Mud Slinging

The female prison guard was stunned upon hearing this, only then noticing the cold, wet sensation on her face. She reached up to touch it—it was drool!

"Ahhhh! Warden—!" She frantically wiped her face with her sleeve, looking utterly distressed.

Not only had she been caught slacking off by the warden, but he’d also seen her drooling in her sleep, lost in a steamy dream. Even worse, she’d imagined him as the male lead—and she’d even touched him… groped him…

Where was a hole in the ground when she needed one? She wanted to disappear! What should she do? Someone help, this was urgent!!!

"What’s your name?" Li Ming couldn’t help but find her panicked expression amusing.

"Warden… My name is Ye Mei, like the ‘berry’ in strawberry."

Hearing the warden ask for her name, Ye Mei thought to herself, "I’m done for! I’ve been singled out! Am I going to get disciplined? Ugh! I shouldn’t have stayed up binge-watching those short dramas—now I’m really in trouble!"

"Oh! Ye Mei! That’s a nice name. You don’t look very old—how long have you been working here?" Li Ming couldn’t resist teasing her a little, seeing her innocent expression.

"I just started two months ago. I worked so hard to pass the exam and get this job. Warden, please go easy on me! I’ll never slack off again! Waaah…"

"Go easy on you? Well… maybe." Li Ming chuckled.

"Really?! Thank you, Warden! You’re the best!" Ye Mei’s face instantly brightened. Who knew the warden wasn’t just handsome but also so easygoing?

"Hey, I haven’t stated my condition yet. Don’t celebrate too soon."

"Oh! Then go ahead, Warden! Tell me!"

Li Ming thought for a moment. He didn’t actually want to make things difficult for her, and he had other matters to attend to soon. So he asked,

"Do you have any talents? Perform something for me, and I’ll pretend I never saw you slacking off."

"Huh? A talent? Um… can I sing a song?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"Ahem!" Ye Mei cleared her throat, then made sure the door was tightly shut. She racked her brain for lyrics but couldn’t remember any at first.

Then, inspiration struck. A melody slowly escaped her lips:

"They throw mud at me~ I use it to grow lotuses~

They throw stones at me~ I use them to build a little house~

Ohhh ohhh ohhh~

Ohhh ohhh ohhh~

I won’t dodge~ My eyes only see flowers~"

Li Ming couldn’t help but laugh and wave his hand to cut her off.

"Alright, alright, stop singing. I’ll let you off."

"Yay! Thank you, Warden!" Ye Mei jumped for joy. Good thing she didn’t just watch short dramas but also kept up with internet memes—they came in handy after all!

"Tch, I’m leaving now. I need to go into the cellblock. Don’t fall asleep again—remember to open the door for me!" Li Ming reminded her.

"Yes, Warden! Mission accepted!" Ye Mei grinned and saluted.

Li Ming shook his head and left the monitoring room, soon arriving at the entrance of the cellblock.

This time, before he could even raise his hand, the door automatically slid open.

Li Ming gave the security camera a thumbs-up and then walked steadily into the cellblock.

At night, correctional officers were on duty in each cellblock, sleeping in the break rooms near the entrances.

As soon as Li Ming entered Cellblock 1, one of the officers spotted him and hurried over.

"Warden? What brings you here so late?" The officer looked at him in confusion.

Prisoners were still human—they slept at night, so incidents were rare. This was the first time she’d seen the warden casually strolling through the cellblock after hours.

"Hmm… I need to go to Cellblock 2. Open the passage for me." Li Ming naturally didn’t explain further and simply gave the order.

"Oh! Yes, Warden!" The officer saluted, took out her keys, and unlocked the connecting door.

Li Ming didn’t let the officer follow him and walked alone to the end, entering Cellblock 2.

The officer in Cellblock 2 noticed him immediately and approached with a flashlight in hand.

"Warden? What are you…?"

The second officer looked surprised but also brimming with curiosity. Her mind raced—here comes the gossip! The warden sneaking into the women’s cellblock late at night? Was it a moral collapse or a twisted human nature?

Meeting the officer’s scandal-hungry gaze, Li Ming raised an eyebrow and whispered,

"Take me to… Tan Qingqing’s cell. Number 6725, the solitary one."

The second officer grew even more excited and nodded, replying in a hushed voice, "Warden, 6725 is all the way at the back. Let’s walk carefully so we don’t wake the others—their mouths aren’t exactly tight-lipped. Wouldn’t want rumors damaging your reputation!"

She winked meaningfully at Li Ming.

"Wait, what? What are you implying? I just need to ask her something. That look in your eyes is way off!" Li Ming could tell exactly what she was thinking. The gossip mill never stopped with women!

The officer quickly wiped the nosy expression off her face.

"I wasn’t implying anything! Sorry, Warden!" She thought, Darn it! I gave myself away!

"Ahem! Just lead the way." Li Ming rolled his eyes. This officer’s mind was definitely in the gutter.

Following the officer’s guidance, Li Ming headed deeper into the cellblock. They passed Wang Xin’s cell along the way, but Li Ming showed no reaction and continued forward.

He already had a plan in mind—though not the most polished, it was the only option he had left.

When they reached Tan Qingqing’s cell, the officer shone the flashlight through the observation window. Tan Qingqing was fast asleep.

A full day of labor had exhausted her. Her body ached all over—she’d never done this kind of work before. By the end of the day, she barely felt like her limbs belonged to her. She had cried the whole time while working, and if the officer hadn’t been supervising, the other inmates would’ve slapped her silly for being so delicate.

Even without physical blows, she hadn’t escaped their taunts. During meals, they’d mocked her with snide remarks until she was too upset to eat, her stomach already full of anger.

By the time she finally made it back to her cell to sleep, she hadn’t even bothered washing her face before collapsing onto the bed. If not for the thought that she just had to endure a little longer before she could get out, she wouldn’t have survived the day.

Li Ming took the flashlight from the officer and watched as she unlocked the cell door. Tan Qingqing, still deep in sleep, didn’t stir at all, completely unaware that two people now stood beside her bunk.

Li Ming shone the light directly onto her face. Even in sleep, her delicate features were marred by two faint tear tracks, her brows furrowed as if trapped in a nightmare.

What he didn’t know was that his guess was spot-on—in her dream, Tan Qingqing was surrounded by a mountain of laundry, crying as she worked endlessly, feeling like the task would never end.

She regretted everything. If only she hadn’t been so ambitious, if only she hadn’t tried to "go big or go home," she wouldn’t be suffering like this now…

…