The Unbearable Touch

Xiyue reached out to touch her face, and, predictably, Su Xiaoxiao’s tears were already flowing.

“What is it you want?”

Su Xiaoxiao gnawed at her lower lip, nearly breaking the skin, yet she still couldn’t stifle the sound that escaped her. She seemed utterly broken, trembling as she choked out, “Don’t touch me… please…”

The two hours that day, when Xiyue had bound her with the long chain, had left Su Xiaoxiao deeply traumatized, imprinting a profound terror within her. She had initially yearned to plead with Xiyue to remove the device from her person, only for Xiyue to state that its removal was ‘unlikely.’

Those four words – ‘unlikely to be removed’ – resonated with Su Xiaoxiao. Xiyue didn’t need to elaborate; Su Xiaoxiao understood perfectly.

Now, she dreaded Xiyue’s touch. Even during the transfer of spiritual energy, the instant Xiyue’s hand pressed against her abdomen, Su Xiaoxiao’s body would instinctively tense, and tears would brim, beyond her control.

“What did you say?” Xiyue’s expression clouded with displeasure.

Su Xiaoxiao faltered, her trembling intensifying. “Xiyue, I was wrong… I won’t dare again…”

“I was wrong… I won’t dare again…”

Repeating the same phrase, Xiyue observed a pattern: whenever her tone hardened even slightly, Su Xiaoxiao would instinctively utter those words.

“Quiet down! Your crying is grating on my nerves.”

Xiyue had barely finished speaking when Su Xiaoxiao clamped a hand over her mouth. In the dim light, Xiyue could see her long lashes fluttering with tremors, and the continuous stream of tears falling.

The two were pressed intimately close. The more Su Xiaoxiao recoiled, the more Xiyue felt compelled to draw nearer.

She stroked Su Xiaoxiao’s back.

Su Xiaoxiao had indeed grown much thinner; Xiyue could distinctly feel the bones encased beneath her delicate skin.

The device on her neck remained unremoved. Xiyue held her, a distinct dissatisfaction settling within her. Su Xiaoxiao was far too thin, her sharp bones digging uncomfortably, and her appearance was hardly appealing in this state.

Raising a hand to dry the tears on Su Xiaoxiao’s face, Xiyue didn’t consider it a sign of weakness. In Su Xiaoxiao’s current condition, with only one restraint gone, what trouble could she possibly stir up? The ones on her hands and feet remained, after all.

Xiyue sat upright. With a subtle flick of her wrist, the chamber instantly brightened.

She observed Su Xiaoxiao, silent and biting her lower lip, her arms wrapped protectively around her abdomen.

Su Xiaoxiao’s arms were remarkably slender, a stark contrast to the unmistakable, burgeoning curve of her pregnant belly.

It was, in a way, aesthetically displeasing. Yet, Xiyue knew a tiny fish resided within, and if she herself were to bear a child, she too would assume this form.

The sudden burst of light in the bedchamber caused Su Xiaoxiao to squint, unaccustomed to the brightness.

Before she could fully process her surroundings, the device around her neck dematerialized.

Xiyue paused, a flicker of surprise in her eyes.

Though the restraint hadn’t been excessively tight, Su Xiaoxiao’s skin was evidently too tender and delicate, leaving behind a subtle yet distinct red mark.

Xiyue was inherently not one for abstinence. Having exercised such prolonged restraint for Su Xiaoxiao’s sake, she now deemed the moment ripe.

She traced the faint red ring on Su Xiaoxiao’s neck, then spoke to the trembling girl. “I’ve unbound your neck. Shouldn’t you offer me something in return?”

She lifted Su Xiaoxiao into her arms, studying her for a moment before abruptly remarking, “You should truly see how laughable and unlovely you appear right now.”

How could she possibly be unlovely, though? Xiyue kept that thought unspoken.

Su Xiaoxiao’s face, regardless of circumstance, was undeniably exquisite, utterly captivating.

Her skin, fair and delicate as congealed cream, highlighted the glaring red mark on her neck. It lent her an ineffable air of fragility, as if she might crumble at the slightest touch.

She was gaunt everywhere, save for the distinct, pregnant curve of her belly and the newly plumped, smooth flesh of her hips. Her body was so altered she could no longer see her own toes.

Even with Xiyue’s light touch, Su Xiaoxiao still found the contact unbearable. Xiyue noted the previous wounds had healed. She then raised her hand, channeling spiritual energy to alleviate the discomfort.

Su Xiaoxiao flinched and trembled as Xiyue raised her hand. Xiyue, of course, registered these minute reactions, but chose to disregard them.

Fearing another outburst, Xiyue swiftly removed the restraints from Su Xiaoxiao’s hands and feet. She then settled Su Xiaoxiao onto her lap, holding her intimately close. Su Xiaoxiao, however, continued to tremble ceaselessly, her hands anxiously clutching at the discarded clothes that lay nearby.

The sensation of being scrutinized so intensely was deeply unsettling, yet Su Xiaoxiao dared not avert her gaze. Even her mere presence, her silent suffering, seemed to ignite a spark of anger within Xiyue.

Xiyue bent Su Xiaoxiao’s knees, guiding her to sit directly atop Xiyue, and then proceeded with her next action.

A wave of pain, yet it was Xiyue’s mere touch that brought forth Su Xiaoxiao’s profound tension, rather than immediate agony. Still, she found herself gasping for breath.

Su Xiaoxiao was overwhelmed by tension, her voice a fragmented whisper laden with tears. “Don’t…”

“Did I ask for your consent?” Xiyue reprimanded in a low voice, subtly increasing the pressure of her hand.

The chill of Xiyue’s fingertips brushing against her skin sent another jolt through Su Xiaoxiao, making her shudder.

Perched on Xiyue’s lap, Su Xiaoxiao wept uncontrollably, her distress evident as she continuously murmured, “No, I don’t want this anymore…”

She desperately hoped Xiyue would show mercy, her tears pattering onto her own abdomen. Her appearance was utterly pathetic. “Xi… Xiyue, it hurts, there’s a little fish inside…”

Xiyue, however, had no patience for her pleas. She patted Su Xiaoxiao’s shoulder, urging impatiently, “Hurry up now.”

A mere rise in Xiyue’s voice was enough to make Su Xiaoxiao shiver. She was genuinely terrified now, and Xiyue, for her part, was growing increasingly impatient.

Su Xiaoxiao, trembling, wrapped her arms around Xiyue’s body, pressing herself close.

“This is very uncomfortable…”

Su Xiaoxiao looked up at her, a truly pitiable sight. Xiyue felt a flicker of compassion, and understanding Su Xiaoxiao’s discomfort, she gripped her waist and gently pressed her downwards.

Su Xiaoxiao instantly screamed aloud.

“Ah—”

Su Xiaoxiao lost her balance and fell backward. Xiyue circled her waist, securing her against herself. Just then, Su Xiaoxiao began to cough again.

Xiyue paused, then applied spiritual energy to Su Xiaoxiao’s abdomen to help her stop coughing, not ceasing until the spasms subsided.

Su Xiaoxiao’s fluttering long lashes were heavy with tears, and her entire small face was damp, a truly pitiful sight.

Xiyue stared at her soft lips, then clasped her neck, pulling her close to share a rather ungentle kiss.

“I have a high tolerance…” Su Xiaoxiao was too tense. She tasted no sweetness, only agony upon agony.

Xiyue replied indifferently, “Gu Yan said it would be stable after three months. How many months along are you now?”

This single sentence rendered Su Xiaoxiao speechless. Xiyue then added, “Besides, sigh, I didn’t even use much force, did I?”

Her lips stung, a lingering numbness from Xiyue’s recent kiss.

A pregnant woman’s body is sensitive; it shouldn’t only experience pain. In fact, appropriate activity can even be beneficial.

But Su Xiaoxiao was simply too afraid of Xiyue. She began to cry again, and after a short while, started coughing. This time, Xiyue also helped her.

Xiyue watched her, channeling spiritual energy, while contemplating internally.

‘This is truly abnormal. She used to be timid, and she used to cry, but now it’s far too frequent. The moment I get close, the moment I touch her, she gets scared and cries incessantly, ceaseless tears.’

Her eyes were somewhat swollen and red, and her voice a little hoarse, as if she had cried all the moisture out of her body.

Aside from crying, she only apologized to Xiyue, as if she had forgotten how to speak. After a long silence, she would fret and then tremble, saying, “I was wrong… I won’t dare again…”

Xiyue was actually very irritated. Initially, she thought she should be happy that Su Xiaoxiao was so obedient.

But when Su Xiaoxiao was truly terrified by her, Xiyue found no joy in it. Instead, she felt agitated and annoyed, a feeling she couldn’t quite articulate.

Xiyue saw Su Xiaoxiao’s hesitation and said again, “Continue.”

“Please let me go…” Su Xiaoxiao felt a heavy burden on her body, and her abdomen was uncomfortable.

She sat on Xiyue’s lap, her eyes brimming with tears as she asked, “I didn’t run, and I wasn’t disobedient… Why must you still punish me?”

She seemed so tormented by Xiyue that she could no longer distinguish her situation, weakly adding, “I was wrong, I won’t dare again…”

Xiyue was exasperated by her words, gritting her teeth. “This is called punishment?!”

“Is this not punishment? To treat me like this!” Su Xiaoxiao retorted angrily upon hearing her words.

Xiyue: …