Chapter 8 Can I ask you for compensation?

The gentle "knock, knock, knock" at the door went unanswered. Likely short on patience, the person waiting at the door didn't wait for a response and pushed the door open.

Li Fengchang stood in the doorway, his tall figure blocking the light from behind, casting a long shadow on the floor.

The room was dark, the curtains tightly drawn, and only the light from the hallway spilled through the gap beside him, dimly illuminating the room's interior.

Li Fengchang's gaze swept around the room before settling on the large bed.

Li Fengchang's brow furrowed slightly as he reached out with his large hand and flung back the blanket, revealing the person curled up on the bed.

Mi Shen had nearly curled into a period, and the low sobs abruptly stopped when he suddenly flung off the blanket.

Li Fengchang sat down beside the bed, stroking her forehead with his hand, and as his gaze touched upon the moisture beneath her eyelids, his frown deepened.

Seeing her hands clasped together, he thought of the force he had used earlier, and felt a twinge of unease.

"What happened to your hand?" he asked with some stiffness.

"It's nothing." Mi Shen turned her back to him, presenting a defiant silhouette.

But in the next second, her shoulder was grasped by a large hand, as Li Fengchang forcibly turned her back around, conceding in his tone, "Alright, I admit, I didn't think things through. It won't happen again."

His voice was calm but undeniably sincere. Not many could make him yield, but Mi Shen was one.

There was a raw abrasion on her wrist, which pained him to see. He reached for her hand, "How did it get like this?"

Mi Shen opened her eyes, glanced at it, and said, "The rope did it."

Li Fengchang then fetched the first-aid kit and turned on the light to treat her wound himself. He was adept at it; Mi Shen had always been mischievous and this wasn't the first time he had to apply medicine for her.

Mi Shen watched him, blinking, "Fengchang, can I ask you for compensation?"

"Speak."

"Um… In a couple of days, my classmates are going camping, and I want to go," she said, her eyes full of hope as she gazed earnestly at him.

Li Fengchang didn't even look up, "No!"

"Why?"

He never allowed her to stay out overnight, not ever. She was escorted to and from school by a designated person, and even going out for a meal required advance notice, with time restrictions to boot. Sometimes, Mi Shen felt that Fengchang was a bit too strict with her.

He had finished tending to her wound, and while putting away the first-aid kit, he answered, "When I say no, it means no!"

His tone was domineering, brooking no refusal.

"But I really want to go, all my classmates are going, and Beibei is going too."

Beibei was her best friend, her closest confidante.

"Fengchang, I promise I won't cause you any trouble, I promise!" she said, raising three fingers, her little face brimming with sincerity, as if she were swearing an oath to heaven.

But Li Fengchang was still uncompromising, standing up to tower over her, "You're not allowed to go!"

He picked up the first-aid kit and walked out, saying over his shoulder, "Wash your face and come out for lunch."

Behind him, Mi Shen rose from the bed, indignant, "That's tyranny, your apology lacks sincerity!"

But Li Fengchang had already left the room, not looking back.