Chapter 1: Submission.

“Miss Song, we’ve settled CEO Xie in, but… he’s acting a bit unhinged right now. He hasn’t stopped screaming to be let out.”

I rubbed my temples and stepped into the room. A dull thud echoed through the space. Xie Yun was slamming his fists against the floor. In the dimly lit room, hands and feet chained, he was locked inside a massive golden cage.

The click of my heels died down. His ears twitched instantly.

“Song Ngu… it’s you, isn’t it? Have you lost your mind? How dare you kidnap me?”

I let out a soft laugh. Not long ago, an accident had claimed his vision. Now, to make matters better, I’d covered his eyes with a strip of black lace.

“Take a guess, how’d you know it was me?” I sat down on the edge of the bed.

“YSL Black Opium. That scent on you… makes me want to throw up.”

He spat the words out, but I thoroughly enjoyed watching the blue veins bulge on his forehead. Fierce, helpless… and begging to be tamed.

I crossed my legs and used the tip of my heel to lift his chin. “Not bad. You haven’t even been trained yet and you already recognize your Master’s scent.”

“Get lost. Don’t touch me!”

Ooh, feisty. I opened my bag, pulled out a brand-new crop, and unlocked the cage door. He stumbled, trying to push himself up, when—

Crack!

The leather snapped against his skin. His entire body froze. I gifted him a second blow for good measure.

“Song… Ngu!” he rasped, grinding out every syllable. “I swear to God, I will throw you into the ocean!”

I leaned down, delivered a light slap to his cheek, and pressed my index finger against his lips.

“Mmh. Talk like that after you actually get out. And while you’re at it… fix your tone. Be a good boy, kneel there, and think about what you’ve done. When you’ve figured it out, then we’ll talk.”

I turned on my heel and walked out, leaving the ice-cold CEO of Xie Corp trembling with rage inside his cage. Stupid dog. My hands actually hurt from hitting him.

—

Xie Yun and I had hated each other since we were kids. Truth be told, I didn’t care much either way at first, who could genuinely hate a guy with a face and body like that? Until middle school, that is.

A cute transfer student joined our class, the spitting image of my favorite idol. I flirted with him every day until his ears turned bright red. But Xie Yun just couldn’t stand the sight of it. One day, he stood up and ratted me out right in front of the teacher: “Miss, Song Ngu is passing notes.”

The result? I was forced to stand for two full class periods, and the cute transfer student got reassigned to another seat. After school, Xie Yun blocked the doorway, his voice raspy:

“Song Ngu, can you just stop talking to other guys?”

Unbelievable. From that moment on, we were sworn enemies.

—

By the third day of his captivity, Xie Yun finally snapped. “I want to see Song Ngu! Feed me! If I starve to death, who are you gonna play with?”

I walked in unhurriedly and patted his head. “Who said you get to eat?”

He bit his lip, staying silent. Just as I turned to leave, his hand reached out, tugging weakly at the hem of my dress before letting go.

“…Master,” he murmured, his voice trembling with sheer humiliation.

I smiled. “Now that’s a good boy.”

He wore chains, and every time he moved, they chimed like wind chimes. His face darkened as he asked if I could take them off. I casually cut into my steak. “Nope. Not unless you say something nice.”

He opened his mouth to reply, but a knock at the door cut him off. The security guard reported:

“Second Young Master Xie is here. He wants to take his brother home.”

From outside, a youthful, energetic voice rang out:

“Sis! I heard you kidnapped my brother… Can you swap captives? Honestly, kidnapping me works too!”

Xie Jin-yi’s voice suddenly faltered. His gaze fell upon his brother’s chained wrists, and his expression instantly darkened. He took a deep breath, forcing a grin toward me:

“What… are you two doing?”

I took a slow sip of my wine, looking as calm as if I were enjoying afternoon tea. “Just tying him up. Haven’t gotten around to doing anything too outrageous yet, don’t worry.”

Jin-yi’s face softened immediately, his eyes lighting up like he’d just put on a beauty filter. He pleaded with me to let his brother go so he could handle a company contract. I flicked my eyes toward the man who had remained silent the entire time.

“Xie Yun, what do you think?”

His long, slender fingers tapped lightly against the mahogany tabletop, his voice infuriatingly calm.

“Jin-yi, this is between Song Ngu and me. Stay out of it. As for the company… let the board handle it.”

Since the man himself had spoken, I waved a hand for the guards to take him back to his room. But Jin-yi still refused to leave. He even sat in my seat, picked up the glass I’d just used, and took a sip. The fair-skinned, red-lipped boy ran his tongue lightly over the corner of his lips, dragging out his words playfully:

“Sis, it’s so sweet… I can’t tell if it’s the wine or your flavor~”

I immediately called the butler to send a case of wine over to the Xie estate as an “apology fee,” instantly freezing the smile on Jin-yi’s face. Before he could say another word, a loud CRASH echoed from upstairs. Xie Yun had fallen in the bathroom.

I pushed the door open to find his white dress shirt completely soaked, clinging tight to his body and outlining every contour of his solid muscle. Xie Yun sat flat on the floor, his eyes hollow and unseeing.

“Song Ngu… now that I’m a total invalid, are you happy?”

I wasn’t happy. I preferred him when he was aggressive and ready to bite. I stepped forward to help him up, but he shoved my hand away. Taking advantage of the proximity, I unbuttoned his shirt. By the second button, he grabbed my wrist tight.

“I’ll do it myself,” he rasped.

I crossed my arms and leaned against the doorframe, fully indulging my “observational spirit” as he shed his shirt, revealing a flawless upper body.

“Aren’t you leaving?” He frowned.

“I’m worried about you.” Honestly, I just didn’t want to miss the view.

Just as he reached his belt and realized I was still standing there, the tips of his ears flushed bright red. “Why haven’t you left yet?!”

I burst out laughing. “It’s just a shower, what are you so shy about?”

“Shameless!” Trembling with rage, he fumbled around until he slammed the door shut. What he didn’t realize was that frosted glass hardly hid a thing.

Fifteen minutes later, he fumbled his way back out. I pulled him down by the hand to sit on the bed and grabbed the hairdryer. The soft hum filled the quiet room until he finally managed to squeeze out two words: “Thank you.”

I leaned in close to his ear. “Thank who?”

He turned his head away, his ears burning red. “I want to sleep!”

“Fine, go to sleep.”

I laid down beside him. He immediately turned to face me, letting out a cold laugh. “Song Ngu, you treat me like a toy dog, and now you want to share a bed? I didn’t realize you had a kink like this.”

Slap! A crisp, decisive sting.

“This is my bed,” I said flatly.

His face turned pale with fury, but his ears were red enough to bleed.

—

Over the next few days, I got busy stealing one of his major business deals. When I returned seven days later, Xie Yun looked visibly thinner. I reached out and touched his forehead. Burning up.

“Did that car crash fry your brain? You have a fever and didn’t say a word?!”

His eyes suddenly welled up with tears, his voice faint and vulnerable. “Ngu Ngu… I don’t feel good…”

I froze. What did he just call me?

Before I could react, he pressed his face into my palm, nuzzling against it like a needy kitten. “Your hands are so cool… feels so nice…”

In the next second, he parted his lips and gently took my finger into his mouth. I went completely numb.

“Ngu Ngu… I’ll give you all my business… will you like me then?”

With that, he drifted off into unconsciousness, still gripping me in a tight embrace. I tried to pull my hand back, but he only tightened his grip, mumbling incoherent nonsense.

Fine. I’d indulge a feverish idiot talking in his sleep just this once.