Startled by his grasp, Yan Shenyu stammered, "President Xie..."
His eyes were red, his mouth was slightly open, and his bangs, soaked with sweat, were scattered messily on his face, making him look like a frightened little animal.
Xie Siyan was silent for a few seconds, then looked away from his face and said calmly, "You tied the rope too tightly."
Yan Shenyu looked down and realized that his ankles were already marked with red welts from the shoelaces. He hadn't noticed before and hadn't felt any pain, but now that someone had pointed it out, a burning pain shot through his brain, making him involuntarily frown.
"Tie it too tightly, it will hinder blood circulation and cause skin necrosis over time, leaving marks." Xie Siyan held his ankle and calmly commented.
“I see…” That makes sense. Yan Shenyu replied blankly, “Then I’ll tie it looser next time.”
Although he didn't know why he had to bring up next time.
"Shoelaces have a very small surface area, so under the same pressure, they will exert more pressure than a wider medium," Xie Siyan said, as he reached out his right hand to start untying his tie.
Why is he untying his tie?
Yan Shenyu blinked blankly as she watched this scene.
To be fair, as a classic scene in urban novels, untying a tie with one hand is indeed a rather pleasing action. The man's well-defined knuckles pull the tie down, and the sense of power instantly destroys the neatness brought by the suit.
Especially Xie Siyan, with his self-discipline and ascetic nature, it was as if he wasn't untying a tie, but rather some kind of switch to control his emotions.
If this scene were filmed in a TV series, multiple camera angles, slow motion, romantic music, and even the viewers' reactions would be used to repeatedly emphasize the impact of the image. But in reality, it's just a very brief moment.
Before Yan Shenyu could react, Xie Siyan had already torn off his tie and used it to tie his feet together.
Yan Shenyu: "??"
What's going on now? Yan Shenyu was so frightened that she quickly pulled her legs back.
"Don't move." Xie Siyan pressed down hard on his ankle, preventing him from making any resistance.
The man who was impossible to win over in the original story was now kneeling before him, his shirt collar open, revealing a glimpse of his sunken collarbone. His brows were slightly furrowed, his face stern, and his movements were gentle yet undeniably authoritative, as if he had little patience left.
Under his manipulation, the high-quality silk tie wrapped around Yan Shenyu's ankle, causing almost no pain. At first, the tie was a little cool, but it quickly warmed up against his skin...
Tying your own feet up with shoelaces is on a completely different level from having someone tie them up with a tie. Yan Shenyu had never been treated like this before. He, who was usually so eloquent, was now stammering and unable to utter a single word.
What's frightening is that Xie Siyan seems incredibly serious, completely unaware of the immense trouble his seemingly considerate gesture is causing him!
It's really weird to tie someone up with your own tie!
What's even more terrifying is that after Xie Siyan finished tying him up, he even had the mind to care about the injury on his foot!
The man's rough thumb brushed against his ankle, as if scratching at his heart. Yan Shenyu, unaccustomed to such intimacy, almost fled, pulling his feet back, nearly collapsing as he stammered, "Is...is that alright...?"
"Okay," Xie Siyan released his ankle, his voice as calm as ever, "That's enough."
Yan Shenyu breathed a sigh of relief, but before her heart could settle down, Xie Siyan's voice rang out again.
"Hand." Still cold and indifferent, but concise and to the point.
Yan Shenyu: "?"
Xie Siyan: "The one in my hand has also been changed."
Although he tied them properly, they are still shoelaces, and over time they can put pressure on the skin.
Yan Shenyu paused, her gaze sweeping over Xie Siyan, still somewhat uneasy: "What are you planning to use?"
He looked around for a long time but couldn't see anything he could use to tie himself up. Could it be a belt? The problem was that such a thing would be unsightly and easily conjure up images of all sorts of inappropriate things. But besides a belt, he really couldn't think of anything else.
Seeing Yan Shenyu's shocked expression, Xie Siyan silently took out a handkerchief, thus protecting her innocence.
"Don't overthink it," Xie Siyan said coldly.
But then Yan Shenyu said, "It's not the one I dirtied last time, is it?"
"Well……"
"Shut up." Xie Siyan lost his patience. "If you say another word, I'll shut you up."
"What should we use to block it?" Yan Shenyu blurted out.
He said it purely out of reflex; as an entertainer who dreamed of becoming a comedian, no one was more adept at responding and roasting than him. However, after he finished speaking, seeing Xie Siyan's gloomy face, he realized he was in trouble.
Yan Shenyu quickly shut his mouth, indicating that he would not say another word.
Xie Siyan gave him a cold look, said nothing more, and silently increased the strength of binding his hands.
Watching the other person's skillful technique, Yan Shenyu suddenly thought, almost unconsciously, that Xie Siyan must also be very good at tying zongzi, right?
Whether it's a long zongzi, a triangular zongzi, or a four-cornered zongzi, no matter how disobedient the zongzi is, it will be well-behaved in his hands.
Yan Shenyu licked his lips, making himself crave the food.
Seeing him lick his lips, Xie Siyan thought he was thirsty. After hesitating for a moment, she used the small tweezers to pick up a piece of ice and put it to his lips.
Yan Shenyu: "..."
What's going on now? Is Xie Siyan punishing him by making him eat ice cubes because he offended him earlier?
This person is really terrifying. Tying him up like a dumpling is bad enough, but then they have to punish him with ice. Yan Shenyu wanted to refuse, but he had no choice but to submit. He glanced at Xie Siyan, leaned forward, and stuffed the ice into his mouth. He was instantly chilled by the cold and gasped, even the medication in his body calmed down.
This time, Xie Siyan was shocked. He only knew that Yan Shenyu was thirsty, but he didn't expect him to be so impatient. After hesitating for a moment, he picked up the second piece of ice and tentatively held it to Yan Shenyu's lips.
Yan Shenyu: "..."
Seriously? Another one? He hasn't even swallowed the piece in his mouth yet!
Or do these domineering CEOs simply enjoy playing domineering games like "I don't want to" or "You'll have to accept it even if you don't want to"?
Yan Shenyu swallowed the ice cube in her mouth with difficulty, and then reluctantly tilted her head back to bite into the second ice cube.
Perhaps his attitude of giving up was too obvious, or perhaps Xie Siyan had a change of heart and decided to stop punishing him with ice.
In short, an accident occurred during the handover of the ice. The next moment, Yan Shenyu felt a stinging chill on his burning skin. It felt as if a snake was crawling across his skin, and the ice rolled down his neck to his chest.
Yan Shenyu: ? ?
Yan Shenyu: ! !
Holy crap?! An ice cube fell down his T-shirt and into his clothes?!
That can't be!
There was a block of ice inside his T-shirt, which looked like a bomb... terrifying. Yan Shenyu quickly rolled over to shake the ice out. However, he forgot that his hands and feet were tied up. Instead of shaking it out, he fell off the chair.
Just as he was about to tremble again, Xie Siyan's voice rang out: "Where are you?"
Yan Shenyu tried to struggle, but Xie Siyan grabbed him and pressed him down: "Don't move, where's the ice?"
Yan Shenyu paused for a moment, her face flushing red and then pale, before gritting her teeth and uttering, "My stomach... it's stuck at my belly button..."
Xie Siyan lifted the hem of Yan Shenyu's T-shirt and frowned instantly. How could Yan Shenyu be so thin? Has he been eating properly? His waist is so thin, I could wrap my hand around it.
Wait, but why would he want to hold Yan Shenyu's waist?
"President Xie?" After waiting for a long time without any action from the other party, Yan Shenyu had no choice but to speak up to remind him.
Xie Siyan then realized what was happening. He reached out and took the ice from Yan Shenyu's body. It had almost melted, leaving only the size of a die. It melted away as soon as it touched his palm.
"Th-thank you..." Yan Shenyu stammered, curling back into the chair like a caterpillar.
After lying down, he turned his face to the side where he had no back to Xie Siyan, looking so embarrassed he could practically carve a castle out of himself.
Please, please don't embarrass him anymore! Let him get through this period in peace!! He still wants to be a human being again!!
On the other side, Xie Siyan looked out the window, a hint of impatience in his voice: "Still stuck in traffic?"
The traffic jam was taking longer than expected. The driver, sweating profusely, forced a smile and said, "There was an accident up ahead, leaving only one lane, so it's slow. It'll be fine after we get past that next intersection."
Yan Shenyu: "..."
He even got into a car accident. Couldn't he have gotten to the hospital safely?
By this time, nearly an hour had passed since Yan Shenyu took the traditional Chinese medicine. Even with his limbs bound and his mind as calm as still water, he could no longer hold on.
Looking at the long line of cars outside the window, Yan Shenyu said in despair, "Why don't you just stop the car and let me go?"
Xie Siyan frowned, giving him a look that said, "What nonsense are you talking about?"
"I can't take it anymore," Yan Shenyu said, already feeling utterly humiliated. "I need to go to the toilet to take care of this."
“No,” Xie Siyan said coldly, “I will not accompany you to do that kind of thing in a public restroom.”
Yan Shenyu: "??"
"No, I didn't say I wanted you to come with me!"
Unexpectedly, Xie Siyan's expression turned even colder: "You mean you want me to leave you in a public toilet to fend for yourself?"
Yan Shenyu tacitly agreed.
Xie Siyan's face immediately turned icy cold: "Have you considered the consequences of this decision?"
Yan Shenyu fell silent.
Although he was no longer quite lucid, he knew that staying was the safest option. At least Xie Siyan's character was more reliable than those strangers outside.
But he wouldn't want to come to this point if he hadn't been forced to.
"I'm sorry..." After a moment of silence, the young man's low, hoarse voice rang out, tinged with a hint of a sob, "I've caused you trouble... but I really..."
He couldn't continue speaking.
Yan Shenyu curled his body into a ball. He had no other choice but to frantically curse Xie Xiaoling in his mind to distract himself.
It still feels so bad, a million times worse than getting a big mosquito bite that you can't scratch.
Yan Shenyu bit his lower lip, trying to use the pain to bring himself back to attention. Just as he was about to taste the blood in his mouth, he suddenly felt his body go limp—
Xie Siyan took off his suit jacket and covered him with it.
Yan Shenyu looked up in surprise and saw the man's prominent Adam's apple and strong jawline.
"Hang in there a little longer," Xie Siyan bent down and hugged him tightly, saying in a deep voice, "I'll take you to the front to get a taxi."
The next moment, the automatic car door opened beside her, and the summer night breeze rushed into the car. Yan Shenyu nestled in Xie Siyan's arms and heard his steady and powerful heartbeat.
The driver of the car involved in the accident was still at a standstill. The night wind billowed his shirt as Xie Siyan carried Yan Shenyu and strode across the congested street.
Chapter 22 The Dirty Tie