Volume 1 Chapter 1: Salvation
“You can’t kiss my neck, wu…” A soft, weeping voice came from beneath him, and Li Xuzhou’s Adam’s apple rolled uncontrollably.
He moved his lips away from the slender neck, his voice slightly hoarse: “Be good, I won’t kiss it anymore.”
The person beneath him was incredibly beautiful, with fox-like eyes slightly narrowed, a hint of tears at the corners. Though her face was enchantingly alluring, at this moment she looked pitiful.
A naive little girl.
He concluded in his heart.
Ruan Yu felt her entire body burning, an indescribable craving pulsing faintly in her chest. The man’s face flickered in and out under the dim light, unclear, only those eyes—mesmerizing. Just one glance, and she felt drawn into his vortex.
“It doesn’t feel good…” Somehow, in the past when she felt wronged, she would only hide and cry secretly. How could she act so coquettishly with a man she had just met?
Her cheeks flushed red, and the man quickly noticed.
Li Xuzhou raised an eyebrow: “Where?” His lips pressed against her soft, pink skin again, following her fingers as he kissed downward.
From her fingertips to the base of her palm, Ruan Yu instinctively clenched her fingers, her ears growing hot. She stubbornly insisted, “Your kisses don’t feel good.”
She had clearly been moaning softly in pleasure, her arms slightly lifting to press closer—how could she be uncomfortable? Unaware of the tenderness in his own eyes, Li Xuzhou chuckled softly: “Hold me.”
After who knows how long, faint red marks trailed down her slender arms.
“Mm… hah…” The heat and the man’s scent made Ruan Yu unable to restrain herself. She obediently tightened her embrace around Li Xuzhou, burying her face in the crook of his neck.
Feeling her movement and the small, soft, damp patch on his neck, Li Xuzhou paused briefly, almost imperceptibly, only to become gentler in his actions. He repeatedly kissed and sucked her palm, refraining from any further advances that might offend her. Sensing her desire and discomfort, he let out a soft sigh.
Ruan Yu was very sensitive to sighs. Her body stiffened uncontrollably, and her legs kicked out a few times aimlessly. Feeling the firmness of the man’s legs, she suddenly felt aggrieved: “Get up, I don’t want you anymore…”
“Hmm?” Li Xuzhou made an absent-minded sound, his movements unceasing. He reached down, grasping her flailing ankles and applying some pressure to calm her legs in his hands. “Why are you so thin… poor thing…”
A soft whimper escaped, and only then did Li Xuzhou notice that Ruan Yu’s body was trembling. Frowning, he leaned close to her ear and whispered, “Do you need…”
Receiving an affirmative answer, his movements grew slightly more intense: “Forgive my intrusion. It’s fine if you make sounds.”
“Gently… be gentle,” Ruan Yu covered her eyes with the back of her hand, biting her lip so hard that the center of her lip turned slightly pale.
“Alright.”
Three years later, F City, Lingxin Garden, a famous affluent residential area.
In the top floor of a detached villa, inside a corner storage room, there was a bedroom.
The room was large, but it contained only a bed and a bathroom, with no other furnishings. On the headboard were countless vertical marks of varying depths—1,136 in total.
1,136 days. Three years.
Near the ceiling was a narrow window without glass, only bars resembling those of a prison. It was dim and gloomy, allowing no extra light to penetrate.
“So hungry…” The girl on the bed seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep, her eyes tightly shut, murmuring unconsciously.
This bed was enormous, as if deliberately arranged this way. A thin layer of blanket covered it, and Ruan Yu curled up in the corner, her “pillow” a pile of stacked clothes.
Ruan Yu hadn’t eaten for two days, only sipping hot water from the bathroom. Her fragile stomach was assaulted by waves of dense pain and acidity.
She curved the corners of her lips, pressed a hand against her tormented stomach, and curled her body even tighter. She had no strength left for any other movement.
Ruan Yu’s hair was slightly curly, a somewhat dull black, with a few strands casually covering her eyes. Her skin was pale, but upon closer inspection, it was the pallor of malnutrition—especially around her joints, where only a thin layer of skin and flesh clung to the bone, like jade, or more like the fragile wings of a butterfly.
She didn’t know how much time had passed when she heard a noise at the door. Ruan Yu instinctively swallowed, her dry throat stinging, but she paid it no mind. Using what little strength she had, she crawled up, propped herself up, and opened the small window on the door—only to find nothing there.
Huh? Usually, meals were delivered through here. Why was there nothing today?
She barely managed to lift her eyelids. Her stomach, as if sensing her emotions, contracted even more. The pain and nausea from lack of food nearly made her vomit, but her empty stomach couldn’t even support that.
Ruan Yu lost her strength and slid to the floor.
She had been imprisoned for three years by the people she trusted most—her “parents,” Lu Yuan and Ruan Zhen.
If it weren’t for that man, she would have long been sent to some stranger’s bed.
Thinking of him again… Ruan Yu’s eyes grew hot. Don’t cry, she told herself. Hold on.
The next time she saw him, she couldn’t be as wretched as before.
Still, she couldn’t hold back, letting out a few choked sobs.
Don’t cry, Ruan Yu. Don’t cry!
She fiercely scolded herself in her heart, finally holding back the tears that threatened to fall.
Suddenly, the door opened, and a pair of red-soled stilettos stepped in front of Ruan Yu.
Following the shoes upward, she saw an elegantly dressed woman with a gentle face that didn’t match her striking red lips. There was no warmth in her eyes, only coldness.
“How many days has it been since you ate? Oh, let me think.” Lu Yuan looked leisurely at Ruan Yu’s weakened state, pretending to ponder. “Two days, no—two and a half. The morning before yesterday was your last meal, wasn’t it?”
Ruan Yu didn’t respond to her obvious mockery, her expression blank as she met Lu Yuan’s gaze.
Lu Yuan abruptly changed the subject. “Do you remember the man who saved you three years ago?” Seeing the light in Ruan Yu’s eyes, Lu Yuan sneered. “You really are lucky. That man is the CEO of Huayang Empire, Li Xuzhou.”
The Li family—true aristocracy.
Li Xuzhou, the newly appointed CEO of Huayang Empire for the past three years, was known for his decisive and ruthless methods. His wealth and power were unfathomable, extending far beyond City F, monopolizing one-tenth of global industries. He aggressively invaded every sector, dominating the front pages of all financial newspapers in recent years—a born business legend.
All these years, they had focused on grooming newcomers, completely overlooking such a big fish.
But it wasn’t too late.
Lu Yuan looked at Ruan Yu, weak yet still captivating, and curled her lips into a smile. She still had her trump card—beautiful enough, enchanting enough to captivate hearts.
Though they had kept Ruan Yu hungry all these years, her skin and flesh had been meticulously cared for. Even her most alluring assets had been specially nurtured.
“I can let you out, but you must seduce Li Xuzhou and coax him into signing the Xiangshan project with the Ruan family.”
“You can refuse, but Ruo Yan may not be safe anymore. Isn’t she the one who treats you best?” Lu Yuan’s expression was almost pitying. “I wonder if you’re willing to save her.”