Li Ming paid no attention to Wang Xin's peculiar gaze. He waited until the second officer and Wang Xin had placed Tan Qingqing's bedding and personal belongings into her cell before addressing the second officer.
"Second Officer, you may go rest now. I’d like to speak with them alone. I’ll call for you when I’m ready to leave."
"Yes, Warden! I’ll return to the guardroom then." The second officer saluted and walked back down the corridor.
Li Ming waited until the second officer was out of sight before stepping back into the cell.
Tan Qingqing had already collapsed onto the bed, having been dragged there by the second officer and Wang Xin.
Leaning closer, Li Ming saw that Tan Qingqing had cried herself to sleep, overwhelmed by grief from the earlier ordeal and exhausted from the day’s labor.
He shook his head, pitying her. She was at the prime of her life—she should have been outside, enjoying freedom and living fully. Instead, she lay in a gloomy prison cell, facing a staggering 25-year sentence.
No amount of money could change her circumstances. In this sunless prison, wealth was as worthless as scrap paper.
A flicker of guilt crossed Li Ming’s mind, but he quickly dismissed it. She had brought this upon herself.
Wang Xin, having finished arranging her own bedding, sidled up to Li Ming and nudged him with a finger as she gazed at the pitiable Tan Qingqing.
"What happened to her? Did our dear warden bully this pretty girl into such a state?" Wang Xin whispered with a playful grin.
"She’s struggling to accept reality. I didn’t do anything to her. Keep an eye on her these next few days, and notify the officers if anything seems off. I’m worried she might do something drastic," Li Ming replied with a wry smile.
"Aye-aye, Warden! Your orders shall be carried out!" Wang Xin blinked mischievously, her fingers trailing up to his shoulder.
Li Ming tensed, quickly glancing toward the cell door.
Tan Qingqing was fast asleep, but if the second officer suddenly returned and caught them, it would be disastrous.
"Hey, cut it out!" Li Ming hissed cautiously.
"Huh? You called me here, and it wasn’t for this? You really just wanted me to watch over her?" Wang Xin feigned surprise. Had she misunderstood him again?
"Ahem! Of course not… There are too many people in the block right now! If anything gets out, the whole prison will know by tomorrow. Do I look that reckless?" Li Ming lowered his voice, leaning closer to her ear.
"Tch! What’s there to fear? Just keep quiet… She’s dead asleep—she won’t wake up! Don’t men like you love this kind of thrill? Don’t say I never gave you a chance~"
"Hey, no—ahem!" Li Ming scrambled back, putting distance between them before he lost control and made an irreversible mistake.
Wang Xin giggled at his flustered reaction.
She hadn’t planned on doing anything serious—just teasing him. But seeing him so shy and nervous only stoked her interest further.
Instead of backing off, she pressed closer, resting against his shoulder.
The faint fragrance wafting from Wang Xin made Li Ming sigh inwardly. A mature woman truly was something else—impossible to resist!
But he hadn’t forgotten his original purpose. Finally, he pulled out a small pill from his pocket—emergency contraception—and handed it to Wang Xin under her curious gaze.
"You recognize this, right? I went out of my way to get it for you. We were too caught up last time and didn’t use protection. Take it now, and you won’t have to worry."
As he spoke, he popped the pill from its packaging and offered it to her.
But instead of taking it, Wang Xin gave him a reproachful look, then parted her lips slightly with a soft "Ah~"
Suppressing a sigh, Li Ming placed the pill directly into her mouth.
She swallowed it with a slight movement of her lips, then licked them, still staring at him expectantly.
Their eyes met, and the ever-perceptive Wang Xin broke the silence in a hushed voice.
"Now that I’ve taken the pill you went through so much trouble to get… let’s not waste it, okay~?"
Li Ming gulped before answering in a commanding whisper.
"Then… you’re not allowed to make a sound."
Wang Xin nodded with a sultry smile.
"Yes, Warden!"
……
The cell fell into silence.
Stimulated by the thrill of their surroundings, their encounter reached its conclusion swiftly. Li Ming remained wary of Tan Qingqing suddenly waking up.
Once satisfied, he calmly exited the cell.
Wang Xin felt no reluctance—only contentment. In over a decade, today had been her happiest day.
Li Ming passed the guard post, exchanging a casual nod with the officer on duty before stepping out of the block with an unreadable expression.
All his earlier worries had vanished, replaced by a deep, indulgent satisfaction.
Returning to his office, he freshened up thoroughly.
Now lying in bed, Li Ming mulled over his next steps when his phone buzzed with a message.
He picked it up casually, only to freeze at the familiar name on the screen.
Tan Chengcheng!
Opening the message, he found only a brief line:
"Warden, let’s meet. You choose the time. I’ll be waiting at Tianyi Villa. No matter how long it takes."
……
For the sake of his unrequited love, his ex-girlfriend abandoned him at the altar, indirectly causing the death of his parents. Just when he thought his life was plunged into darkness, a clueless yet beautiful girl unexpectedly took him in. Looking back, he realized how many hidden gems had always been by his side. A childhood friend who had secretly loved him for over a decade, a stunning but socially clueless school beauty, a mischievous and playful girl who lived for chaos... His ex, filled with regret, pleaded: "I was wrong—can we go back to how things were?" Before he could respond, the girl stepped in front of Ye Shuang and coldly declared, "If you didn’t cherish him, then he’s mine now." Also known as: "After Losing My Job, I Was Picked Up by a Hidden Gem," "The School Beauty I Raised," and "Oh No, I’m Surrounded by Rich Girls."
e school belle recognized by the whole school, a genius girl from the kendo club. She also has a hidden identity, the youngest legendary demon hunter. Chen Shuo just transmigrated and found himself turned into a weak, helpless little vampire. He was caught by Su Xiyen and taken home at the very beginning. Since then, Chen Shuo's life creed only had two items. "First, classmate Su Xiyen is always right." "Second, if classmate Su Xiyen is wrong, please refer back to item one." Many years later, Chen Shuo, who had turned back into a human, led a pair of twins to appear in front of all the vampires to share the secret of how he turned back into a human. "It's simple, I tricked a female demon hunter into becoming my wife!"
th】 【No prior gaming knowledge required】【The First Cultivation + Game Design Novel on the Platform】 In a world where the righteous path dominates and crushes the demonic sects, Lu Ze unlocks the "Son of the Demon Path" system. Killing righteous cultivators now grants him power-ups. Wait—deaths in illusions count too? As a former game designer, Lu Ze decides to give the cultivators of this world a little—no, a massive—shock... Sect Elders: "What is this 'Escape from the Demon Sect' game? Why have all our disciples abandoned cultivation to play it??" Elite Disciples: "You're saying... mastering 'Demon Slayer' can help us counter demonic schemes?" Reclusive Masters: "Why did I leave seclusion? Ask that backstabbing rat who ambushed me in 'Eternal Strife' yesterday!" Rogue Cultivators & Civilians: "'Immortal Abyss Action' is addictive! You can even earn spirit stones by loot-running..." Sect Prodigy: "My Dao heart is unshakable... except for that cursed black hammer." Royal Scions: "Can skins have stat boosts? I’ll pay 10,000 spirit stones for one!!" Sect Leader: "WHO IS CORRUPTING MY DISCIPLES?!!!"
ine. During your journey, you save an abandoned baby girl and become her elder brother】 【You rely on each other, becoming each other's support】 【At the end of the simulation, you shield the now-grown girl with your life, sacrificing yourself to block numerous demonic cultivators. You die, and the light in the girl's eyes fades】 …… 【Second Simulation: You are transported to a world where steam and magic coexist】 【You immerse yourself in the study of magic, obsessed with its research. One day, while out, you encounter a half-blooded demon girl wandering the streets. You take her in as your student】 【You teach the demoness what it means to be human, show her the beauty of the world, and nurture her into a miracle that surpasses even the gods】 【At the end of the simulation, you die of old age in front of the nearly immortal demoness due to your mortal lifespan】 …… One simulation after another, one encounter after another. Xu Xi suddenly felt something was off: "Wait, you said you're coming to the real world to find me?"
