The Humiliation of the Game

The biting wind swept across the barren branches, a futile whisper in the desolate air.

Hidden behind a shroud of thick, dark clouds, the sun struggled to cast a pale, anemic light.

Dense buildings loomed like an incomprehensible labyrinth.

The empty, frigid streets seemed to swallow every hopeful soul, insatiable and relentless, much like a gluttonous beast.

The young girl ran, her black hair clinging to her temples. Her anxious gaze darted frantically around, searching.

She couldn’t understand why her pursuers had vanished, nor why such gnawing anxiety and unease had taken root in her heart.

So, she searched with all her might.

****

“Oh my~ Don’t be so listless. If we’re playing a game, shouldn’t we be happy, hmm?”

She lightly tossed the sand-filled medicine ball in her hand, the heavy sphere slapping against her palm with a faint sting.

Qin Haiyue smiled, her gaze fixed on the trembling girl across from her.

“So, for the first throw, are you ready?”

There was no reply; the girl merely waved her hands frantically, fear etched into her every movement.

Through the gaps in her hair, Qin Haiyue could see the girl’s pink eyes, wide with terror, just as the girl could surely see Qin Haiyue’s own excited blue gaze.

Ignoring the girl’s defensive posture, hugging herself tightly, Qin Haiyue also disregarded her frantic, almost deranged pleas for mercy.

She drew back, her arm arcing in a wide circle, then threw the ball with all her might.

Ye Xingmian saw her movement, and instinctively, he crouched down, dodging.

“Bang!”

A particularly dull thud exploded in her ears. The girl snapped back to reality, stiffly turning her head to see the orange ball slowly rolling down the iron locker.

“Oh, I missed,”

A cheerful smile played on Qin Haiyue’s face, feigning disappointment. She then commanded the girl, “Hey, bring it here.”

‘Bring… bring it here…?’

She stiffly extended her hand, grasping the cold, rough sphere.

It was so large, the girl could barely hold it with one hand, its weight feeling leaden.

This was the instrument of torture Qin Haiyue intended to smash into her, and now, her tormentor demanded she willingly retrieve it?

What utter humiliation.

Should she meekly obey? After all, no one would willingly agree to such an absurd request.

She might be weak, but even she possessed a spark of defiance.

‘How she longed to smash it back.’

‘How she longed to smash the ball in her hand against Qin Haiyue’s head.’

‘To strike her fiercely, with all her strength, until her head bled, until it was shattered, until she vanished from this world entirely.’

‘Right?’

Despite her profound weakness, despite the sheer effort it took for the ailing girl to even lift the ball, she still indulged in such fantasies, staring at it blankly, lost in thought.

Then, a dull thud echoed in her ears once more.

“Bang!”

She flinched, the ball in her hand trembling before slipping from her grasp. Instinctively, she crouched down, curling into a ball.

Turning her head, she saw a familiar sight.

Another medicine ball slowly rolled down after striking the locker.

The girl turned her head dazedly, only to meet a pair of cold eyes that had, unnoticed, drawn incredibly close.

“What are you thinking, hmm?”

Though a smile still played on Qin Haiyue’s lips, it plunged the girl into a chilling abyss, creating the terrifying illusion that all her thoughts had been perfectly discerned.

Qin Haiyue crouched down, a cool, crisp scent wafting to the girl’s nose. Her hands, encased in expensive silk gloves, gripped the girl’s wrist, those eyes looking up into her own dazed ones.

“Are you angry, perhaps? Do you want revenge, to hit me back? You feel terribly wronged, don’t you?”

“N-no… it’s not.” Catching a hint of something amiss in Qin Haiyue’s words, the girl shook her head dazedly.

Her denial was so feeble, for she had indeed just harbored those very thoughts.

‘But she certainly couldn’t admit it.’

‘No matter what, she couldn’t admit it.’

So, no matter what Qin Haiyue intended to say next, the girl continued to shake her head.

The persistent fever continued to consume the girl’s consciousness, leaving her increasingly fatigued as her vision began to subtly dim.

“You can, you know.” Qin Haiyue uttered words completely contrary to the girl’s expectations.

She picked up the medicine ball that had fallen from the girl’s weakened grasp, then gently placed it into the girl’s scorching palm.

Then, she lowered her head.

“Come on, hit me.” She pointed to the top of her own head.

Her golden hair cascaded down, soft strands falling onto the girl’s hand, full and smooth.

The girl didn’t move; she remained lost in a daze.

“Hit me, then? Don’t say I didn’t give you a chance, hmm?”

Despite the sweet and gentle tone, the girl felt only humiliation and terror.

This was utterly impossible; both of them knew the girl could never bear the consequences of such a strike.

If she dared to act, her entire future would be utterly shattered.

Qin Haiyue’s actions, beyond satisfying her playful cruelty, also served a small, specific purpose.

She wanted to gauge the extent of the girl’s weakness, to see how much violence resided within her heart, and to determine if, under extreme, uncontrolled emotions, the girl might take a desperate risk.

The result was highly satisfying to her.

“Thud…”

Along with the medicine ball, silent tears rolled onto the ground from the girl’s eyes.

“Plink, plink—”

They dropped to the ground, as cheap as the dust they stirred.

Qin Haiyue lifted her head, her smile one of utter satisfaction, a brazen, wild grin.

“You gave up this chance yourself; you can’t blame me.”

She picked up the medicine ball, weighing its heavy mass in her hand.

She extended one hand, cupping the girl’s cheek.

“As a girl, you shouldn’t harbor such violent thoughts anymore, alright?”

She then stood up, returning to her previous position.

“So, as punishment, we’ll add five more balls.”

“Come on, catch fifteen balls, and we’ll be done.”

“Are you ready—?” With a cheerful lilt to her voice, Qin Haiyue raised the medicine ball above her head.

Ye Xingmian, however, was teary-eyed and trembling, nervously watching her every move. Seeing this, Qin Haiyue’s smile deepened, becoming even more pronounced.

“Second throw—”

Her cascading golden hair fanned out and scattered in the air, carrying a cool, crisp scent. Qin Haiyue turned sideways, adopting a stance as perfect as a professional athlete’s.

And then…

Without warning, without a sound, the medicine ball left Qin Haiyue’s palm, arcing gracefully through the air before precisely striking the girl’s right calf.

Excruciating pain.

A searing, burning agony, as if her bones had shattered, instantly engulfed her mind.

The girl’s strength instantly gave out, and she collapsed to her knees.

There was no scream, only the ragged gasps of her breath, quickened by the intense pain.

Cold sweat beaded on her ashen face.

Her throat burned with a fiery ache; she neither wanted to speak nor possessed the strength to do so.

However, Qin Haiyue, not having received the girl’s anticipated, ‘delightful’ scream, felt a flicker of dissatisfaction.

“Scream, why don’t you? Aren’t you in pain, hmm?”

She quickly picked up the next ball from beside her feet. After repeating the same winding motion, the medicine ball arced through the air.

This time, it struck the girl’s left leg.

“Urgh!”

Finally unable to suppress it, the girl let out a hoarse cry of pain. Her legs lost all strength, and she collapsed powerlessly to the ground.

This was no ‘game’ at all, but a unilateral act of bullying.

‘Catch the ball? Impossible, unless she wished to break both her hands.’

Lying on the ground, desperately gasping for the dust-laden air, the girl remained silent. Tears streamed down her cheeks and past her ears.

“Whimper…”

Her frail hands weakly clutched at her chest.

In such a predicament, perhaps the only thing she could do was wait for her tormentor to release her.

And to escape such agony, the only thing she could pray for was this.

To lose consciousness as soon as possible.