Chapter Eight: I Want to Hear You Beg for Mercy

She carefully removed the tag, created a new category in her phone's notes app: "Li Yaodong Gifts," and then noted down the brand, model, and price.

This is the third luxury item purchased this week. The first two were a Cartier necklace and a pair of Jimmy Choo high heels, totaling 116,000.

Cheng Yin put the bag back in the dust bag and gently smoothed out any non-existent wrinkles on the surface.

These "gifts" are all mixed in with the debt of 870,000, and with compound interest, they will eventually become one million, two million... until the day when Li Yaodong thinks she is "worth" that price.

The sound of water in the bathroom stopped.

For the past five days, she has worn the same bathrobe every night and slept peacefully on the large bed in suite 3306, while Li Yaodong did nothing but teach her Cantonese.

The bathroom door opened, and Li Yaodong walked out, drying his hair. Water droplets slid down his chest and disappeared into the towel around his waist.

Cheng Yin handed him a bathrobe, which he casually took, his gaze sweeping over her freshly washed long hair.

How much did you learn today?

Cheng Yin tried to answer in plain language: "I understand more than I can speak."

Li Yaodong raised an eyebrow: "Your pronunciation has improved."

He walked to the bar, poured two glasses of whiskey, and handed one to Cheng Yin. Cheng Yin took it but didn't drink it; she simply held it in her hands, feeling the warmth emanating from the glass.

Lai Yiu-tung leaned against the floor-to-ceiling window, the night view of the Pearl River Delta unfolding behind him, neon lights casting amber shadows on his face through his wine glass.

"Today at the restaurant," he suddenly said, "you understood my conversation with A-Jie."

This is not a question.

"Why not ask?" Li Yaodong took a sip of his drink.

Cheng Yin looked at the ice cubes in her glass: "I shouldn't have asked."

Li Yaodong chuckled. "Clever." He put down his glass. "But also foolish."

Cheng Yin looked up at him.

Li Yaodong lifted her chin: "But you forgot this is business."

Bastards get bored, businessmen only calculate the return on investment.

Do you know why I'm teaching you Cantonese?

Cheng Yin shook her head.

"Because I wanted to hear you beg for mercy in Cantonese," Li Yaodong said softly, "in bed."

Cheng Yin's expression remained unchanged, as if he were merely commenting on the weather. She put down her wine glass and looked directly into his eyes: "So, what do you usually like to do for fun?"

Li Yaodong didn't expect her to ask so directly, and he was even more surprised by her calm tone, as if she were asking "how well-done do you want your steak?"

"Very dangerous," he said slowly, "the kind that can kill."

Cheng Yin nodded: "Then how should I say it?"

Li Yaodong stared at her for a few seconds, then suddenly pulled her closer.

Cheng Yin's nose almost touched his collarbone, and she smelled the faint scent of ambergris-scented shower gel on his body.

"'No...please...let me go...'" he whispered in her ear, his voice thick and drawn out like a panting breath.

Cheng Yin repeated each word carefully, her pronunciation stiff but accurate.

Lai Yiu-tung's hand slid to her waist, and the pressure suddenly increased: "'It hurts so much... I really can't take it...'"

"'I'm in so much pain... I really can't take it anymore...'" Cheng Yin repeated, her voice as steady as if she were reading a text.

"Continue," Li Yaodong suddenly said, "'If you get her pregnant...you'll be responsible...'"

"'Getting pregnant...you'll have to take responsibility...'" Cheng Yin repeated.

With each sentence Li Yaodong taught, his tone grew increasingly somber, while Cheng Yin consistently repeated them in a chillingly calm voice, as if these vulgar words were no different from "morning" or "thank you."

This contrast made the air in the room feel thick and heavy. The guitar music had ended sometime earlier, leaving only the sound of the two people's breathing mingling.

"'If you play with something until it's ruined, nobody will want it...'" Lai Yiu-tung said the last sentence almost through gritted teeth.

Just as Cheng Yin was about to repeat herself, Li Yaodong abruptly released her: "Enough." His eyes turned dangerous. "Do you fucking understand what we're talking about?"

Cheng Yin nodded: "Sexual terminology. It's more difficult than everyday conversation, but I'll try my best to learn."

Li Yaodong's expression became complicated. He turned around, filled his glass with wine, and drank it all in one gulp, his Adam's apple bobbing violently.

Cheng Yin stood there, her robe belt loosened to one side, revealing a small patch of pale skin below her collarbone.

"Do you know what you're doing?" he asked in a low voice.

Cheng Yin shook her head honestly: "I don't know. But I can learn anything you want me to learn."

He turned and walked towards the bedroom: "Go to sleep."

Cheng Yin followed him inside and lay down on the other side of the bed, just like the previous nights.

Li Yaodong turned off the main light, leaving only a faint light coming from the bathroom.

In the darkness, he suddenly asked, "Did Xu Chen touch you?"

"No."

"Why?"

Cheng Yin thought for a moment: "He doesn't want it."

Li Yaodong chuckled: "He really is a fool."

The mattress vibrated slightly, and Li Yaodong turned over to face her.

In the darkness, his outline was indistinct, with only his eyes reflecting a faint light.

"If I wanted you now," he said softly, "what would you say?"

Cheng Yin was silent for a few seconds, then replied with the words she had just learned: "'Please... let me go...'"

Her pronunciation was still stiff, but in the dark space, those words were like a dull knife, slowly cutting into something.

Li Yaodong's breathing became noticeably heavier, but he did not move.

"Turn around," he said finally.

Cheng Yin turned her back to him. Li Yaodong suddenly wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. His chest pressed against her back, and his body heat wafted through her thin nightgown.

"Go to sleep," he whispered in her ear. "There's more to learn tomorrow."

Cheng Yin nodded gently and closed her eyes.

Lai Yiu-tung's breathing gradually calmed down, but his arms still held her tightly, like shackles or a shield.

Outside the window, the lights of the city never go out, casting a distorted silhouette on the wall as the two figures intertwine.