Shi Lin closed the door and pulled out a pair of disposable slippers from the entryway cabinet, tossing them toward her. Lin Mian, still dazed, slipped off her shoes and slid her feet into them.

She walked into the living room to find the man already seated on the sofa, leaning back casually with his legs crossed—an effortlessly relaxed posture.

His dark eyes swept over her from head to toe, his gaze blunt and unapologetically assessing. Lin Mian felt like an object being appraised before slaughter.

Not daring to move without permission, she stood stiffly in the middle of the room, head bowed.

Her mind was a whirlwind of chaos, buzzing loudly enough to drown out all thought—even if she couldn’t form words, her skull throbbed as if screaming.

His stare was unrelenting, his pupils deep and piercing, as if dissecting every inch of her. He even shifted his position, leaning back slightly but never breaking eye contact, watching her every involuntary movement with detached interest.

She could hardly breathe.

Finally, he picked up his glass of water, turning it slowly between his fingers as he spoke in a lazy, indifferent tone.

"After the egg retrieval, you’ll have to deal with the side effects yourself—lower abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, ovarian swelling, difficulty breathing. In severe cases, you could contract hepatitis B, syphilis, HIV... But since you’re a student at prestigious A University, I’m sure you already know all this. No need for me to spell it out, right?"

Lin Mian’s face drained of color, pale as paper.

Her hands trembled even harder.

"Did you hear me?"

Shi Lin set the glass down on the coffee table with a dull thud, his expression unreadable.

Lin Mian clenched her fists at her sides, her knuckles white.

Somehow, this man’s presence was suffocating—she could barely lift her head under the weight of his gaze.

"I-I heard," she stammered.

"Repeat it."

Huh?

Lin Mian blinked, startled. Meeting his calm, unyielding stare, she forced herself to comply. Her memory was sharp—she’d always excelled at memorizing texts.

In a muffled voice, barely above a whisper, she recited, "After the egg retrieval... lower abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, ovarian swelling..."

Her voice shook violently midway, and she faltered, unable to continue.

The side effects hammered against her mind like nails, each word a fresh wave of dread.

Suddenly, she recoiled. "I-I take it back. I’m sorry, I’m leaving."

Panicked, she whirled toward the door, fumbling with the handle—but it wouldn’t budge.

The door was locked.

Her heart lurched into her throat.

Just then, Shi Lin strolled over at his leisure, his tall frame casting an imposing shadow. With effortless strength, he pressed her against the door, caging her in.

He closed the distance between them until his face was mere centimeters from hers, his presence suffocatingly intense.