The Toy Bear

The dark second floor was deathly silent.

The girl dared not make a sound, afraid of waking her foster parents.

She knocked on the door with the lightest touch, worrying if the person inside could hear.

But she didn’t have to wait long. The door opened quickly.

Nervous, the girl shrank back. She looked up and met Lin Ziyan’s eyes.

“What do you want?”

Lin Ziyan’s tone was icy, making the girl doubt her decision to come here. But since she was already here, there was no turning back. She steeled herself and pressed on.

“Did you take my…?”

“Oh? Take what?” Lin Ziyan raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement in her voice.

“Uh… my toy bear…”

The girl whispered, embarrassed.

“Is that yours?”

“You… you said you’d give it to me…” So Lin Ziyan really had taken it. Her suspicion confirmed, the girl grew anxious. She stepped closer, looked up, and clasped her hands together in a plea.

“Can you give it back? Please?”

Lin Ziyan chuckled.

“What? It’s just a toy. Is it that important to you? Then why did you break your promise, huh? Do you really like going to Liu Yinuo’s house that much?”

“I’m sorry… I didn’t go to her house… really…”

“Oh? Then where did you go? Who else would take in a wretch like you?”

The girl fell silent.

Telling her about Qin Haiyue would do no good. Lin Ziyan might even think she was using it as a threat.

Seeing her silence, Lin Ziyan’s face darkened.

“Come in!” she ordered.

Though hesitant, the girl obediently stepped inside.

Lin Ziyan closed the door and locked it.

“Tomorrow is Saturday, you know that, right?”

She sat on the edge of the bed, crossing her legs. The light illuminated her cold smile, making the girl uneasy. Her pink eyes, like a small beast’s, darted around, searching for her toy bear—but in vain. Lin Ziyan had clearly hidden it.

Looking down, the girl nervously clutched the hem of her clothes.

“Yes…”

“Then do you know what you should be doing now?”

The girl froze, a sense of dread rising in her. Her voice trembled.

“What…?”

Lin Ziyan smiled, revealing her pale teeth.

“Take off your clothes.”

“Why…?”

The girl was dumbfounded. She instinctively covered her chest, at a loss.

Even when facing her foster parents, she had never been so nervous. Why…?

A strong unease made her step back half a pace.

“What else? You’re going to sleep with me!”

“Ah… just sleeping together?”

If that were all, it would be gentle. But Lin Ziyan’s eyes flickered; she clearly didn’t intend to let the girl off easy.

“Of course, but… you can’t wear clothes.”

“Huh?”

“Not only that, you’re not allowed to move or talk in your sleep. If you accidentally wake me up…”

She turned and fished out the very thing the girl was looking for from under the covers.

The girl’s pupils contracted. She watched nervously as Lin Ziyan pulled the bear’s arm, a malicious smile on her face.

“…then I’ll tear this thing apart and throw it in the trash.”

The girl’s body trembled violently.

“No… don’t…”

“Then behave and understand? If I’m in a good mood, I might give it back to you early.”

Having discovered an easy way to control the girl, Lin Ziyan was pleased. The old leverage—telling her parents about the transformation—was still usable, but not as direct. By analogy, telling her parents was like a mutually destructive nuclear weapon: it would devastate Ye Xingmian but also lose her completely. That was something Lin Ziyan didn’t want.

But this little toy bear, so cherished by the girl, was like a gun pressed to her head, giving Lin Ziyan absolute authority.

Sure enough, hearing her words, the girl was silent for a moment. Finally, she had no choice but to nod helplessly and start undressing.

Lin Ziyan turned off the bedroom light, leaving only a dim nightlight. The room was cold, and the girl, soon down to her underwear, shivered.

“I’m actually curious about a few things. Did Liu Yinuo give you these clothes too? Tsk, they don’t look cheap. She’s really generous.” Lin Ziyan’s tone was sour. She had intended to order the girl to strip completely, but seeing the shame and pain on her face, she hesitated.

She had planned to change her attitude, maybe even beat the girl to teach her a lesson for defiance. Yet when the girl came to her so pitifully, she found herself reluctant.

Was it sympathy? Or something else? In any case, she didn’t follow through. She patted the bed, signaling the shivering girl to sit beside her. The girl obediently came over, and Lin Ziyan pulled her close, wrapping an arm around her soft, slender waist. Through the pajamas, she gently smelled the girl’s hair, then pulled the blanket over both of them.

“It’s not… that wasn’t from the class monitor…”

Being held almost naked by someone else made the girl nervous. Even when forced to sleep over at Qin Haiyue’s, she at least had pajamas. Now, she had nothing but underwear.

“Then who? Huh? Lying again.”

Lin Ziyan pinched the soft flesh of the girl’s pert bottom, displeased.

“Wuw! Don’t… don’t… it hurts…”

The girl’s small body twitched involuntarily. She curled up, letting out a pitiful plea.

“Fine, tell me the truth and I’ll let go.”

“Huh? I am telling the truth…” The girl tried to argue, but Lin Ziyan didn’t believe her. Ye Xingmian had no extra flesh anywhere else; only this spot could be pinched. She didn’t let go, instead twisting harder.

“Wuw! Let… let go…!” The girl gritted her teeth, her voice trembling.

“No. Not until you tell the truth.”

“Really… it really wasn’t the class monitor…”

“Then who?”

The girl couldn’t take the pain anymore. She tried to struggle, but Lin Ziyan immediately pinned her down on the bed, immobilizing her. The girl trembled all over, tears welling in her eyes.

“Qin… Qin Haiyue…”

At this answer, Lin Ziyan froze and frowned.

Her grip unconsciously loosened, giving the girl a chance to scramble away.

“Come back!” Lin Ziyan’s voice was annoyed, her brow furrowed.

The girl didn’t dare move. Resigned, she crawled back. Lin Ziyan pulled her into her arms again, enjoying the softness of her body.

“You said Qin Haiyue? She doesn’t beat you up is already a miracle. She gave you clothes?”