I feel right at home in the world of the courtyard house.

Li Jing'an leaned back in his large office chair, legs crossed, and slowly exhaled a smoke ring. His gaze fell condescendingly on Wang Manqi—she was still on the ground.

"Good boy, listen to me." Li Jing'an chuckled, his eyes gleaming with smug satisfaction. He patted the desk in front of him, making a crisp "smack" sound. "Come on, get on here."

Wang Manqi's body stiffened for a moment. She slowly raised her head, her eyes red, but in the end she didn't dare to resist. She got up from the ground, her knees still bearing red marks, and moved step by step to the table. She raised her hands to support herself on the edge of the table and lifted her legs—her toes just touching the tabletop.

"What are you doing?" Li Jing'an frowned sharply, his smile vanishing instantly. "Isn't it dirty? Take off your shoes! And this work uniform—it's covered in engine oil, it's giving me a headache. Take it off, get it all clean before you climb up."

Wang Manqi's hand trembled and froze in mid-air. She looked down at her oil-stained work shoes and then at the dark oil stain on her cuff.

She bent down, slowly untied her shoelaces, took off her shoes and stepped barefoot onto the cold cement floor. Then she grasped the collar of her work clothes and unbuttoned them one by one.

"Yes, they took off their inner clothes too, completely."

Wang Manqi had her back to him, her shoulders trembling slightly. She pulled her shirt off her head and threw it at her feet, then hugged her arms, standing there naked, goosebumps rising on her skin.

"Okay, come on up." Li Jing'an leaned back, gesturing with his chin towards the desk. "Just lie down on my desk."

Wang Manqi bit her lower lip as she climbed up, propping herself up on the large tabletop, her head bowed low, her long hair cascading down her cheeks. Li Jing'an nodded in satisfaction, extending his palm to gently stroke her hair from the top of her head down her back—over her neck, spine, and lower back, as if petting a docile dog. Wherever his fingertips touched, her skin tightened, every inch trembling slightly.

"Great, that's wonderful." Li Jing'an exclaimed as he stroked the fur, his voice laced with a lazy enjoyment. "So smooth—and it doesn't shed at all. It's much better than raising a dog." He grinned, revealing a meaningful smile. "Hehehe, come on, bark a couple more times."

Wang Manqi buried her face in her arms and mumbled, "Woof woof."

"Haha, good boy." Li Jing'an withdrew his hand and tapped it lightly twice on the edge of the table. "As long as you're obedient, tomorrow morning, I'll have your dad identify that Director Han—just pin all the blame on him. But you'd better make me feel comfortable today, understand?"

"I heard you," she said, her voice barely audible, like a mosquito's hum.

Li Jing'an raised an eyebrow, then slammed his hand down, striking her with a sharp "smack." Wang Manqi jolted, cried out in pain, her brows furrowing, and tears welled up in her eyes.

"You heard me and didn't even say thank you? Do I owe you something?" Li Jing'an said coldly, slapping him again. "Smack!"

Wang Manqi trembled all over, her voice trembling with tears, "Th...thank you."

"Who should I thank?"

"thank you……"

"What do you mean, 'you' or 'your'?" Li Jing'an's tone turned serious. "From now on, call me master, remember that?"

Wang Manqi gritted her teeth, two lines of tears sliding down her cheeks, her voice so soft it sounded like it was breaking in her throat: "I remember... Master."

"Good, good, very good." Li Jing'an's face broke into a smile again. He leaned back, crossed his legs, lit a new cigarette, and took two deep drags. "Come on, turn around, head facing outwards—face facing outwards. I'll study it carefully."

Wang Manqi slowly rolled over on the table, her movements stiff. Her back was arched, and she didn't dare to turn around. Li Jing'an smiled as he looked at the scene before him, a cigarette between his fingers, the other hand stroking his chin, his gaze sweeping up and down, scrutinizing her carefully.

"Ugh, it's too dense, it must feel prickly to touch." He muttered, frowning, then his eyes lit up. "Oh, right! I remember now, I have something here." He bent down, opened his desk drawer, and rummaged through it, scattering papers, pens, and documents. Suddenly, he raised his voice, "Oh, here it is! Ha, I knew it was here!"

He pulled a razor from the drawer, its metal casing gleaming coldly under the light, and twirled it between his fingers. Wang Manqi heard the noise, turned her head slightly, and caught a glimpse of the object out of the corner of her eye. Her heart skipped a beat, and a flicker of fear crossed her eyes.

Li Jing'an chuckled, holding the razor up to his eyes, adjusting the angle with the blade facing down, then tilting his head to change direction, as if searching for the perfect spot to strike. Suddenly, he slapped his forehead: "Right, it'll definitely hurt without lubrication—oh, what a coincidence, I still have some cold tea in this cup, I'll make do with that."

He picked up the enamel mug on the table, gulped down a big mouthful, and held it in his mouth, his cheeks puffing out.

With a "poof," the misty spray of herbal tea sprayed out, exploding on her skin with an icy coolness.

Wang Manqi suddenly shuddered and cried out in surprise, her whole body arching as if she had been electrocuted.

She then realized what Li Jing'an was about to do, and hurriedly turned her head away, her voice trembling uncontrollably: "Don't do this... How... how am I supposed to go to the public bathhouse after this?"

Li Jing'an's face peeked out from behind her, tilting his head to look at her, a hint of mockery in his smile: "What? Let me tell you, going to the bathhouse is the real deal—those people are so envious. This skill, I'm the only one in all of Beijing with it, you should be secretly happy."

"Please...don't..." Wang Manqi's voice broke into a sob.

"Shut up." Li Jing'an's smile suddenly turned cold, a thin layer of ice formed in his eyes, and his voice was low and deep. "Say one more word, and I'll slash you horizontally, turning you into a crossroads."

Wang Manqi was so frightened by his words that she froze, biting her lower lip and daring not to make a sound, tears falling onto the table in a steady stream.

Then she felt the cold knife touch her skin and slowly slide along her spine, the chill seeping into the bones.

All she could do was grit her teeth, swallow her sobs back down, and her knuckles, gripping the edge of the table, turned bluish-white.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Early the next morning, Li Jing'an's car was parked downstairs at the office building. He was the first to push open the door and stretch lazily in the rising sun, his joints cracking as he let out a long sigh: "I feel so refreshed." He turned his head and glanced at Wang Manqi, who was bending over to get out of the car from the other side. His gaze lingered on her face for a moment—she looked haggard, clearly having not slept well the day before, and her legs were noticeably weak as she walked.

"Manqi," he called out.

Wang Manqi paused, looked up at him, her eyes somewhat unfocused.

"Go to the personnel department first and tell Team Leader Gou what I'm saying." Li Jing'an brushed off non-existent dust from his cuffs. "Then go and explain things to your dad, tell him what to say and what to do—just pin the blame on that guy surnamed Han. Once you're done, come upstairs to me, and I'll have Xiao Lin hand over the work to you."

"Yes, Director." Wang Manqi's voice was hoarse as she nodded slightly, her whole being exuding a listless and drained aura.

Li Jing'an sized her up, a slight smile playing on his lips, but said nothing more. He turned and strode towards the office building. As soon as he entered the lobby, he saw Liu Yuanyuan standing by the door.