Domineering Sponsor (GL) - Chapter 6

In her dream, Ji Haolan felt like she was tightly entangled, as if a cold and massive python had coiled around her. When she opened her eyes, she found herself kneeling inside a grand hall she had visited countless times. Curtains on either side swayed gently in the breeze, and the air carried a faint metallic scent.

She trembled as she raised her head. The warmth of past embraces was gone, replaced by a solemn atmosphere that made her heart quiver. That person had eyes sharp as blades and stood loftily above. She wore her usual regal and imposing ceremonial robe, though it now hung disheveled. Her crown tilted to one side, her collar half open, and a long, pale leg stretched out, bare, poised to step upon the throne. In her hand was a bloodstained sword, already unsheathed. The scabbard was nowhere to be seen.

There was blood on her face, but she paid it no mind. She simply looked down from her elevated position, silently watching Ji Haolan.

Her eyes appeared calm, but Ji Haolan could clearly feel the obsession within them. It was a gaze fixed on everything, as if determined not to let anything escape.

“I will not allow those traitors the chance to destroy my dignity. Even in death, I will die on my throne.” Her voice echoed from above.

The hall was filled with the dead. No one remained by the supreme empress’s side. Only her most beloved dancer was left.

A fleeting softness passed through her eyes as she looked down. Only her precious Consort Hao could make her lower her pride. “Consort Hao, come.”

Ji Haolan was already terrified by the bloody scene before her. When the empress called her, she slowly inched forward, feeling numb in both body and limbs.

The exalted empress poured two cups of wine, then pulled a small packet of powder from her robes. She added a rose-red powder into one of the cups. Then she spoke. “Drink one last cup with me.”

Though Ji Haolan’s foggy mind began to guess what was happening, she had long since lost the ability to resist. She sat there blankly and reached for the cup. The empress also lifted her own cup and said softly, “I’ve always wanted to do this.”

She took Ji Haolan’s hand. Their hands crossed, holding the cups together. It was a deadly yet beautiful cross-cup toast.

Ji Haolan stared at that cold, familiar face, now stained with blood yet carrying a sweetness she could not comprehend.

She drank it all in one go. A twisting pain surged through her stomach. Her hand slipped and the cup shattered to the floor. She collapsed, the metallic sweetness of blood rising to her mouth and nose.

As her vision blurred, the empress stood before her in heartbreaking beauty and said, “We will go together.” She then turned the sword in her hand and swiftly ran it across her slender neck.

A burst of blood bloomed like petals.

Ji Haolan awoke in a sea of red, heart pounding as if it had been crushed. She was drenched in sweat and gasping for air. It took her a long moment to recognize the bright and lavish room she was in.

She sat up, her head throbbing painfully. This was her first time experiencing a hangover, and the dizziness was unbearable. On a low cabinet beside the bed sat a glass of water. Too thirsty to think twice, she reached for it and drank. It was sweet honey water.

The knock-off Mickey shirt she wore had been ravaged beyond recognition overnight. It looked crumpled, twisted, and ridiculous. Ji Haolan slowly climbed out of bed and saw her jeans lying beside it, with her underwear half hanging from her leg.

She stared at her disheveled state in confusion. Then a cold voice came from behind.

“You’re awake.”

Ji Haolan pulled up her underwear and turned her head. She saw Wei Xia sitting on a single-seater sofa nearby. She was fully dressed, not a trace of last night’s chaos left on her. The stockings on her legs were gone, and her pale thighs crossed elegantly. In her hands was a cartoonish little pouch that clashed completely with her aura. She had opened it and was calmly inspecting each item inside.

Ji Haolan recognized them as her own IDs. Her mouth twitched in silent protest.

Wei Xia said, “What? You slept with me. Is it so wrong for me to see who you are?”

“No…” Ji Haolan could not argue with her. It wasn’t like she had wanted to sleep with her. Still, there wasn’t much in the bag worth hiding. If she wanted to look, then so be it.

Wei Xia flipped through the contents. She had not expected Ji Haolan to be attending a reputable university, A University. She was also quite young, only twenty. Probably in her third year. The student ID, national ID, and health card were all there. There was also a transportation card, a single key, and some cash that included one crumpled five-hundred bill, two one-hundred bills, and a few coins.

There was a sense of undeniable shabbiness. The pouch itself was unbearably ugly. Its fake cartoon print was already a crime, but the fraying seams, holes, and grime turned it grey. If not for checking what was inside, Wei Xia would never have touched something like that.

“Ji Haolan…” Wei Xia muttered. She actually thought the name sounded nice. Then she looked up casually and said, “Put your clothes on and sit down. I need to talk to you.”

Ji Haolan clearly did not plan to stay. Seeing her pouch clutched in Wei Xia’s hands, she remembered that the seven hundred forty-two dollars inside was her entire budget for the month. She couldn’t leave without it.

“No, I have work soon. Please give me my bag.”

Of course, Wei Xia had no intention of giving it back. Just then, room service arrived with breakfast. This breakfast was unfamiliar to Ji Haolan because it lacked the peanut butter toast she usually had. The table was full of dishes with vegetables, meat, orange juice, and bread. Packed up, this could feed her for two days.

“Sit and eat,” Wei Xia said. To her, this spread was nothing special. “We’ll settle for this today.”

Ji Haolan was very aware of the gap between her and Wei Xia. The food looked tempting, but the resemblance between this woman and the empress who slit her own throat in her dream was too much. She had no appetite. Still, her pouch was in Wei Xia’s grip.

Wei Xia said, “You were out cold earlier. I answered your phone and already got you a day off.”

“You… you can’t just answer my phone like that!” Ji Haolan protested again. But Wei Xia’s presence made her nervous. She pouted slightly, angry but too intimidated to speak up.

Wei Xia scoffed. “What are you pouting for? Your phone rang for five minutes and kept me from sleeping. I haven’t even made you pay for that.”

Ji Haolan puffed her cheeks and sat down. Wei Xia did not eat much herself but had ordered quite a bit. Nearly all the plates were set in front of Ji Haolan. She could eat however much she wanted. Wei Xia nibbled on some salad while watching Ji Haolan sulk as she ate. She especially picked out the meat, devouring slice after slice of bacon.

“Eat some vegetables,” Wei Xia said.

Ji Haolan paused and speared a slice of boiled egg from the salad.

Wei Xia nearly laughed. The more she looked, the more pleasing Ji Haolan became.

“What’s done is done. I don’t like beating around the bush. From now on, stay with me. You’ll get more than enough benefits. As long as you listen, you can have whatever you want.” Wei Xia had full confidence she could give Ji Haolan a life better than anything she could imagine.

Ji Haolan, cheeks full of food and lips greasy, did not even swallow before blurting out, “I’m not staying with you!”

Clang.

Wei Xia set her knife and fork down onto the porcelain plate with a sharp sound. Her expression turned cold and cutting, making it hard to approach.

“What did you say?”

Ji Haolan slowly swallowed her food. She looked at Wei Xia, then lowered her head.

“I don’t want to stay with you. Last night… last night wasn’t even something I agreed to…”

Her voice grew quieter and quieter. Wei Xia’s expression was becoming darker by the second.