"Are you really going to let her go once the money arrives?"
"How could I? Once her father gets here, I'll reunite their whole family."
The heavy iron door slammed shut. The girl felt like a sheep locked in a pen, unable to escape no matter what she did.
In the cold, dark little room, the girl could only curl up and shiver.
"Dad..."
Mei opened her eyes. She woke from her dream to find her face already streaked with tears.
She had dreamed of her childhood again.
That was a trauma from her past that she could never erase. No matter how much she tried to dress it up, perhaps she was still that trembling little girl.
Her time seemed to have stopped there.
But as she looked at the unfamiliar ceiling, she wondered where she was.
Mei sat up in bed and discovered that she was no longer wearing Senba Academy's uniform, but a pure white bathrobe. There was even a pleasant scent of body wash on her.
She was deeply confused, her mind still somewhat muddled, but she warily scanned her surroundings.
The seemingly luxurious room was empty, with only her lying on the bed. However, Mei heard the sound of rushing water.
Someone was bathing in the bathroom.
Then the sound of water abruptly stopped. Mei held her breath and stared vigilantly at the bathroom, but unfortunately, there was nothing around her that could serve as a weapon.
"Tap, tap, tap."
It was the sound of bare feet stepping through water.
The bathroom door opened, and steam spilled out from within, adding dampness to the room and casting a shadow over Mei's heart.
A figure stepped out of the bathroom.
Silky golden hair cascaded down his back, with a few strands falling over his chest.
His face was exquisitely beautiful, delicate as jade. His neck was slender, his collarbones fine, and skin like white jade glowed with an enticing flush from the hot water.
His soft, moist lips were lightly pursed, his brows faintly furrowed. His emerald, star-like eyes were deep, and every frown and smile carried a sorrow beautiful enough to topple kingdoms.
A phrase surfaced in Mei's mind.
A lotus rising from the water.
Lotus Rising From the Water.JPG
What a beautiful person.
Even Mei, a renowned beauty herself, was captivated.
Mei's gaze traveled downward. It was not because she was some shameless pervert; she merely wanted to imprint all that beauty into her eyes.
However, purple eyes widened, her pupils dilating as Mei opened her mouth in disbelief.
As though she had seen something terrifying enough to fill her with fear.
Her right hand instinctively gripped her left forearm.
What had she seen?
The Herrscher of Thunder stood frozen as if struck by lightning. She could not believe it, so she checked the difference in male and female anatomy once more. In the end, she got her answer.
He was a man.
He was a man?
He was a man!
Because it was important, Mei screamed it three times in her heart!
Someone even more beautiful than her was actually a man? Had she stayed at a girls' school for so long that she had developed some misunderstanding about men?
If a man like this put on a little dress, no woman could possibly compete with him.
Meanwhile, Otto was still deep in thought. The situation was actually rather dire, because the Will of Honkai had set its sights on him.
Clearly, he was a law-abiding citizen who merely wanted to survive and beat up some Honkai.
That gave him quite a headache.
But he soon noticed that Mei had awakened. A gentle smile appeared on his face as he spoke to her softly.
"Mei, you're awake."
It was a calm, steady male voice. Otto was not some effeminate man.
He knows my name?
Mei, still reeling from shock and questioning her entire life, froze for a moment. She did not recognize the man before her as the masked freak who had threatened her with a gun earlier.
After all, Otto was not wearing clothes right now.
"Y-you know me?"
Mei turned her gaze away and asked timidly, a blush creeping onto her fair face. She was still an unmarried young woman, after all. She had never seen a man's body before.
Unlike Bronya, that seasoned old lady-killer, this genuine young heiress who had received an excellent upbringing since childhood was very innocent.
Seeing Mei like this, Otto revealed an amused smile. He made no attempt to cover himself and simply picked up the clothes he had prepared and put them on.
As he always said, This Bishop's body had not a single thing that could not be seen.
Still, he wanted to tease Mei at this stage of her life.
"What is it, cutie? Pretending you don't know me?"
"Or are you angry with me because you don't want a second child?"
"Besides, our daughter gets out of school this afternoon. Are you picking her up, or should I get her on my way?"
Otto spoke clearly, but Mei was still utterly stunned by what she heard.
"I considered it too, but we've been married for over ten years. It shouldn't be a problem if we want another daughter, right?"
Otto was concise, and Mei quickly extracted the information from his words.
But Mei could not understand any of it. She was obviously just an ordinary high school student. Forget being married for over a decade—she did not even have a man she liked yet.
"Wait, wait, wait."
Mei realized something was wrong. She raised a hand to stop Otto from continuing.
Her thoughts scattered rapidly. As a sensitive young girl, she was prone to wild imaginings. The Far East had no shortage of stories about time travel, not to mention that Mei's mind was already full of adolescent delusions.
"What year is it now?"
Mei wanted to take out her phone to check the date, but she wore only a thin bathrobe. She could only ask cautiously.
"Mm, it's 2028. What's wrong, honey? You seem strange today."
"Are you feeling unwell?"
Ah, it was 2028 now?
Was she no longer Mei, but Auntie Ya now?
Mei quickly realized that she had traveled through time.
She had traveled into the future. By this point, she had long since married and had children, while this handsome guy who looked so compatible with her was her husband.
She really did have excellent taste in men.
Before Bronya bent her, Mei had been a thoroughly straight girl.
No, no, but she really did not remember any of this at all!
She clearly remembered being caught by a masked man earlier...
Mei suddenly looked at Otto, his figure gradually overlapping with the one in her memories.
"You're the one who threatened me with a gun!?"
"Threatened you with a gun?" Otto feigned confusion, then acted as if he had suddenly remembered. "Oh, that was when we first met. It really brings back memories."
"Later, I helped you rescue Father-in-law, but he did not approve of us being together, so the two of us could only elope."
"It was not until our daughter was born that Father-in-law finally accepted it."
His emerald eyes held a nostalgic glimmer, and a bitter smile rested on his lips, as though he had recalled the helplessness of that time.
As Mei watched Otto like this, she felt as if she had truly gone through those events herself. Her body seemed to remember the hardships of wandering and her struggle against her father.
Her heart tightened, and her right hand grasped her collar.
She had awakened from one sleep to find that over a decade had passed, and she had even become someone else's wife. It made her feel uneasy.
Without those memories, could she accept her current husband and child?
Could her husband accept her, when her mind was still that of a high school student?
Mei felt that she needed some time to process this.
As for a s-second child, she would at least have to accept reality first before making any plans.
"By the way, what is our daughter's name...?"
Mei asked.
As long as it was not something like Raiden Shogun.
But the devil playing with a young girl's heart revealed a mocking smile.
"I haven't thought of that setting yet."
"Honey, why don't you think of a name for our future child right now?"
I Don't Love You, but You Have to Fall in Love with Me
I haven't thought of that setting yet.
That setting...
Mei's pretty face instantly drained of color, then instantly flushed bright red.
Otto watched the scene with great interest.
At this point, Mei had realized that she had been played. The result of having her maidenly heart toyed with was embarrassment turning into rage.
Furious, furious.
The Herrscher of Thunder was about to be angered into the Herrscher of Flames.
Her slender fingers clenched tightly. If she had not been more rational than Bronya, she might have already pounced on Otto and used a flaming punch on him.
"Just a little joke." Otto smiled. "If punching me once will calm you down, then please, go ahead."
He raised his right hand and tapped his cheek with a finger. Mei's eyes widened—she had actually heard the sound of steel colliding.
Good grief, why was this man's skin so thick!?
Mei was dumbfounded. If she went over and hit him, she would be the one in pain.
She could only swallow that resentment and become a puffed-up little victim.
Damn it. Seeing Otto's smug smile, Mei trembled with anger. In the scorching heat, she broke out in a cold sweat, her hands and feet turning icy. Could this world still get any better?
She was already suffering this much, and someone still had to bully her.
Seeing Mei, like a resentful housewife confined to her chamber, look at him with mournful eyes, Otto merely smiled calmly.
"If you want, everything I just said can become reality."
"Though after more than ten years, there would definitely be a second child."
"No way." Mei refused without hesitation.
A bad man skilled at toying with girls' hearts like him would surely eat her alive, bones and all, if she let him trick her.
"How heartless."
Otto smiled at Mei. Clad only in a bathrobe, she sat on the bed hugging the blanket, looking much like Raven when she had been tormented a few days ago.
If Raven were still here, he could have fun with both Raven and Mei.
Before you continue