episode_0021

🛩️.

In this world, there are still controlled items with sales restrictions—products that women can purchase freely, but men can only buy under the supervision of a female partner or guardian, accompanied by a signed voluntary purchase agreement.

A familiar sensation prickled at Lin Yi’s ear.

Shen Xixi had bitten his earlobe, her bewitching voice slipping past her glistening, pink lips and into his ear like a whisper,

“A year ago, there was a boy who loved leaning against me to fall asleep, a boy who loved drinking milk. Why has that boy disappeared today? Is it shyness? Or has another woman satisfied your other desires?”

Hearing these words, Lin Yi’s gaze cooled instead.

The boy Shen Xixi spoke of was, naturally, him.

And the female lead was, of course, Shen Xixi herself.

Back when he first met her, the gentle and kind Shen Xixi had not yet revealed her true nature. Like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, she had slowly coaxed him, comforted him, and given him the strength to survive in this unfamiliar world.

Until one night, when the maddened Shen Xixi had dragged him into a cramped basement and completely shattered his illusions.

“Shen Xixi, what’s the point of this? No matter what you do, there’s no future for us. I’ve already made my stance clear—I have a wife now.”

Then—

Lin Yi’s hand, holding a small cup, suddenly froze.

Beneath the table, a pair of firm, shapely legs rubbed against his pant leg, coiling around him like a python.

He caught them instantly, squeezing with all his might.

Originally, I’d have had to think about how to complete the task, but since you’re offering yourself up, I won’t hold back.

“Mmm~ Ah~”

Shen Xixi let out a soft moan, her body trembling.

[Side Quest Complete]

[Stamina +2]

Hah.

Easy.

Lin Yi glanced at Yun Ling, his beautiful editor, who was now completely drunk, swaying as she leaned against the back of her chair, utterly oblivious to the scene unfolding on the table.

“Sorry, I’m going to the restroom. Please keep an eye on Editor Yun Ling. It’s improper for a man to care for a woman alone, and I shouldn’t get too close to you either… We’re here for work, so let’s focus on that.”

Lin Yi stood, looking down at Shen Xixi.

Shen Xixi propped her chin on her hand, her lips curling slightly as she watched him from the corner of her eye.

……

Inside the private restroom of the VIP room.

The cool night breeze slipped through the bathroom window, dispersing the scent of alcohol and his discomfort.

Lin Yi pushed back his hair, splashing cold water on his face.

The reflection in the mirror was sharp and handsome, his chiseled jawline exuding a distinctly masculine aura.

In this world where women ruled and men served, aside from women bearing the responsibility of childbirth, many aspects of gender dynamics mirrored his past life… or did they?

Having experienced Shen Xixi firsthand, Lin Yi knew better.

All of this was superficial.

A polite society needed a veneer of order and harmony, and legal protections for men existed to prevent the scales from tipping too far.

But women as gentle and kind as his wife, Ya Yun, were rare.

Most wore masks of civility.

The moment you truly got close, the ravenous desires beneath that human skin would swallow you whole.

Even Yun Ling, who had always been kind to him—Lin Yi couldn’t be sure she was truly as benevolent as she seemed.

And Luo Tianyou? He wasn’t certain about her either.

A sound came from outside the restroom.

“Sorry, someone’s in here.”

But the noise persisted. Lin Yi looked up at the frosted glass door, patterned with decorative swirls.

A shadow shifted outside, followed by the sound of a lock being picked.

Creak—

Lin Yi instantly realized who it was, just as the intruder’s face came into view.

Shen Xixi stood there, poised yet brazen, twirling two short metal picks between her fingers.

“Xiao Yi, if you don’t lock the door properly, women like me can just waltz right in.”

The next second—

She squeezed inside, shutting the door behind her and locking it again.

Her eyes gleamed with excitement as she unabashedly licked her lips, the moistened skin glistening pink under the fluorescent light.

Her smile was wild, her crimson lips curling with unrestrained delight.

“Shen Xixi, we’re over. We ended things a year ago. We’re not lovers anymore—our relationship is strictly professional now.”

Lin Yi was furious. What part of him had this madwoman fixated on? He’d change it if he could.

“Oh? But you don’t get to decide that, Xiao Yi. There’s no law saying exes can’t get back together. Your words just sound like a tantrum.”

Shen Xixi giggled, her eyes glazed with intoxication and obsession.

“Besides, the current you is even more captivating. That ‘married man’ aura is intoxicating—I can’t help but want to claim you for myself. You’re like fine wine, aged and refined by time and marriage, even more irresistible.”

She stepped closer. Lin Yi retreated until his back hit the wall, forced to confront a grim reality.

In this world, women’s physical stats were 1.5 times higher than men’s. Some exceptional women were two or three times stronger than average.

Shen Xixi was one of them.

With such an overwhelming difference in strength, if he didn’t think fast, she’d overpower him in seconds, reducing him to the plaything she so desperately craved.

Lin Yi took a deep breath, his gaze burning into the wicked woman before him.

Shen Xixi let her sleeve slip, baring one delicate shoulder as she reached out to caress his jaw, her fingers tracing his chin.

“Xiao Yi, don’t be so tense. First, answer me this—have you really forgotten everything between us?”

“You said it yourself, that was in the past—”

Lin Yi’s words cut off as slender fingers pressed against his lips.

Shen Xixi rose onto her tiptoes, her flawless face inches from his, her warm breath ghosting over his skin as she smirked.

“Xiao Yi, do you really love your current woman that much?”

Their bodies were nearly touching.

With every breath, Lin Yi inhaled her rich, intoxicating scent, catching glimpses of the past in her eyes.

Then—her plush, glistening lips crashed onto his, sealing his mouth before he could react.

For a split second, Lin Yi froze, his brows knitting together in anger. 😡

His free hand shot out, gripping Shen Xixi’s snow-white thigh—and squeezing hard.

“Mm—! Ah~”

Shen Xixi’s delicate brows twitched, her body shuddering violently.

A flash of surprise and delight flickered in her eyes, her kiss growing even more voracious—just as her guard dropped.

Seizing the moment, Lin Yi shoved her away.

“…You—since when were you this strong? Have you been training since we broke up?”

Shen Xixi quickly masked her shock.

“I trained specifically for my wife.”

Lin Yi met her gaze challengingly.

Shen Xixi paused, her expression cooling.

“Oh? How sweet. You’d go that far for her. I don’t recall getting that kind of treatment… Though, you say ‘wife,’ but you’re only engaged, aren’t you? Whether you’ll actually marry is still up in the air.”

Lin Yi stepped past her.

“Right. Then consider this your invitation to the wedding.”

Shen Xixi leaned against the sink, watching him leave—until his hand touched the doorknob. Then, her voice turned icy.

“Xiao Yi, if you’re going to be like this… you wouldn’t want anyone else seeing our old videos, would you?”

Lin Yi’s hand stilled.

His expression hardened, the brief relief he’d felt evaporating instantly.

So that’s how it is.

She never deleted those recordings.

She kept them the whole time, just so she could use them against me later!

“Heh, you really do cherish your wife. I wonder how she’d react if she saw those clips of us—all those positions, those shameless moans…”

Shen Xixi smirked triumphantly, sauntering back to him and relocking the door.

Her soft, warm palm pressed against his neck, her fingers slowly loosening his collar and slipping inside.

“What do you want? We’re done. What part of me could you possibly still want?”

Lin Yi exhaled in resignation. There was no way out. For now, he had no choice but to endure.

Shen Xixi blinked, as if caught off guard by the question.

Truthfully, she’d never stopped to consider why she wanted him.

Was it the way he’d sat alone outside the editorial department, sighing in melancholy?

Or the way he’d waited anxiously in cafés for editors to reply to his manuscripts?

Or perhaps the times he’d secretly watched readers enjoy his novels in bookstores?

Maybe it was the sight of him typing under the cherry blossom trees, solitary and focused.

All those images had melded together, igniting an obsession in her—an urge to seize him, to make him hers alone.

That craving had only intensified after their breakup, searing through her spine and into her brain until it was etched into her bones.

I want to see him crawl back into my arms, begging for comfort.

I’ll be his mother, his sister, his doting lover—I’ll cradle him in my warmth, soothe him, envelop him completely…

And then—

Ravage him.

But of course, she’d never say that aloud.

Instead, she tilted her head, resting it against his neck as her teeth grazed his skin.

“Xiao Yi… it’s because—I want to stain you with my color. To make you mine.”

Stain you with my color.