Ten Rules to Bind Her Heart - Chapter 68
Instinctive terror returned before reason.
Xia Zhiyao sucked in a breath and tried to spring up from the floor.
But she had been curled there too long, and the circulation in her legs had slowed. The moment she exerted herself, her knees buckled. She lost her balance and toppled helplessly to one side.
“Ah!”
The short, muffled cry had barely escaped her lips when a powerful hand shot out like lightning, seized the back of her nightdress, and hauled her upright—sparing her the disaster of landing face-first on the floor.
Shen Yu lowered his eyes and impassively studied the frightened girl before him.
Her hair was tangled like a bird’s nest, several damp wisps stuck to her cheek. The white cotton nightdress had been pulled askew by her sudden movement.
Its neckline slanted to one side and nearly slipped from her slender shoulder, revealing skin as smooth as porcelain beneath.
But the most striking thing was the deep red mark on her right cheek.
It had been branded there during her long sleep by the hard metal body and mother-of-pearl grip of the Walther PPK he had given her.
Against a porcelain-white face barely larger than his palm, the mark looked ridiculous, yet somehow pitiful enough to make one laugh and sigh at once.
Stupid beyond belief.
“Stand properly.”
Shen Yu released her and let her stand on her own.
Bracing herself against the bed, Xia Zhiyao used every scrap of strength to steady herself. Both legs still trembled, numb and aching.
She kept her head down, daring to look no farther than her bare toes, utterly unwilling to meet eyes that seemed capable of piercing straight through her heart.
Trembling, the girl began apologizing in a jumble.
“I-I’m sorry, Mr. Shen… I fell asleep by accident… I wasn’t trying to be lazy. I was waiting for you… I don’t know how I…”
Her voice dwindled as she went on, until it nearly broke into a sob.
Shen Yu said nothing. He reached out and dragged a rough fingertip over the red mark on her cheek.
It hurt a little.
Xia Zhiyao flinched but did not dare evade him.
“You sleep with a gun in your arms?”
Shen Yu’s voice drifted down from above, carrying the hint of a smile.
Xia Zhiyao hastened to explain.
“I just… feel safer holding it… I-I didn’t mean to fall asleep…”
Shen Yu paused.
Safer.
He silently savored the word.
The way she looked so cautious, as though she regarded him as her only deity and relied upon him completely, inexplicably dispersed some of the violence pent up inside him—and even brought a flicker of pleasure in its place.
“You fell asleep without permission and failed to receive your master properly.”
Shen Yu slowly withdrew his hand, his tone cool.
“Tell me. Should you be punished?”
Xia Zhiyao stiffened. The tears she had only just forced back surged into her eyes again, misting them over.
Punished again?
Her wounds from last time had only just healed, and that afternoon at the range she had already taken another strike from the training implement…
She bit her lip and said nothing. Clutching the gun tightly, she bowed her head like an ostrich, her eyes wet and afraid to look at him.
Shen Yu enjoyed seeing her like this. The cruelty in him began to stir once more.
“Speak.”
His voice deepened.
“If you have no use for your tongue, I’ll remove it.”
“I… I should be punished.”
Her whole body shook, and she hurriedly forced out the quiet words.
Shen Yu studied her pitiful, nearly tearful face. The gun’s imprint quivered with every change in her expression, making her look both ridiculous and wretched.
He tipped his chin toward the bed.
“Put down the gun. Lie down.”
Xia Zhiyao stared. Her mind stalled for a second, unable to understand.
Did that mean… he was not going to punish her?
Or did he mean to… punish her on the bed?!
Her heart churned, but she did not dare ask a single question. She carefully placed the gun beside the pillow, then climbed stiffly onto the soft black bed.
She shrank as far into the opposite corner as she could, desperately trying to widen the distance between herself and the murderous presence beside the bed.
But a single bed was only so large. How far could she possibly get?
“I’ll put this one on your account too.”
The man’s low, ruthless voice sounded above her once more.
Xia Zhiyao looked up blankly, her limpid, tear-washed eyes filled with confusion.
“What…? Put what on my account?”
“Your debt.”
Shen Yu glanced at her, a dark gleam of amusement passing through his eyes.
“Falling asleep without permission. Failing to receive me. Added to everything before, you already owe quite a lot.”
He paused as if calculating in earnest, then added at an unhurried pace, pronouncing a death sentence.
“When I have time, I’ll collect it all—principal and interest together.”
The color drained from Xia Zhiyao’s face.
Principal and interest?
Would she ever be able to pay it off in this lifetime?
She wanted to cry. It felt as though she had fallen into a bottomless pit of debt she could never repay.
Before she could recover from the crushing blow of her new debt, Shen Yu spoke again.
“Come lie on your stomach.”
Another order.
Xia Zhiyao’s heart dropped.
Hadn’t he said he would only put it on her account for now?
Why… was he still going to hit her?
She did not dare refuse. Gritting her teeth, she slowly turned over and lay facedown in the soft bedding, burying her face deep in the pillow.
The mattress dipped behind her, and the man’s scorching presence enveloped her at once.
Shen Yu reached out. Without warning, his long, powerful fingers lifted the hem of her nightdress.
Cool air swept over her. Xia Zhiyao instinctively turned her head and made a hesitant motion to shield herself, her voice trembling.
“Mr. Shen…”
Shen Yu gave her a single cool glance. That one look carried more force than any physical punishment.
As though burned, she snatched back her hand, buried her face again, and did not dare make another unnecessary movement.
Shen Yu bent over her and spoke close to her ear, each word drawn out with menacing slowness.
“You still dare defy me?”
**
Shen Yu’s gaze darkened.
Xia Zhiyao’s entire body remained rigid. She swallowed every whimper and tremor, not daring to make a sound.
Once he had finished his inspection and confirmed that nothing was wrong, irritation welled inside Shen Yu again.
**
