Lin Xi went on to tell Li Ming about some strange incidents that had happened in the prison before, and she specifically reminded him to discuss any unusual situations with her first. If things became too much to handle, he could then inform her father—or Li Ming's own dad.
However, Li Ming had no intention of contacting his father for now. He wasn’t a child anymore—how could he run home to his parents every time he faced hardship outside?
The two chatted for over an hour until Li Ming’s eyelids grew heavy. Only then did he bid Lin Xi farewell and return to his office. Too tired to even wash up, he lay down on the bed and soon drifted into steady, even breaths.
The next morning…
Today, Li Ming woke up naturally. Lin Xi didn’t come to rouse him—perhaps still feeling awkward after accidentally seeing him in an exposed state last time. Li Ming was more than happy to enjoy a good, uninterrupted sleep.
After washing up, he checked the time and headed straight to Wang Keyan’s quarters. Today’s main task was arranging the meeting between her and her mother.
When he arrived at Wang Keyan’s door, it was open. He stepped inside but didn’t see her. Puzzled, he asked a guard outside and learned that she had gone to the cafeteria with the second-in-command officer for breakfast.
Since Li Ming was hungry too, he made his way to the cafeteria.
There, he immediately spotted Wang Keyan, still wearing the same "ik" outfit from the night before. Seated at her table were not only the second-in-command officer but also—surprisingly—Lin Xi.
As soon as Li Ming appeared at the cafeteria entrance, Lin Xi noticed him and waved him over.
"Look who’s here—the warden himself! Come join us! This table’s got a pretty girl, so the food tastes better!" Lin Xi’s voice carried across the cafeteria, drawing amused glances from the other officers.
"Ahem! What nonsense…" Li Ming’s face flushed slightly as he quickly took a seat.
Wang Keyan couldn’t help but smile at his flustered reaction.
"Pfft. Keyan just told us all about it—how you heroically saved the day, traveling far and wide to reunite her with the mother she’s been longing for. That’s amazing! If I were the warden, I’d give you a commendation. Too bad I’m just the deputy… Guess you’ll have to award yourself one!" Lin Xi shrugged, teasing him deliberately.
"Uh… So you all know already. It’s nothing special, just part of the job. Let’s eat!" Li Ming sighed inwardly—Wang Keyan had spilled everything to them. He had no choice but to steer the conversation elsewhere.
"Sorry, Brother Li… I didn’t ask before telling them…" Wang Keyan lowered her head, looking guilty.
"Hey, no need to apologize to him. It’s nothing embarrassing," Lin Xi cut in, waving her hand dismissively.
"Yeah, don’t worry about it. It’s no big deal. Keyan, eat up—you barely had anything yesterday. You must be starving. After this, I’ll arrange for you to meet your mother." Li Ming took the bowl handed to him by the officer from the first block and dug in.
"Ladies, take notes! If you’re looking for a boyfriend, our warden here is the standard—thoughtful, attentive, the whole package. Better yet, just aim for the warden himself—skip the middleman!" Lin Xi’s remark sparked laughter and cheers from the surrounding officers.
Li Ming kept his head down, speeding up his eating as if to escape the conversation.
Meanwhile, Wang Keyan’s cheeks turned pink. She took Lin Xi’s words to heart, stealing a glance at Li Ming before quickly looking away.
After wolfing down his meal—only about 60% full—Li Ming stood up first, giving Wang Keyan a meaningful look before leaving the cafeteria.
Wang Keyan followed closely behind, her hands fidgeting nervously as she stole glances at his back.
Sensing her unease, Li Ming reassured her softly.
"Keyan, don’t worry. I’m taking you to the counseling room now. Your mother will be there soon. Just relax."
Wang Keyan nodded. "Brother Li… I’m just scared. My mother and I were separated when I was very young. If not for an old photo of her, I wouldn’t even remember what she looked like. Now that we’re about to meet… I’m afraid she won’t be the way I imagined…"
"Silly girl. No matter how different she is from what you pictured, she’s still your mother—the woman who’s spent 13 years in prison worrying about you, missing you every single day. Don’t stress over it. Once you see her, all these worries will disappear."
"Come on, let’s hurry. The sooner you meet her, the sooner these anxieties will vanish." Li Ming smiled gently and quickened his pace.
At the counseling room, Li Ming had Wang Keyan wait while he and the second-in-command officer went to retrieve Wang Xin from the second block.
After passing through multiple security checkpoints, Li Ming finally stood outside Wang Xin’s cell.
Without needing instruction, the officer swiftly unlocked the door.
Wang Xin’s cell housed six inmates. She glanced at the digital clock on the wall—it wasn’t time for yard access yet. Why was the door opening?
The other prisoners stared curiously until they saw Li Ming.
"Warden!" they greeted in surprise. Only Wang Xin wore an expression torn between hope and dread—fearing bad news but also fearing no news at all.
Ever since her last meeting with Li Ming, she had been stuck in this emotional limbo. Over the past few days, she had lost weight from the stress.
"Mm. Hello. Wang Xin, come with me," Li Ming said simply.
"Y-yes, Warden!" Wang Xin stepped out eagerly, and the officer locked the cell behind her.
"Warden… Why did you call me…?" she asked nervously.
"Follow me. What we discussed last time—I’ve taken care of it. Let’s go to the counseling room." Li Ming deliberately withheld the fact that Wang Keyan was already waiting there, planning to surprise her.
But Wang Xin’s mind raced with anxiety. Was he… thirsty again?
After days without contact, another trip to the counseling room could only mean one thing—he needed her to "help" him once more. There was no way he had already looked into her daughter’s situation in such a short time.
Steeling herself, Wang Xin resolved to give it her all this time. If he didn’t mind, she’d offer him everything—anything to secure his help.
In this prison, he was the only man around. If she wanted to trade her body for something, he was her only option. She couldn’t afford to miss this chance. If she failed to satisfy him, she might never learn about her daughter again.
"Warden… Could we stop by the medical room first? I’d like to freshen up… It’d be cleaner that way…" Wang Xin whispered near his ear.
…
agon king storylines. At the start, I obtained the "Ultimate Lackey System" - the more I act as a lackey, the stronger I become. What else could I do? I chose to become the personal henchman of the ultimate villain, Su Muwan. I provoke all sorts of chosen ones, snatch away their opportunities, and commit every evil deed imaginable. You ask who's behind me? Hmph! You're not worthy of knowing my lady's name! ...... ....... I am Su Muwan, the eldest daughter of the Su family. Since childhood, I've possessed extraordinary talent in martial arts, which led to my arrogant and domineering personality in my past life. I was even foolish enough to repeatedly challenge those favored by heaven, ultimately resulting in a tragic death. In this life, I must behave and absolutely cannot walk the same path again!! However... SLAP!! "So you're the Dragon King, huh?!" When I saw my little lackey swagger over and viciously slap the Dragon King who was hiding his identity, I felt my heart sink. Su Muwan's suspended heart finally died as she watched Qin Luo, her utterly loyal lackey, standing before her. She fainted on the spot from shock. Heaven is determined to destroy me!! (Pure love 1v1, light-hearted, no angst, single female lead, villain, reincarnation, lackey)
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
