Viewed purely in terms of self-interest, however, Miss Beigong Ling's unquestioning obedience was clearly somewhat irrational.
Although she kept reassuring herself that everything was simply to keep Amau Sueko from falling into further danger, perhaps only Beigong Ling herself knew what she truly thought.
Under those circumstances, perhaps the only way to make Miss Beigong Ling recognize her true feelings was through prolonged, repeated training, gradually reducing the conditions until obedience became instinctive.
That might sound complicated, but the principle was actually much like training a dog... first establish a strict system of rewards and punishments so that commands elicited a conditioned response, then gradually reduce or even deliberately omit the rewards, making obedience to a particular behavior subconscious.
The key to achieving this was gradual progression. In fact, some earlier details had already shown that Beigong Ling was not particularly resistant to Jonas's commands... one could even say she secretly looked forward to them.
So all Beigong Ling needed was an excuse, or rather, a convenient way to give in that would let her continue reassuring herself afterward.
Just like now... getting Miss Beigong Ling to obey often required nothing more than a fabricated reason.
"For Amau Sueko's sake, I imagine you won't refuse me."
Watching Beigong Ling bite her lower lip, her face flushed, Jonas felt his mischievous streak grow stronger and said:
"So, what sound does a kitty make?"
Beigong Ling froze. After spending quite some time bracing herself, she spoke in a voice barely louder than a mosquito:
"Meow... meow-"
"The sound is right, but the pose is wrong."
At those words, Beigong Ling stared at the man before her, seemingly resentful. In the end, however, she conceded and could only follow his instructions.
She bent forward, the white stockings hugging her legs and accentuating her