Xia Wanzhi’s face had turned pale, her fingers stiff, her voice trembling: “I—I have something else to do.”
With that, she turned and walked away, as if something were chasing her.
The moment she turned, tears fell.
Everything she had worked so hard for was a joke in others’ eyes.
Zhong Xi watched her fleeing figure and smiled, her eyes filled with mockery, disdain, and a chilling coldness.
Little girl, this is just the beginning.
Stealing things always comes with a price.
Xia Wanzhi’s steps were unsteady. She took a deep breath, trying to steady her emotions.
She forced a bitter smile.
She realized that everyone had two sides. She had naively thought that Zhong Xi had driven Su Duo away to help her, but it was actually a show of power: what you couldn’t handle, I could easily resolve.
And what about Lu Ruiqian?
She shuddered.
What about the boyfriend she had trusted for years?
She took another deep breath, thought about herself, and smiled bitterly. But she hadn’t been honest with Lu Ruiqian either. She was afraid…
From the moment two people began keeping secrets, trust started to crumble.
The truth was like Pandora’s box—once opened, it revealed cruel, unbearable realities. But if left unopened, it felt like a dull knife constantly cutting into her heart.
No path was easy, yet she couldn’t stay where she was.
Her mind was in turmoil.
She wandered aimlessly through the small garden, climbed a few steps, and then ascended a platform.
Below, the wind rustled through the grass; above, the moonlight was gentle. Only she, in the middle, felt cold and hopeless.
She and Lu Ruiqian had been together for four years. He had always treated her well and remained loyal. Long ago, she had dreamed of a happy life with him, of having a child together—the most perfect future she could imagine.
Lu Ruiqian was working hard to move their relationship forward. Soon, they would achieve their happy ending.
Although there were obstacles… they could be overcome.
That was just Zhong Xi’s side of the story. It might not be true.
She should also work hard for their relationship and not doubt him.
Xia Wanzhi’s heart felt hollow. She thought of the moment when she was being assaulted by three men, desperately calling for help, while her boyfriend was fixing a water heater for another woman. The two of them were soaked in the bathroom. She even imagined their ambiguous glances, Zhong Xi pressing her red nails against Lu Ruiqian’s hand, whispering seductively, “Don’t answer the phone yet. It’s nothing important.”
What was Lu Ruiqian doing at the moment she was begging for death?
Her heart ached, as if something were stabbing it repeatedly.
Hidden in the shadows, she leaned against the railing, gazing at the moon as tears silently streamed down her face.
A man’s rough voice reached her ears: “Are we really going to kill him?”
Xia Wanzhi’s tears stopped instantly. Kill someone?
She held her breath, frozen in place, not daring to move an inch.
Another man, with a refined voice, replied: “We have to. Keeping him alive is a disaster. If we act too late, we’ll be the ones to die first. He’s ruthless and acts swiftly.”
“He was sent abroad because of his madness. Now that the Lu family is in trouble, they’ve called him back. It’s obvious he’ll use his insane methods against us.”
The rough-voiced man hesitated: “This reform might not affect us. Our affairs…”
The refined voice sneered: “He’s gathering evidence. Are you planning to wait until he’s finished and sends us all to prison?”
The gruff-voiced man: “He may look arrogant now, but he’s actually facing internal and external troubles. Internally, he needs to clean house; externally, he’s pushing for mergers and acquisitions. From what I know, the other party is a ruthless underworld figure who won’t let him off easily.”
Xia Wanzhi held her breath. She now knew who they wanted to kill—it was Lu Zhuojin!
The gruff-voiced man: “Besides, the position of CEO—Old Master Lu only put him there as a target. Everyone’s watching, and he won’t sit comfortably for long. It’s clearly paving the way for Lu Ruiqian. Once everyone takes a shot at Lu Zhuojin and he’s done with his internal cleanup, they’ll make him step down and put Lu Ruiqian in his place.”
“We just have to wait. He won’t live long.”
The refined voice: “Do you know what he did on his first day back in the country?”
The gruff-voiced man: “What?”
The refined voice: “On his first day back, he had several members of the Lu family strung up and beaten until they were covered in blood. He’s genuinely mentally unstable—his methods and actions are unpredictable for a normal person.”
“You’re thinking of him as a normal person, but he’s fucking not normal.”
“If we don’t act soon, we’ll be the ones dead. Once he’s gone, not only will our troubles disappear, but there’s also a lot of money to be divided from his share…”
“What everyone fears isn’t the CEO of Lu Corporation—it’s Lu Zhuojin himself.”
The gruff-voiced man hardened his resolve: “Fine, let’s kill him.”
Hearing this, Xia Wanzhi was so frightened she nearly lost her footing, causing a stone at the edge to tumble down.
The gruff-voiced man snapped sharply: “Who’s there?”
The refined-voiced man: “Go check.”
“From the shadow, it looks like a woman?”
Two dark figures began moving toward her.
Xia Wanzhi froze. It was over. If they discovered her eavesdropping on their murder plot, she’d be killed on the spot.
She turned and immediately tried to run down, hoping to avoid being trapped inside the building. If she moved fast enough, there might still be a chance…
Suddenly, a hand covered her mouth and pulled her back. Warm breath brushed against her ear as a voice whispered: “Don’t make a sound.”
The familiar voice, scent, and aura made her freeze. Lu Zhuojin?
His scorching palm pressed against her lips, and her warm breath spilled onto his hand.
The two men were approaching, about to come upstairs.
If she had continued down, she would have run right into them—they were moving too fast.
Xia Wanzhi nodded slightly.
Lu Zhuojin lowered his hand and wrapped his arm around her waist, whispering in her ear: “Inside the building.”
Xia Wanzhi was lifted off her feet as Lu Zhuojin hoisted her with one arm around her waist. She didn’t dare struggle, letting him handle her however he wished.
Quietly, they moved along the platform into the pitch-dark building. The room was large, and Xia Wanzhi caught the damp, musty smell as a chilling atmosphere closed in around them.
Lu Zhuojin carried Xia Wanzhi behind a coat rack in a dark corner of the room. By the moonlight, he scanned the area, then quietly opened a dilapidated wardrobe. He took out a piece of clothing and hung it on the rack, whispering: “If they see you, they really will kill you. Stay quiet.”
Xia Wanzhi gave a slight nod.
Lu Zhuojin had just pressed her against the corner, with the coat rack shielding them both.
His burning chest pressed tightly against her, his scent and warmth steadily transferring to her.
She felt tense, her breath hitting Lu Zhuojin’s shoulder as her hand tightly gripped his, their fingers intertwined.
Lu Zhuojin’s other hand rested on the curve of her waist, the heat from his palm spreading through her body.
Two figures ascended from downstairs, the door creaking open.
Their silhouettes looked menacing under the moonlight—one tall, one short, each holding gleaming knives.
Xia Wanzhi trembled slightly. Lu Zhuojin’s breath drifted over, gently kissing the tip of her ear, damp and steady with a soothing tenderness, like a calming touch. A tingling sensation replaced the fear, and in the damp, shadowy corner, a faint, humid ambiguity began to rise.
The two men entered, scanning the room with furrowed brows:
“Damn, this place has always been eerie, downright terrifying.”
“Hurry and search. If anyone really heard, they must die here, otherwise Lu… that madman will have us killed.”
They searched everywhere, even stabbing behind the curtains with their knives and thrusting blades into the cabinets—anyone hiding would surely die.
Footsteps echoed in the gloomy room—creak, creak…
Tap, tap, tap…
Drawing steadily closer to the dark corner where the two were hiding.
Xia Wanzhi’s heart pounded wildly, as if about to leap from her throat.