Chapter 38: Madhouse (5)
After his satisfaction, Jiang Ting put on his pants and shirt, sitting on the sofa to smoke. His long fingers held the cigarette butt, the faint firelight flickering beside his face.
He looked like a big shot you couldn't afford to mess with.
Ji Ning steeled herself and moved closer to him, burrowing into his arms as if the drug's effects hadn't worn off yet.
In a spot the surveillance couldn't see, her hand crept onto Jiang Ting's wrist, tapping the hand cord threaded with two keys.
To cater more attentively to the guests' needs, the Madhouse provided each guest with temporary keys capable of unlocking the women's handcuffs and leg irons.
Ji Ning's mission was to escape the Madhouse, so she really needed the keys in his hand.
Sensing the small movements on his wrist, Jiang Ting exhaled a faint plume of white smoke, fragrant with menthol, and looked at the little woman who had just sated him moments before.
With her back to the surveillance, her eyes were clear, holding only a plea for him.
Jiang Ting's mission objective was to destroy the Madhouse. He didn't know what her mission was, but because of this action, Jiang Ting could vaguely guess it.
The keys in his hand, of course, weren't just provided for the convenience of sex; they were also an important tool given to female players by the system.
Giving her the keys would be very simple. However, Jiang Ting's gaze fell upon the reddened fingerprints on her chest, and he changed his mind.
"What's in it for me?" He leaned down by her temple and uttered two words softly.
Ji Ning thought the worst-case scenario would be rejection—after all, it involved taking a risk. Unexpectedly, Jiang Ting was actually asking her for benefits?
She was just a patient in the Madhouse; what benefit could she possibly offer him?
Calming herself, Ji Ning asked him, "What's your mission? I can help you."
Jiang Ting fixed his gaze on her.
He usually didn't have such childish and boring whims, yet she didn't seem to understand.
Forget it…
"Never mind," Jiang Ting replied. He stood up, stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, took a stick of gum from the snack basket on the coffee table, tore off two pieces, and popped them into his mouth.
Her plea received no response, and Ji Ning couldn't help feeling a trace of disappointment.
This was the first time she'd encountered such an elusive and unfathomable male partner, making her somewhat nostalgic for the cooperation and care of Xing Ye and Song Weiyang.
Afterward, Ji Ning was pressed down by Jiang Ting to lie on the sofa.
She could smell the dual menthol notes from his gum and tobacco smoke—as cool and sharp as the man himself.
Jiang Ting was very close to her, but he hadn't kissed her before, and he wouldn't now.
He wrapped an arm around her waist and stroked her gently, as if she were his possession, or perhaps just an emotionless body pillow.
Ji Ning only let this thought pass briefly, more concerned with figuring out how to complete her mission to escape the Madhouse.
Although she hadn't seen the entirety of the Madhouse yet, everywhere she'd been was heavily guarded, not to mention she was still wearing chains and handcuffs.
So, the most pressing issue to solve was this extremely inconvenient problem.
If Jiang Ting wouldn't help her get the keys, she'd still have to find a way to steal them.
Ji Ning was lost in thought, not noticing that Jiang Ting had chewed the gum only briefly before taking it out, holding it in his hand to let it harden.
"What are you thinking about?" Jiang Ting's deep, mellow voice suddenly asked.
Since there was nothing to hide, Ji Ning honestly answered, "Thinking about how to clear the instance."
She really was diligent. Jiang Ting gave an almost imperceptible smile.
How faint was this smile? It was so faint that even though Ji Ning was looking right at his face, she couldn't clearly see it—unsure if he had smiled at all, suspecting her eyes were playing tricks on her.
Even more, next, Ji Ning began to doubt that her anxiety had caused her to hallucinate.
She actually saw Jiang Ting secretly press the two keys into the gum, which had turned cold and much harder, leaving an impression of the key teeth.
Jiang Ting explained quietly, "I can't give you the keys directly; this way is more secure. Next time we meet, I'll give you the keys."
The reversal came so fast that Ji Ning couldn't even keep up with the pace of Jiang Ting's change of heart. It left her momentarily unsure how to react, and she dumbly said, "Thank you... thank you."
Livestream comments:
"Glass shards turning into candy, I'm straight-up squealing like a groundhog."
"Our Brother Ting is basically the pinnacle of being tough on the outside, soft on the inside."
"Him acting like this, I'm just not used to it."
"I'm used to it! Let Jiang Ting's heart flutter even more fiercely!"
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