Strategy to Capture Men

That beautiful, kind, angelic cousin sent the little boy back to the banquet hall, asked the waiter to bring him some juice, and have him the number of her smartwatch.
Finally, she stroked his hair and asked, “Are you okay by yourself, Xiao Ke?”

Tang Ke stood up straight.
“Yes, Sister Yanyan, you go work.” He was a sensible little boy.
Han Yanyan was the main character at this banquet, how many people were there waiting around them, their eyes shining?

Her mind 'set at rest', Han Yanyan left to deal with the people she had to talk to.
Then she excused herself politely, made her way to a small elevator, and went straight upstairs.

It had been so long.
Surely no matter what a man wanted to do to a woman, there had been time enough.

She had underestimated her father.
When she got there, it wasn't over yet.

“Who would have known that cousin-in-law would have R-ray irradiation? He must have suffered a great deal.
You should have called me,” said Patriarch Han.

Those personal sufferings and hardships were being talked about and pity being shown, but in fact the affected party was unwilling to have their grief put on display.
Xinya bowed her head.

Her neck was fair and lovely.
Because her evening dress had an off-the-shoulder cut, that striking line extended even further.

“Are you thinking about sending him to Dongchen?” inquired Patriarch Han.
“It really is the best school.
All the children of the Han family attend Dongchen.”

Xinya looked up.
“That…”

“It can be done.
Training conditions right now are crucial.
He's A-class right now, and depending on whether or not he reaches S-class in his next breakthrough, he'll lead a different life,” said Patriarch Han.
“Let him attend Dongchen from third to twelfth grade.
If he's able to break into S-class, I can give him a recommendation for Nebula University.”

It would completely change Tang Ke's future.

“So, Xinya, little white rabbit…” Patriarch Han smiled, “What will you give me in return?”

Hey, little rabbit, why are you crying?

I can't find my mommy.

Don't cry.
My mother is holding a tea party at the fountain garden today.
Your mother must be there too.
I'll take you there.

……

Big brother…

Hmm?

My name isn't 'little rabbit'.

Oh? Then what's your name?

Xinya.
My name is Lin Xinya.

Although they hadn't spoken much recently, she had seen him a few times from afar.
She had even met his wife and his mistresses.
Standing at the apex of power and wealth, marriage seemed to mean little to him.
His life was completely different from the conventional one she led.

But in Xinya's heart, whenever she heard his name, she always thought back to the youth on that terrace.
He had reached out and grasped her wrist, and when she had tried to break free, he had tightened his hand with a force she couldn't resist.
But when she looked him in the eye, he had let go.

Xinya had actually given much thought to what she would pay in exchange for her son's future.
The years of life had taught her that there were times when pride and self-respect were sometimes useless.

But at the last moment, when his hand slipped like a snake from her waist to the opening of her dress, Xinya shuddered.
All of a sudden, she was afraid.
She regretted it.
She wanted to run away.

Suddenly breaking free, she retreated in a panic.
“S- sorry, I, I can't…”

But it was no longer up to her whether or not she could.

Patriarch Han's mouth stretched out in a smile.
He lifted his chin slightly and unbuttoned his collar.
This world was a martial one, and men's formal clothes had high collars similar to military uniforms.
As he unbuttoned, he stepped toward her.

“Why? Do you want your son to stay in a junk public school, learn in a junk mecha, and work as a miner in the mineral deposit planets when he grows up?” he asked.

Of course Xinya didn't want Tang Ke to have such a life.
That was why she was here, begging him.

“I…
no, I…” She had no answer.
He forced her back, step by step, until her back hit the desk.

Patriarch Han took off his coat and threw it aside, tore open the buttons of his shirt to reveal his muscled chest, and put his hands on the table, locking her in.

“Give him to me and I'll give him the best.” He gripped her slender waist.
“He'll have the best school, the best training.
I can make him into a top-class mecha pilot.”

“I…” Xinya's teeth chattered.
“I don't…”

Patriarch Han lost patience.
He grabbed her dress and tore it open. 

“Give him to me,” he said, “and I will support him all his life.”

Xinya was pressed onto the desk.
At the moment when he forced himself into her, she finally understood.
As it turns out, he was no longer that young man who could let go.

She was tortured.

“Open your eyes,” he ordered.
“Look at me.”

The ceiling flashed.
Time felt endless.
He hurt her so terribly much.

When it was finally over, she sat up trembling, hugging her legs, her clothing and expression both in pieces.

Patriarch Han had enjoyed himself very much.
He put his clothes in order, turned her face and smiled.
“I thought you would cry.”

She had bitten her lips bloody, but she hadn't cried.

“Don't forget your promise,” she said.

Patriarch Han's smile dissipated.
His eyes turned cold.

“There will be clothes in the second room on the left,” he said, “Go…
little rabbit.”

Xinya wanted to escape as quickly as she could.
Tugging her torn dress, she hurried to the door.

Please don't let there be anyone, please don't let there be anyone, she prayed in her heart as she opened the door.
Unfortunately, there was someone waiting outside.

The little girl was wearing a dress made with layers of white gauze, so beautiful she seemed as though she wasn't from this earth.
Xinya felt as though she had been caught rolling in the mud.

It was the ugliest, most humiliating moment in her life.
Hurrying past Han Yanyan, she made a hasty escape, pushing at the wrong door.

“Not that one,” Han Yanyan informed her calmly.
“The second room.”

Intolerably embarrassed, Xinya pushed open the door of the second room and hid inside.
The door slammed shut, as if to cut off everything outside that had just happened.

The guest room was dimly lit, and a beautiful, expensive dress lay quietly on the bed.
It had clearly been prepared and set out long ahead of time.

Xinya looked at the dress.
Her legs buckled under her slowly and she landed on the carpet beside the bed.
Burying her face into the plush mattress and her broken self-respect into the darkness, she wept until she was out of breath, never making a sound.

 

During that encounter, Xinya's face had looked so utterly broken that Han Yanyan had almost stretched out her hand to touch her face.

A piece of data.
She's just a piece of data, she thought.

But it was she who had contributed the most toward enabling this flimsy, shallow simulated world to make a piece of data so lifelike and compelling.