Chapter 15: Volume 1, Chapter 15: Dangerous Professor Makes My Soul Overturn (15)

After midnight, a sliver of silver-white moonlight slanted in through the closed window; the girl lying on the bed kept her curled posture motionless, like a soulless puppet.

Her black hair scattered across the white sheets; she gently closed her eyes, as if fallen into a fearful dream, and beads of sweat dotted her porcelain-white forehead.

The door opened; a dark figure walked to the bedside, extending slender fingers to gently caress her until she awoke from the nightmare.

Jiang Zhi, using the faint light from outside the window, made out the man sitting at the head of the bed; his face turned pale, he bit his lip, and his body shrank back.

Huo Yin's finger hovered in midair, then he withdrew it without a trace, his pupils merging with the darkness: 'Are you hungry?'

Jiang Zhi's eyes reddened bit by bit; the sudden changes she had endured that night were beyond her expectation, and feelings of self-reproach and fear intertwined in her chest. Even now, she had not yet realized how terrifying a demon she had provoked.

"Huo, Huo Yin, I will never contact him again." She bit her lip, tears falling silently, "Please don't hurt him, okay?"

Huo Yin heard her voice, let out a cold snort: 'You always manage to anger me.'

After a pause, he continued: 'If you want me not to hurt him, that's possible.'

Jiang Zhi's dull black eyes suddenly flashed with a glint of light; she furtively lifted her gaze and glanced at him.

Huo Yin easily caught the girl's gaze; a stabbing pain gripped his chest, his thin lips pressed together, and after a moment he said: 'But, don't leave me again.'

His deep, low voice carried a barely perceptible humble plea.

Jiang Zhi lowered her head, her porcelain-like fingers clutching the sheets beneath her; the deep folds revealed her emotions.

For a long time.

She replied in a tiny voice: 'Okay.'

Huo Yin directly pinched her delicate jaw; darkness and cruelty flickered in the depths of his eyes, his gaze meeting the girl's fearful expression and her red-rimmed eyes, and his motion paused.

He abruptly withdrew his finger, rose to his feet, and turned his back to her.

Behind the gold-rimmed lenses, his scarlet eyes were full of sorrow.

How he wished.

The person she liked in her heart was him.

Even if only a little bit of space.

Jiang Zhi lifted her eyes and saw the man's lonely silhouette shrouded in darkness.

Since that night.

The atmosphere between them underwent a complete transformation.

Apart from meals, Jiang Zhi was locked in the bedroom all the time, unable to go anywhere.

Huo Yin also confiscated her phone; each day she could only sit by the window and look outside.

Gazing at the sparrows perched on the dense branches, chirping, their calls crisp, they preened their smooth feathers.

Her pupils reflected the outside scene, revealing a hint of longing.

At that moment the door opened; Huo Yin entered, ruffling her soft black hair with his fingers, and said: 'It's time to eat.'

Jiang Zhi lowered her brows and eyes, her voice obedient and meek: 'Okay.'

Huo Yin did not want to see such a girl, but as long as she could stay by his side, everything seemed unimportant.

After finishing lunch, Huo Yin kissed the corner of her lips and said gently: 'I won't lock you in the room again.'

Jiang Zhi was dazed; she lifted her eyes and stared at him, delight slowly welling up: 'Really?'

Huo Yin liked seeing her smile; he gave a soft 'hmm' and then said: 'But you cannot leave the villa.'

Jiang Zhi smiled with her eyes, shook her head slightly, and said: 'I won't.'

No longer confined to the bedroom, it was merely a shift from one cage to a larger one.

Still, it made the girl happy, dispelling the previous gloom.

In the afternoon Huo Yin brought music records, all of her favorite tunes, and set up a music room just like her previous residence for her to create.

The black-haired girl's eyes once again held starlight as she sat in a chair playing her song.

Like heavenly music, her clear, pleasant voice echoed in the empty villa.

Huo Yin was not hearing her sing for the first time; he leaned against the wall, his gaze catching her smile, and the corners of his mouth slowly rose.

The phone vibrated; he withdrew his gaze, turned, and left to answer the call.

After hanging up, Huo Yin left the villa and drove away.

Faintly, the sound of the car engine outside grew fainter as it drifted away.

Jiang Zhi hurriedly stopped what she was doing and walked out of the room.

She checked all the exits of the villa; they were locked tight, and the window glass was made of special material that even bullets could not penetrate.

She gave up the idea of escaping and searched throughout the villa.

Until the sky outside grew dim.

Jiang Zhi found a basement; its exterior was locked and required a key to open.

Recalling the mysterious key the man carried, perhaps it was the key to this basement,

the only room in the whole villa that was locked and inaccessible was this basement.

She returned to the music room once again.

When Huo Yin returned, they ate dinner, washed up, and lay on the bedroom bed.

Huo Yin did not force her; they simply slept, him lying beside her with his arm across her waist.

Her back pressed against his sturdy, hard chest; she felt his steady heartbeat, giving her a sense of safety.

They stayed up until late at night.

Jiang Zhi finally waited until he fell asleep, then quietly took his key and tiptoed out of the bedroom.

Until she reached the basement.

She used the key to open the basement's iron door.

The light was dim; she gripped a flashlight, moving with slow steps, step by step down the stairs.

The further down she went, the colder the temperature became, and a medicinal smell typical of hospitals spread through the air.

As the flashlight beam fell on the transparent glass jars ahead, Jiang Zhi's steps halted abruptly, her pupils constricted, and she stared fixedly at the densely packed glass jars on the shelf.

Inside were soaked various human organs, and more were human eyeballs.

In the large glass cylinder standing in the center, a whole person was soaked; his pale skin revealed clear blood vessels, limbs curled, like a full-term fetus in a womb.

Jiang Zhi's stomach churned; she covered her mouth and stepped back, but her back hit a chest as solid as a wall.

A familiar voice, tinged with a layer of cold, appeared behind her.

"Zhizhi."

The flashlight slipped from her hand, clattering to the ground with a crisp sound; Jiang Zhi's body trembled, she went limp and sat on the floor, her face ashen, not daring to glance at the person behind her.

Huo Yin wore a nightgown that blended into the darkness, his black short hair falling over his forehead, he slowly bent down, intending to lift her up.

Jiang Zhi struggled to her feet, dodged the reaching hand, her voice full of fear, she screamed: "No, don't!"

Huo Yin paused his movement, calmly looked at her, and lightly explained: "These are just school specimens, temporarily placed here; I feared you'd be frightened if you saw them, so I locked the door."

Hearing this, Jiang Zhi blinked lightly, her tense body gradually relaxed, half-believing, she asked: "Really?"

Huo Yin brushed aside the hair shielding her eye corner and softly replied: "Hmm, if you don't believe me, I can show you the school specimen records."

Now fully convinced, Jiang Zhi collapsed into his embrace, her body seeming to have lost all strength; her slender white hands clutched tightly at his garment, still a little frightened, her eyes brimming with water.

"Yes, sorry. I was curious what was down there, that's why I" stole the key.

Huo Yin soothingly kissed her forehead, then lifted her up, saying: "It's alright, Zhizhi."