Luo Yao collapsed on the ground, shaking her head uncontrollably.
"I'm sorry! I made a mistake again. Will you not like Yao Yao anymore?"
Lin Ran regained some strength and slowly reached out his hand, gently wiping away Luo Yao's tears.
"Don't cry. I don't like a tear-streaked Yao Yao. Remember the question you asked me last time after you got me drunk?"
"No matter what you do to me, I won't blame you. That promise will always stand."
Luo Yao held back the tears that kept flowing. She wasn't someone who cried easily, but all her tears were because of Lin Ran.
"I was wrong, I was wrong. Ah Ran, please don't leave me. I beg you."
Lin Ran's wound hurt, but his heart hurt even more. What kind of love was this, so insecure, so humble and extreme? But on second thought, what had Luo Yao really done wrong?
"You didn't do anything wrong. You're just the guardian of our love. Your love is passionate and dangerous, but I hope you never stop."
"Because that's what I want too."Luo Yao felt an inexplicable throbbing in her chest, as if someone were punching her there repeatedly.
"I'll call a doctor for you."
Lin Ran, clutching 'Eternal Love,' said, "Right now, I just want to put it on you myself."
Luo Yao hated herself for losing her temper without understanding the situation, not only hurting herself but also hurting Lin Ran.
Yet Lin Ran didn't hold a grudge against her and was still so good to her.
Luo Yao's tears fell once again, betraying her resolve.
Lin Ran gently, slowly, placed 'Eternal Love' around Luo Yao's neck and forced a faint smile.
"It's beautiful, Miss Luo Yao. Will you take care of me for the rest of my life?"
Luo Yao finally smiled through her tears, which scattered along her eyelashes.
"I will."
Lin Ran laughed, but as he laughed, he fainted.
Luo Yao gently helped Lin Ran onto the bed and called the estate's private doctor.
Soon, the old butler looked at Lin Ran on the bed, sighing repeatedly but not daring to say anything.
Luo Yao: "I misunderstood Ah Ran. I wronged him."
The old butler already knew the whole story and felt sorrowful for his own mistake.
"Miss, it's all my fault. I should have explained things to you more clearly from the start."
Of course, it was his fault. If he hadn't left early, if he had asked Luo Yao the reason for her return as soon as she came back, perhaps none of these misunderstandings would have happened. So he blamed himself deeply.
But the bodyguard kneeling on the floor felt even more guilty, even terrified.
He was the key link in this misunderstanding, having given Luo Yao the wrong information. He was waiting for Luo Yao's punishment.
Seeing Lin Ran's pained expression even in his unconscious state, Luo Yao felt her heart grow heavier, more uncontrollable.
These people had made mistakes, but the one most at fault was herself.
Her gaze began to scatter, then focused again, gradually turning crimson.
"Leave." Luo Yao silently walked out of the bedroom and headed toward the secret room.
The bodyguard got up and followed, unlocking the door to the secret room, his hands trembling.
With a loud "bang," Luo Yao kicked open the door. Inside, in the center of the room, was a transparent glass cage where a man lay, barely alive.
The man had no nose, one eye was missing, and the other was infected but not yet dead. Rats scurried around inside.
The man sensed someone's arrival and slightly opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
Luo Yao walked to a nearby shelf and took out a torture device, one designed to force open a person's mouth.
With a glance, she signaled the bodyguard, who hesitated for a moment before taking the device, putting on a mask and gloves, and opening the cage door.
At that moment, the bodyguard felt immensely relieved that there was still a tool here for Luo Yao to vent her anger on.
Once inside, he fitted the device onto the man and then grabbed a rat, stuffing it into the man's mouth.
Then a second, a third...
"Uh... uh..."
The man struggled, twisted, but it was futile. Tears slowly streamed from the corners of his eyes.ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ NovᴇlFɪre.nᴇt
Luo Yao simply watched in silence, saying nothing.
It seemed that only by tormenting the man before her could she release a fraction of her psychological pressure.
After a while, Luo Yao slowly walked to the side and took out a glass jar, placing something inside.
Inside were two eyeballs.
She poured some liquid into the jar to prevent the eyeballs from rotting.
She placed the jar in clear view of the man being tortured, waiting until he had eaten his fill.
"The old man's eyes. This is the price for spying on Ah Ran."
The man in the cage twitched slightly, no longer sure how many rats he had eaten. He no longer had the strength to speak.
But hearing Luo Yao's words, his remaining pupil dilated slightly in disbelief.
With another glance from Luo Yao, the bodyguard immediately taped the man's mouth shut without a word.
All that remained was a slow, painful death.
Luo Yao dismissed the bodyguard and sat alone in silence, then took out a dagger and stabbed it toward her own shoulder.
Just as the dagger was about to pierce through, Luo Yao suddenly stopped.
"Ah Ran said I shouldn't hurt myself. He would be heartbroken."
Her hand touched the necklace around her neck, still stained with Lin Ran's dried blood. After a long while, she finally walked out of the secret room.
When she returned to the bedroom, Lin Ran's shoulder wound had been bandaged, but he was still unconscious.
Luo Yao's cold gaze fell on the doctor, who hadn't left yet. The doctor shivered and quickly explained.
"Mr. Lin is only temporarily unconscious due to blood loss and pain. There's nothing seriously wrong with his body. He'll wake up soon."
Luo Yao's eyes were blank.
Ah Ran... is it painful?
"Get out!"
Everyone scrambled out of the bedroom. Luo Yao slowly grasped Lin Ran's hand.
"Ah Ran, are you in pain?"
Lin Ran didn't answer.
"Ah Ran, look at me, please. Do you still like Yao Yao?"
Lin Ran still didn't answer.
"Ah Ran, should I let you go?"
"Uh... no! Don't!"
Luo Yao was startled, wondering if she had imagined it. She looked down and saw Lin Ran slowly opening his eyes.
"If you don't want me, no one else will."
For the first time, Luo Yao understood what excitement felt like as she saw Lin Ran's familiar smile return.
She nodded heavily. "Of course. I was lying earlier. I would never let you go. You belong only to me."
Lin Ran stretched out his hand, and Luo Yao, puzzled, obediently rested her chin on his palm.
Lin Ran: "You look like a little kitten right now."
Luo Yao: "Then I'll be your kitten. As long as you don't leave me, I'll be anything you want."
A kitten?
Lin Ran thought of that foul-mouthed cat.
The next time he saw it, he would definitely catch it and give it a good petting.
"It's almost dawn. You should sleep too, or you won't have energy during the day."
Luo Yao shook her head. "I'm not going to work. I'll stay with you."