Chapter 184 From Now On, You’re Mine

Chapter 184 From Now On, You’re Mine
He kissed her neck, bracing one hand against the seat while reaching to unzip the side of her dress with the other.
In the quiet car, the sound of the zipper was particularly distinct. When Lily heard it, her heart began to race even faster.
"Don't be nervous," Mason whispered in her ear. "It's like this the first time. Just relax.”
Lily didn’t know what to say or where to put her hands, so she ended up clutching the seat beneath her.
She felt the dress being pulled down, and her skin broke out in goosebumps when it touched the air.
Mason wasn’t moving slowly—in fact, he was a bit impatient. He stripped off his clothes and tossed them onto the front passenger seat.
Lily closed her eyes, too afraid to look. She could only feel his breathing growing heavier, hot and damp against her neck.
“Look at me,” Mason said.
Lily opened her eyes and met his face, mere inches away.
He had taken off his glasses at some point, and his gaze was completely different from that of the polite, refined director she had seen onstage. It was a look she couldn’t decipher.
Then she felt the pain.
It came so suddenly that she couldn't help but let out a muffled groan; her eyes instantly welled up with tears.
She tried to pull back, but the car was too cramped. She couldn't escape.
Mason paused for a moment, then leaned down and kissed the corner of her eye.
"Just bear with it. It'll be over soon," he said, his voice gentler than before. "Good girl."
Lily bit her lip to keep from making a sound and gripped his arm so tightly that her fingernails nearly dug into his flesh.
Mason didn’t seem to mind the pain; he just slowed his movements a little.
The car lights were off, and only a faint glow from the streetlights outside filtered in, casting everything in a hazy, indistinct light.
Lily stared at the ceiling, her mind a jumble of thoughts. One moment she thought of Mason calling her a good girl; the next, she thought of the armrest compartments filled with condoms. Then, she thought of seeing Jennifer at camp tomorrow.
As she thought, tears slipped from the corners of her eyes, trickling into her ears.
Mason saw them and leaned down to kiss them away.
"It's okay," he said. "Things will be fine from now on."
Lily didn’t say a word.
She wasn’t sure if she was nervous, scared, or something else. She just felt like everything had happened too fast—so fast that she hadn’t had time to think it through.
After a long while, Mason finally stopped moving.
He leaned back in his seat, panting. A few seconds later, he stood up, pulled out some tissues, and handed them to her.
Lily took the tissues, her hands still trembling slightly.
Not knowing where to wipe, she just clutched them in her hand and sat there, dazed.
Mason had already pulled on his pants and resumed his usual composed demeanor.
He glanced back at her and reached out to run his fingers through her hair.
"You're mine now," he said matter-of-factly. “If anything happens, tell me.”
Lily looked up at him, her eyes still red-rimmed.
"Well...about the New Star Contest..." she whispered.
Mason smiled, though the dim light made it hard to make out the details.
“Don’t worry,” he said. "I'll help you."
Hearing this, the panic in Lily’s heart seemed to subside slightly.
She sat up slowly, smoothed out her skirt, and bent down to pick up her shoes from the floor.
The torn condom wrapper was still lying next to the seat. Lily glanced at it and looked away quickly.
Mason had already returned to the driver’s seat and started the car.
“Want a ride home?” he asked.
Lily nodded without saying a word. She turned her face toward the window and watched the streetlights flash by. She was still feeling dazed.
After the car had driven a short distance, she suddenly remembered that the pack of children’s yogurt was still under the seat. She had no idea where it had rolled off to.
There were a total of fifty contestants nationwide, including both boys and girls, in the finals of the Rising Star Contest.
Since the finals would be broadcast live on TV in a variety show format, all participants were required to stay at the filming camp for the weeklong competition.
The organizers had also issued a notice instructing all contestants to prepare their personal belongings in advance and check in at the camp.
During the final week before the competition, Jennifer was fully focused on preparing.
During this time, she didn’t even visit Michael; they only exchanged occasional text messages.
However, the day before the competition began, he took the initiative to send her a text message, which came as a bit of a surprise to her.
I can't see you off tomorrow because of a meeting. Get plenty of rest at the camp. If you have any problems you can’t solve, reach out to me anytime.
Jennifer looked at the message and knew he cared about her.
Although the message was brief, it carried a lot of meaning, and showed how important she was to him.
Before she knew it, a warm feeling welled up inside her.
Will you watch the live stream of my match?
Even though she guessed he probably wouldn’t have time, she still asked.
The result was pretty much what she expected. Michael didn't make an exception for her. He simply replied, Probably not.
Jennifer felt a little disappointed and sent back a crying emoji.
His fingers paused for a moment, and he instinctively replied, I’ll watch if I have time.
Jennifer was overjoyed and gushed, Then you absolutely have to watch the finals! I’ll be wearing a really pretty dress. I’ll wear it when I win the championship.
Seeing her determination, he couldn’t help but smile.
He genuinely wished her well, hoping she would shine in her field.
Good luck, he replied solemnly, just as he had when he gave her the crown—formal and sincere.
Jennifer felt even more motivated to study with his encouragement, and a special connection quietly blossomed between them.
Without realizing it, Jennifer took a screenshot of that page of their chat history, instinctively wanting to save it.
While Jennifer worked hard to prepare for the competition, Lily was in a daze.
Mason kept coming to see her—sometimes in his car, sometimes at motels booked under someone else’s name. Once, he even took her to the basement under his apartment building, where they did things she’d never done before.
Lily had absolutely no mind for studying right now.
Every day, she waited for Mason, savoring the time they spent together and relishing his maturity and the way he claimed her.
It was as if she’d fallen right in.
Mason made all sorts of promises, saying that no matter which company she wanted to join or who she wanted to work with, it would be no problem at all.
He told her about many impressive people and things—all of which she hadn't encountered in her decade and a half at school.
In short, Mason created the illusion that Lily’s life had suddenly opened up. Being with him made her feel more confident, so she wasn’t concerned about the Rising Star Contest anymore.
However, it was almost time to check in at camp. No matter how reluctant she was, Lily had to say goodbye to Mason.
In the car, she fell asleep from exhaustion and woke up with a stomachache.
She was completely naked. Perhaps the air conditioning had blown directly on her stomach, causing her to catch a chill.
Mason was right beside her, fully dressed and expressionless as he scrolled through his phone. Her own clothes were scattered on the floor.
When he saw her wake up, Mason didn’t say a word. It was Lily who reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"I'm going to the finals tomorrow, and I won't see you for seven days. It’s so hard.”
After Lily spoke, Mason didn’t put down his phone. He merely gave her arm a perfunctory pat.
"It's okay. Do your best in the competition. Good luck.”
It was the same words, but Mason’s tone was completely different.
Lily felt he was being dismissive.
But she soon convinced herself that she was overthinking it.
Lily sighed. "I definitely won't get a very good ranking."
As Isabella had said, if she had really pushed herself, there might still be hope.
But lately, she hadn’t studied a single word; she’d just been hanging out with Mason. What kind of results could she possibly expect?
People are always like that—they only regret not having prepared right before the exam.
Lily said, "I'm even thinking of withdrawing from the competition. I just want to be with you all the time.”
As she spoke, she hugged Mason, sadness evident in her voice.
Upon hearing this, Mason put down his phone and his expression grew slightly awkward.
"Lily, you worked so hard to make it to the finals. You have to compete! Don’t you remember? I like independent girls. Just do your best, okay?”
Lily looked at Mason, feeling regret over her fleeting thought of quitting the competition.
"Right... How could I have wanted to withdraw? I must be too tired. I was just talking nonsense."
Lily smiled. "Don't worry. I’ll go out there and give it my all tomorrow. Especially to beat Jennifer.”
Mason’s eyes lit up the moment he heard her name.