Do you know what punishment is?

"Just now—"

"I don't want to hear it." He coldly interrupted her attempt to explain and continued applying medicine.

Tang Mianmian had no choice but to stay silent.

After dressing her wound, he finally stood up. His tall figure blocked some of the light, casting a shadow that made her uneasy.

Looking down at her, he said with a chilling tone, "If you go drinking at a bar alone again, just wait and see how I'll deal with you."

Tang Mianmian flinched slightly, then her eyes lit up. She looked up at him cautiously, "So… you're not mad anymore?"

"Who said I'm not mad?!"

"…Oh."

She didn't dare speak again.

"When we parted, what did I tell you? Repeat it." Long Yejue crossed his arms and stared at her coldly.

Tang Mianmian lowered her head, nervously twisting her clothes. "You told me to go home and wait for you obediently."

"And what did you do?"

"…" Was he really keeping such detailed tabs?

She tugged at her hem and sulkily replied, "I went drinking by myself…"

Long Yejue let out a cold snort. "So now you need to be punished for disobeying."

"…" Punishment, seriously?

She decided to sulk in silence.

He's already mad anyway, nothing she said would change that.

Let him be mad if he wants.

Suddenly, Long Yejue leaned down, forcing her to slowly lean back…

The soft cushions left her with no retreat. His hands pinned her in, his eyes locked on hers. "Do you know what the punishment is?"

She looked at him uneasily. "W-What is it?"

He didn't answer. His handsome face loomed close, like a predator eyeing its prey.

At such a close distance, she could clearly see his features.

No doubt, this man was stunningly handsome. A dangerously captivating beauty, full of wild arrogance and pride—unique to Long Yejue.

When he wore that devilish smirk, it was always breathtaking but intimidating.

His dark eyes bore into her clear ones.

He lowered his head, trapping her in his embrace.

Tang Mianmian gasped. Before she could react, she was already in his arms, followed by his dominating, overwhelming kiss.

He lightly kissed her lips, one hand lifting her chin, giving her no room to escape.

Tang Mianmian's eyes widened in shock. "I… mmph…"

"Shut up!" he growled, pinching a sensitive spot.

"Ah…" she cried out, panicked, as his eyes slowly darkened with desire.

Frightened of angering him, she looked at him with teary, pleading eyes.

Ignoring her, he kissed her neck slowly, inch by inch.

Tang Mianmian clutched the sheets tightly, her heart pounding.

His lips latched onto her neck, hot breath nearly scorching her.

She bit her lip, suppressing the pain, afraid to make a sound.

When he finally seemed satisfied with the punishment, he bit down hard where he'd kissed, then licked it before letting go.

His eyes burned with fire.

A fire she'd ignited.

His voice was husky as he murmured, "That's your punishment."

Relieved, she thought, Okay… that punishment was bearable.

"If you piss me off again, it'll go further next time." He gave her a squeeze.

Tang Mianmian flushed in shame and panic but didn't dare retaliate. She slapped his hand. "So you're really not mad anymore?"

"What would be the point of staying mad?" he grumbled, unbuttoning his shirt right in front of her.

She hadn't noticed his actions and asked again, "Really? Something feels off."

Based on his personality, he wouldn't have let her off this easily!

Hearing her suspicion, his brows knit together. He said coldly, "Honestly, I wanted to beat you senseless, but if I broke you, I'd be the one feeling bad."

Tang Mianmian: "…"

Beat… me?

Okay, she definitely couldn't afford to upset him again.

But then he tossed her his shirt, then his belt, and—

"Wait, wait!" she cried, panicking. "W-What are you doing?"

Was he planning a more extreme punishment instead?

Tang Mianmian was shocked by her own thoughts.

Long Yejue glanced at her, then said casually under her flustered gaze, "Taking a shower."

"…"

A shower…

She almost faceplanted from embarrassment.

Thank goodness she didn't voice her suspicions aloud, or she'd die of shame.

Noticing her mortified expression, he smirked knowingly. "What? You'd rather have a different punishment? Like…"

He leaned in with a mischievous grin.

The moment she saw that smile, she panicked and shook her head furiously. "No! Absolutely not!"

He sighed, slightly disappointed. "And here I thought you were looking forward to it."

"…"

You wish!

Long Yejue went to shower, and she finally exhaled in relief.

Phew…

But still, why wasn't he angry?

She couldn't figure it out and didn't dare ask.

Suddenly, his phone rang, startling her. She grabbed it and walked to the bathroom door, knocking. "Long Yejue, your phone."

"Answer it for me," his deep voice responded, accompanied by the sound of running water.

Every time she heard his voice, her heart trembled. She patted her chest and mumbled to herself, "Calm down, stop freaking out over his voice…"

She glanced at the caller ID: "Lan."

She answered, and before she could speak, a charming male voice came through, "Young Master Jue, I've already sent all our men out to search, but we couldn't find the young madam."

"…"

Sent everyone to look for her?

Long Yejue?

"I'm deploying more people. Should have news in about an hour. Just hang tight and don't lose it," Lan added cautiously.

Tang Mianmian weakly said, "Um, I'm not Long Yejue."

"…"

Lan paused, then realized—anyone answering that phone could only be her. He laughed, "So we've found you. Young madam, you really had us all worried."

"I'm sorry." She felt genuinely embarrassed.

Lan had never met her in person, so he was curious and chatted a bit more, "You know, Young Master Jue was like a madman tonight. He called on everyone he trusts to search for you."

"I didn't know…" She had no idea he'd gone to such lengths, which made her feel guilty.

Lan sighed. "I've never seen him lose control like this. Well, once—years ago. Since then, he's always been calm and composed. But tonight, it's like he reverted to the past, just because of you."

"I'm really sorry for causing so much trouble."

That's all she could say.

But she was stunned by the fact that Long Yejue had gone mad looking for her.

Lan dared not accept the apology. "No need to be sorry. What matters to Young Master Jue matters to me. Alright, I won't disturb you two. I'll go tell the others to stop searching."

Tang Mianmian still sounded apologetic but tried not to overdo it, recalling how Long Yejue warned her about being too polite—it might scare people like Butler Xu.

After hanging up, she stared blankly at the bathroom door.

If what Lan said was true—if he'd gone crazy looking for her—then seeing her tangled up with Su Shijie should've made him furious.

So why… did he let her off so easily?

She couldn't figure it out.

When Long Yejue came out of the shower, she was still holding the phone, dazed.

"Who called?"

He towel-dried his hair as he asked.

"Oh, someone named Lan. He said you were looking for me, and I told him I was back home. He said he'll call off the search."

She reported honestly.

Long Yejue grunted, then muttered, "The water's ready. Go take a shower—you stink."

Tang Mianmian sniffed herself and realized she really did reek of alcohol.

She got up to find clothes, but he called out from behind, "Wear the new pajamas I bought."

"!!" She froze, nearly crying. "But… they haven't been washed yet. New clothes should be washed first."

"So fussy." He clearly wasn't pleased.

Tang Mianmian awkwardly explained, "Seriously, they need to be washed or they might have bacteria."

At the word "bacteria," his face instantly darkened.

His cleanliness obsession was triggered.

Tang Mianmian let out a sigh of relief and ran off.

As she shut the door, he added with distaste, "Don't get your wound wet again or I'll have to redress it! I hate seeing someone cry from the pain—so ugly."

Tang Mianmian: "…"

Could this guy be any ruder?

What do you mean "crying is ugly"?

His scary face was what made her cry!

Besides, who looks good when they're crying?

Tang Mianmian soaked in the bath, finally able to relax. The burden on her heart eased.

Thank goodness he wasn't angry—she could stop walking on eggshells.

Even if she didn't know why.

Midway through, she suddenly remembered—what happened to the deal he was negotiating with Li Muhao?

She quickly finished her bath, changed into loungewear, and came out to find him on the bed with his laptop.

Quietly drying her hair, she could hear him typing.

Once it was mostly dry, she climbed into bed beside him.

He paused briefly, glanced at her, then went back to work.

She peeked at his screen—looked like blueprints.

Probably related to that plot of land he discussed with Li Muhao—seemed like he was planning a high-end residential project.

Tang Mianmian nibbled on her blanket and mumbled, "I ran into Su Shijie at the bar by accident."

He kept typing, not reacting immediately.

She confessed honestly, "I was feeling down after leaving Ranran's place, so I went to the bar. I didn't expect to run into him. When you showed up, I was actually telling him to leave me alone."

Long Yejue froze, his fists tightening slightly.

Seeing that, she nervously swallowed. "I swear, it was just a coincidence. And I did tell him clearly—I'm handling this. Didn't I promise you I'd deal with it?"

With a loud snap, he shut his laptop and tossed it aside. He turned to her, eyes cold.

"Tang Mianmian, you're bringing up another man's name in my bed—what the hell are you trying to say?!"