The Leader Isn’t Acting Normal

A dreamless night. It was rare for me to sleep so comfortably.

Sitting up, I rubbed my sleepy eyes. I was still hugging that teddy bear.

I sniffed my arm. Hmm, no scent at all. Neither the Leader’s bitter almond nor Su Yanlan’s lavender remained after the night.

“Qin Yue, open the door.”

Outside, the Leader’s banging was deafening, making a mess of this rare, quiet morning.

“Leader? I’m coming.”

An annoying voice, but one I couldn’t refuse. Placing the teddy bear on the bed, I stumbled to the door, dragged the bookshelf I used as a barricade aside bit by bit, and unlocked the door.

Outside, the Leader stood wearing a down jacket, her face full of impatience. I was cast in her shadow.

The snow hadn’t melted yet. The expanse of white formed a sharp contrast with her pitch-black down jacket.

“What were you doing? Why did it take you so long to open the door?”

She radiated a gloomy aura. It looked like she had been standing there for a while.

“I’m sorry, Leader.”

Wearing a fake, apologetic smile, I bowed respectfully and welcomed her inside.

Her brown eyes swept over the messy room, and her brow furrowed unconsciously. She brushed back her hair and patted my shoulder.

“Say, were you always this sloppy?”

What kind of talk is that? I’m actually quite clean, okay? I wasn’t the one who messed these things up.

I complained in my heart, but dared not say it aloud, so I could only explain patiently.

“A thief broke in yesterday. I got back very late and didn’t have time to clean up. I’m sorry, Leader, for letting you see such an uncomfortable environment.”

Smiling apologetically, I walked to the bed, moved the unfolded quilt aside to make enough space, and invited the Leader to sit.

I hugged the teddy bear and stood straight.

She didn’t tell me to sit, so I couldn’t sit, even though this was my home. I clearly understood what big shots like the Leader liked and disliked.

“That. Let me see it.”

She pointed at the teddy bear in my arms, so I had no choice but to hand it to her.

I tightened the maid outfit where it was torn, trying not to let the Leader see the ripped sleeve.

This maid outfit was a gift from the Leader. Yes, that’s right, I still remembered that.

The Leader had invited Su Yanlan to her mansion to custom-make this outfit, and then gave it to me.

“Young at heart? I couldn’t tell. A scumbag like you has such an innocent side?”

She pinched the teddy bear’s face and gently stroked its two black eyes.

“Haha…”

I could only laugh awkwardly. I know I’m a scumbag, but do you guys have to keep saying it?

“Who gave it to you?”

She asked.

“Someone irrelevant. It looked comfortable to hug, so I kept it.”

In this situation, I can’t say words like ‘ex-girlfriend,’ or I’d definitely die a horrible death, right?

Forgive me, whichever number deceased ex-girlfriend you were. I didn’t mean to cut ties with you so righteously.

“Tch, it was probably one of your ex-girlfriends, wasn’t it? Why keep something like this?”

She gouged out one of the teddy bear’s eyes, then threw the bear at my feet.

The black plastic eye hit the hard floor with a dull thud, spinning around until it hit the bear’s body and stopped.

I’m sorry, Big Bear. I didn’t mean to hand you over to that demon.

Still smiling on the outside, I silently apologized to the bear that had kept me company for so long.

Maybe I can ask Su Yanlan to fix it later? I don’t know if she knows how to do that.

“Why aren’t you talking? Come sit here.”

Seeing my silence, the Leader on the bed ordered me over. What did she want to do now?

“Whatever the Leader says.”

Acquiescing, I took small steps to her side and sat down carefully—not too close, not too far.

This was my home, my bed, yet I had to be so cautious. It felt somewhat pathetic.

“What happened to the injuries on your body?”

She pinched my face, which hadn’t fully unswollen yet. It hurt, but I couldn’t resist.

“I fell on my way home yesterday.”

I couldn’t say it was Su Yanlan. The Leader wouldn’t fall out with a powerful cyborg over an ordinary person. Pointless complaining would only make things worse for me.

“And here?”

She reached for the spot on my chest covered with medical tape and pressed it with malicious amusement.

“Hiss… also from falling. The snow was too deep, I couldn’t see what was inside. I got cut by glass shards when I fell.”

I sucked in a breath of cold air, my brows knitting together tight. The Leader was really pressing hard. It hurt…

“Your wound? Who bandaged it? I thought you didn’t have any supplies?”

Like interrogating a prisoner, the Leader tightly gripped my slightly thin shoulder to prevent me from escaping.

“I met a kind clothing store owner. She treated my wound on the condition that I work for her. I’m moving to her shop tomorrow.”

Lowering my head, I wove a half-true, half-false lie.

“Don’t worry, Leader. She’s a girl, and she’s frigid. Nothing will happen.”

Feeling the hand on my shoulder grip harder, I quickly labeled Su Yanlan as frigid. Hearing this, the Leader’s hand finally loosened slightly.

She pinned me to the bed, pressing her body against mine.

“I told you, if you dare betray me, you’ll face the consequences.”

Saying this, she leaned down, wanting to kiss me.

Realizing what might happen next, I put my hand in front of my face, blocking her.

“Um, I’m not really in the condition for that right now. Can you spare me just this once today?”

Just another day of not wanting to be ravaged by the Leader.

Miraculously, the Leader actually listened to me. She got off me.

The Leader was acting strange today. Luckily, this strangeness was a good thing for me.

“Tsk.”

She seemed bored. After a while, as if thinking of something amusing, she stared straight at me.

Being stared at like that gave me the creeps. I swallowed involuntarily, feeling like something bad was about to happen.

“Take off the maid outfit. It’s ruined anyway.”

She said this and, without explanation, stripped the pink maid outfit off me.

There was no heating or stove in the room. Without clothes, I couldn’t keep warm.

She stared at me, not letting me touch the quilt on the bed.

Over ten minutes later, only when I was shivering uncontrollably from the cold, did she lift the toppled wardrobe, take out a set of my clothes, and hand them to me to put on.

I’m probably going to catch a cold again.

“Sit in my lap.”

She said, pulling my shivering body into her arms and nuzzling her chin against my hair.

Too strange. The Leader is really, really strange today.