He swung his legs idly, seemingly unaffected by the confinement. So when he heard footsteps outside, he barely reacted.

The small window in the door was suddenly flung open with a sharp snap. He glanced casually outwards and saw Tao Yu’s face. “Little warden, what are you doing back here?”

“Old Chang asked me to bring you some medicine.” Finding the right balance between showing goodwill and not overdoing it was proving difficult, so she decided to shift some of the responsibility onto Old Chang. “There might be an inspection soon. Regardless of what usually goes on here, you can’t have any visible injuries.”

Yue Linze watched her with amusement. He wondered when this forgotten island had become subject to inspections.

“Here.” Tao Yu reached through the bars with the medicine, her sleeve snagging on the edge of the window and riding up, revealing her pale wrist.

Yue Linze stared at her delicate arm for a long moment. Only when Tao Yu’s impatient voice broke the silence did he finally take the medicine from her with a smirk.

Tao Yu glanced at him and turned to leave, but Yue Linze’s lazy voice stopped her. “Little warden, stay and chat. I’m bored in here. Psychological trauma is still trauma. What will the inspectors think if they see you’ve driven a prisoner insane?”

Tao Yu paused, her steps slowing. As a psychologist, she was well aware of the damaging effects of solitary confinement.

Yue Linze, seeing her hesitation, shrugged indifferently and sat back down on the cot, tossing the medicine aside without a second glance.

Then he heard footsteps again. He looked towards the door in surprise. A moment later, the lock turned, and Tao Yu reappeared.

Her face was serious. “Why aren’t you putting on the medicine? Are you planning to blame me when the inspection team arrives? You’re my responsibility. I’ll be the one who gets in trouble.”

Yue Linze glanced at her. “If you’re the one who’ll get in trouble, why would Old Chang be so kind as to give me medicine?”

Tao Yu choked, then replied smoothly, “Because he’s my mentor. If I mess up, it means he didn’t train me properly. He’ll be punished too.”

Yue Linze found her blatant lies amusing, but he didn’t call her out. Instead, he played along. “I see. What a rare opportunity to get one over on a guard. I guess I definitely can’t put this medicine on then.”

‘Suit yourself.’ Tao Yu glared at him, grabbed a small stool from outside, and sat by the door, staring blankly at the wall. Perhaps it was his irritating personality, or perhaps it was her current position of authority, but she felt strangely comfortable being blunt with him.

They sat in silence for a while. Yue Linze’s eyes kept drifting towards her. He was a regular resident of solitary, but he’d never felt bored before. This time, despite having company, he felt restless, the urge to provoke her rising within him.

But he’d already antagonized her enough for one day. It was time for a change in tactics. He thought for a moment, then sat up and rummaged through the medicine, pulling out the antiseptic. He started dabbing it on his face.

Tao Yu’s attention was drawn to his actions. She watched him apply the medicine, then, seeing him use his bare fingers, she said flatly, “Didn’t you just finish a fight? Aren’t you worried about infection?”

“It’s fine. I’m tough,” Yue Linze said casually, deliberately holding the antiseptic higher so she could see what he was doing.

Tao Yu couldn’t stand it any longer. She frowned, walked over, and swatted his hand away. Then she put on a pair of disposable gloves and picked up a cotton ball.

Yue Linze, having achieved his goal, grinned and waited. Tao Yu dabbed the cotton ball on his face.

“Ow… that hurts,” Yue Linze said immediately.

Tao Yu’s lips twitched. “I haven’t even touched you yet. What hurts?”

“I saw your expression. Just getting a head start,” Yue Linze said with a grin.

Tao Yu rolled her eyes and continued applying the antiseptic, her touch unconsciously gentler than before.

The solitary cell was small and low-ceilinged. Besides the cot and the toilet, there was barely any space to stand. Tao Yu had to bend over, standing close to the bed. Yue Linze looked her over, finding her more and more attractive. Remembering that she was a woman, he automatically added a layer of admiration to his gaze.

Yue Linze sat up straight, his eyes lingering on her smooth neck, devoid of an Adam’s apple. He wondered how she’d managed to slip in with such a careless disguise. Then his gaze fell to her flat chest. A flicker of understanding, followed by a touch of sympathy, crossed his face.

“What are you looking at?” Tao Yu asked, her voice low.

Yue Linze’s head snapped up. Their faces were now barely an inch apart. His Adam’s apple bobbed. He was about to speak when his gaze was captured by her lips.

“Don’t pretend nothing happened. I saw you staring,” Tao Yu said, her eyes narrowing. She was helping him, and he was ogling her!

Yue Linze blinked and sat up even straighter, bringing their lips closer. When they were barely a finger’s width apart, he said softly, “Little warden, is this an invitation?”