"Hahaha—"
The three of them laughed arrogantly, watching from their window like spectators at a play, letting out bursts of laughter from ti to ti.
In the past month, their minor successes had gone to their heads. They had co to see everyone in the entire residential complex as re pawns in their hands, and a sense of contempt had gradually taken root.
After returning ho, Stella Sterling placed the small bag of dry rations she had picked up on the table and began to stare blankly into space.
It was unclear what she was thinking as she curled up on the sofa, her gaze fixed on a single spot for a long ti.
She was only startled out of her trance when a sound ca from the dical room. Frowning, she headed toward it.
’He’s been quiet for a few days. Looks like he’s decided life is getting too peaceful and wants to start trouble for again, huh?’
Stella Sterling kicked the door open. If she hadn’t had it specially reinforced, that one kick would have likely destroyed it.
Stephen Lawrence looked up from the floor, the fear on his face not yet faded, and asked with a hint of confusion, "Wh-what’s wrong? Why are you so angry?"
She seed particularly irritable today, and Stephen Lawrence felt himself begin to tremble.
Afraid she would take her anger out on him, he quickly explained, "I saw you hadn’t co to practice yet today and thought you might have forgotten, so I made a sound to remind you!"
Over the past few days, he had gradually grown accustod to this painful torture.
Aside from this difficult period every evening, his life was otherwise quite decent. Although he was only given one al a day, a single serving was enough to have fed him for several days before.
He had eaten his fill every day recently.
Besides that, he didn’t have to do any work; his days were spent just sleeping. He was gradually starting to think this life wasn’t so bad. Apart from her treatnts, which were a living hell, everything else was fine.
But, thinking about it from another perspective, even though her treatnts were excruciating, she really was healing him.
After all this ti, the injuries he’d sustained that day had all been treated, and he was now in recovery. Wasn’t that a good thing?
So, when Stella Sterling didn’t show up tonight, he felt a little uneasy and worried.
He was afraid he had lost his value to her. If that was the case, wouldn’t his current good life co to an end?
That was why he had made a noise to get her attention.
But now, seeing her like this, he grew apprehensive!
The anger in Stella Sterling’s eyes subsided slightly. She looked at him coldly and said, "I’ll co when I need you. Don’t get clever."
"Yes, yes! I understand, miss!" Stephen Lawrence nodded hastily.
Stella Sterling continued to watch him. "Your injuries from the other day have been treated. For now, we just need to observe your recovery. Nothing else is necessary."
’No more daily pain?’
A flash of pleasant surprise crossed Stephen Lawrence’s eyes, but then he heard Stella Sterling say, "And as a result, your food rations will be cut in half."
His face imdiately fell. ’Cut in half now... Does that an in a little while I won’t get any food at all?’
He desperately wanted to tell Stella Sterling that if she had to, she could just break his arm again and reset it, or even inflict so other injuries! It wouldn’t be a problem!
’dical skills, after all, need to be perfected. You have to practice a lot!’
However, looking at her face, he didn’t dare say it out loud. Besides, he was worried he couldn’t endure having his arm broken again. So, he could only nod repeatedly. "Yes, yes, you’re right. I have been eating a bit too much lately. Cutting it in half is good, very good. We must conserve food!"
Unfortunately, Stella Sterling seed to have no interest in hearing him out. Before he could finish, she had already closed the door and left.
He let out a huge sigh of relief.
The way she’d stord in earlier, he had genuinely feared he wouldn’t escape a savage beating. Thankfully, he had dodged another bullet.
Sitting back down on the sofa, Stella Sterling’s frown deepened. ’My emotions are a bit volatile. This isn’t right.’
’No matter what I did before, even if my actions seed abnormal to others, I knew that I was perfectly rational inside. Even when I was doing those things, my emotions were calm, with barely a ripple.’
’But just now, that was real anger!’
She rubbed her forehead, then stood up. "Ti for bed. Sleep solves all problems."
Stella Sterling went to bed early. She didn’t watch any shows or do anything else, and by simply emptying her mind, she fell asleep quickly.
The chaos within the complex, however, continued late into the night before finally ceasing.
"Can you not be so overly cautious all the ti? Every little thing I do, you have to lecture !"
Late at night, a sharp, discontented female voice cut through the silence. Stella Sterling opened her eyes and saw that it was just past eleven o’clock. She had already gotten so sleep.
"Lulu, I’m not lecturing you. I’m just trying to reason with you. Things are different now. You can’t tell other people about our situation at ho!" ca the helpless voice of Willow Young’s boyfriend.
Stella Sterling knew it was the couple from across the hall arguing.
They had argued quite a few tis recently, but it was always quiet, so Stella Sterling had never paid it much mind.
This ti, however, seed different. They were much louder than before, and at this hour, it was completely disturbing her sleep.
"But they’re not just ’other people’! They’re my good friends! What does it matter!"
"What ’good friends’? You just t them in the residents’ group chat! If they were really your friends, did they give a damn about you upstairs today? They almost got you killed! Can’t you see that?"
Hearing this, Willow Young seed to recall sothing and fell silent for a mont.
Her boyfriend’s tone softened. "Lulu, I’m not saying this to bla you for anything, but we have to be careful now, or else—"
"Alright, alright, stop talking! You’ve said all this so many tis already. Aren’t you tired of it? I never realized how much you nag!"
Willow Young cut him off, her voice rising several notches in irritation.
This ti, it was her boyfriend’s turn to fall silent for a long while, but Willow Young kept going, "We have so much food at ho, why did we have to go out and fight over that little bag? We could have just let them have it! The only reason it was so dangerous today was because of you!"
"Lulu, I’ve already explained. We weren’t trying to actually snatch it. We were just putting on a show for the others. We had our defenses ready. As long as we didn’t get involved in the real fight, there was no danger!"
"When it cos down to it, you’re just blaming , aren’t you?!"
Willow Young was screaming now.
Her boyfriend relented. "It’s over now. Can we please stop fighting? It’s getting late. We don’t want to disturb that Stella Sterling!"
"You’re bringing up Stella Sterling again! What are you trying to say?!"
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