Ten Rules to Bind Her Heart - Chapter 31
The man’s presence seemed to thin the air in the bedroom.
Shen Yu looked at her wide, terrified eyes, and his mood appeared to improve even further.
He leaned forward slightly, his aggressively masculine presence enveloping Xia Zhiyao in an instant.
Amusement and dangerous scrutiny glinted in his deep black eyes.
“Do you still remember the Ten Commandments I taught you?”
Xia Zhiyao’s breath caught.
Her body reacted before her mind, shrinking back uncontrollably.
“I… I remember…”
She nodded hastily, her voice no louder than a mosquito.
**
*(The asterisks are preserved from the original Chinese source, where sensitive content was censored.)*
Her voice grew quieter the longer she recited. Tears trembled in her eyes, threatening to spill, making her look pitiful.
Shen Yu, however, seemed pleased.
“Good memory.”
He released her hair and swept his broad palm over her head, as though rewarding an obedient pet.
“Remember them well. Carve them into your mind. I’ll quiz you again in a couple of days.”
Xia Zhiyao’s head snapped up, horror written across her face.
“Quiz… me?”
“Mm.” Shen Yu rose. “If you’ve forgotten, or if you fail to obey…”
He paused, and his tone abruptly hardened.
“We’ll do it all over again to reinforce the lesson.”
“Mr. Shen, I won’t forget! I promise I won’t!”
Xia Zhiyao nodded and shook her head frantically, rubbing against the pillow like a rattle drum. Tears pattered onto the pillowcase.
All over again? That would kill her.
“Enough. Don’t wipe your snot on my bed.”
Shen Yu sounded both disgusted and resigned, but he did not grow angry.
He turned toward the door, then paused as though remembering something. Glancing over his shoulder, he said, “While I’m away, eat properly and sleep properly.”
“I’ll check when I return.”
“If you’ve lost weight, you’ll be punished for that too.”
The door closed with a click.
The suffocating pressure that had shrouded the room finally dispersed.
Ignoring the pain, Xia Zhiyao hurriedly pulled down her dress and covered her exposed body.
Then, as though every ounce of strength had been drained from her, she collapsed on the bed, soaked in cold sweat, and panted for a while.
The demon was gone.
He had left a terrifying threat behind, but at least for now, the air was free.
Apart from the unavoidable need to use the bathroom, Xia Zhiyao remained in bed all day.
That evening, she obediently finished an entire bowl of food. After the maid applied her ointment, she fell into an exhausted sleep.
…
She slept deeply, without a single dream.
When she woke again, it was already the next morning.
Sunlight streamed through a gap in the curtains, casting mottled shadows across the floor.
Xia Zhiyao cautiously tested her body.
It still hurt. The sharp, burning agony had become a dull ache. But compared with the excruciating pain of the day before, she felt much better.
She carefully climbed out of bed and tried taking two steps. As long as she didn’t sit and put pressure on the injuries, she could stand and walk slowly without much trouble.
Xia Zhiyao changed into a long green cotton dress that covered the suggestive, brutal marks on her body, then cautiously opened the bedroom door.
Since the three guards who had harassed her were mysteriously executed, she had not dared venture outside. She decided to visit the library instead.
The corridor was empty.
Each step across the thick wool carpet made her nervous. She was afraid the black-clad figure might suddenly emerge from some corner.
Fortunately, Shen Yu truly was gone.
The floor-to-ceiling windows in the sitting room stood open, revealing dense green banana groves beyond. The sunlight looked almost unreal in its brilliance.
“Well, look who’s awake, sister-in-law.”
A teasing voice came from the sitting room.
Xia Zhiyao jumped and instinctively stepped back, clutching the neckline of her dress.
A man lounged carelessly across the enormous Italian leather sofa.
After staring for two seconds, she recognized him.
Ji Chen.
He wore a dark red silk shirt, the collar open enough to reveal a glimpse of his powerful chest and the silver bullet pendant beneath.
He was tossing something crystal clear in one hand, its facets flashing brilliantly beneath the sunlight.
It took Xia Zhiyao a moment to realize what it was.
A… diamond.
An uncut stone the size of a pigeon’s egg.
She had never seen a diamond so large, not even on television. Yet Ji Chen was casually throwing it into the air.
“Mr… Mr. Ji,” Xia Zhiyao greeted timidly but politely.
Though he always smiled and seemed easy to approach, she sensed that he was no less dangerous than Shen Yu.
“Don’t be so formal. ‘Mr. Ji’ sounds far too distant.”
“Just call me Ji Chen.”
Grinning, Ji Chen turned around and flicked his hand. The priceless diamond traced an arc through the air before landing securely in his palm.
“Come sit down, sister-in-law.”
He patted the space beside him.
“My brother went north to kill someone. I’m watching the house for him these next few days.”
