129: Chapter 129 Don't leave tonight, I didn't perform well yesterday

Twenty minutes later.

Xu Qingya lay sprawled on top of Jiang Fan, her entire body as limp as if she had no bones.

"I... I can't go on."

Jiang Fan's hands were still cuffed, the metal chain clinking faintly with the rise and fall of his breathing.

"Interrogator, with stamina like that, you won't be able to keep up an interrogation for very long."

Xu Qingya struggled to lift her head and glared at him; the corners of her eyes were red, and her lips were swollen.

"Shut up..."

Her voice was raspy and breathless, and her glare lacked any real intimidation.

Jiang Fan shook his wrists, causing the chain to rattle.

"Where's the key? You can unlock me now, can't you?"

Xu Qingya froze, her expression suddenly changing.

"The key..."

"Don't tell me—" Jiang Fan's tone shifted.

Xu Qingya scrambled off him in a panic, her knee knocking against the edge of the bed, causing her to wince in pain.

"Where did I put it..."

She rummaged through the nightstand, pulling open the drawer and digging through it, but it was empty.

"Don't panic, don't panic!" Xu Qingya jumped out of bed barefoot and trotted into the walk-in closet. After tearing through boxes and cabinets, she ran back with a small key clutched in her hand, holding it up under the desk lamp to check.

"Thank goodness..."

She crawled back onto the bed, her knees pressing against Jiang Fan's thighs, her hands trembling as she reached for the handcuffs.

"Why are your hands shaking?"

"Don't say a word!"

She finally inserted the key and turned it twice; with a click, the handcuffs sprang open. Jiang Fan rotated his wrists, revealing two faint red marks on his skin.

Xu Qingya sat kneeling beside him, staring at the marks for a few seconds before reaching out to touch them.

"Does it hurt?"

"It's fine. It doesn't hurt."

Xu Qingya let out a sigh of relief, her shoulders slumping. Then she noticed Jiang Fan watching her.

It was the kind of look a piece of prey gives the hunter after being released from its cage.

"You..." Xu Qingya instinctively scooted back half an inch. "Calm down."

"The interrogation is over." Jiang Fan sat up, picked up the handcuffs, and spun them in his hand, the chain wrapping twice around his fingers. The sound of metal clinking against metal wasn't loud, but it sent a shiver down Xu Qingya's spine.

"Now, it's the prisoner's turn to strike back."

"Jiang Fan, don't do anything crazy—"

Xu Qingya turned to run, but the moment her feet touched the carpet, an arm hooked around her waist and hauled her back. She was thrown onto the bed, and Jiang Fan flipped over to pin her down, one hand securing both of her wrists above her head.

Xu Qingya struggled desperately, kicking her legs and driving her knees into his abs, but it was clearly to no avail.

The chain of the handcuffs was looped around the iron railing at the head of the bed. Click. Xu Qingya looked down at her wrists. The metal cuffs were pressed against her skin, feeling cold.

"...Are you serious?"

"Wasn't the interrogator being serious just now?"

Xu Qingya struggled, but the iron railing didn't budge. With her hands fixed above her head, the leather jacket she was wearing was effectively useless; the zipper was wide open, hiding nothing.

"I—I was just acting!"

"What a coincidence. So was I."

Jiang Fan's hand reached inside the collar of her leather jacket, pushing it aside along her shoulders. Her tight black leather pants were pulled down with it and tossed directly to the floor.

Xu Qingya's body was exposed to the air, her skin still glistening with the light sweat from earlier. Jiang Fan lowered his head, starting from her collarbone and working his way down. Xu Qingya's back arched, and the chain of the handcuffs rattled loudly.

"Jiang Fan... not there... I haven't showered yet..."

The key to the handcuffs had been kicked by Xu Qingya into the gap behind the nightstand. Jiang Fan lay on the floor, his arm reaching into the narrow crevice for five minutes before he finally touched the absurdly small key.

He pinched the key between two fingers and slowly pulled it out.

"Hurry up..." Xu Qingya urged from the bed, the sound of the handcuffs clinking against the railing echoing. "Be quiet."

It took another minute, but the key was finally retrieved. When Xu Qingya was unlocked, the red marks on her wrists were much deeper than Jiang Fan's. She held her wrist up to the desk lamp, examining it for a long time.

"I'll have to wear bracelets again tomorrow."

Jiang Fan tossed the handcuffs carelessly onto the nightstand.

Xu Qingya turned onto her side, resting her wrist on Jiang Fan's chest. The red mark was particularly striking under the light, and she stared at her wrist for a moment.

"Next time..." she said, her voice soft, "next time, buy one with a softer lining."

"You're planning on having a next time?"

Xu Qingya didn't say anything, instead tapping her toes against his calf. After a moment of silence, she spoke.

"Director Jiang."

"Hm."

"How was today's scene? Did it pass?"

Jiang Fan thought for a second.

"Today's scene... at best, it counts as a behind-the-scenes clip."

Xu Qingya huffed and nudged him with her knee.

"Then when will the main feature be filmed?"

"When the director has an opening in his schedule."

Xu Qingya didn't say anything more. She buried her face in his chest, her eyelashes brushing against his skin, and as her breathing slowed, she drifted off to sleep.

Jiang Fan kept his eyes open, staring at the ceiling. The system panel floated into view.

[Deep Compatibility × 3, Lifespan Value + 3000]

[Current Lifespan Value: 43900 points]

[Remaining Lifespan: 115 days]

The numbers flashed twice in the darkness before disappearing.

Jiang Fan reached out and pulled the quilt up, covering her exposed shoulders.

On the floor, the leather outfit and the whip lay scattered, resting quietly in the dark.

The next morning, Xu Qingya woke up to find Jiang Fan gone.

She sat up, her gaze sweeping across the floor.

The leather jacket was curled up at the foot of the bed, the whip was crookedly lying next to the vanity, and the leather gloves were pressed underneath it. The handcuffs were resting on the nightstand.

Xu Qingya stared at these items for three seconds. A flush slowly crept up her face. She pulled the quilt over her head.

An "Ice Queen" who had been in the industry for twelve years—when had she started buying whips and handcuffs?

Under the quilt, she hid her face for a good while before finally throwing it off.

She stepped onto the carpet barefoot, and as she passed the whip, she hooked it with her toes and kicked it under the vanity. Out of sight, out of mind.

The shower in the bathroom was turned to full blast, hot water pouring over her head. After her shower, Xu Qingya stood in front of the mirror.

There was a row of faint tooth marks below her collarbone and a few red marks on her left shoulder. She examined herself from head to toe. Her skin was delicate and pink, her cheeks rosy—just like when she was eighteen.

Xu Qingya tilted her head, staring at her reflection, a small smile playing on her lips. She wrapped herself in a bath towel and walked out.

Jiang Fan was sitting at the dining table, with two cups of hot milk and a platter of sliced fruit set out before him.

"Do you have any plans today?" Xu Qingya asked as she pulled out a chair and sat down.

"I'm pretty free for the next couple of days."

Xu Qingya picked up the milk and took a sip before sitting down at the vanity to do her makeup. Foundation, concealer, eyebrows—she worked quickly and was finished in ten minutes.

She went into the bedroom and chose a high-neck top—she simply put on the wide bracelet from her jewelry box that she had worn last time.

As she passed the dining table, she picked up the milk, took another two sips, and speared a piece of bread, popping it into her mouth.

"I'm off."

"Hm."

Xu Qingya grabbed her bag and walked to the entryway, bending down to put on her high heels. Halfway through, she glanced back at Jiang Fan.

"Don't leave tonight. Come back and let's continue the audition."

She paused, her expression serious.

"I feel like there were some parts yesterday where I didn't perform well."

With that, she opened the door and left, the sound of her high heels clacking away into the distance.

Jiang Fan stood there holding his cup of milk, the rim pressed to his lips, unable to take a sip for a long time.