Chapter 15: Why Blame Her?

She dared not send a message to Zuo Yelin. Only he arranged work for her, leaving no room for discussion.

“Secretary Su, regarding the customized meal service, is it possible to reduce the quantity of the meals? I have a small appetite and can’t finish all of it; I don’t want to waste food.”

“Assistant Shi, these arrangements were made by Director Zuo. If you have any concerns, you can discuss them with him directly. If it’s inconvenient for you, I can also pass on your message,” Su Yu replied promptly.

Seeing the message, Shi Ran’s face turned pale with fright. She quickly stopped herself, saying, “I was just venting a little. It’s such a minor issue; no need to trouble Director Zuo with it.”

Forget it.

Try to discuss it with Zuo Yelin?

He would probably find new ways to mock her.

Most likely he’d say, “If you can’t even handle something as simple as eating, what else can you do?”

Shi Ran didn’t dare to disturb him further. She stopped forcing herself. Since she couldn’t change the outcome, she decided to try changing herself.

The next day, the gentlemanly young man appeared again to deliver the meal. Shi Ran noticed that the quantity of food had been reduced.

“We adjusted the meals based on the leftovers from Miss Shi Ran’s previous orders. If there’s anything you’re not satisfied with, please feel free to let us know,” the gentleman explained.

Hadn’t they said no changes would be made?

Could it be that Secretary Su said she wouldn’t help but secretly did?

Shi Ran couldn’t be sure and didn’t ask further.

In the days that followed, she immersed herself in enjoyment.

Only after confirming the end of her menstrual cycle did she finally breathe a sigh of relief.

As usual, Shi Ran waited for the meal delivery.

She stared at the clock on her phone until the knock sounded right on time.

She rushed to open the door.

“Young Master?!” Shi Ran’s pupils contracted sharply upon seeing Zuo Yelin at the door, recalling the previous experience.

“Take off your clothes,” Zuo Yelin entered and closed the door behind him.

Shi Ran gasped in surprise.

She tried to struggle, but when their eyes met, it was as if she lost all means—like a fish on a chopping board, completely at his mercy.

She removed every piece of clothing and stood naked before him.

Zuo Yelin picked her up and roughly tossed her onto the sofa, beginning his conquest.

Shi Ran realized her good days seemed to be over; the days of suffering were about to begin.

If she could, she wished her menstrual period would last longer.

The man was brutal like a beast, ravaging the delicate flower that was Shi Ran.

***

The moment the battle ended, Shi Ran felt utterly drained of strength.

Even her voice was hoarse and weak.

“I told you, don’t let other men touch you,” Zuo Yelin’s cold tone echoed in her ears.

Shi Ran felt wronged. She had stayed in the villa all this time, enjoying food and rest, without any contact with other men.

Except for the gentleman delivering meals.

But they only exchanged a few words, with no physical contact.

She breathed heavily, realizing her hoarse throat wouldn’t support any argument, and gave up struggling.

Watching Zuo Yelin pick her up and toss her into the bedroom, shutting the door behind them, it felt like a nightmare repeating itself.

Only in that nightmare she had been tied up and more miserable than now.

When Shi Ran recovered, washed up, and changed clothes, she realized how precious food was.

Until she saw the array of delicious dishes on the table.

Ignoring her weakness, she ran over and sat down, devouring the food greedily.

She had thought that with Zuo Yelin’s arrival, meals would no longer be delivered, but there was a pleasant surprise.

She looked around but saw no sign of Zuo Yelin.

She muttered under her breath, “I’ll bite you to death for bullying me.”

She treated the food as if it were Zuo Yelin, devouring it fiercely.

Until her hunger was fully sated.

Recalling Zuo Yelin’s warning, she grew angrier.

That man was clearly just using his animalistic desires as an excuse.

“Don’t let other men touch you,” he said.

But apart from a fleeting thought of betrayal at the start, she had stayed inside the villa all along.

Through this incident, she finally understood.

Zuo Yelin was a man who nitpicked and found faults where there were none.

No matter how well she did, he would find reasons to scold her.

The problem wasn’t hers—it was Zuo Yelin who was the problem.

“Betray him? I must!” Shi Ran’s anger flared again, and the previously suppressed thoughts resurfaced.

Not betraying meant suffering.

Betraying meant suffering too.

But at least betraying might help her avoid pain in the future.

Between the two, betrayal was undoubtedly the better choice.

Shi Ran took out her phone and intended to download some dating apps.

She opened the store and checked the reviews.

Seeing a pile of negative comments, including stories of scams and exploitation, her heart skipped a beat.

Betrayal was truly terrifying.

Maybe she should just forget it.

The shocking bad reviews made her reconsider.

There were stories of hidden cameras, blackmail, scams, drugging, and captivity.

Online dating was utterly untrustworthy.

Maybe she should try asking Zuo Jiaqi?

The thought popped into Shi Ran’s mind.

Just then, her phone rang.

Startled, she fumbled for a moment before steadying it.

“Ranran, do you have time tonight?” The voice was as clear as ever.

It was a call from Zuo Jiaqi.

Shi Ran looked at her phone suspiciously.

Was it just a coincidence that she had just thought of Zuo Jiaqi and now he was calling?

Could this be the so-called telepathic connection?

“I don’t think I have any plans tonight,” Shi Ran thought, seeing no work notifications on her phone.

“That’s great! I’ll treat you to dinner tonight. You can have something cold, right? That restaurant has a special ice cream that’s delicious,” Zuo Jiaqi enthusiastically recommended.

“No problem,” Shi Ran replied without hesitation.

They agreed on the time and place, then hung up.

“If it’s Zuo Jiaqi, he’d probably be willing to be my affair partner, but would he turn out like the monster in that video?” Shi Ran hadn’t forgotten the beastly image in the footage.

Unsure if Zuo Yelin had tampered with anything, she remained skeptical.

Especially since Zuo Jiaqi’s recent odd behavior deepened her doubts.

“No, I can’t; Mei Lan can’t cover for me on this,” Shi Ran shook her head, dismissing the idea.

Mei Lan wanted her to keep Zuo Jiaqi dangling, but Shi Ran preferred to take a direct approach.

The aftermath would surely bring Mei Lan’s endless nagging.

She wasn’t willing to listen.

The phone rang again.

“Assistant Shi, Director Zuo has a meeting tomorrow. Please organize these materials tonight,” Secretary Su called to assign work.

“No problem,” Shi Ran replied.

“The files have been sent to the study computer; the password is your birthday,” Secretary Su instructed before hanging up.

Shi Ran stood up and, guided by the smart home system, found the study.

Entering the password on the computer, she saw the dense files and felt her scalp tingle.

Was all this really possible to organize in one night?