Chapter 37
When he regained consciousness, he found himself back on the mattress. Touching himself, he noticed that his bathrobe had been replaced with a silk nightgown. The quilt, however, was nowhere to be found.
"Is Third Master awake?" Xiao Meng's voice suddenly rang out from below, but no one could be seen.
Rongxiang sat up abruptly and reached out to grab the source of the sound. However, in the absolute darkness, he grabbed nothing but air.
"Third Master is looking for me?"
A cold hand landed on his knee, followed by a few soft rustling sounds, perhaps the rustling of fabric.
Rongxiang shuddered and instinctively wanted to back away, but then he thought that it was Xiao Meng, and there seemed to be no need to be so afraid.
The icy hand moved down her thigh, abdomen, and chest, all the way to her chin and lips.
"Would you like some water, Third Master?"
My fingers left my lips, and in their place came the hard, slightly cool rim of the glass.
The liquid in the glass had a sweet and sour smell, so it was probably a drink like orange juice.
Rongxiang turned his head away.
He was indeed thirsty and hungry, but what he wanted wasn't food or water. He needed to leave immediately, and he also needed to get Xiao Meng... He didn't know what to do with Xiao Meng, but at least he couldn't let him go crazy like this.
The cup was indeed removed, and then he heard the sound of soft sips.
Then, Xiao Meng's hand steadily supported the back of his head, and a strange yet familiar breath suddenly approached. Before he could react, their lips were already pressed together.
It wasn't just a simple touch; he tasted the orange juice in Xiao Meng's mouth—a feeding method he had never experienced before.
Xiao Meng... actually spat out what was in her mouth and fed it to me?!
Rong Xiang spat out the orange juice in his mouth with a "pui" sound.
Xiao Meng took another sip, and then accurately found Rong Xiang's lips.
Rongxiang then vomited it out.
This action is repeated until the cup is empty.
Xiao Meng was slightly out of breath: "Third Master, I wanted to feed you. Please don't mind, I'm not dirty."
Rongxiang rolled over to the side, feeling utterly disgusted. From that moment on, every touch Xiao Meng made on him was repulsive and terrifying; this horrible and filthy incestuous feeling was driving him almost insane.
"Third Master, I also brought a cream chestnut cake." Xiao Meng moved closer to him and turned his body to face her.
Unable to bear it any longer, Rongxiang raised his hand and touched Xiaomeng's face, then grabbed his short hair, forcing him to lower his head.
"I want to get out!"
He could only whisper in Xiao Meng's ear, making indistinct sounds. But he was convinced that Xiao Meng would understand.
To everyone's surprise, Xiao Meng blew a breath into his face.
“We’re not going out,” he muttered to himself. “There are so many people outside, it’s so annoying. It’s so much better here. It’s so dark, we can’t see anything, it’s like being dead, but not really dead. We can still live with you, Third Master. Isn’t that wonderful?”
At this point, he realized that the person in his arms was struggling, so he simply turned to the side and lay down with Rongxiang in his arms.
For Xiao Meng, this feeling was very strange. He had slept in the same bed with Rong Xiang before, and more than once, but this time it was completely different from the previous ones.
That's for companionship; its role is like a cat under a rocking chair or a dog at the front door.
And this is an embrace.
Xiao Meng became a curious child. He tentatively tightened his arms little by little. Through the thin silk pajamas, he could feel Rong Xiang's body. Actually, what was there to be curious about? However, perhaps it was because of the darkness and the thin fabric that made the body feel unfamiliar.
Rongxiang was being choked so badly he could hardly breathe. He tried with all his might to pull one arm away and push Xiao Meng away, but it was impossible. When his opponent was Xiao Meng, he had no choice but to wait for his death.
Xiao Meng knows him too well; in front of Xiao Meng, he is almost transparent.
He didn't know when Xiao Meng left.
The blankets were piled to one side, and his hands and feet were freezing cold.
He firmly believed that he hadn't slept—he had fainted.
His last memory was of Xiao Meng picking up some cream with his finger and forcibly smearing it into his mouth... He suddenly became doubtful again, maybe it wasn't his finger...
He lay on the ground and began to retch.
He was just dry heaving, because there was nothing in his stomach to vomit. His internal organs seemed to be convulsing. Tears welled up, and he curled up into a ball, crying silently.
Throughout his twenty-odd years of life, he had experienced many heartbreaking events. But no matter how painful or difficult, he always felt that he could get through them. Only at Tongguan, when his army suffered a crushing defeat and he was too ashamed to face Fu Jingyuan, did he truly despair and choose to commit suicide, which was a clean and decisive choice.
But this time, as he sobbed, he wondered who would come to save him. How could he have never realized that Xiao Meng was such a terrifying being?
“He’s capable of anything. If I asked him to kill me, he would do it without hesitation.”
Rongxiang took a deep breath, like a child who had cried too much, lying wearily and aggrievedly on the creases he had rolled around on.
But he had barely settled down for a quarter of an hour when a faint ray of light shining through the crack in the door caught his attention. He hastily wiped the tears from his face with his sleeve, then scrambled towards the door.
There was a barely perceptible crack at the bottom of the door, one that would normally go unnoticed. Rongxiang had to press his face to the ground to see the faint, dim light.
“It’s probably evening now.” He reached out and touched the light. “The wall lights in the corridor are on. After dinner, Xiao Zhen will bring the baby over for me to see.”
He gave a bitter smile: "And I'm almost killed by that madman."
Suddenly, the light disappeared.
Rongxiang sat up and stared blankly at the door in front of him.
He couldn't actually see anything; it was a sealed space with no light, no air, and no time.
He trembled and used his hands to push himself up to stand.
After estimating the approximate distance, he slammed himself against the door.
With a loud "boom," he felt it was a tremendous noise, but after the noise subsided, all he felt was pain all over his body and the unchanging silence.
It's as if we've been forgotten by the world.
But he couldn't even call for help.
How much time has passed?
Rongxiang kept counting the number of times Xiao Meng had come, and soon he got confused, which made him extremely irritable.
When Xiao Meng was around, Rong Xiang would usually feed him water and food mouth-to-mouth. This was the thing Rong Xiang hated most—but Xiao Meng seemed to derive great pleasure from it.
Rongxiang was truly afraid of him. He began to shrink into every corner he thought was safe, only to be dragged out by Xiaomeng by his ankles or arms.
However, when Xiao Meng was about to leave, he immediately turned into an octopus, viciously wrapping himself around her. He said, "You can leave, but you have to take me with you!"
There was no need to be polite to Xiao Meng. He even bit Xiao Meng's hand. However, Xiao Meng possessed a blind confidence; he loved this dark and secluded place, so he thought that Rong Xiang might not be too uncomfortable being locked up here. Besides, he hadn't intended to imprison him forever—he just wanted to temper his temper, because he knew that as long as Rong Xiang had even the slightest chance to fight back, he would definitely kill him in a fit of rage.
He was absolutely loyal to Rongxiang, and he had no choice but to accept that things had developed to this point.
He cannot die; he must live on no matter what. He has already ruined Rongxiang to this extent; he must take care of him for the rest of his life and see him off in his old age.
Besides, this has always been the result he's longed for.
Rongxiang curled up in the corner. With his back against the wall, he also felt cold.
But I didn't dare crawl back to the bed in the middle of the room. In the middle of the room, with nowhere to go, I felt completely alone in the empty night.
At that moment, he felt as if all sorts of demons and monsters had emerged. He was panting heavily, his eyes wide open, staring ahead, but he could see nothing, because those things he feared were all elusive, surrounding him, watching him menacingly, ready to settle scores at any moment.
He trembled and covered his head, wishing he could shrink to an infinitesimal size. To show his repentance, he began to sob softly, as if a huge crowd of onlookers were craning their necks, waiting to see his downfall. Tears streamed down his cheeks, which he wiped haphazardly with his hands, choking back sobs until he could barely breathe.
In this dark room, time seemed to cease to exist. He didn't know how long he had been crying. When he was exhausted from crying, he would naturally sleep for a while, and then wake up to continue tormenting himself in fear and tears.
Nightfall was the only time he could find peace. The corridor lights were on then, and a thin ray of light seeped in through the crack under the door. He lay prone on the floor, turning his face to meet that sliver of light. He usually kept his eyes closed then, so he could ignore the darkness behind him and the fleeting, pitiful light before him.
One day, he fell asleep lying on his stomach like that, and when Xiao Meng came in, she almost stepped on his face.
He crouched down and, in the dim light of the corridor, carefully examined Rongxiang.
Rongxiang looked dirty, but not haggard. His hair was a mess, and his face was stained like a cat's with tears. There was a dark red patch the size of a fingertip on his forehead, a scabbed-over bruise, but it was unclear when it had appeared. Several buttons were missing from his pajamas, so when he lay sprawled on the ground, the front was wide open, rolled up haphazardly from bottom to top, revealing a section of his slender, snow-white waist.
Xiao Meng reached out, intending to straighten his clothes. But the instant his fingertips touched that cold skin, Rong Xiang suddenly opened his eyes. Their eyes met, and they both paused, startled.
"Third Master..."
Xiao Meng withdrew her hand, about to say something, when Rong Xiang suddenly jumped up, bracing himself on the ground, and stumbled out. Xiao Meng turned around to grab his waist, but Rong Xiang nimbly dodged to the side, then scrambled forward a few meters before turning and entering his bedroom, slamming the door shut with a loud bang.
Relieved, Xiao Meng went over and knocked on the door: "Third Master?"
There was no response from inside.
Xiao Meng took out his key from his pocket and unlocked the hidden lock on the door. He saw Rong Xiang squatting by the bed, his hands covering his eyes.
The chandelier on the ceiling illuminated the room brightly. Rongxiang's eyes couldn't adjust to the environment for a moment. He knew Xiao Meng had come in, and he desperately wanted to continue escaping. However, he couldn't open his eyes. Tears streamed down his face—another form of weeping.
Xiao Meng took out a handkerchief—he always carried such a snow-white handkerchief, but because he usually paid great attention to keeping it clean, he usually used that handkerchief on Rong Xiang.
At that moment, he walked over and knelt in front of Rongxiang, trying to wipe away the tears on his face with a handkerchief.
Rongxiang weakly shook his head, indicating his refusal.
Xiao Meng placed the handkerchief on the edge of the bed beside him, then got up to run hot water in the bathroom. By the time he had prepared the towel and soap, the hot water was ready. He folded the new bathrobe and placed it on the steel rack next to him, then came out of the bathroom and saw Rong Xiang still squatting there.
"Third Master, you can take a bath now," he said calmly, as if nothing had happened.
Rongxiang slowly stood up, supporting himself on the edge of the bed, and squinted at Xiao Meng. His dirty face held an indescribable expression, somewhere between fear, disgust, and confusion.
He eventually made his way to the bathroom door, deliberately avoiding Xiao Meng, and then closed the door tightly.
Xiao Meng stood motionless at the door.
Rongxiang washed in the bathroom for a long time. When he came out, the bathroom was completely flooded.
His complexion was not good, pale with a bluish tinge, but his lips were bright red. His eyelids were lowered, making his damp eyelashes appear particularly thick and heavy. His eyes were dark blue, staring blankly at the small patch of carpet in front of him.
Seeing that his short hair was still dripping wet, Xiao Meng grabbed a large towel to help him dry it. But before the towel even touched his head, he suddenly turned around and slapped Xiao Meng hard across the face.
Xiao Meng lowered her head, and five bright red finger marks gradually appeared on her cheek.
"Third Master..." he said softly, "You can hit me if you want, just don't kill me, and don't leave me. Otherwise, I'll lock you back in that dark room."
Rong Xiang gave a cold laugh and pointed to his throat.
Xiao Meng looked up at him and said, "Third Master, I didn't want this either. But there are always so many people—Fu Jingyuan died, and then someone else would take his place. I... I don't know how long I'll have to wait."
Rong Xiang paused for a moment, then a look of extreme contempt and mockery slowly appeared on his face. He turned to face Xiao Meng and then untied the sash of his bathrobe.
The thick, soft blue yukata, freed from its thin sash, immediately opened wide, revealing his naked body. Under the bright light, his skin appeared almost silvery-white. Such a slender, smooth, and beautiful body was, in fact, quite unusual to behold.
Rongxiang had known since childhood that he was good-looking, but that was all. At this moment, he shamelessly took off his bathrobe and threw it hard on the bed, then sat on the edge of the bed with his eyes fixed on Xiao Meng.
Xiao Meng glanced at him, remaining expressionless.
Rongxiang leaned forward, grabbed his collar, and pulled him in front of him.
Xiao Meng looked down at the carpet in front of her feet.
Rongxiang grabbed one of his hands and placed it on his shoulder, then held his other hand and pressed it against his cheek.
Xiao Meng shuddered as if he had touched a hot coal, and quickly withdrew his hand, saying, "Third Master, don't do that."
Rongxiang looked up at him, then suddenly smiled. A drop of water fell from the tip of his hair, landing under his eye, forming the shape of a tear.
"madman!"
He used the force of a loud shout, but only a whisper-like sound came out.
Xiao Meng smiled at the ground and murmured, "Third Master, only Heaven knows my heart for you."
Rongxiang gritted his teeth, propped himself up on the bed with one hand, and delivered another resounding slap to Xiaomeng's face.
Xiao Meng was stunned by his blow, and a trace of dark red slowly trickled down the corner of her mouth.
He wiped his face with a handkerchief and continued, "Third Master, you raised me from childhood, and I have served you since I was a child. After so many years of risking my life, am I not as good as Fu Jingyuan?"
Rongxiang's breathing quickened. Fu Jingyuan, Fu Jingyuan—just thinking about him made his heart ache. How could Xiao Meng compare to Fu Jingyuan? One was a lowly servant, the other... a lover who was unattainable and would never return...
The two people he truly loved in his life were Yi Zhongming and Fu Jingyuan. He also had a wife, a very good woman, Yan Guanglin.
Xiao Meng, what is he anyway! He's nothing more than a dog, a gun, and a clean-cut servant.
Rongxiang pressed his chest; that nauseating feeling returned, as if he had eaten something wrong, giving him a nauseous urge. He got up and walked to the wardrobe. Clean underwear was neatly folded high in the left compartment. Hanging on the right were the light-colored shirts he would wear this week, and below them were neatly folded trousers.
He found some clothes, put them on, and then opened the door to leave.
Xiao Meng followed: "Third Master, where are you going?"
Rongxiang ignored him.
Xiao Meng quickly stepped forward and blocked his way: "Third Master, where are you going?"
Rong Xiang's gaze turned cold. After looking Xiao Meng up and down, he suddenly kicked Xiao Meng in the stomach. He was always quick, and the kick sent Xiao Meng sprawling to the ground. He clutched his stomach and tried to stand up, but halfway up, he knelt down again, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
Rongxiang didn't even glance at him, walked past him and went downstairs.
Where to go? He didn't know. He just instinctively couldn't bear to be in the same room with Xiao Meng again. Xiao Meng's words and actions filled him with a sinful, incestuous feeling. But he firmly believed he was innocent.
He had harmed and killed people; he was not pure, yet he was innocent. He believed that all the karmic obstacles he had created were due to unavoidable circumstances.
However, like master, like servant. Xiao Meng drugged him until his voice was hoarse, locked him in a dark, hellish empty house, and all the cruel acts that followed were, in his own opinion, unavoidable.
Rongxiang was aimlessly hurrying towards the stairs when Xiaomeng suddenly grabbed him from behind around the waist. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem, but Rongxiang was extremely sensitive now, almost to the point of not allowing Xiaomeng near him. Before Xiaomeng could even hold him tight, he had already broken free and jumped down the stairs ahead. The stairs in this building weren't particularly steep, but the corridor was dimly lit, and the first floor was completely dark. Rongxiang missed a step, and there was no time to retreat; in his panic, he could only grab the handrail. Xiaomeng heard a few muffled thuds and, when she chased down to check, found him lying on the ground floor.
The person was lying on their back, with one arm draped over the stair step and the other hand under the back of their head. Their long eyebrows were furrowed in pain, but they didn't seem to be in any serious condition.
At such a young age, what harm could possibly come from a fall down a short staircase?
Xiao Meng bent down: "Third Master, are you alright?"
Rong Xiang was still lying on the ground. When he heard Xiao Meng's question, he didn't even lift his eyelids, and only mouthed the words: "Get out!"
Xiao Meng hadn't felt anything after receiving such a heavy slap and a kick to the stomach. But Rong Xiang's word "Get out" suddenly made him sad.
No one knows what he was thinking at that moment. Rong Xiang was still clutching the back of his head, enduring the pain, but he was unaware that Xiao Meng had already gotten up, stepped over him, and stood on the first step of the stairs.
He unbuttoned his coat, took off his black suit jacket, and gently placed it over Rongxiang's face.
Rongxiang shook his head vigorously, wondering what Xiaomeng was doing this time.
Xiao Meng raised her foot and stepped on Rong Xiang's hand, which was resting on the second-floor steps.
The sole of the leather shoe pressed firmly against his hand, causing Rong Xiang to gasp in pain. He reached out with his free hand to lift the clothes covering his face. However, just as he raised his hand, Xiao Meng raised her other foot and stomped hard on his arm, which was stuck on the step.
With a "crack" sound.
Xiao Meng actually broke Rong Xiang's right forearm by stepping on it.
Rongxiang reacted as if he'd been splashed with boiling oil, making a jumping motion, but with one arm still at Xiao Meng's feet, he only bumped his head into Xiao Meng's calf before falling heavily back to the ground. He was in excruciating pain; his clothes were still wrapped around his face, obscuring his expression, but his agonizing gasps could be heard.
Xiao Meng lifted his foot and took a step to the side. From this angle, he could clearly see Rong Xiang's every move from above.
Rongxiang's head and face were covered by his clothes, and he seemed too weak to care about them anymore. He convulsed and turned to the side, trying to lift his injured arm, which was bent at a strange angle. But this movement was completely impossible for him, who was dizzy with pain.
Xiao Meng knew that if Rong Xiang could make a sound, he would be crying out loudly right now.
Actually, he was somewhat dissatisfied with that mute drug; it was too potent, rendering the person unable to utter a sound. Rongxiang's voice, especially when speaking to women, was gentle and incredibly charming.
The doctor was summoned to the Rong Residence—or perhaps the Meng Residence would be a more fitting name—in the middle of the night to set a mute man's bones.
The family hadn't seen Rongxiang for several days, even though they knew he was in the building. According to Xiao Meng, Rongxiang had caught a cold and was recovering. Everyone found it strange, but no one dared to ask further—partly because they were a little afraid of Xiao Meng, and partly because it didn't really concern them.
When the doctor arrived, only Xiao Zhen, who had gotten up to use the bathroom, caught a glimpse of him through the glass window of the indoor toilet. She was very suspicious, but she still obediently went back to her room to sleep, because the strange-looking Xiao Meng was leading the way for the doctor.
The doctor was also uneasy. The injured man was a young man dressed like a rich kid, lying on the living room floor with tears streaming down his face, looking fragile and as if he might faint at any moment.
He had to be given a large dose of painkillers, but even so, he was still in so much pain that he was in a daze, his head and face were covered in sweat, and when he touched them, they were damp and cold, all covered in cold sweat.
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