They rode in silence, Lan Lingyan clearly pleased with her obedient behavior. Yet the mystery of how she recognized him and why she'd trembled so violently remained a puzzle he vowed to solve eventually.

When transported back to that same estate without ceremony, Ning Yunhuan instantly understood his intentions this time around before any words were spoken.

"We agreed it would only be once," she blurted out, panic overriding fear as she struggled against him. A strange certainty told her these encounters would become routine if she continued feigning ignorance.

Lan Lingyan leisurely tugged up her T-shirt to expose a slender pale waist. "Raise your arms."

The dark overlord's command triggered instinctual compliance - her hands lifted before she could think. With effortless grace, he stripped off the garment and tossed it aside, then pinned her down with his body weight. Only now did Ning Yunhuan snap out of her daze to fight back. "Mr. Lan..."

Her protests dissolved as his fingers hooked into the thin lace of her bra. Her wrists were trapped above her head while he molded her torso into a perfect arc. The short skirt beneath proved no obstacle - with just a tug, it was lifted up. Ning Yunhuan's face burned crimson as she thrashed, only to find herself completely immobilized when his hand slipped past the waistband of her underwear. Her breath hitched at the warmth hovering near her cheek before lips closed over hers in one swift motion.

Though her body had relaxed slightly from their previous intimacy, the intrusion still brought a dull ache. She tried to resist as Lan Lingyan's fingers tightened around her waist, but his grip was unyielding. "Pain," she murmured through clenched teeth against the unfamiliar pressure. He responded with featherlight kisses across her brow while his body continued its relentless advance. Her bangs fell forward obscuring his eyes - those usually cold dan phoenix pupils now gleamed with raw hunger.

Desire, once tasted, became an insatiable addiction. Lan Lingyan found himself strangely fixated on Ning Yunhuan alone. It wasn't just possession he craved - there was something exclusive about her presence. He had never been one to compromise his needs, and now that the prize lay in his grasp with its unique flavor, their initial transaction would clearly not be the last.

When Lan Lingyan finally withdrew, Ning Yunhuan's limbs ached from head to toe. Her face remained flushed as she carefully crossed her legs and pressed them against her chest to sit upright.

"We had agreed..." It felt foolish raising this now, but if she didn't establish boundaries here, history might repeat itself. She suspected their earlier conversation was interrupted when she'd seen Lan Jiu - the fear had made her speechless then. But as soon as words formed on her lips, strong arms swept her up in a sidearm carry. Instinctively, she wrapped her smooth white arms around his neck.

Lan Lingyan's bangs brushed against her cheek with chilling coolness even as he scrubbed soap into every crevice of her body in the bath. She watched him warily for renewed advances, but to her surprise, after cleaning her swollen pink folds he simply carried her out without further action.

Fresh bedding now filled their room, the new duvet carrying faint notes of sunlit meadows. Dressed only in underwear she'd begged to wear (Lan Lingyan feigned ignorance about whether it was truly necessary), Ning Yunhuan lay awkwardly curled against his chest. Her body ached from both physical trauma and emotional exhaustion - too tired yet unable to sleep despite her heavy eyelids.

"Rest for now. You've no afternoon classes, you'll accompany me outside."

Lan Lingyan's half-closed eyes held dangerous indulgence. This was the moment when his guard should be down, yet his sharp cheekbones were softened by a mysterious smile that felt more like a threat than relaxation.

Ning Yunhuan nodded robotically - years of ingrained obedience had become second nature. But as she realized what she'd just agreed to, terror flared in her chest. "How do you know I have no classes?" University schedules weren't particularly rigorous, but the man was too unpredictable and unreadable for comfort. She didn't want to face another fate like last time.

Her hesitation caused an involuntary twitch of her supple limbs against him - a reaction that immediately ignited his gaze into something dangerously possessive. "I have your class schedule," he murmured. "Trust me, you'll be too sleepy soon enough." His hand drifted down to press firmly against her waist as warning punctuation.

The gesture shattered whatever courage she'd mustered. She shrank like a frightened sparrow in his arms, her heart hammering until suddenly drowsiness overtook her. The weight of his presence and the exhaustion finally won out - she surrendered into unconsciousness despite the irrational conviction that he had stolen her schedule through some sinister means.

That sixth sense whispering inside warned this wasn't going to be a pleasant chapter in their story at all.