Ye He Chapter 11

11,

Night was falling, and the streetlights were beginning to glow.

Shen Yi was staring blankly out the window. His limbs were restrained at the bedside, curled up weakly. A gag was stuffed in his mouth, not only preventing him from making any sound but also forcing him to constantly swallow his saliva to avoid looking too pathetic. All he wore was a pair of loose shorts, maintaining his dwindling sense of dignity. Ye He didn’t like using tools, but no matter how much Shen Yi pleaded, Ye He would always put the metal restraints on him before leaving. The ends were connected to chains, limiting his range of movement to less than a meter.

Aside from sleeping, Shen Yi spent the rest of his time spacing out. He felt like a toy, whose only function was to wait for its owner to turn it on and use it.

How long had he been imprisoned like this? A month, three months, half a year? Shen Yi didn’t know. He only knew that enough time had passed for him to gradually get used to this cruel treatment. Eating and sleeping every day, no need to rack his brains managing profits, no need to patiently deal with social interactions—he could do anything he wanted, except be free, as long as he obediently opened his legs to please that man.

Initially, Shen Yi intensely disliked this method of exchange, but when it became the only way to live more comfortably, Shen Yi had no choice but to accept it. A merchant’s instinct is to treat everything as a tradable commodity, including himself. Shen Yi was an excellent merchant. He gradually understood why the man dared to humiliate him in such an extreme way after capturing him: because the man knew very well that no matter how cruelly he was treated, Shen Yi would choose to live.

He was afraid of death, yet unwilling to give up. The man seized this weakness to corner him step by step, pushing his endurance to the absolute limit time and again. Sometimes Shen Yi felt that Ye He understood him better than he understood himself.

If he was uncertain at first, Shen Yi was now absolutely sure that this man knew him, and had known him for a long time.

He seriously recalled classmates, neighbors, and playmates from childhood, friends made while studying abroad, the messy lovers in his social circle, and even temporary workers hired at his company—he had no impression of anyone connected to the man. Aside from knowing they had both lived in the same city, that the man’s name was Ye He, and that he worked at a small trading company, Shen Yi still knew nothing about him.

His stomach suddenly rumbled a few times, and a faint sensation of discomfort spread through his abdomen. After a while, Shen Yi realized he was hungry.

It was almost funny; since being locked up here by the man, except for the first few days, Shen Yi had never gone hungry, despite the torment. This feeling of being famished was completely foreign to him now.

When night fully descended, Ye He still hadn’t returned.

Where did that pervert go? Shen Yi sensed something was wrong. Ye He often behaved like an old monk settled in meditation—regular routine, taciturn. For so long, he had come home on time every day to feed the poor creature he kept captive in the room. This situation was a first.

Without a clock, he had no concept of time. Shen Yi only felt that he had waited for a very long time, so long that he began to wonder if Ye He had run into trouble, or perhaps even died. This speculation didn’t bring Shen Yi much joy; instead, it made him more terrified—the fear of being starved to death in such a humiliating posture.

He imagined that a few months later, neighbors would smell the faint stench of a corpse and call the police. Then he would be discovered, dead in a miserable state. His identity would be confirmed, perhaps followed by an autopsy, making things very ugly. A few days later, major media outlets would report that the Shen family heir, missing for months, was found starved to death in an empty residential complex. There would also be messy entertainment news speculating that the deceased had suffered severe abuse before death.

The silent environment tormented Shen Yi’s increasingly fragile and sensitive nerves. In the thick darkness of night, not a sliver of light could be seen. Gradually, a thin layer of sweat broke out on his forehead. His breathing grew rapid, turning into heavy gasps. His hands and feet struggled weakly, attempting to break free from the restraints that were impossible to loosen.

The waiting was so agonizing that when he heard the sound of the door lock turning, Shen Yi felt a genuine surge of joy for the first time.

The light in the living room outside was switched on. Footsteps didn’t stop, coming directly to the door. Ye He looked unusually tired, carrying a half-person-tall box in his arms. He leaned against the door, glanced at Shen Yi, and then left with the box.

A moment later, he returned with three takeout containers and unlocked Shen Yi’s restraints.

The takeout food was noticeably different from the meals Ye He cooked himself, especially this portion. The rice was cold, the meat was tough, and the vegetables weren’t fresh and had wormholes. Shen Yi, compelled by hunger, took one bite and completely lost his appetite. By the time Ye He quickly finished the other two containers, he saw Shen Yi still eating slowly.

He seemed to be in a hurry. After tidying up briefly, he was about to leave when his gaze suddenly fixed on Shen Yi’s left hand.

The long, slender fingers were symbolically shielding the food container, but a closer look revealed that his thumb was unconsciously rubbing his fingertip. This was a habit Shen Yi had since childhood: whenever he was unhappy but didn’t want others to know, he would unconsciously make this gesture. The habit was very subtle; even Shen Yi himself hadn’t noticed it.

Ye He stood watching for a moment, then suddenly collected Shen Yi’s barely touched food container and threw it into the trash bag.

Shen Yi froze. By the time he recovered, the cold restraints had clicked shut, and the man silently left the room. Ten seconds later, the sound of the door locking followed.

Ye He had gone out again.

Shen Yi smiled bitterly internally. He was no longer the original Shen Yi; he was merely an appendage of the man now. Where did he get the right to be picky? But just as he prepared himself to continue starving, the door lock opened again. Then, the familiar sound of cooking oil sizzling came from the kitchen.

He was stunned. Shen Yi was still spacing out when Ye He placed a steaming plate of fried rice in front of him. Ye He’s face showed undisguised fatigue. He set down the fried rice and hurried away again.

The tempting aroma reached his nose, making Shen Yi feel even hungrier. The simple fried rice looked surprisingly exquisite. Golden rice grains were coated with chopped ham, cucumbers were cut into small, finger-width cubes, and green vegetables were neatly arranged on the side. The dish was perfect in color and aroma, making his mouth water. Shen Yi was silent for a moment before picking up his chopsticks. The plain fried rice tasted unexpectedly refreshing. He ate quickly and eagerly, and the plate was empty in the blink of an eye.

Shen Yi stared at the plate, then suddenly let out two hollow laughs, “Ha… ha…” He thought he must have been driven crazy by confinement; for a moment just now, he had felt touched.

It was true. Ye He was handsome, patient, and an excellent cook. Aside from being a mentally disturbed man, his other qualities completely met Shen Yi’s past standards for choosing lovers. Since childhood, Shen Yi had always been particularly soft-hearted toward beautiful people. But this list absolutely would not include the pervert who had imprisoned and humiliated him, Shen Yi thought expressionlessly.

He looked up and suddenly realized Ye He was standing silently at the doorway, having watched him for an unknown amount of time.

The light from the outer hall cast a shadow over his handsome features, making his skin appear especially pale and his eyes particularly deep. He stared silently at Shen Yi. This gaze was intensely focused, utterly serious, as if Shen Yi was the only person existing in his entire world.

Shen Yi’s limbs turned cold. An invisible hand seemed to grip him tightly, preventing him from moving even an inch. He felt like prey trapped in a spiderweb, unable to struggle or escape. He suddenly understood why Ye He could always sense his thoughts immediately—it was because this man’s attention was fixed on him every single moment.

A suffocatingly intense obsession gradually overflowed from those dark eyes, chilling Shen Yi to the bone.

Ye He suddenly moved. Shen Yi immediately jumped up like a startled bird, yet didn’t know what to do.

From beginning to end, the one in control between them was Ye He, not him.

[Author’s Note:]

Next chapter preview: How does the introverted youth earn money to support the family? Stay tuned… Squeak.