Poor Yaxiu

A man clad in a dark red trench coat sat in a luxurious red leather armchair. He had one leg crossed over the other, propping his cheek on his left hand. A mask covered his face, unkempt bangs fell casually across his brow, and his eyes were slightly narrowed, gazing nonchalantly out the window at the underground metropolis as if with a faint smile. Annan's brush moved briskly, and before long, the painting had begun to take shape. Even so, she frowned slightly. "Don't move." "I can't hold the same pose for that long," Yaxiu complained. "It's not like I ever worked part-time as a model." "Well, if you keep fidgeting, I can't paint," Annan said. "I have a great idea—Yaxiu, don't move!" Yaxiu's body instantly froze stiff. Annan resumed painting with satisfaction and chuckled. "It's a shame the world outside isn't burning. Otherwise, this would match the future shown in first place on the Art Board down to the last detail." "And you aren't as mature as you look on the Art Board," Yaxiu said. "Though to be fair, I look pretty much the same on every board." "That's not true at all. On the Art Board, you're wickedly charming and unbridled. On the Family Board, you come across as loud and arrogant. It's only on the Scheme Board that you look somewhat like you do now. Overall, the 'you' in the first three boards gets closer and closer to who you really are. But starting from the Happiness Board, things got weird, and on the Evil Arts List, you actually looked righteous and noble." "Speaking of which, it's really bizarre. Even though I show up on every single board, I'm never actually ranked..." "Didn't you make the board together with me? Even if it was as my artwork... When you think about it carefully, we hardly knew each other back then. Why would Gospel weave a future where I paint you?" "It just shows Gospel knew all along that you were lusting after my good looks..." "Are you sure you want to say that to someone who ranked on the Azula Beauty Board? Suddenly, I feel like painting a nude portrait just to inspect these 'good looks' of yours—" "I'm sorry. I got too cocky. Please forgive me." Yaxiu hesitated for a moment, unable to hold back his curiosity. "Actually, I've been wondering—when did you start developing feelings for me? Never mind, forget I asked. If you rack your brain and can't think of anything, that'd just be embarrassing..." "From the very beginning, I suppose," Annan said nonchalantly. "Back in the underground hall." Yaxiu was dumbfounded. "Σ(っ°Д°;)っ What?! Was it truly the miracle of love at first sight?" "Of course not. I was only curious about you, so I started keeping an eye on you," Annan laughed. "When I saw that Igola and Harvey both waited for you to make decisions; when I saw you were willing to take in Lisi; when I heard you say in the dressing room that you'd wait until the 101 days were over before deciding whether to take revenge on me—" "You really did plant a bug in the dressing room!" "In my own house, it hardly counts as wiretapping," Annan scoffed. "And then there was seeing how you'd rather endure pain yourself than carry out my orders to cause trouble for our targets; seeing how you didn't forget to comfort Lisi even when on the run; seeing you stand up for me in front of Qinna; seeing you wreck an arm just to save Lisi; seeing how you wished happiness for Igola..." "...Seeing how you slowed down when riding the motorbike past puddles, and seeing how you worried about Banjie's safety. That's about it. Feelings just piled up, little by little." "Your memory is way too good. You mentioned so many things I'd already forgotten..." Yaxiu said. "Still, don't you think you've romanticized me in your memories—" "Of course I have," Annan chuckled. "Right now, even your eyebrows look cute to me, so how could I not have romanticized you? Well, it's done." Annan turned the drawing board toward Yaxiu. Unlike the first-place entry on the Art Board, this was a sketched portrait with an empty background. The technique fell far short of the magnificent refinement shown on the Art Board, and the subject lacked that wicked, untamed flair. Yet the man's features in the drawing were vivid and lifelike, his expression gentle and refined. Every flowing stroke brimmed with affection. It looked less like a painting and more like a confession of love. Yaxiu sighed softly. "Annan, I..." "You know that outside of work, I never ask Gospel for anything," Annan said, sitting right onto his lap and summoning her Book of Gospel. "But tonight, I'll make an exception just this once." "Gospel, who is the most suitable lover for me?" Annan turned the Book of Gospel so Yaxiu could see. On the white page, the name 'Yaxiu Heath' glowed with a faint violet light. "Look." Annan's words struck him like a necromantic miracle; Yaxiu felt the very breath of life drain out of him. Every word he had been carefully weighing in his mind suddenly became unimaginably heavy. And the more she was like this, the more uncomfortable he felt. He said with difficulty, "Annan, could you give me a little time to think—" "No." Annan suddenly threw her arms around his neck, reached down to pull off his mask, pressed his chin, and kissed him. The warm, moist sensation seeped past his lips straight into his mind. All that remained in his vision were those aggressively intense eyes. Huh? Wait, what? Wait, wait, wait?! Yaxiu tried to move, but the problem was that Annan had just commanded him not to move! Bound by the Contract's absolute compulsion, he couldn't resist at all. The only things he could move were his teeth and tongue. Was he supposed to bite back with his teeth— Tsk. Yaxiu felt a fragrant, tender tongue clumsily prying at his teeth, while her curvaceous, delicate body pressed flush against him as if trying to squeeze herself into his very being. Seeing the stubborn resolve in Annan's eyes, his heart softened. The moment a small crack appeared in his solid ramparts, the enemy army swarmed in. The defenders stood no chance of resisting. The two armies clashed and tangled relentlessly, shedding sweat, until the enemy forces lured the defenders right out of their stronghold, dragging them into their own territory to be devoured completely. Earlier, Yaxiu had been thinking that Annan was nothing like Qinna, but now he was utterly convinced they were mother and daughter without a doubt! Both of them were equally overbearing and aggressive! After a long time, their lips parted. A glistening thread of moisture stretched between them amidst heavy panting, their warm breaths mingling as if continuing a deep confession. Just as his pounding heart finally began to calm down, Yaxiu heard Annan softly murmur in his ear, "Cater to me." "Hold me." "Play me." Suddenly, their Books of Gospel popped up. Only then did Yaxiu realize that, somewhere along the line, they had tumbled onto the bed. Annan glanced at the glowing Book of Gospel. "The Gospel's weaving speed has picked up... But you can look at the Gospel list anytime. Right now, you're only allowed to look at me." "Weave me." With his boss at work and his slave master under the Contract making such unreasonable demands, Yaxiu felt like he was about to lose all control! *Bang! Bang! Bang!* "Daddy! Daddy! I know you're in there! Come out, quick!" Annan and Yaxiu looked at each other in dismay. The Purple Moth pushed him aside, sat up, and tidied her nightrobe. She then pulled the bewildered cult leader over to the door, opened it, shoved him out to Lisi, and hooked her arm around his neck again to whisper in his ear: "That's all for tonight. The rest will continue after the Weaving Ceremony is over." Annan's warm breath brushed against Yaxiu's earlobe. "This is the future I'm weaving." "But—" "No buts. Have you forgotten? Your contract doesn't end until August 15th. At our current pace, we'll be making our move by the 20th at the latest. Which means that after the Weaving Ceremony, I'll still have at least fifty-five days to deal with you. By then, we might almost have a baby on the way." "I'm an agency director who uses any means necessary. You didn't think I was asking for your permission just now, did you? Dummy." Annan quickly pecked Yaxiu's cheek, then waved. "Good night." After closing the door, Annan threw herself onto the bed. After a moment of silence, she rolled around, touching her burning cheeks with both hands. Her heart was still pounding wildly, her breathing still ragged. "The future is the greatest hope..." She turned to look at the newly finished portrait. Tilting her head, she stared at it for a long while, the corners of her mouth curling slightly upward. The furrow of her brow, weighed down by worry over the past few days, gradually relaxed, and the terror of death inside her finally subsided a little. "The first half of my life might be coming to an end," she murmured softly. "But now, I'm looking forward to starting the second half as soon as possible." ... ... Outside the door, Yaxiu and Lisi stared at each other. Lisi pondered for a moment, then turned to leave. Yaxiu asked, "Where are you going?" "To find Aunt Bogin." "What do you want with him?" "To discuss how Annan is going to become my stepmother." "Why on earth would you discuss that with him?!" Yaxiu caught hold of Lisi and squatted down, feeling a bit guilty as he asked, "How did you know I was here?" "Because Auntie Annan texted me just now," Lisi replied expressionlessly. Yaxiu froze, then immediately saw through Annan's scheming! Damn it, she had actually used a honey trap on him, tempting him with a future after the Weaving Ceremony so he would fight even harder during the mission! Yet it was an open scheme. Even though Yaxiu understood the trick, he still fell for it a little—actually, more than a little, but he only permitted himself to fall for it a little. Poor Yaxiu, played like a fiddle in the palm of a wicked woman's hand.