"It means allowing others, multiple people, a lot of people to play together!"

Shen Ci froze in place. His face showed no change, but the fingers gripping the railing tightened forcefully, his knuckles turning white and bluish. Looking closely, they were even trembling.

His voice was tight. He remained silent for quite a while before squeezing a sound out of his throat: "I see."

So the tricks on this boat were even more unbearable than the limits of his imagination.

Lin Yin didn't dare to look at him, but pushed on in one breath: "I know you're not someone from this circle, but now that you're on this boat, several kilometers from the shore, you can't even swim away. If you're truly unwilling, then go beg Young Master Xie! Beg him with a soft voice, coax him into a good mood, and perhaps, perhaps..."

Perhaps what, Lin Yin couldn't bring herself to continue.

Lin Yin knew exactly what kind of reputation Xie Yu had in the circle. He Zhiyuan was already a complete scumbag, but Xie Yu was even worse. When He Zhiyuan asked Lin Yin to be his girlfriend, she could still agree for the sake of money. If it had been Xie Yu, she would have run as far away as possible.

Would a person like that let Shen Ci off the hook just because of a few words of pleading?

As Lin Yin spoke, even she felt weak and powerless. She said hastily, "Anyway, that's how it is. You figure out what to do."

After speaking, she left in a hurry, disappearing around the corner in a few steps.

It became quiet here again. The only sounds left between heaven and earth were the waves and the wind.

Only when Shen Ci released the railing did he realize his fingers were as cold as ice. The river breeze drilled straight into his sleeves, making his entire body cold and numb. When he could no longer delay, he lowered his eyes and walked into the cabin. He came to a stop in front of the private box, paused for another good while, and then raised his hand to push open the door.

The door hinges turned with a soft creak. Shen Ci looked over to see that the rich second-generations had already drunk three rounds and were slumping unsteadily in their seats.

Xie Yu sat at the head of the table, holding a glass of champagne and leaning sideways against the back of his chair. His long legs were crossed, his posture unrestrained and dashing, showing barely any signs of drunkenness. Seeing Shen Ci, he waved his hand, gesturing for him to come over and sit.

On his right, three or four empty liquor bottles sat in front of He Zhiyuan, who was sprawled out drunk to the side. Seeing Shen Ci, he chuckled a couple of times. He leaned over to speak with Zhou Yang, but his gaze unreservedly roamed over Shen Ci. Whatever the two said to each other, it cracked them both up.

Meeting their gazes, Shen Ci felt his stomach churn with disgust. Lowering his eyes, he bypassed the unsightly crowd and sat down beside Xie Yu.

Xie Yu took a sip of champagne: "Where did you go for so long?"

Shen Ci: "Stood by the ship's rail for a bit."

Xie Yu: "The rail? The wind on the river is so strong. Aren't you cold?"

Shen Ci: "Not cold."

He had things weighing on his mind; his expression was cold, and his tone was even colder. In the end, he remembered Lin Yin's advice to softly beg and say a few pleasant words, and his body stiffened.

Actually, Shen Ci knew perfectly well in his heart that on this boat—which was like an isolated island—only Xie Yu speaking up could spare him from this humiliation. Unfortunately, he had never been one to beg others. Even if he had the intention to beg for mercy, he couldn't force out any soft words, so he remained motionless in silence.

As they spoke, the door to the box swung open, and a few more people walked in. They were all rich second-generations who hung out together, and the room became increasingly noisy.

Shen Ci's gaze swept over their faces. Recalling Lin Yin's words—"multiple people, a lot of people"—his complexion darkened a few degrees.

They took their seats one after another. Lin Yin stood up, greeted them politely, and then accompanied them with smiles and drinks. Only Shen Ci sat to the side, utterly motionless, sitting as straight and proper as a teacher in a private school. His aura was far too quiet and elegant, completely out of place in the smoke-filled room. Someone pointed at him and asked casually, "Who is this?"

Before Xie Yu could answer, He Zhiyuan beat him to it: "Young Master Xie's little lover. Pretty, isn't he?"

He winked and hinted, "Young Master Xie specially brought him tonight. You all understand, right?"

A burst of roaring laughter followed.

Shen Ci uncontrollably tightened his fingers, his nails digging into his palms, leaving crescent-shaped marks.

His whole body turned cold. The room was filled with smoke, hot and stuffy, but even so, it couldn't warm him up in the slightest.

To a playboy like He Zhiyuan, tonight was merely a mediocre night among countless nights of sensual indulgence, a game to kill off loneliness. But to Shen Ci, he was a toy in this game; no one cared about his joy or anger, and he didn't even have the power to call for a stop.

By now, there were already about ten people in the room. He Zhiyuan called everyone to play dice. Between jokes and laughter, he lost a luxury car. Riding high on the gambling thrill, he still felt it wasn't exciting enough and yelled loudly: "There are still people outside, right? Why aren't they coming in? Where's Fang Yu? He's great at cards! Haven't seen Qin En in a long time either. Go ask Zhang Siming if he's coming!"

Like reading off a menu, he rattled off several names, all of whom were well-known rich kids in Jiang City. For a moment, he was the only one chattering away in the entire private box.

Xie Yu sat in his place, a faint smile hanging on his face. He neither approved nor objected, simply watching He Zhiyuan as if watching a monkey show. Suddenly, he turned his head to look at Shen Ci, asking suspiciously: "Teaching Assistant Shen... are you cold?"

Beside him, Shen Ci's face was terrifyingly pale. He desperately clutched the hem of his shirt, crumpling the fabric into large swathes of wrinkles.

Xie Yu: "Very cold? The AC is already set quite high. Are you sick?"

Saying that, he reached out a hand, wanting to check the temperature of Shen Ci's forehead.

The moment his fingers touched skin, Shen Ci suddenly reached out and seized Xie Yu's sleeve. He pulled with extreme force, tightly gripping that pitiful piece of fabric as if clutching a life-saving straw.

Only then did Xie Yu realize he was trembling slightly.

Xie Yu froze: "Teaching Assistant Shen?"

"Xie Yu." Shen Ci lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes casting a small patch of shadow beneath them. Steadying his voice, he asked, "Does what you said before still count?"

Xie Yu: "Hm?"

Shen Ci looked up at him, his eyes reflecting the cabin's lights. He said: "Porcelain."

Porcelain. This was the Safe Word Xie Yu had promised during their first meeting.

Shen Ci understood that to end this game, he could only beg Xie Yu. Xie Yu was the dealer of the game, and he was a toy on the card table. A toy had no control over itself and no power to call for a stop. But he suddenly remembered that Xie Yu had actually given him a promise.

A promise that if he said this word, the game would stop.

"Porcelain?"

Everyone present was stunned.

He Zhiyuan and Zhou Yang looked at each other, quite baffled. Shen Ci's words were sudden and lacked any context. Neither of them understood what he was trying to say.

He Zhiyuan sneered: "Teaching Assistant Shen hasn't even drunk much. Did the smell of alcohol make him confused?"

Shen Ci ignored him, only looking fixedly at Xie Yu.

Xie Yu sat up straight, frowning. He was slightly dazed, seeming to be in thought. In the prolonged silence, Shen Ci gave a self-deprecating smile. His hands lost their strength, and he immediately let go of the hem of Xie Yu's clothes.

Of course. The playboy young master was just shooting his mouth off at the time. How could he have meant it? How could he have believed it again?

Once the game began, did a plaything even have the room to say no?

Shen Ci's face was deadly pale, his lips equally pale. As if drained of energy in an instant, he closed his eyes and leaned back against the chair, not saying another word.

Xie Yu rolled the word over his tongue, murmuring: "Porcelain?"

This word sounded familiar, but it hadn't been in the novel. He frowned and thought back, finally catching a sliver of a clue in a flash of lightning.

The Safe Word.

Xie Yu hadn't thought twice when he blurted out this word back then. Furthermore, he was confident that he would never use extreme methods, so it would never reach the point where Shen Ci had to use the Safe Word. Thus, he hadn't committed it to memory. But now...

He looked around. The party had only been going on for a few hours, and the rich kids were having the time of their lives. Although Shen Ci was keeping them company, he was sitting quietly, and no one was bothering him. The only one causing trouble was He Zhiyuan, and he had been dragged away by Xie Yu halfway through. At most, the smell of smoke was heavy, he couldn't play on his phone, and it was a bit boring. But with Shen Ci's level of endurance in the novel, it shouldn't have reached the point of needing the Safe Word.

But he looked at Shen Ci. The protagonist's face was indeed looking terrible. Even though his fingertips were gathered in his sleeves, one could still see that they were trembling intensely.

...Was he cold?

Perhaps because Xie Yu had been staring for too long, Shen Ci, leaning back with his eyes closed, had a cold and calm expression as if he had never said anything. But looking closely, even his eyelashes were trembling.

He was genuinely afraid. Very afraid.

Xie Yu abruptly stood up.

He picked up his windbreaker from the back of the chair and looked around: "Sorry everyone, I still have matters to attend to tonight, so I'll be taking my leave first."

Shen Ci opened his eyes in shock. Immediately after, a sharp pain shot through his wrist as he saw Xie Yu grabbing him and hauling him straight up. Shen Ci stumbled a couple of steps, and then something warm was thrown over his head and face, enveloping him completely.

It was Xie Yu's windbreaker.

He Zhiyuan paused, instinctively reaching out to grab Shen Ci: "No way, what time is it? You're already leaving? Didn't we agree to pull an all-nighter?"

Xie Yu brushed his hand away and firmly pulled Shen Ci into his arms, not letting him touch the person. He only said coldly, "I have an emergency."

He pulled Shen Ci along, walking briskly through the cabin and taking him straight out of that boisterous playground of feasting and revelry. His pace was extremely fast, as if something bad would happen if he slowed down even a step. Pulled into a stumble, Shen Ci obediently tagged along behind him.

Xie Yu didn't ask a single question, just dragging him through the lively cabin. The lingering smoke was completely left behind. As the river breeze blew, even the smell of alcohol dissipated for the most part.

They arrived at the observation deck at the top of the cruise ship.

Xie Yu said, "Sit down and wait. I'll call a boat from my family to pick us up."

The cruise ship had already sailed to the middle of the river. It would take a lot of time to sail back, so Xie Yu simply called someone to pick them up. He pulled out his phone, made a call, murmured in agreement a couple of times, and it was settled.

Shen Ci sat down on the sofa. He felt a vague sense of unreality. He sat stiffly on the edge, pulling his clothes around himself without a word.

This was the highest point of the cruise ship, where dozens of sofas were arranged in small groups. The top was built with a glass roof, allowing one to see a sky full of stars upon looking up. Glancing to the left and right, one could see the tall buildings on both banks and the orange lights. Coupled with the gentle river breeze, it was actually very pleasant.

The scenery was good and all, but a bunch of rich second-generations didn't come partying on a boat to look at the stars. There wasn't a single person here; only a drink counter was still open.

The server at the counter had been sitting there for a long time without a single customer, bored out of their mind playing on their phone. Seeing Xie Yu and Shen Ci, they enthusiastically greeted: "Would you two like some drinks?"

Xie Yu said, "Mix me a Tequila Sunrise, make it strong on the alcohol."

The server nodded eagerly: "Okay, sir."

The orange-red liquor fell into the glass, garnished with a lemon slice on the rim. The server pushed the glass to Xie Yu, then looked at Shen Ci. "And for this gentleman?"

Shen Ci paused for a moment before realizing they were addressing him: "I'm not drinking."

The price of any random drink on this counter would cost as much as several days' worth of his meals.

Xie Yu, however, said: "Aren't you cold? Drink something to warm up."

As if anticipating that Shen Ci wouldn't speak, Xie Yu's gaze swept over the menu, as if to make the decision for him.

Shen Ci followed his gaze. Most of the items on the menu were alcoholic, from cocktails to straight liquors, brandy, tequila, and even Russian vodka. Many of them had a very high alcohol content, higher than the glass He Zhiyuan had pushed over earlier. If Shen Ci downed a glass of that, he would definitely throw up, but...

—This time, no matter which glass Xie Yu handed him, he would drink it.

It was just a glass of alcohol. Exchanging it for Xie Yu bringing him out of there was simply too good of a bargain.

But he watched as Xie Yu flipped the menu back and forth, looking very dissatisfied. Finally, he reached out a finger and tapped on a certain item in the corner.

"Here, give him this."

Shen Ci looked over as directed, but completely froze.

Hot milk.