Chapter 53: The Investigation. Identity?  

"Ah… I… I've already answered you. They… they didn't finish the inspection—" Tears of humiliation streaked her flushed cheeks. She knew—*knew*—Yu Aotian's questions weren't about the auction's procedures. This was pure degradation. 

"Oh? So they skipped some steps?" His wandering hands roamed higher, forcing her to shove at his chest. 

Yu Aotian's eyes darkened as he batted her resisting hands away. 

"Please… stop." Her plea trembled, a mix of fear and something darker writhing beneath her skin. She squirmed, hating the heat pooling in her veins, hating how her body betrayed her. 

A seasoned conqueror of women, Yu Aotian recognized her unraveling instantly. With a cold smirk, he released her. 

The sudden emptiness left her gasping. "You…" Her bitten lip quivered, eyes glistening with confusion and accusation. 

*What did she even want to say?* To beg him to stop? To beg him *not* to stop? The contradiction clawed at her. Naïve as she was, she'd already fallen into his trap. 

"Yao Yao," he purred, tilting her chin. "I wish you could see your face right now. So… *expressive*. But the real game hasn't even begun. Come here." 

"No!" She turned away, hands shielding her face. 

Patience evaporated. "Shall I repeat what I did in the elevator?" His voice dropped to a lethal whisper. "*Now.*" 

Trembling, she inched closer. Even without the auction's contract, refusal was impossible. This man devoured resistance. 

"Good girl." 

She squeezed her eyes shut. "I… can't do this. Just… get it over with!" 

"*Can't?*" His fingers tangled in her hair, yanking sharply. 

"Ah—*stop!*" She clawed at his wrist, pain twisting her features. 

"Pain?" He laughed, icy gaze raking over her tear-streaked face. "You chose this." 

Agony flared anew as he forced her into a familiar, degrading position. "N-no… please—" 

"Did you think selling yourself would be *easy*?" His breath scorched her ear. "If you can't handle this, how will you survive what's next?" 

*What's next?* Terror iced her veins. 

A shrill ring shattered the tension. Yu Aotian growled at his buzzing phone. "What?" 

"Apologies for interrupting," Long Ye's voice dripped with mock sympathy. "But you'll want to hear this: the report on Luo Yao Yao's background just arrived." 

Yu Aotian stilled, gaze flicking to the scar on her shoulder—a jagged imperfection he'd noted weeks ago. "Wait for me." 

As he rose, hope lit her eyes. Was this reprieve? 

"Luck smiles on you today," he sneered, buttoning his shirt. But the real test lay in Long Ye's dossier. Whatever secrets it held would decide whether her "luck" was mercy or ruin. 

--- 

"Release me!" She writhed as he pinned her to the bed, knees caging her hips. 

"Relax. This is how inspections *should* be done." His thumb traced her inner thigh. 

"They didn't—*ah!*—touch me like this!" 

"No?" His laugh was a blade. "Then you cried for them too?" 

She turned her face away, choking on shame. Why was she so weak? So… *needy*? Maybe he was right. Maybe she deserved every ounce of this disgrace. 

A traitorous moan escaped as his fingers found her core. She tried to flee, only to grind against him. "D-don't—" 

"Don't?" He pressed harder, drinking in her fractured resolve. "Your body begs otherwise." 

Somewhere in the haze, Yao Yao understood: this wasn't just about the auction. This was Yu Aotian dismantling her—piece by piece—until nothing remained but the truth he hungered to uncover. 

And when he did? 

Neither knew if she'd survive it.