Arrival

Li Ming nodded without hesitation. After driving all day and having his energy drained by Yang Yang along the way, even his special-forces-level physique couldn’t withstand the succubus sapping his vitality.

With Wang Keyan and Yang Yang in tow, he first passed through the security checkpoint where the prison guards conducted their inspections before leading the two inside. The necessary checks had to be done—otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to justify things to Lin Xi.

Speak of the devil, Lin Xi arrived just then, slightly late as usual.

“You’re back? Everything go smoothly?” Lin Xi asked, her brow furrowing slightly as she took in the two women behind Li Ming—one tall, one petite.

She recognized Yang Yang, the prison doctor from Qingcheng Prison, whom she’d dealt with before. Her presence made sense. But the other girl, young and unfamiliar, gave her pause.

“Yeah, no issues. You already know Dr. Yang, so no introduction needed. This young lady is a prisoner’s family member, here to visit,” Li Ming explained, noticing Lin Xi’s gaze lingering on the two women.

“A prisoner’s family member?” Lin Xi raised an eyebrow. “Visits require ID, proof of relationship, and prior scheduling. You can’t just show up whenever. There’s also a limit—once a month, thirty minutes max. Coming at this hour? No chance today.” She recited the rules mechanically, but her eyes stayed fixed on Li Ming.

She wanted to see how he’d explain bringing back a pretty young thing after just one trip out.

Li Ming coughed awkwardly. “Ah, haha… Her name’s Wang Keyan. She’s actually here to see me! Deputy Warden, could you arrange a room for her to settle in first? I’ll tend to her after I’m done here.”

Seeing Lin Xi’s strict adherence to protocol, he couldn’t openly flout the rules in front of everyone. He laughed it off and deflected, instructing the deputy warden from the second block—who had come with Lin Xi—to take Wang Keyan away for now. The visitation matter would have to wait.

“Yes, Warden!” The deputy warden acknowledged, then glanced at Lin Xi’s expression. Finding it unchanged, she stepped forward to guide Wang Keyan toward the guest quarters.

Wang Keyan had heard Lin Xi’s rules clearly and shot Li Ming a worried look. She only had her ID—no other documentation.

Li Ming gave her a reassuring nod and gently nudged her to follow the deputy warden.

Wang Keyan walked off nervously, glancing back every few steps. In such a short time, she’d already grown dependent on Li Ming. With him around, she felt anchored. Without him, she was adrift—anxious and afraid. But thinking of her mother, she clenched her teeth and obeyed.

“Deputy Warden Lin, long time no see!” Yang Yang interjected, sensing the tension and trying to ease the situation.

“Indeed, it’s been a while. Let’s catch up later—I need to process the incoming prisoners first.” Lin Xi didn’t press further about the girl, not wanting to undermine Li Ming in front of the others.

She then directed the guards to verify the prisoners’ identities before opening the gates to let the convoy through.

……

In the square, the prisoners had completed their transfer paperwork. Now lined up in two rows with their belongings at their feet, they awaited further instructions.

“Warden, per protocol, someone needs to address the new arrivals. Will you do it, or should I?” Lin Xi asked Li Ming after handing the paperwork back to Yang Yang.

“You go ahead. I’ll listen and learn,” Li Ming replied, preferring to leave the formalities to her.

Lin Xi nodded and stepped forward, clapping to get the prisoners’ attention.

“I’m Lin Xi, deputy warden of Black Mountain Women’s Prison. The man who oversaw your transfer is Warden Li Ming. Here, you’ll follow our rules: adhere to the daily schedule, obey your block supervisors, and stay in line. If you cooperate, no one will go out of their way to make your life hard. But if you act up? The consequences will be severe. Next, you’ll undergo intake medical exams before being assigned to your blocks. That’s all. Work hard, and you might earn early release.”

With that, she gestured for the block supervisors to lead the prisoners to the examination room.

“Dr. Yang, you know our policy—we can’t host male staff overnight. Give Warden Huang my regards,” Lin Xi said politely.

“Of course. ‘No men staying in a women’s prison’—I get it. Next time I’ll come alone, and you won’t shoo me away, right, Deputy Warden?” Yang Yang smiled, unbothered.

The rule was longstanding—with so many male guards, overnight stays were out of the question. She’d always known that.

“Naturally, Dr. Yang. You’re welcome anytime, and I’ll make sure you’re well taken care of,” Lin Xi replied warmly.

“Great! We’ll head out now and let you get back to work. Goodbye, Deputy Warden Lin, and… Warden Li~ Looking forward to our next meeting!” Yang Yang shook Lin Xi’s hand, then took Li Ming’s, her fingers subtly grazing his palm where Lin Xi couldn’t see.

Li Ming noticed but didn’t dare react with Lin Xi right there. He gave Yang Yang’s hand a brief, professional squeeze before letting go.

“Safe travels, Dr. Yang. Call if you need anything,” he said, escorting her to the vehicle with a wave.

“Bye!” Yang Yang waved energetically as the convoy of guards drove off.

“Stop staring. Let’s go—the prisoners are being examined. We should observe,” Lin Xi said, tugging at Li Ming’s sleeve before leading the way inside.

“Right. How’s the exam done? Same as when I arrived?” Li Ming asked, recalling his own experience vividly.

Lin Xi snorted. “What you went through was nothing. Come on, I’ll show you something eye-opening.” She pushed open the examination room door.

The room was unchanged. Xia Hong still sat in the same chair, but this time, instead of her usual alluring attire, she wore a white coat, a mask, and disposable gloves—though the same pair of black stilettos remained on her feet.

“Hong-jie, how’s it going?” Lin Xi asked.

“Ah, Wardens! All set—they’re showering now. We’ll begin once they’re out.”

……