A trapped beast?

When Qu Shiyao opened her eyes again, she was greeted by an extremely luxurious room.

She was lying on a huge bed, wrapped in a soft down comforter.

She tried to move, but felt weak and dizzy, her limbs felt so heavy that she couldn't control them.

As I moved, I felt an unusual sensation in my ankle and looked down.

A slender chain bound her, its inside carefully wrapped in soft velvet, as if the chain was feigning concern for her comfort while inflicting violence.

"System, what's going on?" Qu Shiyao rubbed her temples, her voice hoarse from just waking up, as she calmly surveyed the room.

[Host! You're finally awake!] The system's voice carried obvious concern.

[Last night, the attacker drugged you and brought you here. He also injected you with some kind of unknown substance, then locked the door and left.] It paused, then added:

This villa is located in a very remote suburb, and it also has a signal jammer installed inside, so outside information can't get in, and inside information can't get out.

"So meticulous? Does that mean you can't send a signal either?" Qu Shiyao raised an eyebrow. Supporting her still weak body, she slowly got up, stepped barefoot onto the soft carpet, and began to slowly survey the room.

"How is that possible!" The system's tone was filled with dissatisfaction at being looked down upon.

[This kind of low-level jammer can only deal with ordinary communication devices! Who am I?! If I wanted to, I could easily crack its jamming frequency with a little effort, and getting online would be a piece of cake!]

"Okay, then please record everything that happens here clearly."

Qu Shiyao walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window. Outside the window was a sturdy security grille. As far as the eye could see was a dense and quiet forest, with no sign of human habitation.

"Leave it to me!" the system declared confidently.

In fact, a month ago, Qu Shiyao had predicted that Si Cheng might take extreme actions, and specifically asked the system to strengthen its monitoring.

They deliberately fell into this trap to some extent, but they didn't expect Sicheng to be so cautious, not showing up in person so far, and taking very good precautions.

[Host, your body has been drugged and you are very weak. If he tries to force himself on you, can you resist?] The system's voice carried a hint of hesitation; this was the unexpected factor it was most worried about.

"I'm not some chaste and virtuous woman living in a feudal era," Qu Shiyao said calmly, even with a hint of sarcasm.

"Does he think he can't live or his life is ruined just because he was forced into a relationship? That would be giving him too much credit."

She reached out and pressed hard on the cold security window to check its sturdiness, then, supporting herself against the wall, slowly walked towards the private bathroom inside the room.

"System, check if there are any security cameras here?" She looked up and scanned the corner.

[Scan complete! No cameras in the bathroom, so we've preserved your privacy. There are three hidden cameras in the bedroom outside, covering most of the area.] The system quickly reported.

Hearing this, Qu Shiyao finally felt relieved and took care of her physiological needs.

Although she didn't psychologically consider being violated a big deal, she still had a basic sense of shame and privacy.

She came out of the bathroom and walked to the only door in the room.

There is an opening of about half a meter in the middle of the door panel, which seems to be specifically used for passing items.

She pushed the door, but it wouldn't budge; it was clearly locked from the outside.

There is a barrier on this side of the door.

As she was pondering the purpose of the device, the small window was suddenly pulled open from the outside, and a multi-tiered lunchbox was pushed in. The window was then quickly closed again.

Qu Shiyao: "..." This scene inexplicably reminded her of how animals are fed in a zoo.

The system paused for a moment, then said, "Host, I feel like I'm seeing a scene from a past event."

"No, you're mistaken!" Qu Shiyao retorted.

She opened the exquisite lunchbox, which contained a dazzling array of tea snacks and dishes, beautifully arranged and plentiful.

But she didn't pick up her chopsticks immediately; she just stared at some of the dishes in a daze.

The system assumed she was worried about being drugged and quickly assured her:

[Host, rest assured, I've checked. The food itself is clean; there's nothing added that shouldn't be there.]

"Don't you think these dishes look familiar?" Qu Shiyao took out the dishes one by one and arranged them, pointing to one of them with her fingertip.

The system carefully examined the dish and performed multiple scans before confidently stating: "I understand, host! This dish contains bitter melon, which you dislike! He didn't even understand your tastes!"

Qu Shiyao's eye twitched slightly. She rubbed her temples and even thought for a moment about whether there was a place to write an after-sales review for the system after the mission was over. She was determined to give this guy a surprise!

She took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to complain, and explained, "Not only are there a few dishes that I don't like, but more importantly, they are all foods that the original owner hated."

[Host! He suspects you again?!] The system immediately became alert and scanned the surroundings again.

"I'm not necessarily suspicious, after all, I managed to fool him the last few times I tested him, but his thinking can be quite muddled at times," Qu Shiyao said thoughtfully, her tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible annoyance.

"Just like I told Gu Yanxi before, how could a normal person possibly fully understand the thought process of a madman?"

She ended up only picking out a few dishes that suited her taste and eating some of them, then pushing the rest, along with the lunchbox, into a corner.

The system racked its brains, but aside from probing, it couldn't think of any other purpose for Sicheng's actions.

It couldn't possibly be trying to use animal taming techniques on its host, could it? But the host is human! It seemed unlikely.

[Forget it, even if he really guesses that you're not the original owner, we can leave anytime. The mission is complete, there's nothing to be afraid of.] The system gave up struggling and lay flat.

This is the confidence they have after completing the mission. They stay here purely to improve their ratings and earn extra money, without any worries.

Qu Shiyao sat on the sofa by the window, pretending to admire the monotonous forest scenery outside, but actually having the system play the movies and TV shows they had downloaded beforehand to pass the time.

Around four or five in the afternoon, the small window was opened again, and another well-packaged multi-layered lunchbox was pushed in.

When Qu Shiyao opened it, she was astonished to find that all the dishes inside had been changed to the flavors that the original owner liked.

Qu Shiyao and the system both fell silent for a moment.

[What's going on here?] The system felt that its logic modules were a bit overloaded.

"Who cares?" Qu Shiyao shrugged, dismissing the messy speculations.

After the system detected that the food contained medication that had weakened her, and there were no other problems, she ate with peace of mind.

After eating and drinking my fill, a strong feeling of drowsiness washed over me.

Qu Shiyao yawned and instructed the system, "Keep an eye on him for me. If he makes any real moves tonight, wake me up immediately."

After saying that, she fell asleep immediately, completely ignoring her current situation.

Looking at the host's current state, the system inexplicably felt that this was very much like the life the host liked.

Eat, sleep, sleep, eat, and watch TV shows in your spare time.

The only difference is that there is no freedom here; she is imprisoned.

I slept without any dreams.

When Qu Shiyao woke up again, she found that the empty lunchbox in the corner had been taken away.

"System, what happened last night?" She checked her body and found it still felt weak and limp.

[Hmm... how should I put it...] The system's tone was a little strange:

[Host, if someone stands silently by another person's bedside for an hour and a half while the other person is asleep, reaching out to touch their face several times but then withdrawing, ultimately doing nothing and leaving on their own, what kind of behavior do you think that would be?]

It sensed that Sicheng's emotions were somewhat unstable and full of contradictions, which made it even more confused.

"He's sick!" Qu Shiyao said bluntly, then got up to wash up.

As the new day begins, the delivered meals continue to oscillate between the two extremes of the original owner's preferences.

Qu Shiyao continued to only eat the parts that suited her taste.

When she woke up on the third day, before she could ask, the system proactively reported: "[This time he sat by your bedside for about an hour and ten minutes, then tucked you in.]"

The system was filled with confusion: [Host, I understand him less and less.]

Upon hearing this, Qu Shiyao remained silent for a moment before offering no comment.

Another day has passed.

As soon as Qu Shiyao woke up in the early morning, the system eagerly spoke:

[Host! He actually touched you this time! He did touch your face; he pulled his hand away when I was still hesitating whether to wake you.]

Qu Shiyao turned her gaze to the window and asked about something else: "How's the situation outside?"

[Su Wanwan and the others had already called the police. The police initially reviewed the surveillance footage near your apartment and found that one section had been tampered with. However, the police are quite capable and have already identified the vehicle that moved you.]

If everything goes smoothly and there are no disruptions, we could reach this place within two days at the earliest. However, if Si Cheng uses his connections to obstruct us, it could take more than a week.

The system analyzes the external information it acquires.

"System, you will secretly assist the police. Be careful to hide yourself and try to guide them to this place by tomorrow morning."

A resolute glint flashed in Qu Shiyao's eyes. She stroked the security window, pondered for a moment, and then gave the order: "Also, tonight, if he touches me again, wake me up immediately!"

Upon hearing this, the system finally became serious.

It understood that its host was no longer going to wait passively; tonight was the time to strike back.

That day, Qu Shiyao ate extra at noon to store up energy.

In the evening, she turned her back to the hidden camera and hastily ate a few bites of her spiked dinner.

She went to bed early at six o'clock in the evening, covered herself with the blanket, and went to sleep ahead of time.

Time passed second by second.

Around nine o'clock in the evening, there was a slight noise coming from the door, and it was opened from the outside.

A tall figure walked in and silently came to the bedside.

The person was none other than Si Cheng. He stood there, gazing at Qu Shiyao's sleeping profile with a complex expression.

The system kept a close eye on his hand, ready to wake its host at any moment.

However, Si Cheng only stood there for a while before turning around and walking to the window. Gazing at the dark night outside, his back looked somewhat lonely and repressed.

The system suddenly became a little nervous, worried that he might have noticed that the police were gradually narrowing down the scope of their search.

But then I thought, the police haven't entered this area yet, and with it secretly helping to block the signal, Sicheng shouldn't be able to find it so easily.

Si Cheng stood by the window for a long time before returning to the bedside, moving a chair from the table to sit down, and quietly looking at Qu Shiyao with a struggling and painful expression in his eyes.

The system rolled its eyes silently as it watched his repetitive and bizarre behavior.

This guy, is he just here to torment the system?

At this moment, Si Cheng looked haggard, with a few bluish stubbles on his chin and bloodshot eyes, clearly indicating that he had not had a peaceful time during this period.

An hour passed in silence, and the system was almost in power-saving standby mode.

Suddenly, Sicheng moved.

Once again, he slowly reached out his hand towards Qu Shiyao's cheek.

Now!

The system immediately sent out a strong stimulation signal!

Almost at the same time, Qu Shiyao suddenly opened her eyes and accurately grabbed the outstretched wrist!

Her eyes were clear as she looked directly at Si Cheng!

Si Cheng was taken aback by this sudden action and stared at her in astonishment.

"What? You went to all this trouble to lock me up here, but you don't even have the courage to face me?" Qu Shiyao shook off his hand, sat up, and sneered.

Si Cheng didn't answer her question. Instead, he frowned and asked with suspicion, "When did you wake up?"

"Hmm..." Qu Shiyao tilted her head, pretending to think, then gave an innocent smile:

"It probably started when you started sitting here like a ghost, disturbing my sleep?"

Si Cheng naturally didn't believe her nonsense, after all, she had been sleeping soundly for the past few nights.

The two fell silent, exchanging glances only, an invisible tension filling the air.

"Did you deliberately give Sun Mei those photos?" A few minutes later, Qu Shiyao broke the silence and asked the question that had been lingering in her mind for a long time.

"In your heart, have I become so despicable?" Si Cheng stood up and took a step back, his face showing a stinging and incredulous expression, as if he had been greatly insulted.

"So, did those photos leak out from you?" Qu Shiyao remained unmoved by his expression, changing her tone to be aggressive.

“I don’t know…” Si Cheng avoided her gaze.

"No! You know very well!" Qu Shiyao's voice suddenly rose, her gaze sharp and fixed on him:

"Because you have an excellent alcohol tolerance! Even when you're extremely drunk, you can always remember the gist of it afterwards! You practically watched as Sun Mei went through your phone and discovered those things!"

Si Cheng pursed his lips, lowered his head, and responded to her accusations with silence.

Qu Shiyao pressed on, forcing him to look her in the eye: "Do you know what kind of person Sun Mei is! You even deliberately put on an act in front of her, pretending how much you love me but can't have me, how painful and struggling you are!"

"You were taking advantage of her jealousy! You knew she couldn't touch me, so you deliberately misled her, pointing the finger at Yi Yu! You indirectly facilitated that murder!"

Si Cheng suddenly chuckled softly, the laughter gradually turning from suppressed to somewhat manic.

He laughed for a while before raising his head, his face contorted as he looked at Qu Shiyao: "Isn't it also because he doesn't trust you enough? If he believed you were innocent enough, how could he have been so easily fooled?"

"Ha! You think everyone's worse than an animal like you?" Qu Shiyao's voice was full of contempt and disdain.

"Using those fabricated pieces of evidence, you feel justified in humiliating me? You threaten me with words that could ruin my reputation at any moment?"

She unconsciously clenched her fists, as if the original owner's pain was slowly unfolding before her through the novel.

"You took advantage of his concern for me! You exploited his desire to protect me from harm! You lured him to that precipice!"

Qu Shiyao's voice grew increasingly shrill, her suppressed anger finally erupting: "Si Cheng! You're insane!"

"Yes! I've been crazy for a long time!" Si Cheng seemed to be completely ignited, hysterically admitting it, his eyes flashing with a paranoid and frenzied light.

“Every time! Every time you were reborn! You jumped into that sea without hesitation! No matter how I begged you! No matter how I tried to make amends! You never turned back to look at me!”

Qu Shiyao was slightly startled.

She already knew that Si Cheng was reborn, but judging from what he said, he had actually been reborn more than once!

"The master said! This is our fate! One of us is destined to perish at sea! Since that's the case..."

Si Cheng's tone gradually turned cruel: "Then let him die in your place!!!"

He began to laugh wildly, the sound echoing eerily in the empty room.

"Hahahaha... This is our destiny! Shiyao! If you had just once turned back for me, I wouldn't have ended up like this! It's you! You killed him!"

[No wonder Yi Yu had his accident so early! It turns out he forced the ending!!!] The system suddenly realized that it had been wondering why the changes had happened so quickly, but now it had finally found the root cause.

"Madman!" Qu Shiyao looked at the crazed man in front of her and slowly uttered these two words with disgust.

"I can do something even crazier!" Completely provoked, Si Cheng suddenly reached out and pressed Qu Shiyao's head, with a desperate and possessive desire that seemed to want to die together, and tried to force a kiss on her.

"Bang!"

His response was a merciless, heavy punch that slammed into his abdomen!

Caught off guard, Si Cheng groaned, bent over in pain, and released his grip.

Qu Shiyao flicked her wrist, her eyes icy cold: "Together? Ask my fist if it agrees first!"

Before she finished speaking, she delivered another fierce side kick, accurately striking Si Cheng in the chest. The immense force sent him flying backward, crashing heavily into the wall!

"Ugh!" Si Cheng collapsed to the ground, the excruciating pain instantly snapping him out of his frenzy, replacing it with disbelief and terror.

He looked at Qu Shiyao as she approached step by step, as if he were looking at a strange and terrifying demon.

He wanted to call for help, but then he remembered that in order to be alone, he had always dismissed everyone in the villa and turned off the surveillance cameras on this floor before entering.

"Do you still like me now?" Qu Shiyao walked up to him, squatted down, grabbed his loose tie, forced him to raise his head, and then slapped him repeatedly with both hands, the crisp sound of slaps echoing in the room.

Qu Shiyao only stopped her slightly numb right hand when she could faintly hear the sirens of police cars and the sound of hurried footsteps approaching from downstairs.

She stood up and coldly looked down at the unconscious Si Cheng.

As she turned to leave, her foot inadvertently stepped on his right hand, which hung limply to the ground, and she slightly increased the pressure on his foot.

A faint yet clear sound of bone cracking rang out.

She withdrew her foot expressionlessly and walked toward the door that the police were opening from the outside.