Free Web NovelChapter 5: Chapter 5: The Bait and the Deal
The early morning sun struggled through the dusty glass window at the end of the corridor, casting a faint golden light into the old apartment building.
The air carried the faint aroma of soy milk and fried dough sticks, mixed with the sounds of early morning TV shows — the lively atmosphere of everyday life.
I opened the door of Room 501 and took a deep breath of the cool morning air. Today felt like a good day. My mood was as bright as the sunshine, filled with energy and a secret, thrilling anticipation.
Click.
Almost the moment I closed my door, the door to Room 502 opened as well.
I turned my head, and my heart skipped a beat.
It was Shen Yufei.
She wore a simple white tight-fitting short-sleeve T-shirt, washed blue high-waisted straight-leg jeans, and clean white canvas shoes. The outfit was incredibly plain, yet on her it radiated a youthful vitality that was impossible to ignore.
The tight T-shirt perfectly hugged the curves of her upper body. While not as overwhelming as her mother’s F-cups, her firm, perky C-cup breasts looked exceptionally full and elastic under the fabric, full of the bouncy vitality of youth.
The high-waisted jeans elongated her already long, beautiful legs, making them appear straight, slender, and perfectly proportioned.
However, she looked somewhat clumsy at the moment.
A huge black drawing board bag was strapped to her back, taking up nearly half her body. In her left hand, she carried a transparent tote bag full of paints and brushes, and in her right hand, a half-finished cup of soy milk.
Her light golden short hair fluttered slightly in the morning breeze, revealing her fair, slender neck and delicate profile.
"Good morning. Heading to class?" I immediately put on a bright, sunny smile and greeted her.
She clearly hadn’t expected to run into me right after stepping out. A flash of panic appeared in her beautiful blue eyes before she quickly masked it with her usual cold indifference.
"Hmm." She gave a single, icy syllable through her nose, not even glancing at me, and lowered her head to head downstairs.
But the stairwell in this old building was narrow. With the massive easel on her back, it was difficult for two people to pass.
"Your drawing board looks heavy. Do you have a sketching class today?" Ignoring her coldness, I took a step forward, blocking the stairs slightly to continue the conversation in a relaxed tone.
"Hmm." She gave the same cold, monosyllabic response, her brows furrowing in displeasure at me blocking her way.
"It looks quite heavy. Want me to help carry it downstairs? I’m heading to the subway anyway," I offered, pointing at the easel, playing the helpful neighbor.
"No need. Thank you." Her refusal was firm and stiff. "Excuse me, could you move aside?"
"Alright then. Take care," I shrugged and politely stepped aside, pressing myself against the stairwell wall to make way.
She kept her head down and carefully squeezed past. But the easel was so wide that, as she passed, its edge scraped against the railing.
Clang.
The easel got stuck, and the sudden force made her lose balance. She tilted sharply toward me with a gasp, nearly spilling her soy milk.
"Careful!"
I reached out with lightning speed and grabbed her left arm, steadying her.
The moment my palm touched her arm, time seemed to freeze.
What a feeling.
Through the thin white cotton fabric, I could feel the astonishing heat of her skin. Her arm was slender yet toned, with youthful firmness and elasticity that made me want to squeeze it hard.
"Are you okay?" I asked, my voice slightly hoarse from the sudden rush of heat. I didn’t let go immediately, instead tightening my grip slightly to savor the sensation.
Shen Yufei’s entire body stiffened like a board. She jerked her head up, her blue eyes wide with shock and the panic of a frightened deer.
"Let... let go!"
She yanked her arm away as if burned. The force was so strong she stumbled back, the easel slamming against the wall.
"I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. I only grabbed you because you were about to fall..." I quickly raised both hands in surrender, my face full of innocent apology.
She didn’t speak, only bit her lower lip tightly.
I watched a captivating blush spread rapidly from her neck to her cheeks, turning her fair skin bright red.
It wasn’t shyness — it was shame, anger, and tension from being touched by a man she disliked.
Her proud, guarded exterior had cracked for a moment, revealing the sensitive, vulnerable eighteen-year-old girl beneath.
"Excuse me," she muttered quickly, head lowered. Then, as if fleeing, she forcefully pushed the easel past the railing and hurried downstairs without looking back.
"Slow down! Don’t fall!" I called after her retreating figure.
She didn’t respond. Only the sound of hurried footsteps echoed in the stairwell.
As she left, the screen of her phone briefly lit up. In that split second, I caught a glimpse — an abstract painting with intense, distorted colors. Large swaths of dark red and deep blue intertwined like burning flames or struggling emotions.
An abstract painting as a screensaver? It seems this little girl’s inner world is far more complex and repressed than she lets on.
I watched her slender figure disappear around the corner, a conquering smile slowly forming on my lips.
The lingering sensation on my fingers — that tight, smooth, elastic feeling — still burned like fire, traveling straight to my lower abdomen.
"Shen Yufei... the more you guard against me like a hedgehog, the more I want to pull out every one of your quills and see what your soft insides are really like."
My workday at the company was as dull as ever.
I processed reports and emails like a machine, but the morning hallway encounter kept replaying in my mind: Shen Yufei’s stiff body, her panicked blue eyes, the sudden blush on her cheeks, and that intense abstract painting on her phone.
"Tianyi, what are you thinking about? You’re grinning like an idiot," my colleague Lao Li nudged me with his elbow, leaning in gossipy. "Got a girlfriend? You look lovestruck."
"Get lost. Don’t talk nonsense," I snapped out of it with a laugh. "This is called passion for work."
"Who’d believe that in this company?" Lao Li rolled his eyes. "You’re not getting any younger. Want me to introduce you to someone?"
"Thanks, but I’m focused on making money right now. Women will only slow me down," I declined half-jokingly.
After finally getting off work, I grabbed a quick meal at a roadside stall and hurried back to the apartment.
As I reached the door of Room 501, I saw a thin figure squatting outside, frantically tapping on his phone.
It was Shen Shuai.
"Yo, isn’t this our little gaming genius? Why are you squatting here like a door guardian?" I walked over and patted his shoulder.
Shen Shuai looked up. When he saw me, his eyes lit up like he’d seen a savior.
"Brother Tianyi! You’re finally back! I’ve been waiting for over half an hour!" He hugged my thigh dramatically. "Open the door! My big knife is already hungry and thirsty!"
"You little rascal, always thinking about games. Did you finish your homework?" I asked sternly while unlocking the door.
"I finished it at school ages ago! I’m an efficiency master!" Shen Shuai patted his chest. "It’s Friday! No class tomorrow, and Mom said as long as I finish my homework, I can play as long as I want tonight!"
"Alright, come in."
Shen Shuai slipped inside like an eel and went straight for the PS5.
I changed my shoes, grabbed two cans of iced Coke from the fridge, handed him one, and sat down beside him on the sofa.
"Thanks, bro!" He took a big gulp and dove back into the game.
He was playing a recently popular hardcore action game — extremely violent and difficult.
"Ugh! Dead again! What kind of broken boss is this?! One-hit kill? Are you kidding me?!"
A bright red "You Died" message appeared. Shen Shuai angrily slammed the controller down and ruffled his hair in frustration.
"Don’t rush," I picked up the controller. "In games like this, you can’t just fight head-on. Watch — when the boss raises his hand, don’t back away. Roll into his arms to use the invincibility frames, then counterattack."
I smoothly demonstrated, easily dodging the fatal blow and landing a combo.
"Wow! Brother, you’re amazing!" Shen Shuai watched with wide eyes, full of admiration. "Teach me! I want to beat this boss today!" free𝑤ebnovel.com
"Alright, watch carefully."
As I played, I began putting my plan into motion. To extract information from this kid, I needed to lower his guard first. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
"Xiao Shuai, you love games so much. Doesn’t your mom mind?" I asked casually.
"Of course she does. No games Monday to Thursday. Only weekends," he sighed. "But Mom’s been super busy with work lately. She comes home exhausted every day, so she doesn’t have the energy to watch me. As long as my grades don’t drop, she turns a blind eye."
"Your mom works really hard raising you two alone," I said sympathetically. "You should be more understanding and not make her angry."
"I know. Mom’s actually pretty good, just nags a lot," Shen Shuai pouted. "The real pain is my sister!"
My heart jumped at the mention of "sister," but I kept my expression calm.
"Oh? What’s so annoying about your sister? She seems quite pretty. Must have lots of boys chasing her at school, right?"
"What’s the use of being pretty? She has a horrible temper!" Shen Shuai complained. "Brother, you have no idea — she’s a total tigress at home! If I raise my voice even a little, she yells at me. If I drop a single snack crumb, she scolds me. She always has this long face, like someone owes her money."
"Girls like cleanliness and quiet. That’s normal," I said with a smile.
"Normal my ass!" Shen Shuai rolled his eyes. "She’s been extra extreme lately. This morning when I accidentally knocked over her paint box, she nearly skinned me alive! I ran away as fast as I could."
I recalled her prickly reaction in the hallway and chuckled inwardly.
"Maybe she’s under a lot of pressure from school. Art majors are tough," I probed.
"No way!" Shen Shuai gave me a look. He leaned closer and whispered mysteriously, "Brother, let me tell you — my sister’s been super grumpy lately. She must be on her period again!"
Period.
The word hit me like lightning.
My finger froze on the controller for a split second. The character on screen was instantly cut in half.
"Oh no! Brother! You messed up at the last second!" Shen Shuai cried out in regret.
"Sorry, hand slipped." I handed him the controller. "Here, you try. Follow what I taught you."
I leaned back on the sofa, took a big gulp of cold Coke, and tried to hide the storm raging inside me.
Shen Yufei was on her period these next few days.
This was incredibly valuable information.
It meant I could accurately track her safe and dangerous periods.
It also meant that during these days, she would be physically weaker, more emotionally unstable, and... more sensitive to external stimulation.
She was like an active volcano — cold and hard on the surface, but molten lava churning beneath.
Once I found a crack, she would erupt completely.
"Kid, how do you know your sister’s on her period?" I asked, pretending to be curious. "What does a brat like you know about that?"
"Tch, Brother, don’t underestimate me. I’m in sixth grade. We learned that stuff in health class ages ago," Shen Shuai said smugly. "Plus, it’s obvious. Every month there are a few days when she turns into a Tyrannosaurus Rex. She’s always making brown sugar ginger tea in her room. I can smell it from the living room. She’s been drinking it again these past few days."
"I see." I nodded, a meaningful smile creeping onto my lips. "Then you’d better avoid her these next few days and not provoke her."
"Of course. I’m not stupid. That’s why I’m planning to spend the whole weekend here with you instead of going home to get yelled at," Shen Shuai said matter-of-factly.
"Sure. Play as long as you want," I said generously. "But you mentioned your sister has a bad temper. Has she never had a boyfriend?"
"Boyfriend? With her personality? Who could stand her!" Shen Shuai exaggerated. "The guys chasing her could line up from here to the gate. But she doesn’t like any of them. Once, a rich second-generation guy drove up in a sports car with flowers, and my sister dumped a basin of foot-washing water on him from the balcony!"
"So ruthless?" I was surprised, but even more excited.
Conquering such a proud, prickly, and even violent girl would bring an unparalleled sense of achievement.
"That’s right. Mom scolded her for it too, saying she was too extreme. But my sister said all men who approach her have impure motives — they’re all thinking with their lower bodies. She finds it disgusting."
I recalled her cold "disgusting" from the morning and chuckled softly.
"Brother, what are you laughing at?" Shen Shuai glanced at me strangely.
"Nothing. I just think your sister has quite the personality," I said, my eyes growing deeper. "But no matter how hard the ice is, it will eventually melt. It just needs a hot enough flame."
"I don’t get the ice and fire stuff," Shen Shuai shook his head and returned to the game. "Yes! Finally beat this boss! Brother, I’m so awesome!"
Watching Shen Shuai celebrate, I was already outlining a grand, dark plan in my mind.
I now knew the location of Lin Xinrou’s sleeping pills and had uncovered Shen Yufei’s physiological cycle and psychological weaknesses.
All the pieces were falling into place.
"Xiao Shuai," I said suddenly, my voice unusually gentle, like a wolf grandmother coaxing Little Red Riding Hood.
"Huh? What’s up, Brother?" Shen Shuai turned his head.
"Do you think this PS5 is fun?" I pointed at the console.
"It’s super fun! The best console game I’ve ever played!" he answered without hesitation.
"So... do you want to play it every day from now on? And every time a new game comes out, I’ll buy it for you immediately?" I dropped the deadly bait.
Shen Shuai’s eyes widened. His breathing quickened. For a 12-year-old gaming addict, this was more tempting than heaven itself.
"Really... really? You’re not lying, Brother?" His voice trembled.
"When have I ever lied to you?" I smiled, leaning forward to look him directly in the eyes. "However, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. If I give you the best gaming experience, shouldn’t you... do me a small favor in return?"
Shen Shuai paused. His clever eyes darted around. Though young, he wasn’t stupid. He seemed to vaguely understand what I wanted, but the immense temptation made refusal impossible.
"Brother... what do you want me to do?" he swallowed and asked cautiously.
"No rush." I patted his shoulder and leaned back. "Enjoy the game today. When you’ve thought it over, come find me. We have plenty of time to talk."
I watched the flashing game screen and listened to Shen Shuai’s excited breathing, a cold, satisfied sneer forming at the corner of my mouth.
The game had truly begun
