Zhao Xinya adjusted her posture comfortably, counting silently in her heart. She was a decisive person, not one to drag her feet on any matter.
Despite Qi Hong's earlier elaborate and earnest promises, she wasn't entirely convinced. The idea of having a young boy as her personal attendant had been a long-standing desire of hers. In the quiet of the night, amidst swirling thoughts, she often fantasized about how to indulge in life more pleasurably.
The boy before her seemed like the perfect choice.
First impressions between people are crucial. Zhao Xinya wished to implant a sense of inferiority in Xiao Gui's psyche, an indelible mark. Once this mark was etched, her subsequent intentions would unfold much more smoothly.
Zhao Xinya placed her right hand on her knee, tapping lightly, once, twice, quickly reaching the seventh tap.
As Zhao Xinya's finger tapped, Qi Hong felt her heart pounding loudly, as if she had never been so nervous in her life, more so than during her wedding ceremony with her late, unlucky partner.
When the finger tapped for the ninth time, Xiao Gui's voice sounded like heavenly music to Qi Hong's ears.
"Alright, I agree."
"I don't believe in words, only actions."
Xiao Gui felt his heart clench. This was his first time in such a situation. Had Qi Hong made this request, he wondered if he would have been so torn.
Yet, the current predicament was entirely for Qi Hong's sake that he found himself doing this.
He seemed to have found a somewhat acceptable reason, but the act of kneeling still made Xiao Gui feel his scalp tingle, every pore on his body tightening, as if the vast world had no place for him to stand.
Kneeling before a strange woman was no small challenge.
Time passed—perhaps a few seconds, maybe a minute, or just dozens of seconds—but to Xiao Gui, it felt like an eternity.
This time, Zhao Xinya did not rush him but waited patiently. She had been looking forward to this day for so many years; what difference would a little more time make?
Once Xiao Gui knelt, his life would change forever. The countless doors of choice that his future life could have offered would close, leaving him with only one path ahead.
Life, after all, is a one-way journey.
Thud, his knees hit the ground, and Xiao Gui's stature instantly diminished.
Zhao Xinya was not surprised by this outcome, though she had been momentarily distracted and failed to notice the boy completing the contract-like gesture. By the time she came to, she found the boy prostrate at her feet.
The boy was frail and petite, standing at less than five feet three inches tall, now curled up on the ground, resembling a certain animal.
A mischievous thought crossed Zhao Xinya's mind as she dangled one foot just above the boy's head. With the slightest downward movement, she could step on him.
The sensation was truly exhilarating—dominating another person, controlling their every move. What could be more thrilling and satisfying than this?
Zhao Xinya took a closer look at the boy, noticing his slight shoulders trembling, evoking a sense of pity.
She recalled a dog she had as a child, often lying on the ground, its body trembling slightly, breathing rapidly.
Reaching out, Zhao Xinya gently stroked the boy's hair. It was surprisingly soft and smooth, a stark contrast to his malnourished body.
Patting the boy's head, Zhao Xinya felt an indescribable pleasure. She joked to her friend beside her, 'I'll take him with me today. You won't mind, will you?'
'Of course not. We agreed on this. Don't you go back on your word either.'
Qi Hong's concerns naturally did not lie with the boy.
Yet, Qi Hong was unaware that her offhand remark would sever the last remaining ties between her and the boy.
Qi Hong politely escorted Zhao Xinya downstairs, watching her friend get into her car. A sudden pang of regret hit her, despite her deep-seated desire for the boy to leave. Now that the day had come, she felt reluctant.
People develop feelings for each other over time, even if they're strangers.
As the BMW drove out of the dilapidated neighborhood, the boy sat in the passenger seat, leaning against the leather backrest, looking back wistfully.
'Don't sit there. Lie down on the foot mat, and don't get up without my command.'
Seeing the boy's reluctant demeanor, Zhao Xinya grew displeased once more.
After kneeling, the boy seemed to have no resistance left against Zhao Xinya's commands, obediently lying down.
His body was naturally thin and small, and when he crouched down, curled up, he really didn't take up much space. Even if Zhao Xinya sat on the seat and placed her feet on the boy's back, it wouldn't be in the way.
With a slight smile, Zhao Xinya stepped harder on the accelerator, and the BMW shot forward like an arrow from a bow, moving through the endless stream of traffic.
On the other side, Qi Hong had already freed herself from the faint sorrow of parting. With a phone call, she invited her lover over. As Zhao Xinya drove the car into the suburban villa, the boy lying on the foot mat in the passenger seat was completely unaware of the turn his fate was taking. In his confusion, Qi Hong was also experiencing the most exhilarating pleasure she had had in years.
"So satisfying!"
Qi Hong moaned, rolled, and recklessly used all her skills to match the man's simple, repetitive mechanical movements. It was as if years of stored gunpowder had been ignited at once, enduring and unending. For a moment, the bedroom was filled with boundless spring scenery...
"Get out of the car, boy. From today on, this will be your residence, and I am the mistress here."
Zhao Xinya said so.
It was a two-story villa with a construction area of 500 square meters, in European style, with a basement. The yard was planted with many flowers and plants, but because it was night, the boy couldn't see clearly what they were, only that a faint fragrance reached his nose.
Suddenly, the lights came on, and several night lights were also lit in the yard. Just as the boy was about to turn around to look, Zhao Xinya pushed him through the door, and then the door closed. He felt as if his world had been cut off by this door.
"Don't just stand there dumbly, change my shoes for me."
Zhao Xinya didn't scold the boy too much. After all, it was his first day, and there were many things he needed to get used to. But she wouldn't be particularly kind to him either. It was necessary to maintain a balance; otherwise, bad habits would form, and they would be hard to change.
The boy seemed to realize the change in his status and didn't resist too much. He had already begun to accept his fate in his heart. He hadn't studied hard and hadn't even passed the high school entrance exam. In the future, he could only be a laborer. Now, changing his identity to become a male nanny could be considered another way out.
Thinking he had figured everything out, the boy clumsily took out a pair of slippers from the shoe cabinet, placed them aside, then squatted down and used both hands to take off the woman's shoes.
The boy's hands were firmly gripping the woman's high heels, yet Zhao Xinya remained unmoved. As he was at a loss for what to do, he heard the woman laugh and scold, 'You little fool, you're supposed to kneel. From now on, when I'm home, your knees are not to leave the ground.'
A chill ran down the boy's spine as he thought to himself, 'If that's the case, wouldn't I have to crawl to move around?'
Sure enough, only after the boy had properly knelt did Zhao Xinya leisurely lift her delicate foot, freeing it from the high heel and placing it into the slippers the boy had prepared.
Perhaps because it was his first time there, the boy seemed very restrained in both demeanor and actions, his fear of Zhao Xinya deepening without a trace of rebelliousness, which pleased Zhao Xinya greatly.