Chapter 27: Your Tears Are Useless on Me
When Qin Wan walked into the spacious basement, which was over two hundred square meters, and saw the furnishings inside, he couldn’t stop shaking.
Calling this place a “Reflection Room” was far too elegant.
This was clearly a torture chamber.
Under the bright white lights, one wall was covered with all kinds of torture tools.
Aside from the long and short implements hanging on the wall, there was a cast-iron torture rack taller than a man, a chair strangely equipped with shackles, a large-sized wooden horse…
Although Qin Wan wasn’t sure what some of the items were used for, the fact that they appeared together as a group undoubtedly meant they were all things used for abuse.
And the person about to endure this torture and abuse was him!
Qin Wan’s back felt waves of coldness.
His legs went uncontrollably soft.
“Bro-Brother, this place… this place is so scary!” He stammered out a sentence, his voice trembling.
Gu Xinglan nodded, his eyes half-narrowed.
“A Reflection Room, the purpose is to make one reflect on their own mistakes so they won’t commit them again.”
As he spoke, he pulled Qin Wan in front of him.
When he spoke again, his voice had turned cold.
“Qin Wan, look at me.”
Frame by frame, with difficulty, Qin Wan tilted his head up.
Making eye contact with Gu Xinglan had always been something that terrified him.
Let alone in this current environment.
Gu Xinglan’s eyes were cold and ruthless, yet somewhat detached. “Tell me, how many times have you escaped from my hands?”
He lowered his eyes slightly, his deep gaze fixed tightly on Qin Wan’s already pale little face.
Qin Wan’s lips trembled gently. “Two… two times…”
Gu Xinglan: “Mn.”
“The first time, I only gave you a few slaps. It seems it was too light, practically painless. So much so that you didn’t realize the severity of the consequences at all, and thus, there was a second time.”
Qin Wan was so scared by the hair-raising, violent aura radiating from him that he didn’t dare breathe loudly.
He bit his lower lip hard.
Gu Xinglan: “Tell me, how should I punish you this time?”
Qin Wan suddenly grabbed his hand.
“Brother!” he called out in a low voice. “I know it’s all my fault. But I’ve already realized my mistake deeply, really!”
“If Brother could punish me lightly as a warning and show mercy, I would be very grateful!”
“Brother, could you… could you consider going a little easy on me?”
He spoke mournfully, his survival instinct exploding.
Although he had convinced himself to face the punishment of having his legs broken calmly.
When it came down to the moment, he was still terrified.
After all, that really hurt.
Bone-piercing pain.
Moreover, he wasn’t sure if Gu Xinglan was actually going to break his legs or use those other strange, ghostly things in here to punish him.
So right now, he was terrified, every strand of hair trembling.
“Punish lightly as a warning?” Gu Xinglan seemed to savor the phrase.
“Qin Wan, do you know what the purpose of my punishing you is?”
Scared into confusion, Qin Wan forced himself to think.
He answered, “It’s… to make an example to prevent future mistakes. Brother, I really won’t run away again in the future, so I beg you…”
Before he could finish, Gu Xinglan laughed. “Wrong answer.”
As he spoke, he lowered his head slightly, his gaze landing on Qin Wan’s lips, which had turned white from nervousness.
The coldness in his voice dissipated, becoming very soft.
“My purpose in punishing you is simply because I want to punish you.”
Qin Wan: …
He subconsciously tilted his head, looking at Gu Xinglan with eyes full of confusion, seemingly not understanding the meaning of his words.
The next second, Gu Xinglan swept him up into a horizontal carry.
“Qin Wan, it’s impossible for me to punish you lightly.” He lowered his head, close to his ear, his voice pressed very low.
But it wasn’t hard to hear a barely concealed excitement.
“I just like torturing you, like watching you cry, like listening to you beg for mercy.”
Qin Wan was so frightened his small face lost all color.
“Brother, don’t… don’t be like this! Put me down! I’m scared…”
He tried to struggle, but there was no way he could escape Gu Xinglan’s grip.
Gu Xinglan carried him further inside.
“Will you choose a whip yourself, or shall I choose for you?”
“Do you want me to tie you to the rack, or will you kneel properly and wait to be whipped?”
As he spoke, he took a breath.
The corner of his lips slanted into a somewhat cruel arc.
“So, Qin Wan, you’d better not give me a chance to punish you. I said, if you’re a bit more obedient, I might treat you a bit better.”
“If you’re disobedient, then just take it!”
After finishing these words, Gu Xinglan realized the person in his arms had stopped moving.
Stopped struggling.
Immediately after, he felt a warm, damp sensation on the chest of his shirt.
Warm and wet.
Gu Xinglan slowed his pace and looked down.
Qin Wan had buried his face in his chest, trying his best to suppress it, sobbing silently.
Gu Xinglan suddenly realized that Qin Wan had indeed become obedient now.
He had thought that by pushing him into a corner, he would fight tooth and nail in his arms, tearing at him.
Slapping, scratching his face, choking his neck.
After all, that was the violent puppy’s usual style.
Yet there was none of that.
Seeing him crying quietly now, an indescribable emotion uncontrollably rose in Gu Xinglan’s heart.
He stopped walking and pursed his lips.
“Qin Wan, your tears are useless on me. No need to play the victim in front of me. I know exactly what kind of character you are.”
Qin Wan nestled in his arms, motionless.
He didn’t reply, nor did he argue.
After a long while.
“Scamming you for your phone back then, I really had no way out…” His sobbing voice came out muffled through the layer of fabric.
“The Eldest Young Master tried to assault me several times. The last time, I stabbed through his palm with scissors… If I didn’t run, I had no way to live.”
“But I didn’t have any money on me, couldn’t even buy a ticket…”
“Causing you to be punished by kneeling, and causing the death of your big dog, I’m really sorry. If I had known your father would treat you like that, I absolutely wouldn’t have…”
Qin Wan’s tearful voice was suppressed and broken, making one’s heart ache inexplicably.
Gu Xinglan could sense that the little liar wasn’t acting this time.
He was truly on the verge of a breakdown.
Otherwise, with his personality, he would never have spoken about such a secret matter as Sheng Sinian trying to assault him.
Gu Xinglan’s lips pressed into a straight line, but his eyes softened unknowingly.
“Look up.” Although his voice was still commanding, it seemed to have a trace of warmth.
Sobbing, Qin Wan slowly lifted his face from his embrace.
His small face was flushed red from crying, and those exquisite fox eyes were covered in a layer of crystalline tears.
It was hard not to feel pity.
Qin Wan only dared to lift his head, not his eyes.
He was terrified of meeting Gu Xinglan’s gaze.
He continued to choke out words.
“Causing your grandfather’s death, I know my sins are heavy. I am also willing to make amends in whatever way you want.”
“But, you make me very scared… I didn’t want to be locked up, that’s why I ran…”
Qin Wan didn’t know what he was trying to explain.
He knew these words were meaningless to Gu Xinglan.
But he just wanted to say them.
Perhaps simply to vent the tension and fear of this moment.
The room was quiet for a moment.
Gu Xinglan spoke slowly, his voice carrying a bit of teasing: “Qin Wan, aren’t you tired after saying so much?”
Qin Wan hiccuped and sniffled.
He shook his head. “Not tired. I haven’t finished; can I still speak?”
Gu Xinglan: “Stop talking. No matter how much you say, it won’t help matters.”
Qin Wan fell silent.
His head drooped again.
After a pause, he said in an extremely low voice.
“I know it won’t help. I just wanted you to know that I’m not the kind of… morally low bad person you think I am…”
Gu Xinglan didn’t speak.
Silence for a moment.
“Very scared?” he asked.
To this meaningless, redundant question, Qin Wan still nodded softly.
Gu Xinglan seemed to let out a breath.
“Then for this punishment, just kneel.”
Hearing this, Qin Wan lifted his head in disbelief.
His gaze landed on Gu Xinglan’s face.
Kneel?
He would use such a gentle method as punishment for his escape and injuring his friend?
Gu Xinglan put Qin Wan down from his arms.
“The corner.” He pointed with his chin.
Qin Wan walked to the corner, bent one knee, and followed with the other leg to kneel down.
His upper body was straight, hands behind his back.
“Brother, how long do you want me to kneel?” He looked up at Gu Xinglan not far away. “Do I have to kneel for seven hours like you were punished that time?”
“Seven hours?” Gu Xinglan’s brows furrowed slightly. “Aren’t you afraid of ruining your legs?”
Qin Wan shook his head gently.
He wasn’t afraid of kneeling as punishment.
“I was punished countless times growing up. Kneeling for a few hours isn’t hard,” he said faintly.
His small head lowered slightly.
Gu Xinglan’s eye color changed quietly.
He walked up to Qin Wan, reached out, and pulled him up from the ground.
“What’s wrong? You… you regret it?” Qin Wan’s face panicked. “You can’t…”
“I just regret it.” Gu Xinglan frowned.
“You…” Qin Wan’s face was full of panic and helplessness.
Gu Xinglan seemed to have run out of patience. He grabbed his soft waist and hoisted him onto his shoulder.
“I changed my mind. This time, go to my bed to accept the punishment…”
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