The Price of Shame

It was now certain: the girl had been pushed to the point of incontinence by her.

Upon this realization, Qin Haiyue’s gaze fixated on the girl’s shattered expression. Her eyes, devoid of any light, were drowned in shame, filled with a desolate despair.

As she watched, Qin Haiyue was overcome by an inexplicable thrill. She found the girl’s current state beautiful, more beautiful than ever before. ‘If only she could stay like this forever,’ she mused. ‘Yes, just like this.’

She reveled in this twisted pleasure.

After a fleeting burst of intense excitement, Qin Haiyue’s expression reverted to its icy coldness. Regardless of the circumstances, the girl had soiled her, and thus, deserved punishment.

She was already anticipating the girl’s next breakdown with fervent impatience.

Within the cramped cubicle, two girls, one tall and one short, were pressed together. The garments, soaked through with warm liquid, gradually grew cold. Each brush of the chilling air sent shivers rippling across the girl’s skin.

Slowly, the girl’s mind resurfaced. The flush of shame on her face receded, leaving it deathly pale. She stared blankly at the girl before her, who stood nearly two heads taller.

‘What should I do?’ She had no idea. Her mind felt completely frozen, incapable of processing a single thought. She could only gaze numbly at the person before her, afraid to speak, her breathing growing shallower. In that moment, she truly had no clue how to proceed.

“Click…”

Outside, the sound of a door opening echoed again. The girl who had entered earlier had finished using the toilet. After lingering for a moment, her footsteps faded into the distance, suggesting she had departed.

Only then did the air within the small cubicle seem to stir.

Qin Haiyue’s expression remained as cold as iron, even though, compared to Ye Xingmian, only a small portion of her trouser leg was damp. Still, this minor detail did nothing to quell her anger.

With a sudden, forceful shove, she sent the girl crashing against the cubicle’s tiled wall. Then, with a vicious grip, she seized the girl’s slender neck and lifted her clean off the ground.

“Ugh…!”

Ye Xingmian cried out, pinned against the frigid wall. She coughed violently, struggling for air, her small face flushing crimson with agony.

“You urinated on me,” she stated coolly, uttering a fact that seemed to hold little true consequence for her. She merely savored the girl’s tormented struggle.

Her body could only precariously support itself on her tiptoes, swaying uncontrollably. She wanted to claw at Qin Haiyue, yet feared inciting even greater violence. Her trembling hands managed to reach Qin Haiyue’s arm, attempting to pry her grip open, but her strength was pitifully weak.

“S-sorry…” she choked out, gasping for breath. Tears welled in her eyes, overflowing, tracing the gentle curve of her cheeks before gathering on Qin Haiyue’s hand.

“I… ugh… I…”

“S-sorry… please… you…”

“Ugh… I… I won’t dare again…”

The suffocation worsened, her words coming out in ragged gasps, punctuated by violent coughs. She knew it was her fault; she shouldn’t have soiled the other girl. So, punishment was only natural. Yet, she was terrified—terrified of suffocating, of the pain, of being strangled like a stray dog in this deserted corner. All she wanted was to live peacefully, to cling to her pathetic, meager dignity. She hadn’t even fulfilled her wish of seeing her mother.

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I’m sorry…” she repeated, a mantra of madness, her voice growing fainter, weaker with each utterance. The light in her eyes dimmed further and further. She didn’t understand why her life was so abject, why she was bullied for no reason. She was simply in so much pain. And the tears continued to flow, endlessly.

‘Will I die? Probably.’ Her consciousness was fading. She could do nothing but repeat the “I’m sorry” that she herself could barely hear anymore.

Overwhelmed by the crushing sensation of suffocation, she was on the verge of losing consciousness when Qin Haiyue finally released her grip.

She collapsed weakly to the ground, despite the many foul liquids pooling there. ‘But she was already so dirty; a little more wouldn’t matter, would it?’ She had no strength left.

She coughed violently, the frigid air searing her lungs, a brutal reminder that she was still alive. ‘Alive… is it… truly good…?’ She wasn’t sure what she was thinking.

The tall girl loomed over her, gazing down with an icy, unreadable stare.

“Come out.”

‘Ha… as expected… it’s not over yet…’ She didn’t move, her limbs still numb. The girl remained wretchedly on the spot.

“Do I need to say it a second time?”

The sudden rise in tone made the girl tremble. Driven by fear, she scrambled to her feet, following closely behind the other.

“Wash your hands,” Qin Haiyue commanded, opening the faucet. Icy water rapidly filled the basin.

‘Wash my hands…’ A faint sense of unease stirred within her, but there was no time to ponder; the other girl’s chilling gaze demanded immediate attention. She moved stiffly, extending her hands into the stream of water. As she bent down, about to scrub diligently, a hand suddenly reached for the back of her head.

Her movements froze. Before she could react, that hand suddenly exerted force!

“Ugh!”

Her head was plunged into the basin overflowing with frigid water. The biting cold water rushed into her nostrils, ear canals, and mouth. Her vision blurred. She desperately pressed her hands against the bottom of the basin, trying to push herself up, but she couldn’t. The hand was too strong. Only when she was on the verge of suffocating did the pressure finally relent. She quickly straightened up, escaping the water.

“Cough, cough—cough—” She coughed violently, trying to expel the icy water that had choked its way into her lungs. Her entire body trembled from the cold.

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry…” The hand still pressed against her head, and fear compelled her to apologize instinctively. Water in her ears muffled sounds, so she couldn’t discern if Qin Haiyue had said anything, or nothing at all. She simply apologized, praying for her tormentor to release her.

However, before she could finish, that hand exerted force once more—

The icy water enveloped the girl’s head again.

****

This cycle repeated countless times. Ye Xingmian felt herself teetering on the brink of madness. Surely, for any mistake, this torment should have ceased by now? But Qin Haiyue showed no sign of stopping. All Ye Xingmian could do was apologize mechanically, repeating ‘I’m sorry,’ and pray for this inhumane ordeal to end swiftly.

After an indeterminate amount of time, Qin Haiyue finally pulled Ye Xingmian out of the water for the last time. This time, she truly let go. By now, the girl was barely recognizable. Cold water dripped incessantly from her drenched hair, her lips were blue, and she shivered uncontrollably. Her voice was as faint as a mosquito’s buzz, almost imperceptible without close attention.

Occasionally, warm liquid streaked across her face, and the girl could no longer tell if it was tears or something else.

Qin Haiyue remained silent throughout, while Ye Xingmian continued her litany of apologies, one after another. Unseen by Ye Xingmian, Qin Haiyue’s smile deepened, growing more profound.

Qin Haiyue retrieved a tissue from her pocket and gently wiped the girl’s face. Her tone was uncharacteristically soft.

“Alright, you can go now.”

The voice she heard was indistinct, and Ye Xingmian couldn’t fathom the reason for this sudden tenderness. Her entire body trembled uncontrollably from fear. Yet, when the other girl repeated herself, as if truly releasing her, Ye Xingmian finally confirmed she hadn’t misheard.

‘She’s actually… letting me go? Thank goodness… I thought for sure I wouldn’t leave today without being beaten half to death.’

A heavy weight seemed to lift from her heart. The girl, dragging her cold body and drenched clothes, tucked her hair into her cap and headed towards the stairwell.

“I’ll wait for you here tomorrow morning. Don’t you dare not show up.”

The flippant voice, like a demon’s whisper, suddenly reached her from behind. Gritting her teeth, she quickened her pace and fled.

‘I need to go home first,’ she thought. ‘I had planned to get some free soup and steamed buns from the cafeteria for lunch, but that’s definitely out of the question now. I have to go back and change. I hope Aunt and Uncle aren’t home…’