it? In that case, why didn’t you say so earlier?”
“I’ve been saying I want to go outside this whole time!”
“I understand now. Then I’ll simply change the location of your house arrest, Gao-kun. Would you prefer to be under house arrest by me in Chiyoda, Shibuya, or perhaps New Port? As long as it’s within J-Country, I can satisfy Gao-kun’s wish, no matter where.”
“Can’t you just give me back my freedom?”
“I’m afraid not. I will never let Gao-kun go again for the rest of my life. But tomorrow, I can take Gao-kun out for a little trip, a rare treat.”
“Why tomorrow?”
“Didn’t I tell you before? I’m going to take Gao-kun to meet the editor-in-charge face-to-face. I showed your work to her earlier, and she treated it like a priceless treasure, insisting she absolutely must meet Gao-kun in person.”
“Did you use your money powers again?”
“What nonsense is Gao-kun saying? It’s clearly because your work is captivating enough on its own.”
Bathed in the setting sun, the two took one last leisurely lap around the equestrian field.
Then they dismounted.
Tomorrow, he would meet the editor. Gao Sijin felt both excitement and anxiety—a maelstrom of emotions overlapping, making it hard to put into words for the moment.
“Come to think of it, Gao-kun has stayed here long enough these past two days. How about we go to the house in the Shinjuku Ward next?”
“You’re really comfortable taking me out? Aren’t you afraid I’ll expose you for kidnapping me?”
“Gao-kun is so naive. This is J-Country. Even if you expose it, what can you do? The councilors in the National Diet all rose to their positions through my grandfather’s money. No one will believe a word Gao-kun says. If you claim I kidnapped you, the police will simply arrest you as an illegal immigrant and then deliver you back to me, completely unharmed. Do you understand now, Gao-kun?”
Tsukiyuki Rio interlocked her fingers with Gao Sijin’s. This feeling of being utterly and completely possessed weighed heavily on his heart.
“How many words has Gao-kun written today? Will I be able to see something satisfying tonight?”
“I had no inspiration today. I didn’t write a single word.”
“I see.”
Tsukiyuki Rio smiled coquettishly, seeming quite pleased with his answer.
Yu Qingxue had already gone off to the side to fetch the video camera. Clearly, Gao Sijin wouldn’t escape being milked dry tonight.
“If you gave me a bit of freedom, let me go outside and look around, gather more material, I would definitely be able to write a work that satisfies you. So you can’t blame me for this.”
“I know. It’s all my fault. It’s all because I placed Gao-kun under house arrest, which led to Gao-kun being unable to write a good story. So, to apologize, please allow me to atone for my sins with my body.”
“There’s no need for atonement. Just be mindful next time. Tsukiyuki Rio, don’t come any closer…”
“Don’t worry, Gao-kun. I’ll be very gentle.”
Tsukiyuki Rio shoved Gao Sijin to the ground in one swift motion. He could not rise again.
