Chapter 10

Liu Yuyan went off to work.

Li Mo lowered his head and looked at his hands. The sensation of pinching Liu Yuyan’s nipples earlier still lingered in his palms - soft, springy, as if the warmth of her skin were still clinging to his fingertips. He clenched his fist, then let it go.

A blue panel hovered in front of him.

[Current status: simulation in progress]

[Would you like to view this simulation life replay?]

[Yes][No]

Last time, the replay had cut off when he was calling from the barbecue stall, and those four words, “Please stay tuned,” had almost made him explode. Now the version had been updated to 1.0, so it should be able to continue, right?

He clicked [Yes].

The panel flashed, and the image surfaced, picking up directly where it had broken off last time.

The barbecue stall.

In the footage, he was sprawled over a greasy table, his phone pressed to his ear, mumbling “Yuyan” under his breath. On the other end, Liu Yuyan said two words.

“Send me the address.”

Then the scene cut - not to a black screen, but straight to the next scene.

A black Maybach was parked at the entrance of the barbecue stall. Around it were plastic stools and beer bottles, and bamboo skewers were scattered all over the ground. The car sitting there looked like a UFO had landed.

The driver’s door opened, and Liu Yuyan got out. Li Mo’s eyes went wide.

She wasn’t wearing makeup. Her hair was tied up in a casual ponytail, and she wore a black hoodie with gray sweatpants and a pair of white canvas shoes.

She looked nothing like the chairman image she had at the company.

Liu Yuyan stood at the entrance of the barbecue stall and glanced around, frowning slightly.

In the footage, Li Mo was slumped at the farthest corner table. Two of his three roommates had already left; the one who remained, the one with glasses, was crouching nearby, trying to help him up.

Liu Yuyan walked over. Her canvas shoes stepped on the bamboo skewers littering the ground, making soft crackling sounds.

The roommate with glasses looked up and froze when he saw a stunning, completely unfamiliar woman walking toward them.

“Which one of you called him?” Liu Yuyan asked.

“Huh? No... he called himself...” The guy with glasses pointed at the table. “Who are you?”

Liu Yuyan didn’t answer. She crouched down and patted Li Mo’s face.

“Li Mo.”

“Mm... Yuyan...” In the footage, his eyes were barely open, and a silly grin hung on his face.

Liu Yuyan stared at him for two seconds, then stood up and said to the guy with glasses, “Help me get him into the car.”

“Huh?”

“The back seat. Don’t let him hit his head.”

The roommate with glasses opened his mouth, looked at Liu Yuyan, then at the Maybach parked outside, and could no longer close it.

“You... you’re his...”

“Move.” Liu Yuyan cut him off.

The two of them hoisted Li Mo up from left and right and shoved him into the back seat. Liu Yuyan shut the door, walked around to the driver’s side, and started the car.

The guy with glasses stood at the barbecue stall entrance, watching the Maybach disappear down the street, still unable to recover for a long time.

Inside the car.

Li Mo in the back seat was leaning sideways against the seat, head against the window, still mumbling, “Yuyan... heh heh... you’re here...”

Liu Yuyan glanced at him through the rearview mirror, said nothing, and the corner of her mouth twitched - just slightly.

The footage zoomed in on the rearview mirror. In it, half of Liu Yuyan’s face was reflected, streetlight flickering across it in pulses of brightness and darkness, making her expression hard to read.

It wasn’t concern, not helplessness, and not anger. It was a kind of restrained calm, as if she were pressing something down.

Narration appeared: [Liu Yuyan arrived at the barbecue stall at 23:47 and took Li Mo back to her residence. Driving time: 22 minutes. During the trip, Li Mo remained in a state of severe intoxication and repeatedly called out “Yuyan.” Liu Yuyan did not respond.]

Liu Yuyan’s home, living room.

In the footage, Li Mo was placed on the sofa. It was the same scene as in the last replay, but this time the perspective was different.

Last time, the replay had been from Li Mo’s point of view. This time, it was from Liu Yuyan’s. She was standing beside the sofa, looking down at Li Mo lying there.

His suit jacket was nowhere to be found. His white shirt was wrinkled, his tie had slipped off to one side, his hair was a mess like a bird’s nest, and his mouth hung half open, his breathing thick with alcohol.

Liu Yuyan stood there looking at him for a long time, then bent down and reached for his tie. Her movements were slow, her fingers pinching the knot as she worked it loose bit by bit.

The tie came free. She casually draped it over the sofa armrest, but her fingers didn’t leave. Her fingertip brushed his shirt collar and slid down an inch, touching his collarbone.

She stopped. Her fingertip pressed against his collarbone, and it was clear her fingers were trembling slightly.

Narration: [After undoing Li Mo’s tie, Liu Yuyan developed a desire for physical contact. At this time, Li Mo was in a completely unconscious state.]

The Liu Yuyan in the footage straightened up and took a step back, folding her arms over her chest, head lowered, biting her lip.

She stood there for about ten seconds, then turned and walked into the kitchen. She poured a cup of warm water and brought it out, setting it on the coffee table. Then she went to the storage room, took out a thin blanket, and covered him with it.

After that, she sat down on the single chair nearby, legs crossed, holding the cup in her hands as she watched him.

This time the footage didn’t skip ahead. It played through in full.

Liu Yuyan sat in the chair watching him for at least twenty minutes, and even after the water in the cup went cold, she didn’t take a single sip.

Then Li Mo in the footage rolled over, the thin blanket slipping halfway down. His shirt pulled open with it, two buttons coming undone, exposing his chest.

Liu Yuyan’s gaze fell on his chest. Her breathing clearly deepened. She set the cup down hard on the coffee table, stood up, walked to the sofa, and crouched down.

Very close.

Her face moved toward the spot over Li Mo’s chest, so close she could make out the texture of his skin. The tip of her nose was almost touching his pecs as she drew in a deep breath.

The smell on Li Mo - mixed with alcohol and sweat - carried something fiercely invasive about it. Liu Yuyan’s pupils dilated. Her hand lifted, fingers hovering above his chest for two seconds.

Then her fingertips touched his chest muscle and slowly, slowly slid downward.

Past the center line of his sternum. Past the upper abdomen. Past the navel. Down to the beltline, where her hand stopped.

Her fingers hooked along the edge of the belt, knuckles bending slightly, and Liu Yuyan’s lips were trembling.

Narration surfaced: [While in physical contact with Li Mo’s body, Liu Yuyan experienced a strong physiological response. At this moment, she was considering whether to “cook the rice and make the meal.”]

Li Mo sat up in bed, every hair on his body standing on end. Here it comes! Here it comes!

The footage continued.

Liu Yuyan’s fingers were still hooked on his belt, while her other hand unconsciously clenched the fabric of her pants on her knee. Her lips moved, as if she were speaking to herself.

Then Li Mo in the footage moved, rolling over on the sofa.

Liu Yuyan jerked her hand back and took a step in retreat. Her heel struck the coffee table, the cup tipped over, and water spilled across the carpet.

She had no time to care. She stood there, gripping the hem of her hoodie with both hands, her chest rising and falling violently, her face flushed bright red.

Li Mo in the footage kept mumbling.

Standing beside the sofa, Liu Yuyan’s expression changed several times - first panic, the kind of panic you get when you’ve been caught red-handed, then embarrassment, like she’d been caught stealing something.

The replay paused.

Li Mo sat motionless on the bed, his mind replaying the scene just now over and over.

It wasn’t that Liu Yuyan had tried to use him for sex. It was that he had drunk himself stupid, called her in the middle of the night, and she had driven over to pick him up, brought him home, and wanted to take advantage of him.

From start to finish, he had been the one who had “delivered himself to her door.”

And Liu Yuyan had been the one with “ill intentions,” the hunter.

Li Mo slowly leaned back until the back of his head thudded against the headboard.

“So...”

“Am I the fucking prey???”