High fever and dehydration had long since taken their toll on her body. Zhao Jingwan was unconscious for an entire day.
When she woke again, she looked at the bright ceiling and tilted her head slightly. Sunlight streamed in through the window, and she squinted, raising a hand to shield her eyes.
Suddenly remembering something, she sat up in a panic and looked around.
She found herself in an unfamiliar environment—a room so absurdly large, with luxurious decor, that she was momentarily stunned.
Click. The door was pushed open from outside.
Her nerves immediately tensed, her gaze turning wary. A stranger’s figure appeared.
“You’re awake.”
Zhou Zheng looked at the girl’s pale face, the timidity in her eyes—she really did look terrified.
“Who are you?”
“You’re safe here. Rest up and get better.”
Get healthy enough so that when the boss returns, she’ll be able to withstand his interrogation and punishment.
He smiled, set the medical kit he was carrying on the bedside table, then turned and left.
“Where is this? Who exactly are you?”
No one answered her. Watching the man’s retreating figure, she got out of bed, walked to the door, and tried the handle. It wouldn’t open.
She was imprisoned.
A week later, Luo Jin flew back to Dubai. It was late at night when Zhou Zheng went to pick him up. The man had been drinking and was slightly tipsy; he closed his eyes to rest as soon as he got in the car.
Zhou Zheng glanced at the rearview mirror and quietly asked the man in the back where he wanted to go.
Luo Jin didn’t speak. Zhou Zheng withdrew his gaze and turned the car around, heading to the nearest residence.
At the villa, the woman had already brewed a pot of hangover tea and poured a cup, setting it on the table.
Hearing movement at the door, she set down her cup and walked over.
Seeing the man who had appeared in the dead of night—his suit jacket half open, carrying the smell of alcohol—
Her heart stirred. A gentle smile curved at the corners of her lips as she stepped forward to help him take off his jacket.
But before her outstretched hand could touch his clothes, her body was suddenly spun around and pressed against the wall. The man’s low, husky voice came from behind her ear.
“Wearing something so slutty?”
Luo Jin pressed down on the woman’s neck from behind.
With his other hand, he reached for the buckle of his belt. Just as he was about to lift up the skirt that was in the way,
the woman spoke softly.
“I thought you’d be back tomorrow. Coming so late—I wasn’t prepared at all.”
She said it casually, but the man behind her stopped his movements, pausing for a few seconds.
Luo Jin raised a hand to brush aside her long hair. His gaze turned cold. He released his hold on her and stepped back two paces.
Feeling the weight lift from her body, the woman turned around in confusion. The man’s face was utterly indifferent—not a trace of desire on it.
“What’s wrong?”
She asked softly.
Luo Jin’s dark eyes held something the woman couldn’t read. Aman’s heart inexplicably tightened, and the smile at her lips grew stiff.
“How long have you been with me?”
He asked.
“Exactly 500 days as of today.”
The woman answered in a low voice.
Remembering it that clearly. Luo Jin let out a cold scoff but said nothing.
Aman thought he simply wasn’t in the mood. She slipped off her sexy dress, knelt before the man, and reached out to undo the belt he hadn’t finished unbuckling.
But her hand, halfway extended, was seized. She froze and looked up. Luo Jin released her hand and said flatly,
“Then you should know me pretty well. Do you know what I hate the most?”
Her body stiffened. Aman had no idea what she’d done wrong. Her chin was forcibly gripped and lifted,
forcing her head up to see the man’s expressionless face, his cold gaze looking at her like she was a stranger.
She began to panic.
“With all that digging around, who were you planning to report to?”
“I… no, I wasn’t.”
The panic in her eyes was impossible to hide under the man’s oppressive presence.
Luo Jin watched the woman’s flustered expression, then released her chin and instead pinched her earlobe.
The large earring there was dazzling, making the woman’s pretty face look even more delicate.
His gaze was indifferent, but Aman could feel the chill seeping from the man’s eyes. Her breath caught.
A tearing, searing pain shot through her ear.
She clutched her bleeding ear, enduring the intense pain without letting out a single cry.
The man held up the blood-stained earring and dangled it in front of her eyes.
“A listening device? Hm?”
He bent down, leaning close to her face, then tossed the thing to the ground and crushed it under his foot.
He raised his hand and smeared the blood from his fingertips across her delicate face.
His tall figure loomed over the woman kneeling on the floor.
“Your mission is over.”
Those words left her frozen in place, and then it all clicked.
So he knew everything.
He’d always known whose people she belonged to.
So all along, he’d been playing along, using her to feed back false information?
Luo Jin crouched down, glancing at her ear, still gushing blood—the trail running from her neck down to her chest. He said flatly,
“I won’t kill you. Tomorrow, you go back to Mexico.”
Seeing the terror in the woman’s eyes, he stood up and left without looking back.
Aman collapsed to the floor, knowing full well what kind of abyss awaited her.
Zhou Zheng, waiting outside the villa, was surprised to see the man come out so soon.
After getting in the car, Luo Jin tugged at his shirt collar, looking irritated.
“Drive back.”
Zhou Zheng started the engine and turned the car around, heading back to the estate.
Zhao Jingwan, who had been trapped in the room for a full week, still hadn’t fallen asleep tonight. Gazing at the vast room, the unease in her heart grew ever deeper.
During these days, aside from someone bringing her food and drink, she had no contact with anyone else.
She couldn’t reach the outside world and had no idea how the lawyer who had gotten into trouble with her was doing now.
She looked down at her filthy self and felt a pang of discomfort.
Having gone so long without a bath, her body was too dirty to even look at.
In the first few days after being locked up, she hadn’t dared to bathe out of caution,
but over these past few days, she’d realized that no one ever actually showed up here.
After thinking it over, she took off her coat and walked into the bathroom. It was spacious inside. She turned on the showerhead, and warm water came out.
Zhao Jingwan hesitated inwardly for a moment, but still stripped off her dirty clothes, wanting to quickly rinse off and wash away the grime.
The bathroom had excellent soundproofing and was far from the bedroom door, so naturally, she didn’t hear the sound of that door opening.
Seeing Zhou Zheng emerge from the estate, Saito sat on the hood of the car, one leg bent, and asked lazily,
“How’s the boss handling that girl?”
Torture her first, then have his way? Or have his way, then torture her some more?
Tsk. Poor thing.
Zhou Zheng paused mid-step as he descended the stairs. Damn it—he’d forgotten to mention that.
He was just about to turn back when he reconsidered. It was already too late; the boss had probably already seen the girl in his room.
Luo Jin walked into the room carrying his suit jacket. It was pitch dark inside, and out of habit, he didn’t turn on the lights.
He tossed his jacket aside casually, raised a hand to rub his brow, looking weary.
He sank into the sofa, pulled out a cigarette, and put it between his lips. Just as he lowered his head to light it, he heard movement from the direction of the bathroom.
On instinct, he immediately drew the handgun from his waist.
In the darkness, a slender figure emerged from the shadows around the corner.
Her movements seemed timid and hesitant as she made her way toward the bed. She didn’t turn on the lights either, crouching on the floor as if searching for something.
Zhao Jingwan was feeling around on the ground for the coat she’d just taken off. She hadn’t turned on the lights because it gave her psychological comfort—
she felt that if she changed in the dark, no one would see her.
She found her coat and picked it up, then untied the towel wrapped around her body.
The hazy moonlight filtered through the thin window curtains, casting its glow over her freshly washed figure.
She had no idea that a dangerous gaze was watching her from the darkness.
Silhouetted against the moonlight, Luo Jin could vaguely make out the girl’s bare body—
smooth, slender, not entirely clear, only a faint outline visible.
Her long hair hung loose, carrying a certain dreamy allure.
He narrowed his eyes slightly, his grip on the gun tightening, a surge of heat rising in his gaze.
Before Zhao Jingwan could even pull her clothes on, a wave of tobacco scent flooded her senses.
She instinctively turned her head and saw, just a few steps away, a tall figure leaning against the wall—she had no idea when he’d appeared.
Startled, she clapped a hand over her mouth, barely stifling a scream.