Chapter 38: Come On, Sit Up and Cooperate

"Sorry, I don’t believe you. It’s not that I won’t let you go, but only if you let me tie you up. Be held down or be tied up—pick one."

Jiang Yunnuan didn’t even trust herself, so how could she possibly trust anyone else? Not in the slightest.

Ming Ye: "..."

’What kind of decent person wants to sleep with someone tied up?’

’This woman really is unhinged. No wonder Si Xie is always blowing his top because of her!’

"Fine, tie me up!"

"You said it yourself. Hmph, don’t blame me for being merciless later."

Jiang Yunnuan felt a pang of hurt and retorted indignantly.

’This guy would rather be tied up than have me hold him, and I’m not even touching his skin! Fine, I’ll give him this—the man has principles!’

She scrambled out of bed, hurried out of the room, and returned a few minutes later with a coil of Soul-locking Rope.

The rope was forged from a special meteorite and, after extensive and precise processing, gained the ability to suppress a Beast Soul. Once bound by it, no matter how powerful a Beastman was, they would be unable to use their Beast Soul.

It was originally created to deal with criminals, but it unexpectedly became a favorite among women.

Nearly every adult woman would apply to the government for one to punish disobedient Contractors.

This was also the very thing she had used to tie up Si Xie last time.

After getting the rope ready, Jiang Yunnuan stood beside Ming Ye and spoke, in extremely high spirits.

"Come on, sit up and cooperate. It’s hard to tie you when you’re lying down."

Seeing the rope in her hands, Ming Ye suddenly hesitated. ’This woman has such an awful personality. After she ties me up, she won’t continue her shameless advances from before, will she?’

’And since I’ll be bound by the Soul-locking Rope and unable to use my Beast Soul, if she really tries something, I’ll be completely powerless to resist.’

"What are you spacing out for? Hurry up and get up!"

Seeing his prolonged hesitation, Jiang Yunnuan couldn’t help but press him. "Didn’t you agree to be tied up? What’s with the hesitation now? Are we going to sleep tonight or are you just going to keep dawdling?"

’Thinking of backing out?’

’Hmph, no way. I’m going to make sure this guy has a night he’ll never forget!’

Ming Ye: "..."

After a moment’s hesitation, he pursed his lips and sat up. Before he was even steady, Jiang Yunnuan was already on him with the rope. In a few deft moves, she had him trussed up tight. Her technique was remarkably practiced.

"Mission accomplished! Time to sleep!"

Looking at the man before her, trussed up like a mummy, Jiang Yunnuan was thoroughly satisfied. In high spirits, she walked around to the other side of the bed and climbed in.

Not long after, the sound of even breathing could be heard.

As for the man beside her, once tied up, he focused his spiritual power, remaining on high alert. He was terrified she would grope him again.

But unexpectedly, her wandering hands never came. Instead, all he heard was the sound of her sleeping soundly.

’She fell asleep this fast?’

Ming Ye’s brow twitched, a hint of surprise in his eyes. But soon, his tense nerves relaxed, and he inwardly breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

The night passed without a dream.

「The next day.」 Ming Ye awoke to sheer torture.

His entire body was stiff and numb, aching from the lack of circulation. Worse, his chest felt like it was being crushed by a boulder, making it impossible to move or even breathe.

He opened his eyes and saw a head resting on his chest. Consciousness hit him like a tidal wave. Ming Ye’s expression turned thunderous, a vein throbbing in his temple.

’That damn woman! She promised not to touch me! I even let her tie me up! And what’s the result?’

’Not only did this damn woman touch me, she went so far as to press half her body on top of me.’

One arm was wrapped around his chest, a leg was thrown over his waist, and her entire body was entwined around him like a stubborn vine.

’No wonder I can’t breathe!’

Ming Ye’s fists clenched. He gritted his teeth and growled, "Jiang Yunnuan, get off me..."

Hearing someone call her name in a daze, Jiang Yunnuan frowned and mumbled impatiently.

"Shut up, stop being so noisy!"

’Who is disturbing my sleep? It’s so annoying!’

Ming Ye: "..."

He narrowed his eyes, his voice turning icy. "Still sleeping? You’re not allowed. Wake up!"

"God, you’re annoying!"

Jiang Yunnuan was desperately tired, but the voice nagged at her relentlessly. Her morning temper flared, and she snapped irritably.

As soon as the words left her mouth, her sleepiness began to fade.

’Wait, why do I seem to hear a man talking? And his voice sounds really nice.’

As the thought surfaced, her mind snapped into focus. She opened her eyes to see herself clinging to a man with all four limbs, like a koala.

Jiang Yunnuan froze. Then, a flood of memories from the previous night rushed back to her.

’Oh, right. I slept with Ming Ye last night. It’s all coming back to me now.’ But the scene before her made her feel incredibly guilty.

’Damn it, I’m usually a decent sleeper! How did I end up taking such complete advantage of him in my sleep?’

’He let me tie him up precisely because he didn’t want me to touch him. And now look at this... wasn’t he tied up all night for nothing?’

’Oh no, this man isn’t going to want to kill me, is he?’

Jiang Yunnuan couldn’t even imagine how furious she would be if she were in his shoes.

Not daring to face him, she quickly shut her eyes, pretending to be asleep. But his cold, restrained voice sounded in her ears once more.

"If you’re awake, then get off!"

Jiang Yunnuan: "..."

’Oops, my cover’s been blown.’

’Also, his voice really does sound furious. To avoid escalating the situation, I’d better not provoke him any further at this critical moment.’

"You got it, I’m getting off."

She quickly scrambled off him. While starting to untie the ropes, she adopted a subservient posture and apologized profusely.

"Um, I don’t know how this happened, but I swear it wasn’t on purpose! I’m really sorry. You’re a bigger person than me, so can you find it in your heart to forgive me?"

Ming Ye remained silent, his eyes glued to a damp patch on the chest of his robe. His face was as black as the bottom of a wok.

Following his gaze, Jiang Yunnuan looked down. Her eyes widened instantly, her jaw nearly hitting the floor.

’Wait, why is it wet there?’

’Could it be... my drool?’

’I think that’s where my head was when I was sleeping!’

After confirming it again and again, Jiang Yunnuan felt her world come crashing down. ’This man already detests me. Is he going to try and kill us both over this?’

An inexplicable chill ran down her spine. She quickly produced five Crystal Stones from her space and offered them to him.

"This is for your trouble. I’ll order ten new sets of sleepwear to replace yours, and I’ll treat you to three gourmet meals. How about it? Can you calm down a little?"

She knew she was in the wrong, so she was racking her brain for any way to appease him.

Glancing at the Crystal Stones in her hand, Ming Ye’s expression sharpened, and his eyes grew dark and profound. After a moment, he looked up at her. His voice was low and cold, devoid of any emotion.

"Those Crystal Stones... where did you get them?"

If he wasn’t mistaken, those Crystal Stones had just appeared out of thin air. A jolt of shock went through Ming Ye.

Hearing his question, Jiang Yunnuan froze, her mind going completely blank.