Chapter 38

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Screeeeech— Ding! A familiar high-pitched bell squealed through the speakers.

It was early in the morning. Bai Zhi sat up in fright. The terrible sound pierced straight through the glass and reverberated through the room. She thought her eardrums were going to burst.

Li Xiao was gone—he had disappeared without a trace. She looked down at herself; she was wrapped in a thin quilt. There was an uncomfortable wetness between her legs, and she lifted the quilt. The pink vibrator was snugly tucked inside her, half-exposed.

Her face flamed at the sight. She reached down to grab the end that was sticking out and gently removed it, releasing the floodgate of her fluids mixed with Li Xiao’s semen. Shliiiiiick—! The vibrator popped out, and she hurriedly shoved it under her pillow.

Suddenly, without warning, the door slammed opened, and Zhao Zixun peeked in. “Ah-Zhi, let’s go.”

“Mmhmm…” She stood up unable to look him in the eyes; she felt somewhat guilty and afraid to face him.

The man strode to her, lifted her chin with his right hand, and kissed her deeply.

“It’s alright. It will all be over soon,” he whispered into her ear, wrapped an arm around her waist, and led her out.

“Okay!” Bai Zhi snuggled into his embrace; she buried her head against his solid wall of muscles and listened to his strong, steady heartbeat. She had become accustomed to Zhao Zixun’s warmth. When she’s in his arms, she always felt safe and protected.

They were the last ones to arrive at the assembly hall. The moment they stepped in, the transparent barriers rose from the ground again.

Bai Zhi stood behind Zhao Zixun and secretly observed the crowd. Amongst the flock of prisoners, her eyes fell on Xiang Chen as well as another familiar figure. He stood quietly under the morning light. He had rugged facial features, a prominent jawline, and tall stature. He wore a checkered shirt with the top three buttons left open; the open neck revealed his broad, well-built chest. He leaned casually against one of the glass barriers. For a moment, their gazes met, and he grinned at her; his straight, white teeth glinted in the sun.

It was that person—the one who had fucked her in the hallway and teased her with the soft plug…! Bai Zhi blushed at the memory and turned her head away from him. For some reason, she did not see Li Xiao amongst the crowd of prisoners.

All of a sudden, a chill crept up the back of Bai Zhi’s neck. She turned to see a man fixedly staring at her. The man had a sallow complexion and dark circles under his eyes, but his pupils were dilated and shining bright with interest.

“Quiet!” Di Qing’s voice boomed from the high platform. It rippled through the audience, and the venue hushed instantly.

Bai Zhi looked up. Besides Di Qing and Lu Ye, a wooden cross was placed at the center of the stage. A pale, naked body hung limply on the cross. The body was extremely thin, and its muscles were emaciated. Dark blue veins contrasted starkly against transparent white skin. The man’s eyes were opened wide like saucers, staring straight at her from a distance.

It was Li Xiao. She covered her mouth in horror.

“According to Article Twelve of Yongze Prison Regulations, those who escape from prison, as well as those who are not present during roll call, are to be sentenced to a public whipping.” Di Qing announced. His voice was very steady, and his face was completely void of expression—he didn’t show a single shred of remorse or feeling—as if this were an everyday occurrence to him. This wasn’t the Di Qing she knew, yet perhaps this was his true self.

The sound of the whip cracking across human flesh echoed through the theatre. The specially designed structure of the building seemed to amplify the terrible sound and force the sound to vibrate through the chest of everyone in attendance.

First, dark red welts appeared on Li Xiao’s pale skin, followed by blood. It trickled down, going around bits of ripped skin. Li Xiao gazed directly at Di Qing. His eyes were close to bulging out of their sockets, but he kept his mouth shut and didn’t let out a single sound.

“If they keep hitting him like this… he— he’s going to die…” Bai Zhi nervously clutched the edge of Zhao Zixun’s clothes.

“He won’t die.” Zhao Zixun put his arm around her shoulder comfortingly.

“Prison guards cannot kill prisoners,” Xiang Chen added.

Li Xiao’s eyes stayed wide open through the entire trial. The whites of his eyes slowly turned red.

“This is what happens to those who try to escape.” Di Qing warned. He slowly scanned the crowd of prisoners under the platform.

Lu Ye untied the rope securing Li Xiao to the cross and let his bloodied body crumple to the floor. He dragged him onto a stretcher and nodded to Ye Xiao who had been standing off to the side.

“This concludes today’s unexpected meeting.” The transparent barriers slowly descended.

“Zhao Zixun,” an unfamiliar voice called. “You’ve been hogging this woman for too long. It’s time to let your brothers have a turn.”

His declaration alarmed Bai Zhi, and she turned around. It was the sallow-faced man. Standing next to him was a tall man with shoulder-length hair.

“Fuck off!” Zhao Zixun spat out coldly.

“Did you think that just because you were able to keep her until now, that you’ll be able to keep her for a lifetime?” The man shook his head scornfully. He signaled to his companion, and the two launched a blitz attack on Zhao Zixun from opposite sides.

Zhao Zixun faced the two thugs by himself. Had it been in the past, he could have handled them easily on his own, but currently, Bai Zhi was hiding behind him; she became his handicap. Every time he tries to take one of them out, the other person would move to snatch her away from him; then, when he tries to protect her, the two would always attack together. Soon, his movements began to slow, and his burning grandeur began to lose its light.

A group gathered to watch the three people fighting with amusement. They cheered and applauded every time Zhao Zixun was pushed back.

“Let’s go.” Xiang Chen pulled Bai Zhi away at just the right time. They ran past the onlookers and ran out of the meeting hall. Bai Zhi tried to look back as she ran. She saw Zhao Zixun frowning at them while watching their figures disappear. His fighting posture, on the other hand, eased significantly. Within two to three moves, he was able to knock one of his opponents down to the ground.

The two aggressors’ motives were simple. When Bai Zhi was removed from the equation, they didn’t continue to harass Zhao Zixun. They easily broke away from the fight and scrammed off.

There were wounds on both Zhao Zixun’s face and hands, but he still managed to catch up to Xiang Chen and Bai Zhi. He pulled Bai Zhi behind him again and glared at Xiang Chen with vigilant scrutiny.

Xiang Chen let go of her hand. He looked like a child who had something precious taken away. He took a deep breath and looked up at Zhao Zixun bravely.

“You know you can’t keep her to yourself forever. Not here, of all places…”

“Let’s go.” Zhao Zixun didn’t respond; he didn’t even spare a look at Xiang Chen, just wrapped his arm around Bai Zhi’s shoulder and departed. Xiang Chen was left standing by himself.

Other resources: Character List

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