Liang Mei's stomach lurched sickeningly when she saw the image on his phone. Her enemy had seen her naked, and he was holding the proof right in front of her eyes. She ran to the bathroom and stayed kneeling in misery after throwing up into the toilet for the second time that morning.
"Seems like you had too much to drink last night," Zhang Yichen remarked in that condescending tone he always used with her. He stood in the doorway, watching her with an attitude of superiority.
It was too much the nausea, the humiliation of him witnessing her puking, his possession of that terrible picture. In that moment of weakness, she actually tried to plead with him.
"Please. I've never done anything to you. Please."
"Begging me on your knees. That's a good start."
Dread turned her clammy skin cold. Zhang Yichen hated her, and he would have no compassion for her. This was bad really, really bad.
"Clean yourself up," he commanded. "In fact, take a shower. I don't want you getting in my car smelling like crap."
"Your car?" she asked in confusion, not understanding why he would allow her into his car. That was the last thing she expected from him.
"I'll take you with me since I'm here," he explained, "but you'll have to find your own way home."
"From where?" she questioned warily.
"My house," he replied. "You're going to clean it. Every week," he added.
She began to realize that he was blackmailing her, and for a moment she felt relieved. It meant he wouldn't show the picture to anyone as long as he needed her to comply with his demands. She had been terrified of him putting it out there for everyone to see.
"Get up and get in the shower," he snapped. "I'm not waiting around for you all day."
Liang Mei pushed herself to her feet and awkwardly waited for him to leave the bathroom.
"What the hell are you waiting for?" he demanded.
A horrible realization sank in, and her voice trembled when she spoke. "I can't do it with you here."
"You'll do whatever I tell you," Zhang Yichen said. "But I don't have to be in here to see you naked." He held up his phone to emphasize his point. "So I'll let you get undressed alone. Your uniform will be on the bed."
"Uniform?"
"Just put it on," he told her impatiently before walking out of the bathroom.
She closed the door behind him and sank onto the toilet lid, her head in her hands. Despair washed over her as she thought about her sudden, inescapable predicament. Why had she drunk so much? Because Lin Jia had urged her to keep drinking. It had been just the two of them laughing, dancing to the music Lin Jia had put on, drinking and cutting loose.
Lin Jia had betrayed her. She had let Zhang Yichen into the house while Liang Mei was intoxicated and apparently passed out, and he had taken a picture of her after someone removed all her clothes. She had woken up naked, stumbled to the bathroom to throw up, and then found Lin Jia standing in the hallway, telling her to get dressed.
"Why did I take my clothes off?" she had asked. "Did I throw up on them?"
"Yichen is here," Lin Jia had said instead of answering. "He wants to talk to you."
Liang Mei had immediately thought of Zhang Yichen, but he wasn't part of Lin Jia's social circle, and he certainly wouldn't come to her house to seek her out. "Zhang who?" she asked.
"Zhang Yichen," Lin Jia replied. "Hurry up and get dressed. He knows you're awake, and I could barely get him to wait five minutes."
Liang Mei had stared at her in disbelief, but Lin Jia had given her a desperate shove. "Now, Mei! He'll be coming in any minute."
She had hurried into the bedroom to throw her clothes on as a storm of questions whirled in her head. She had heard Lin Jia outside, trying to hold him off.
"What's the difference? I already saw everything last night," he had said.
Fumbling with her bra clasp, her heart had pounded as she pulled on her shorts just as Zhang Yichen barged into the room. With a shriek, she had grabbed her shirt and held it against her chest. His silver-gray eyes had regarded her coldly.
"It's a little late for that. You sure weren't modest last night."
He had shown her the picture her sprawled out naked on the bed, legs spread, completely exposed. No boy had ever seen that part of her before. Now, Zhang Yichen could show it to all his friends, the whole school even. He hated her enough to do it. She had dropped the shirt and run to the bathroom to vomit again. Still a pathetic mess, she had sat on the toilet in just her bra and shorts, unable to find her underwear in the rush to get dressed. A sudden pounding on the door had made her jump. "What are you doing?" Zhang Yichen demanded. "Get in the damn shower or I'm coming in."
She had leapt up, turned on the shower, and reluctantly undressed before stepping in. The water washed away the sweat from her skin, and slowly, anger began to replace her fear.
She had never hated Zhang Yichen before, but what he had done was vile. And Lin Jia—her betrayal cut deeper. It had to be about popularity. Liang Mei had warned her that the popular crowd was shallow and cruel, but Lin Jia had always looked at them with longing. Zhang Yichen must have promised her entry into their group if she got Liang Mei drunk and let him take the photo.
Tears welled in her eyes. What was she going to do? Zhang Yichen would make her life hell. She had just lost her best friend and had no one to help her.
The water shut off suddenly, and the curtain was yanked open.
Liang Mei gasped, crossing one arm over her breasts and the other over her privates. Zhang Yichen's eyes lingered on her body before meeting her tearful gaze.
"Get out and dry off," he commanded, holding out a towel.
"Put it on the vanity," she said.
He set it down but stayed where he was, arms crossed. "Come out and get it."
"Leave. Please."
"If you'd rather have me watch you touch yourself, that's fine with me."
Her face flamed, and he smirked. "Is that one of your fantasies?"