After Bella finished speaking, she neatly kicked off her slippers.
Barefoot, she moved silently to the door, held her breath, and carefully turned the doorknob.
Only when she completely slipped out of the room did she suddenly speed up, heading straight for the study at the end of the hallway.
Last night, she had glimpsed what looked like a feather quill pen on the bookcase there—simply the perfect prop to deal with Ye Jinzhi.
Pushing open the study door, she found the feather pen. She stroked the soft fluff with her fingertips, feeling very satisfied.
On her way back to the room, Bella passed the walk-in closet and ducked inside. From a large pile of running watch winders, she casually picked out a wristwatch.
Clutching these two items, Bella sneaked back barefoot to stand in front of Ye Jinzhi.
Ye Jinzhi had maintained his original posture. Being blindfolded seemed to have heightened his sense of hearing significantly.
The surroundings were very quiet, as if even the air had stopped flowing.
It was the sound of the door opening.
Although it was very faint, he still caught it.
Did she leave?
As soon as the thought popped up, a sense of emptiness immediately crept up his spine.
This feeling made him panic even more than being blindfolded.
Ye Jinzhi pressed his thin lips together. Just as he subconsciously tried to struggle against his wrist bindings, he suddenly felt Bella's breath lingering near the tip of his nose, but she hesitated to take the next step.
Bella had returned to stand between his knees. Noticing Ye Jinzhi's slightly tense jawline, she finally moved after a long moment.
He felt a small hand slowly sliding down his collarbone, the movement excruciatingly slow.
Ye Jinzhi's T-shirt had a breast pocket, and Bella reached into it without warning.
In an instant, Ye Jinzhi felt as if he had been electrocuted, subconsciously flexing his chest muscles against Bella's fingertips.
Blindfolded by a burgundy tie, he tilted his face up. The superior lines of his neck were clear, and his Adam's apple bobbed gently with his slightly ragged breathing.
Ye Jinzhi couldn't see Bella's face, but he could easily imagine her playful expression at this moment.
Bella took out the feather pen and lightly swept it across the bridge of his nose, the side of his neck, his collarbone, and the back of his hand.
The slight stimulation caused an uncontrollable physiological shudder. When the feather brushed across his Adam's apple, Ye Jinzhi swallowed unconsciously.
"Are you nervous?"
The person opposite her did not answer. Bella swept the feather across the inside of his arm. Seeing him involuntarily shiver, Bella gently pressed his wristwatch against his skin.
A tingling sensation pierced his body, raising a patch of goosebumps.
She swept over his tightened shoulder and neck lines, listening to his breathing grow heavy from endurance.
Bella pulled the watch away, pinched the pen again, and slowly traced the contours of his face.
She circled to his ear. The touch was very light, but a shudder spread across his skin, and a tingling numbness took over his nerves.
He couldn't see the path of the feather, so he could only let this unknown sensation wander over his skin.
Ye Jinzhi turned his head to avoid the tickling sensation, forgetting that his hands were still bound by ties.
"The game isn't over yet," she leaned close to the young man, her warm breath brushing his neck. "But your heartbeat seems to have... betrayed your composure."
His eyelids fluttered gently beneath the tie. With his hands bound, it seemed he could only powerlessly endure her control and teasing.
"...Bella," his voice was incredibly hoarse.
Bella slipped her hand back into his T-shirt pocket. Her fingertips traced a light circle over his tense contours through the fabric. She spoke very slowly, full of certainty:
"I seem to have touched something that is beating exceptionally fast."
Bella pressed down on that spot, neither too lightly nor too heavily, through the thin fabric of his T-shirt.
"Mmh..."
"Bella," he sighed, "you're not playing a game, you're clearly playing with me."
"You call this playing?"
Bella chuckled softly, withdrew the hand that was wreaking havoc on his chest, and picked up the feather pen instead.
The fluff swept across his skin, bringing a tingling itch that made his scalp go numb. His muscles trembled slightly, and his hands instinctively tried to break free from the pink restraints on his wrists, only to feel a tighter pull from the ties.
"Was it fun lying to me and teasing me last night?"
"Bella..."
Bella didn't stop because of his slight discomfort. Instead, she twirled the feather pen and used the fluff to faintly brush across his Adam's apple.
"Hmm? Speak."
She was very close, completely able to see the fine beads of sweat seeping from Ye Jinzhi's forehead.
Blindfolded and bound, every unknown touch was magnified, almost dragging his senses into torture.
The veins on his temples and neck bulged slightly from his forced endurance.
The room was quiet for a moment, leaving only the sound of his increasingly heavy and erratic breathing, each breath striking both of their eardrums.
Then, with a hint of self-abandoning low laughter, he said, "It was fun."
Ye Jinzhi slightly raised his chin. The tie covered his eyes, but it couldn't hide the self-deprecating yet indulgent curve of his lips.
"If the price of this 'fun' is falling into the hands of my master, I am more than willing."
His hands, tied to the armchair, clenched tightly, the veins on the back of his hands clearly visible.
Seeing him clearly at a disadvantage yet still using words to flirt back, Bella reached out and pinched his chin, forcing him to face her, her tone rising:
"If that's the case, then you can just stay here by yourself and cool down."
Bella clapped her hands and stood up neatly, even mischievously flicking his Adam's apple.
The face hidden beneath the burgundy tie froze slightly. Before he could recover from the subtle tickle, he heard Bella's brisk footsteps fading away without a trace of hesitation.
With a click, the door closed.
Bella walked a few steps, leaned against the wall, and sat cross-legged on the floor.
She opened the vocabulary app on her phone and, without any psychological pressure, began her daily word memorization:
"Block... Block... Universe..."
After she finished memorizing her 300th word, she glanced at the time, finally put down her phone, and turned the bedroom doorknob again.
Inside the room, Ye Jinzhi remained leaning against the armchair in his original posture.
He looked somewhat disheveled.
A few strands of his originally neatly combed hair had fallen, loosely covering the edge of the burgundy tie, and his cold, pale wrists bore obvious red marks from the pink tie.
Bella stepped forward and, with a neat flick, untied the two pink bows on his wrists.
"Alright, the punishment is over..."
She said softly, reaching behind his head to untie the last tie.
But in a split second, the man who had been sitting so obediently moved with astonishing speed.
Ye Jinzhi didn't even bother to rub his numb wrists. His newly freed long arms reached out and firmly wrapped around Bella's slender waist.
"Ah!"
Bella let out a cry of surprise. Before she could regain her balance, the world spun, and she found herself sitting securely on Ye Jinzhi's firm lap.
Her back hit his warm chest, and the only sound by her ear was his breathing, which had grown scorching hot from the wait.
"I won't do anything, just let me hold you... Bella."
Bella sat on his knees, and Ye Jinzhi's long arms simply stayed wrapped around her waist.
He was in no rush to untie the blindfold over his eyes. Instead, he lowered his head and gently rested his forehead against Bella's back.
Through the thin fabric, their heartbeats seemed to gradually synchronize.
For a moment, the bedroom was so quiet that only the sound of their overlapping breaths could be heard.
......
An unknown amount of time passed before Bella felt the tension behind her completely dissipate, and the other's breathing grew steady.
Her eyes flickered, but in the end, she didn't say another word. Instead, she gently pried away the arms wrapped around her waist and stood up.
"Let's go."
With her back to him, her voice returned to its usual clear tone. Without even waiting for him to untie the tie covering his eyes, she walked straight out of the bedroom.
As the sound of her footsteps on the floor faded away, Ye Jinzhi raised his hand and pulled down the burgundy silk tie.
The moment his vision returned, his gaze landed on the two red marks left by the binding. "How pitiful."
After lunch, Ye Jinzhi had the driver take him home.
"Why are you coming along? It's not like the driver doesn't know the way."
"What do you think?"
"Alright."
Ye Jinzhi and Bella sat side by side in the backseat, both quietly busy with their own things.
The air conditioning in the car was blasting. Bella silently pursed her lips, her tongue seemingly still savoring the firm texture of that roasted goose.
It was indeed so delicious that it made one want to pack up the auntie who cooked it and take her home.
Unfortunately, her pockets were empty.
Bella sighed inwardly. This was probably how poverty limited her possessiveness over good food.
To distract herself, she opened the Little Red App on her phone.
The notification dots in the background were bouncing wildly. Her fans' comments were even more enthusiastic than she had expected, and the numbers were skyrocketing.
The sense of accomplishment from building something with her own two hands felt amazing.
She opened the private message interface with that Rich Sister, and the other party had already replied:
ABL: "Hello, I just received the clothes. I'll have the brand side compare them. If everything is confirmed to be fine, I can send them back to you by next Tuesday at the earliest."
Bella's eyes lit up, and her fingers danced quickly across the screen:
Arigato Mei Yangyang-san Black Silk Edition: "Okay, sis, no rush. Thank you again, sorry for the trouble! [Heart] [Good girl]"
After sending the message, she unconsciously turned her head to glance at Ye Jinzhi beside her.
He was looking down at the documents on his tablet. His side profile was sharp, looking as flawless as a 3D model.
For some reason, looking at this scene, she felt a sense of familiarity.
When she returned home, she was still the only one there.
Bella sank into the sofa, the light from the screen reflecting on her fair face.
Out of sheer boredom, she scrolled through the messages in her class group chat, her fingers swiping mechanically.
Suddenly, her movements stopped at the chat window with Shen Wenjing.
Shen Wenjing had previously forwarded her brother's WeChat contact card, and the icon was lying there quietly.
Bella stared at the profile picture for a moment.
"Forget it, I won't add him for now. Let's just leave it."
She muttered to herself, and with a swipe of her fingertip, she exited the interface.
At a time like this, she didn't have the energy to deal with any "brother" or new social interactions.
Putting down her phone, she went to the bathroom and took a hot shower.
Bella curled up on the sofa to draw. When she got hungry, she casually ordered some takeout, and occasionally did some homework.
Picking up her tablet, she originally just wanted to sketch a few random character drafts, but as her pen touched the screen, the lines gradually outlined the sharp, aloof profile of a man.
A burgundy tie covered his eyes, and his jawline was clean and sharp.
Bella stared at the drawing in a daze for a few seconds, then somewhat irritably selected the eraser tool and vigorously rubbed it out.
"Why am I drawing him? He really haunts me."
With a swipe of her finger, Bella started watching Selfie.
"Sigh, times have really changed. I wonder which will come first, Selfie season 2 or John Cho's 60th birthday."
The weekend always passed extremely quickly, as if it had been put on 5x speed.
On Monday morning, just as Bella walked out of her house, bought breakfast, and was about to turn the corner to squeeze onto the bus, a voice called out from behind her:
"Miss Bella."
Bella stopped and turned around, finding a black sedan parked by the side of the road. It was... the driver who had taken her home before.
"Miss Bella, the young master specifically ordered me to take you to school." The driver quickly got out of the car, stood respectfully in front of her, and opened the rear door for her.
"No need to trouble yourself, Mr. Zhang. Taking the bus is quite convenient for me." Bella politely shook her head and made a gesture to leave.
"I apologize, Miss Bella." The driver looked a bit anxious, with even a hint of pleading in his expression.
"The young master said that if I fail to pick you up, I'm afraid I won't be able to report back today."
Seeing the driver's troubled look, Bella sighed. In the end, she couldn't bear to make things difficult for a fellow working-class person.
"Alright."
She got into the car, and just as the door was closing, she uneasily added an instruction:
"But, Mr. Zhang, please don't stop directly at the school gate later. Just drop me off a little further away, on the street next to the school."
"Yes, Miss Bella. Everything will be as you wish."
The car merged into the traffic. Bella leaned back against the leather seat, muted her phone, and started scrolling through TikTok.
"Thank you, Mr. Zhang."
Bella thanked him softly, closed the car door, and walked a distance before entering the school gate.
"Good morning! Bella, you're finally here. Let me tell you, this weekend I was simply..."
Ma Xin'er was like a lark. Without any explanation, she grabbed Bella's arm and started crazily venting about the bizarre things she encountered over the weekend, vividly describing every single detail.
Bella listened while stuffing her backpack into her desk.
Looking at Ma Xin'er's lively face, the image of herself tying someone up with a tie on Saturday involuntarily flashed through her mind.
She couldn't help but curve her lips into a smile, sighing inwardly: If she told Ma Xin'er about this, the girl's jaw would probably drop straight to the floor.
"Hey, Bella, what are you smiling at? I just got to the most infuriating part!" Ma Xin'er shook her arm in dissatisfaction.
"Nothing, I just think..."
Bella gathered her thoughts and casually pulled a physics textbook out of her bag, her face entirely serious. "Your weekend was much more exciting than mine."
......
On the podium, the physics teacher tapped the blackboard, his tone suddenly becoming full of enthusiasm:
"Alright everyone, since this question touches upon Newton's First Law of Motion, also known as the Law of Inertia: an object remains at rest or in uniform motion in a straight line unless acted upon by an external force. Let's put the textbook aside and play a little game."
Newton believed that time was like an evenly flowing river; it does not shift according to human will or the movement of matter, forever flowing steadily from the past to the future.
So, every one of you, imagine for a moment that one day you suddenly transmigrated and became the male or female lead in a novel.
