Chapter 12: Junlin Autumn’s Hot Coffee.

“Want a drink?”

Jun Linqiu’s cold voice suddenly rang out, startling her. She quickly shifted her gaze away from the white ceramic mug and looked at Jun Linqiu. The other party was staring straight at her, her face completely expressionless, revealing no emotion.

This only filled her with panic and unease. Her face turned pale instantly, and her heartbeat accelerated. She didn’t know how to answer, nor what would happen after she answered, but she still nodded. Her intuition told her that denying it or staying silent would only lead to even worse consequences.

“Come here.”

Jun Linqiu’s two short words carried the oppressive authority of a superior, allowing no refusal.

The icy command sent a chill through her heart. The sense of unease grew heavier. She didn’t dare disobey the lord, yet the unknown fear wrapped around her heart like vines, making her hesitate. Her body trembled uncontrollably. She tried to force out a flattering smile, but the nausea surging in her chest and the stiffness of her facial muscles made it impossible.

The lord simply stared at her with empty, ice-cold eyes. It didn’t feel like she was looking at a person, as if she had no patience to repeat her words a second time.

This reminded her of the scene last night when she was dragged across the floor. Not daring to hesitate any longer, she moved her trembling legs forward. Jun Linqiu watched her without even frowning, her posture relaxed as if she had all the patience in the world, or perhaps she was simply enjoying the show with great interest.

Afraid that Lan Mo might come out at any moment and see what was about to happen, Lin Yuxi wanted to end this quickly. But the fear toward Jun Linqiu made her weak legs unable to move faster. She could only shuffle forward step by tiny step.

Time felt unbearably long. Amid the intertwining shame and fear, she finally reached the coffee table in front of Jun Linqiu. Perhaps the table created a brief distance between them, or perhaps because she had finally finished that torturous walk, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Her tightly tensed shoulders relaxed slightly.

Anxiously, she raised her head to look at the lord before her. Jun Linqiu lowered the leg that had been crossed over the other, then stood up. As she rose, an overwhelming sense of pressure instantly enveloped Lin Yuxi. The lord now towered over her head, and that condescending gaze made her skin crawl.

Jun Linqiu extended one slender, fair hand and grasped the handle of the white mug filled with dark brown liquid and steaming hot coffee. She slowly lifted it upward. Lin Yuxi’s gaze followed the mug as it rose. Her head tilted up involuntarily until her neck began to ache. The mug finally stopped right above her head, turning her view from looking down to looking up.

“Open your mouth.”

The lord’s voice came from above, calm and without the slightest ripple, yet it made her instinctively sense what was about to happen.

The strong aroma of coffee lingered at the tip of her nose — a bitter, rich scent. She subconsciously swallowed. After a moment of hesitation, she tremblingly opened her mouth, pressing her tongue against the bottom of her palate.

If it’s just drinking coffee…

The thought had barely flashed through her mind when the lord’s hand tilted downward. Scalding hot brown coffee poured straight out of the mug.

“Uwaaaaah—!”

There was no sweet fragrance as imagined. Instead, a violent, burning pain exploded in her mouth, as if it would sear straight through!

She never expected the coffee to be this hot. The scorching pain that erupted in her mouth made her instinctively struggle to pull away. But the lord’s left hand suddenly clamped onto her jaw like a steel vice. Her index finger and thumb pressed hard against both sides of her mouth, forcing her to keep it open.

“Mmm— Aaaaaaah—!”

It hurts! It hurts so much! It hurts so badly!

She knew the lord would never be so kind. The burning agony in her mouth made her struggle desperately. Her hands frantically beat against the lord’s arm, trying to break free. Her nails scraped across the other’s clothes, producing sharp, grating sounds. Yet her face remained firmly clamped in place, unmoving. Even when scalding coffee splashed onto the back of her hand, the grip didn’t loosen in the slightest.

Only after the mug was completely emptied did her struggling gradually weaken. It felt as if all her strength had been drained away. Tears had long since overflowed down her cheeks, mixing with the coffee dripping from the corners of her mouth.

Uuu… Uwaaaah—

At this moment, all she could do was cry. Jun Linqiu casually tossed her onto the floor like a rag doll.

She coughed violently as she crawled up from the ground, supporting her limp body with one hand while frantically wiping away her tears with the other.

“Mmm~ Ah~ Cough cough cough—!”

“Uuu… Uuu…”

After the coughing fit, she tremblingly closed her mouth. A strange numbness spread through her. She felt as if her oral cavity had lost all sensation, as though a thick film had covered it. It seemed the mucous membrane on the surface had been instantly scalded and killed.

Jun Linqiu did not sit back down on the sofa. She remained standing in place, calmly watching her with cold, indifferent eyes. She appeared completely unmoved by the scene before her.

“Knock knock knock.”

A sudden, urgent knocking sounded at the door. Jun Linqiu’s gaze shifted away from Lin Yuxi and toward the entrance, then coldly returned to her.

Lin Yuxi sat on the floor, immersed in overwhelming grief and physical pain. She didn’t pay any attention to the sudden knocking and only continued to sob mechanically.

“Go open the door.”

The commanding voice made Lin Yuxi’s crying pause for a moment. She raised her swollen eyes to look at Jun Linqiu, confirming that the order was indeed directed at her.

“Uuu…”

A violent wave of humiliation surged in her chest, so intense it felt suffocating. Her hands hanging by her sides clenched tightly into fists, nails digging deep into her palms. Her teeth ground together, producing a grinding sound.

It was like someone had suddenly slapped her across the face, then immediately ordered her to do something.

Although she felt furious, in the current environment, she could only obey the lord’s command — and even had to put on a flattering expression. She pushed herself up from the floor, stood, wiped away her tears, and forcibly suppressed her sobbing. Yet she couldn’t stop the soft, intermittent whimpers.

Ignoring the cold gaze Jun Linqiu continued to direct at her, she walked to the door, took a deep breath, and opened it. Outside stood a soldier in uniform.

“Lordship, the items you requested…”

The male voice stopped midway. He seemed to realize that the person in front of him was not the lofty lord, but a girl who had clearly just been crying — her eyes red and swollen, the corners of her mouth also swollen. His voice cut off abruptly, a flash of surprise appearing in his eyes.

“Come in!”

“Yes!”

The lord’s majestic voice came from behind. The soldier instinctively lowered his head slightly in acknowledgment, then walked inside through the space Lin Yuxi had made by stepping aside.

With no one blocking the view anymore, Lin Yuxi looked outside.

A modified pickup truck was parked there, its massive tires covered in mud. Various supplies were stacked in the back of the truck, and another soldier holding a rifle stood on top. His gaze swept over her soaked collar and swollen face, carrying both curiosity and indifference.

“Lordship, we have brought all the items you requested. Please give your instructions.”

“Bring them in.”

“Yes!”

The territorial soldier replied, and together with the driver, they began carrying the supplies inside. The soldier with the gun remained standing guard in place.