After finishing the appetizer soup, the main course began.

Liu Ruyan sat at the dining table, watching Chu Linyuan slowly slice his steak. The blood threads seeping out as the silver dinner knife cut through the pink chunks of meat brought to mind her current predicament—being disassembled piece by piece, then reassembled into the shape he desired.

His long fingers gripped the fork and brought a perfectly squared piece of beef to her lips. The man was still keen on his "hand-feeding game," his movements so practiced as if he were tending to a child.

This act, almost like feeding a pet, she had passively accepted at noon when she was too weak from hunger to think, but now, being full, her thoughts were unusually active—is it that people tend to overthink once they are fed?

He patiently brought the food to her lips, his gaze holding a hint of playful anticipation. Liu Ruyan suddenly realized that the process of domestication was always this gradual: first, breaking down the will to resist; then, cultivating the habit of dependence; and finally, even the soul would actively comply.

The black pepper sauce drizzled over the steak dripped onto the napkin from the fork, blooming into a dark stain. It was just like Chu Linyuan's seemingly casual "gentleness," slowly permeating her heart. What was even more frightening was that her body had already begun to get used to this hand-feeding—when the piece of meat touched her lips, she instinctively opened her mouth.

Chewing the tender and juicy steak, Liu Ruyan recalled the hamster her colleague had kept in her previous life. That little creature was also wary and refused to come near at first, but later it would actively approach as soon as it heard the sound of the snack bag. What difference was there between her now and that hamster? Except that her cage was more luxurious, and the food being hand-fed was more exquisite.

The mellowness of the red wine spread in her mouth, and Chu Linyuan handed her another spoonful of truffle rice. The delicacy of the top-tier ingredient should have been pleasant, but at this moment, it felt like a test of her threshold for submission—seeing how many bites it would take before she actively leaned closer, how many spoonfuls before she unconsciously showed an expression of expectation.

When the spoon touched her lower lip, Liu Ruyan suddenly noticed a corner of a document peeking out from the lower level of the serving cart. The words "fertility plan" were vaguely visible, and without guessing, she knew who it was prepared for... This discovery made her bite the spoon, and the sharp pain of the metal hitting her teeth was not as intense as the chill that surged in her heart.

Furthermore, through her observations just now, she keenly noticed this man's restraint—certain physiological reactions were impossible to hide, and they hadn't ceased even during the meal. This immediately dispelled her earlier suspicion that there was something wrong with his body. Clearly, he was deliberately enduring, preserving the final sense of ritual for the sake of the pure first love in his heart.

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but tense up. These days of restraint were probably all to conserve energy for the upcoming wedding night. At that time, the desires pent up for many days would inevitably usher in a complete eruption.

Liu Ruyan's gaze uncontrollably shifted downward; under the cover of the napkin, the outline of the man's slacks had already revealed a dangerous signal. Her throat tightened, and the dessert she had just swallowed seemed to be stuck in her esophagus—so he wasn't sexually indifferent at all, but like a hunting beast, patiently waiting for the best opportunity.

Chu Linyuan's necktie clip swayed slightly, the cold light it refracted forming a stark contrast with the dark color surging in the depths of his eyes. The way he ate the dessert was still elegant, but the bulging veins on the back of his hand revealed the force of his restraint. The sound of the dinner knife scraping across the porcelain plate suddenly became piercing, like some kind of countdown warning.

This realization was more terrifying than any threat. Those so-called "gentlemanly manners" were nothing more than imitations of his pure first love's preferences in his memory. And on their wedding night, once the ceremony was complete and the law took effect, this devil who had been suppressed for so long could finally tear off his disguise and declare his ownership in the most primal way.

Her collarbone suddenly throbbed with phantom pain; she could imagine the hickeys he would leave there later. Liu Ruyan unconsciously touched her neck, as if she already foresaw what she would become in a few days—like those worn-out stuffed dolls, with cotton wadding seeping out from the seams.

"Dessert." The man suddenly pushed over a dish of blood-red raspberry mousse, the berry at the very top pierced by a silver fork, the juice dripping down the tines. He leisurely licked the red that stained his fingertip, his gaze behind his glasses locking onto her shuddering pupils: "Should we practice... swallowing beforehand?"

The silk of Liu Ruyan's skirt between her legs was suddenly soaked with cold sweat. What dessert was this? It was a blatant sexual suggestion! She stared at the broken berry and suddenly realized with utmost clarity: there were probably fewer than two days left before she became an offering.

"Today is a good day; as a reward for taking you to eat bamboo tube rice at noon, keep me company for a couple of drinks tonight." The man shook his glass, speaking unhurriedly.

A couple of drinks? Liu Ruyan instantly recalled the experience of avoiding drinking by having her period before; but now, how many drinks would she have with this devil? Heaven knew what would happen later.

"M-Master..." She forced a smile, her voice trembling involuntarily, "How about... we save it for our wedding night? It's only a few days away anyway..." What she had to do now was to delay as much as possible, in order to win herself the last glimmer of opportunity.

"Do you think I'm discussing it with you?"

Liu Ruyan's heart tightened. Shit, what newfangled game had this devil thought up now?

"Master..." She bit her lip, shame burning her earlobes red, "Xue'er promises... I will be obedient on our wedding night... until... until I am pregnant with your baby..." Heaven knew how much courage it took for her to say these words.

Liu Ruyan's fingers clenched the napkin tightly, the fabric emitting a faint sound of tearing under the strain in her palm. Chu Linyuan had, at some unknown time, circled behind her, his shadow carrying the scent of cedar completely enveloping her, trapping her between the dining table and his chest.

He slowly untied his necktie; the silk fabric sent a shudder through her as it slid across her exposed shoulder. "Wedding night?" His deep voice, mixed with the fragrance of red wine, brushed against her ear. "But right now... (the necktie suddenly tightened around her wrist)... I suddenly feel like previewing the lesson."

Liu Ruyan stared at her reflection in the dining table—her pupils constricted, her lips trembling, looking exactly like a rabbit whose nape had been seized by a predator. The promise of "conceiving a baby" still clung to the tip of her tongue, exuding a sickening, cloying sweetness. Heaven knew how much willpower it took for her not to bite off her own tongue.

A cold wine bottle suddenly pressed against her collarbone, slowly sliding along the line of her neck. Champagne-gold liquid was poured into a wine glass, the sound of bursting bubbles exceptionally clear in the dead silence of the dining room.

She even wondered if there were two suspicious white pills settled in that wine glass, just like the heroines in many of the 'little movies' she had watched in her previous life.