Neither spoke. The man narrowed his eyes dangerously.
The “diner” on the floor, perhaps experiencing a final surge of vitality before death, convulsed twice in succession.
Instantly diverted, the man’s lips curled into a murderous smile as he raised the hammer once more.
Thud, thud, thud, thud—
The scene was excessively gruesome, enough to make any ordinary person tremble and vomit uncontrollably.
Rose showed little reaction, merely furrowing her brow slightly to avoid the splattering blood. Leaning against the wall, she pulled a cigarette from her bag, lit it, took a deep drag, and watched with keen interest as the man continued his violent act.
“Hah…”
After a long moment, the man slowly exhaled, breathing heavily as he stood up. His hawk-like gaze swept over her.
“Want one?”
Rose took another drag from her cigarette, her crimson lips parting slightly to release the smoke. Her phoenix eyes, lifted at the corners, fixed unwaveringly on the prominent bulge in his pants, heightened by the stimulation.
It seemed… today would be a treat.
The man paused, then let out a deep, sensual chuckle, striding toward her.
In an instant, they were mere inches apart, an oppressive tension closing in.
“Aren’t you afraid I’ll kill you?”
A hand stained with blood caressed Rose’s slender, sickly pale neck as if in affection. The rough pads of his fingers sent a slight tremble through her body.
Not out of fear…
But… excitement no less intense than his in this moment!
Interesting.
A smirk of amusement slowly spread across Li Yuan’s lips.
Rose stared at his strikingly handsome face so close to hers, her lips curling into a hollow smile.
“Suit yourself.”
“Who said I didn’t want it?”
Li Yuan raised an eyebrow, plucking a cheap cigarette from her hand and placing it between his lips. He leaned in, pressing his mouth to hers.
The glowing red ember slowly ignited the unlit cigarette, the two entwined sticks resembling lovers in a kiss—intimate and ambiguous.
Wreathed in smoke, their features appeared increasingly eerie and profound.
The scene was utterly dissonant, no matter how one looked at it.
“Not bad size.”
After a moment, Rose offered a favorable assessment.
“Selling yourself? Was he your client?”
Li Yuan chuckled, glancing sidelong at the long-cold corpse on the floor.
“Yes, he was my income for the day, but you killed him, so you’re responsible.”
She admitted freely, acting as though she had latched onto him.
An expensive watch, a tailored suit, handcrafted leather shoes—everything about him clashed with the slums. Anyone with a bit of sense wouldn’t let such a “sucker” slip away.
As a gold digger, Jiang Xiaoman spared no expense on herself. Originally not particularly striking, after minor adjustments, she had become a seductive, sultry beauty with phoenix eyes, deep-set features, and a high nose bridge. Her look wasn’t the generic internet celebrity face but had distinct personal flair.
Standing over 170 cm tall, she had a classic hourglass figure—slender limbs, large breasts, a waist so narrow it seemed graspable, wide hips, a full rear, and long, straight legs.
Her revealing outfit—a tube top, hot pants, lace stockings, and high heels—showcased her enviable curves but also came off as slightly cheap, clearly marking her profession.
Vulgar men would undoubtedly lose their heads over Jiang Xiaoman.
But clearly… Li Yuan was not a vulgar man.
He had little interest in women; the only things that could excite him were thrills and blood!
He lifted Rose’s chin, scrutinizing her from head to toe as if appraising a piece of merchandise. A flash of intense disdain crossed his eyes, and his smile brimmed with malice.
“You’re filthy—I can’t bring myself to touch you. How about an alternative form of compensation? Sending you to the underworld to reunite with your clients?”
In this lawless no-man’s-land, the death of a drug dealer and a prostitute was nothing out of the ordinary. The local police wouldn’t even bother wasting resources on scum from the slums.
“A living dog is better than a dead lion. If you don’t want to do it, that’s fine. Sleeping around is just my side gig—my main profession is massage therapy. Don’t let my appearance fool you; my skills are actually pretty decent.”
“Isn’t it nice to relax after a tense situation? You seem pretty stiff in the shoulders, handsome. Want to give it a try? My technique…”
Rose flashed a seductive smile, casually flicking away her cigarette butt before placing her hand on his shoulder, pressing firmly into his tight muscles.
As a massage therapist, she frequently handled essential oils and lotions, so her palms were relatively soft. It was just the garish, chipped red nail polish on her fingers that was rather off-putting.
She did have some real skill, though.
His sore, stiff muscles had already loosened up considerably after just a couple of presses.
Li Yuan was a man who knew how to enjoy life.
And since the woman before him had genuinely piqued his interest, he happily decided to give it a try.
“I’ll spare your life for now. But if you try anything funny, your fate will be far worse than his.”
His thin lips curled into a pleased smile as he gestured threateningly with his thumb toward the corpse on the ground.
“I’ll definitely behave, but whether you’ll act up is another story. Don’t blame me if it happens. Should we change locations or head to the bedroom?”
Rose pouted slightly as she asked.
She really wasn’t picky at all.
Li Yuan’s lips twitched, and he strode out of the blood-soaked crime scene first.
Rose quickly followed, a faint, elusive smile playing on her frivolous lips.
Truly… sometimes you search far and wide for something, only to find it effortlessly right under your nose.
She had found her way back to the country—and her method of getting close to Li Yan for revenge.
Who would have thought that the man before her was the younger brother of Li Yan, the very person responsible for Jiang Xiaoman’s miserable fate?
The two were twins. The elder brother, Li Yan, had inherited their deceased parents’ company and now reigned as an overbearing CEO.
The younger brother, Li Yuan, had been raised abroad since childhood, tasked with handling the Li family’s unsavory, underground affairs. He was known as the Dark Emperor.
Back then, it was Li Yan who gave the order, and Li Yuan who carried it out, leading to Jiang Xiaoman’s downfall.
The irony was, neither Jiang Xiaoman nor Li Yuan had ever even met each other.
All it took was a word from the big shot to make her life a living hell.
What a peculiar, twisted fate.
Downstairs, several black luxury cars were parked, surrounded by bodyguards in black suits. Since they were armed, no one dared to approach for a robbery or even a chat.
When Li Yuan emerged, the black-suited bodyguards quickly stepped forward to meet him.
“I smashed his head in—it’s not very recognizable. Cut off the hand with the severed finger and send it to the other party.”
He issued the command casually before getting into one of the cars.
Rose tried to follow but was stopped by one of the bodyguards.
“We’re together,” she explained with an ingratiating smile, her tone enthusiastic.
“Be good now. You’re not worthy of riding with me. Get in the car behind.”
Li Yuan laughed, his tone as if coaxing a girlfriend yet dripping with sarcasm.
“Tch, sharing a car means nothing. Sooner or later, I’ll make you beg to ride me!”
Rose curled her lips and grumbled as she walked toward the back of the vehicle.
The double-entendre dirty joke made him raise his eyebrows again involuntarily.
Should he call her exceptionally bold?
Or should he say she was utterly foolish?
Just a prostitute at the very bottom of society – where did she get such inexplicable confidence to think she was irresistible to everyone?
Soon, the car drove away from the slums and headed toward the affluent district separated by just one river.
A large bridge completely segregated the city’s wealth gap.
On this side of the bridge, houses were dilapidated, the environment was messy, and people struggled with hunger, either barely scraping by or completely giving up waiting for death.
While on the other side of the bridge, tall buildings stood clean and tranquil, where these elites at the top of the food chain exclusively enjoyed the conveniences brought by their money and power!
Eventually, Rose was taken to the local best five-star hotel.
Li Yuan didn’t let her enter the room directly, but ordered the female manager to take her for bathing, disinfection, and a physical examination. Only when she was confirmed healthy would she be permitted to enter his room.