Chapter 32 Part 2

Zhan Lu’s mouth twitched.

Charles scoffed. “Like or not, that’s beside the point. Right now, I just want to know where you’ve locked him up.”

“By the rules, all suspects must be strictly confined. You have no right to question my decisions or how I handle them.” The man had no desire to say more. “If you’re so idle, go interrogate the things locked on the 8th Floor. Don’t forget the purpose of this trip.”

–

Zhong Nian was woken by someone touching him.

A palm traced his face, brushing over his brows and eyes, then fiddling with his eyelashes. The feather-light touch stirred an itch.

Still groggy from sleep, Zhong Nian wanted to brush away the annoying hand, but the restraints on his wrists prevented it. The discomfort slowly pulled him from his dreams, reminding him of his situation.

He opened his eyes to nothing but darkness, unpanicked. His attention turned to the scent he detected.

“You brought cream cake?”

The man seated at the bedside gave a low affirmation. “As I promised yesterday.”

A spoonful of cake was fed to him. The soft cream touched his lips, and Zhong Nian instinctively licked it before hesitating two seconds and taking the bite.

It was a bit tastier than yesterday’s.

He hadn’t thought there would be more.

He’d only been confined for his misdeed, and there was still cream cake. Things clearly weren’t that serious.

The Kidnapper Boss didn’t seem intent on truly making trouble for him…

As he ate happily, the man said, “I kept my promise, but you didn’t keep yours.”

Zhong Nian paused. “What?”

“My clothes.”

Zhong Nian recalled the two buttons Ke Zhengchu had washed off and the shirt’s slight deformation. Feeling a bit guilty, he said, “That… My roommate already gave them back to you, right? Sorry, I ruined them while washing and didn’t dare return them myself, so I had him help.”

The man was noncommittal. “Mm.”

Zhong Nian couldn’t gauge his tone and wasn’t sure if anything had happened to Ke Zhengchu. But since the man hadn’t gotten angry at him, he probably wouldn’t do anything to an “innocent” person.

Another spoonful of cake came, interrupting Zhong Nian’s wandering thoughts.

The man fed slowly, with scant amounts on the spoon each time. Zhong Nian grew tired from eating.

“I can take bigger bites. Otherwise, it’ll trouble you.” He suggested tactfully.

The man remained silent, continuing in the same manner.

Zhong Nian had no choice but to accept it passively.

Finally, he heard the sound of the plate being scraped clean. He swallowed the last mouthful hastily, thinking it was over.

Unexpectedly, the man extended the spoon further. “Not done yet.”

Zhong Nian couldn’t see, so he leaned in and licked. Nothing was there. “It’s finished.”

“Not a crumb left.”

The silver spoon pressed against the youth’s soft lips, cold and firm like the man’s tone. “Lick it clean.”

Even without seeing his expression, the uncompromising hardness in the man’s words was clear.

Zhong Nian pursed his lips, lowered his long lashes, and chose compliance.

This was probably part of the punishment—the man wanted to humiliate him.

As a hostage, he had no right to resist orders. It was dark anyway; nothing could be seen.

Zhong Nian extended his pink tongue and did as told, head bowed.

Fortunately, the spoon was small; after a few licks, no cream taste remained.

“Is that enough?”

“A little more.” The man said.

“…” Zhong Nian lowered his head to lick again, but this time, it wasn’t the spoon—it was the man’s finger.

His tongue tip retracted like a startled little animal.

Zhong Nian tasted the cream pulled back into his mouth, somewhat speechless.

The man acted as if there was nothing wrong with his behavior, his tone natural. “That’s good. Have some tea.”

Zhong Nian took a small sip to cut the richness. When the man tried to feed more, he turned his face away. “I won’t be able to sleep if I drink that.”

More importantly, too much would make him need the bathroom.

Though it had happened once before, Zhong Nian still couldn’t calmly accept help from someone else. He’d delay it as long as possible for now.

The man didn’t argue with this reason and didn’t force him like with the cake.

“When I went out earlier, Second Brother and Old Three questioned how I was handling you.”

The sudden serious topic sharpened Zhong Nian’s mind.

“They’re very worried about you.” The man paused, his ending tone drawn out, tugging at the heart. “After all, with my personal methods, you’d be missing something.”

He gripped Zhong Nian’s ankle. “Maybe your leg, or your hand.”

He then seized Zhong Nian’s bound wrist, followed by clamping his chin. His thumb forced its way past the lips, probing the mouth still scented with cream cake.

“Or even your teeth.”

Zhong Nian tilted his head back, his breathing trembling with his body.

“Are you sure you won’t say who told you about Hope Island?” The man pressed his fingertip against Zhong Nian’s tongue, his tone flat. “You lick cream so obediently. It’d be a shame to lose your tongue.”

Zhong Nian shuddered at the man’s icy words, suddenly remembering that this wasn’t some easygoing person.

As the leader of ruthless kidnappers straight out of hell, how could he be anything simple?

He would only be crueler, more terrifying than the rest.