Am I the Warden

After hastily wiping himself down, Li Ming was too embarrassed to walk out completely naked. He pulled on his underwear and pants, then cautiously peeked through the curtain.

The room was still occupied only by Sister Hong, who was bent over fiddling with some tools, her back turned to him. A disposable sheet had been laid out on the single medical bed nearby—clearly prepared for him.

Hiding wouldn’t solve anything, so Li Ming mustered his courage and stepped out.

"Sister Hong, I’m done! What’s next…?"

Hearing his voice, Sister Hong turned to look at him. When she saw he’d put his pants back on, she burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! Why’d you get dressed again? I told you this was a rectal exam! You’re so shy! Don’t worry, I’ll be gentle!" She smoothed the sheet and gestured for him to lie down.

"Cough! Fine… Just make it quick!" Li Ming resigned himself to the ordeal. Whether he faced it head-on or not, the outcome would be the same—might as well get it over with.

He shut his eyes, steeled himself, and lay stiff as a corpse on the bed, not daring to move a muscle.

"Relax…"

Li Ming: "…"

"OH!! AHHH!! NOOO!!" His agonized howls echoed far beyond the examination room, faintly reaching even the inmates in their cells.

"Hahaha! Done! It’s over! You nearly deafened me!" Sister Hong chuckled as she peeled off her gloves, amused by Li Ming’s fetal-position misery.

"Get dressed. I’ll take you to Little Xi—she’s waiting to have dinner with you." After tidying up and washing her hands, she urged him to hurry.

Li Ming was on the verge of tears. He’d thought he could handle it, but the invasive, vulnerable sensation of the exam had shattered his composure.

"I’ll get my revenge! This Xia Hong… I’ll make sure she suffers the same humiliation one day!" he fumed silently while pulling on his clothes.

Once dressed, he followed Sister Hong upstairs. The prison’s administrative building was eight stories tall, and they took the elevator straight to the top—the warden’s office.

Xia Hong knocked, and a pleasant voice called from inside.

"Come in!"

Li Ming recognized it immediately—Lin Xi, the woman who’d brought him to this prison.

They entered to find a table laden with food and drinks. Lin Xi was scribbling something at her desk, barely glancing up.

"Little Xi, the exam’s done. He’s perfectly healthy. I’ll leave him with you—time for me to get some rest." Sister Hong stretched and yawned.

"Mm. Thanks, Sister Hong. Go get some sleep." Lin Xi finally looked up briefly before resuming her paperwork.

"Alright, I’m off." Sister Hong patted Li Ming’s shoulder with a knowing smirk, then exited, closing the door softly behind her.

"Sit wherever. I’ll be done soon. Eat if you’re hungry," Lin Xi said flatly, still focused on her work.

"Lin Xi, what the hell is my dad even sending me here for? So far, all I’ve done is get a medical exam—and that… that… Ugh, forget it!" Li Ming flopped onto the sofa, slouching like a deflated balloon.

"It’s just a rectal exam. Big deal. Every inmate here goes through it. The women handle it better than you did—I heard your screaming all the way up here!" Lin Xi sped through her writing, finally stamping the document with a seal.

"You said it yourself—inmates! I’m not a criminal! Why did I need that?!" Li Ming’s temper flared. He hadn’t broken any laws, so why treat him like this?

"Hmph. I specifically asked Sister Hong to do it. Anyone coming under my watch gets a full health check. If you’d been fooling around outside and caught something, I wouldn’t let you stay here even if Uncle Li insisted." Lin Xi crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair, eyeing him coolly.

(Author’s note: Don’t hate on Lin Xi for bullying the protagonist yet—there’s a twist coming. The harder the early torment, the sweeter the payback. Don’t leave negative reviews before Chapter 10! It’s all setup! Readers who stick around love it—quitters miss out. dogeface)

"What?! You ordered it?! You—you! What did I ever do to you?! Was this really necessary?!" Li Ming shot up from the sofa. So Lin Xi was the mastermind behind his ordeal!

He wracked his brain but couldn’t recall offending her. Yet from their first meeting at his home to now, she’d treated him with nothing but hostility.

"Hmph! You’ve done plenty! First, I’ve been at Black Mountain Women’s Prison for two years. The warden position was rightfully mine—until you swooped in and stole it! Tell me, how is that not provoking me?!" Lin Xi stood, fists clenched.

"Wait—I stole your job? What? I’m the warden here?!" Li Ming was dumbfounded. He swore he’d had no idea! His father had arranged everything—he was an unwitting pawn!

"Exactly! Here’s your file. Congratulations, Warden Li. Happy now?" Lin Xi strode over and thrust the document at him.

Li Ming skimmed it in disbelief.

It was true.

The official notice read:

Appointment of Comrade Li Ming as Warden of Black Mountain Women’s Prison, effective immediately.

His ID number and photo were stamped below, alongside an authorization code.

After rereading it three times, Li Ming awkwardly handed it back. "I just found out too. I didn’t mean to take your spot! You know I had no clue I’d end up in this godforsaken place!"

"Hmph! I know it wasn’t personal. But you still took my promotion and became my boss. Can you blame me for being pissed?" Lin Xi dropped into a chair at the dining table and poured herself a beer.

"And second—you asked why I had Sister Hong examine you? Before you arrived, my dad called. He and your father agreed to transfer you here so we could ‘get closer.’ If things went well, they’d push us to marry. So not only did you steal my job—now I’m stuck on a forced blind date with you! Tell me, should I be angry or not?! SAY SOMETHING!!"