Lu Xuan didn't care for her 'rather be jade broken than tile whole' display of chastity. He was here today to teach this woman, who didn't know the immensity of heaven and earth, a lesson, to make her understand why flowers are so red.
His fingers flew across the screen. He didn't change the title, but he held back on the content, temporarily only selecting a few screenshots from the diary. He wasn't in a hurry to release those more critical military secrets and contact photos.
"Alright, it's been sent out."
Lu Xuan dangled his phone screen in front of Bai Yanxi, a malicious smirk playing on his lips, "You bitch, happy now? Did you really think I wouldn't dare touch you?"
Bai Yanxi's gaze was fixed on the phone screen. When she clearly saw that Lu Xuan had indeed made the unseemly diary content public,
although it used the pronoun "someone," the familiar delicate handwriting and the pathological infatuation all indicated that the protagonist was her!
Others might not recognize her, but she recognized herself at a glance, and it was possible her parents would too!
Her heart instantly sank to the bottom, and all the blood in her body seemed to freeze.
But then, she also acutely noticed that what Lu Xuan published was only the diary, not the fatal evidence that could ruin her and her entire family.
This discovery made her heart, which had been in her throat, drop back a little.
It was like seeing a faint, but possibly trapped, glimmer of dawn in endless darkness.
Lu Xuan had temporarily given her a lifeline.
Fear receded like a tide, but what followed was deeper humiliation and powerlessness.
She understood that she had completely fallen, fallen into the hands of this young man with incredibly ruthless methods.
This time, she dared not show the slightest arrogance or resistance.
Bai Yanxi bit her lower lip tightly, her pearly teeth almost drawing blood from her tender lips.
She slowly closed her eyes, her long eyelashes casting two shallow shadows under the light, concealing all the emotions in her eyes.
When she opened them again, those phoenix eyes, once sharp as knives, were left with only a deathly stillness.
"Lu Xuan!"
She squeezed these words out from between her teeth with difficulty, her voice extremely hoarse, "I... I agree! I was wrong! Please, let me go, let the Bai family go..."
"Heh heh,"
Lu Xuan let out a low, ambiguous chuckle, the sound particularly grating in the quiet office, "Now you know you're wrong? Good, not too late."
His gaze fell on Bai Yanxi's legs, which were trembling slightly from anger and humiliation, and his tone was flat but carried an undeniable command: "Kneel."
The simple two words were like two heavy hammers, striking Bai Yanxi's heart.
She suddenly looked up, staring at Lu Xuan in disbelief.
For her, the esteemed Director of the Finance Department at Yanjing University, the daughter of a Military Region Deputy Political Commissar, to kneel before a Student? This was more unbearable than killing her!
"What? Are you deaf?"
Lu Xuan's brow furrowed slightly, his voice chilling by three degrees, "I told you, kneel."
Bai Yanxi's body trembled violently, her nails digging deeply into her palms, bringing a sharp pain.
She bit her teeth tightly, veins bulging on her forehead, her inner pride and the threat of reality tearing at her fiercely.
Time passed minute by minute, and the air in the office seemed to solidify, so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.
Finally, under Lu Xuan's cold gaze, Bai Yanxi's tense body slowly relaxed.
She lowered her once proud head, like a defeated peacock, retracting all its magnificent feathers.
Step by step, she moved with difficulty to Lu Xuan, each step like treading on knife edges.
Then, her knees softened, and with a "thud," she slowly and humiliatingly knelt on the cold floor.
Bai Yanxi's hands hung limply at her sides, then as if remembering something, she braced her hands on the ground and lowered her head deeply, her dark hair falling down and covering all her expressions at that moment.
Lu Xuan admired the scene before him, a strong sense of conquest rising in his heart.
He slowly bent down, stretched out a finger, and gently hooked Bai Yanxi's chin, forcing her to look up.
That face, once stunningly beautiful, was now covered with a blush of humiliation and un-dried tear stains, yet her eyes still held a hint of stubbornness and an unresolvable hatred.
"Look at me."
Lu Xuan's voice was low and magnetic, yet it carried a dangerous undertone.
Bai Yanxi was forced to meet his gaze, the hatred in her eyes almost solidifying.
"I don't like your eyes."
Lu Xuan's thumb gently caressed Bai Yanxi's smooth chin, his tone soft, yet every word was like a dagger to the heart, "From today onwards, you are a dog I, Lu Xuan, keep, understand?"
Bai Yanxi's face instantly turned ashen, and her body trembled uncontrollably.
A dog? He actually compared her to a dog!
"Did you hear me? I'm asking you again."
Lu Xuan's voice suddenly sharpened.
"Yes... yes, I... I heard you."
Bai Yanxi's voice was as faint as a mosquito, with a strong nasal tone, each word seemingly squeezed out of her throat, full of humiliation and despair.
"Very good."
Lu Xuan nodded with satisfaction, the smile on his lips becoming even more sinister, "Since you're a dog, you need a name. From now on, I'll call you Xiaobai."
Xiaobai... This name reminded her of a small white dog she had as a child, docile, obedient, wagging its tail begging for attention.
"Xiaobai,"
Lu Xuan's voice held a hint of playfulness, "Go, tell the Students waiting outside for stamps to go back. Don't wait foolishly here anymore."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over Bai Yanxi's shapely body, adding meaningfully, "Later, some adult-only things might happen here. Them eavesdropping outside isn't good for either of us, especially... not good for your reputation."
Upon hearing this, Bai Yanxi felt a chill shoot from the soles of her feet to the top of her head. She subconsciously wiped the cold sweat seeping from her forehead, her heart filled with fear and unease.
She knew what Lu Xuan intended to do next, and the feeling of humiliation almost made her collapse.
She had thought of resisting, of fighting to the death.
But she didn't dare.
This man named Lu Xuan was simply a devil!
He would truly do anything!
Once the evidence of military secrets was exposed, the entire Bai family would be doomed, and her father's lifelong glory and hard work would be destroyed in an instant.
From childhood, her father had taught her to prioritize the family, that the family's honor was above all else.
For the sake of her family, she could only sacrifice herself.
Bai Yanxi struggled to stand up from the floor, her legs feeling weak from the prolonged kneeling and immense psychological pressure. Her body swayed a few times, almost making her fall again.
She leaned against the cold wall, step by step, like a walking corpse, towards the office door.
Trembling, she reached out and grasped the cold doorknob. With a "click," the lock opened.
Outside, the corridor was still bustling with people, Students gathered in twos and threes, waiting anxiously.
Seeing the office door open, everyone's gaze turned to it simultaneously.
When they saw Bai Yanxi's ashen face and disheveled hair, everyone was momentarily stunned, vaguely sensing that the atmosphere was off.
Bai Yanxi took a deep breath, forcing out a smile uglier than a cry, and spoke in a hoarse voice: "St-Students, please go back for now. Today... today the Finance Department has some matters, so we can't handle business temporarily. Tomorrow... please come back tomorrow."
Her voice was very soft, with a barely perceptible tremor.
The Students in the corridor immediately burst into an uproar upon hearing this, sighs and complaints rising one after another.
"Ah? What's going on? We've waited so long for nothing!"
"Exactly, I've been waiting for over an hour!"
"Director Bai looks so bad today, is she sick?"
Amidst the discussions, although the Students were full of grievances, they dared not say much, as Director Bai's usual authority was deeply ingrained in their minds.
They dispersed in twos and threes, and the corridor quickly became empty.
Bai Yanxi looked at the empty corridor, her heart filled with despair.
She slowly closed the office door, the heavy door blocking out everything from the outside, and seemingly blocking out all her hope.
A glistening tear finally escaped, sliding from the corner of her eye, down her pale cheek, and dripping onto the cold floor, shattering into a splash.