[Chapter 10] Constraints (5)

If it’s an order… then there’s no choice.

Because orders are work.

And as work, Tidal could endure anything.

A boss’s harassment. A client’s disdain. Coworkers’ passive aggression…

Compared to that, reading Huang Shu was nothing.

“Ah… ah—”
“More… hold me…”
“Mmm… I’m going to…”

Tidal read the sultry lines with a flat, emotionless voice—her mind completely detached.

To her, this wasn’t even as humiliating as giving empty promises in a meeting room.

“Stop. Stop for a second.”

Just as Tidal was reciting another absurd line with robotic calm, Chen Xi suddenly interrupted.

What’s wrong with her?

Chen Xi frowned.

She’d expected to see the girl flustered, embarrassed, maybe even tearful from being forced to read such things.

Ideally, she’d curl up helplessly, trembling—maybe shed a few tears.

(Though she didn’t think Tidal—or her ex-boyfriend’s mind—was that fragile.)

“What now? You’re the one who told me to read,” Tidal said, shooting her a bored glare.

Seeing that look, Chen Xi had an epiphany.

Once, she’d asked You Dong, “Are you tired of shopping with me?”

And he’d replied with the exact same expression:
“Oh, not really. If I treat it like work, it’s not tiring.”

Now, Tidal was treating reading porn as work. That’s why she was so calm.

Her mouth says shameful things—but her brain shuts off, refusing to process what she’s doing.

Corporate elite… truly terrifying!

Chen Xi shuddered. And realized this wasn’t fun anymore.

“You’re doing it wrong.”

“How?” Tidal asked.

“No emotion.”

“Are you serious? How much of a pervert do I have to be to feel emotion reading this?”

“Watch me demonstrate. This is how it’s done.”

Chen Xi leaned forward, propping her elbows on the desk, face close to the screen.

Then, in a breathy, sensual voice, she began reciting the lines Tidal had just read.

Tidal had never heard her girlfriend make sounds like this.

Even in his wildest late-night fantasies, You Dong had never imagined Chen Xi like this.

The stimulation was too intense. Her face flushed red and white by turns—she nearly fainted in the chair.

“Well? That’s professionalism. Your turn.”

After the demo, Chen Xi stepped back, leaving the stage to the stunned girl in the chair.

“Mmm… ahh—”

Tidal tried to mimic the tone, pinching her voice—but was stopped again after a few lines.

“No. Not like that.”

“I can’t do it.” Tidal shook her head.

“Can’t? Hehe~”

Chen Xi chuckled darkly. She raised both hands, fingers dancing like spiders toward Tidal’s body.

“What are you—?”

Tidal tensed. She knew that look.

Many nights in this room, she’d woken up to Chen Xi doing exactly this.

“You said you can’t, right? Let me help you.”

As she spoke, her hands didn’t stop.

Like cold, slick snakes, they slipped under Tidal’s collar.

The alien sensation of being touched made Tidal arch her back instinctively. But the chair’s backrest blocked her retreat.

…

A strained moan escaped her chest.

Tidal exhaled sharply through her nose, glaring at Chen Xi with helpless fury.

That defiant look only fueled Chen Xi’s sadistic thrill.

After nibbling the skin of Tidal’s neck, her fingers slid down to her collarbone.

Like tracing a calligraphy model, she meticulously, repeatedly traced the curve connecting shoulder and chest.

Her cool fingertips, rounded nails, glided along the path—sensual, deliberate.

Each pass made Tidal’s throat bob involuntarily. She closed her eyes, long lashes fluttering.

“Cute… this is how you should be.”

Chen Xi grinned wickedly.

“Now, continue reading.”

“!?”

When Tidal felt her earlobe gently sucked, her eyes snapped open—filled with shock and disgust.

“S-sorry… for treating you… like that before… mmm…”

With Chen Xi’s constant interference, she couldn’t even finish a sentence.

“If… mmh… doing this to me… makes you feel better… nn…”

“And if it does… what will you do?”

Chen Xi glanced at the text, smoothly continuing the dialogue.

“A-anything you want…”

“You actually like this, don’t you?”

Chen Xi pressed on, her hand sliding lower.

“N-no… I don’t… mm… st-stop…”

Pleasure eroded her resistance. She bit her lip, tears glistening at the corners of her eyes.

In that moment, she didn’t know if she was reading lines—or just obeying instinct.

“Admit it freely. You like this, don’t you? Mmm?”

“S-sorry… y-yes…”

……

When the story finally ended, Tidal lay limp in the chair—empty, drained. Staring blankly at the ceiling.

Chen Xi wasn’t much better, slumping onto the floor mat.

It felt like they’d done everything… yet nothing.

The room reeked of arousal.

This half-finished hunger—it was worse than before. Like eating a cake with no filling, leaving only sharper craving.

Unsatisfied desire burned. Chen Xi’s hand reached for the next “slice.”

“…Alright.”

Just before consciousness slipped away, a final spark of pride and reason flared.

Tidal caught Chen Xi’s wrist—pulling it away.

“Today… let’s stop here.” She looked down, avoiding eye contact.

“Hehe.”

Chen Xi didn’t push. Just seeing Tidal’s flustered face was satisfaction enough.

“You do like this, don’t you?” She tried to corner her once more.

“No. I don’t like this.”

Tidal shook her head.

Her blush had faded. Her usual calm returned.

“It’s because it’s you,” she said softly.

“So… I just love you, that’s all.”

……

Thud.

Chen Xi collapsed onto the mat.

“Huh? Qianqian, why did you faint…?”