Saturday night.
Cen Zhen returned to her old part-time job—
delivering takeout.
She needed money, desperately so.
Grandma’s medicine cost money, surgery cost money, buying back the garden villa cost money, pulling strings to find Aunt Shuqing cost money…
Money was needed everywhere.
So, she had to seize every opportunity to earn it.
Every weekend evening, she spent three hours delivering takeout, averaging a daily income of about a hundred yuan.
Two days meant two hundred yuan.
That was enough to cover her living expenses for a week.
She deposited her wages into Grandma’s bank account, saving bit by bit. She believed that sooner or later, she could help Grandma buy back the garden villa.
Around eight o’clock, Cen Zhen received an order to deliver a birthday cake to the Cloud Summit Club.
The distance from the cake shop to the Cloud Summit Club was considerable.
She raced against time the entire way, fearing a complaint for slow delivery.
Following the waiter’s directions, she found the private room listed on the order. She knocked politely and had barely pushed the door open a crack when the deafening noise inside rushed out to meet her.
Seeing the chaotic crowd of men and women inside, she instinctively frowned. Quickly, she made a call.
“Mr. Liu, your order…”
“What took you so long!?”
The man’s voice was rude and impatient.
Cen Zhen glanced at the time—she wasn’t actually late.
But when dealing with unreasonable customers, a meek apology was the quickest way to calm their anger.
She softened her tone. “I’m sorry, Mr. Liu. I’ve arrived at the private room at your address. Shall I bring the order…”
Before she could finish, a man with sharp features and a sly expression stood up from the sofa.
“Over here!”
Cen Zhen hurried over with the cake box.
Just as she was about to hand it to him, a frivolous “Well, well” suddenly came from above.
“If I’m not mistaken, you’re Cen Zhen, right?”
Cen Zhen looked up in confusion to see the man staring at her with an almost covetous gaze.
It felt like a snake flicking its tongue—cold and unsettling.
Her mind raced, but she didn’t recall knowing this person.
Feeling increasingly uncomfortable under his stare, she instinctively wanted to leave as quickly as possible.
“You must be Mr. Liu. Here’s your order. Please sign for it.”
She pushed the box in her hands forward slightly.
But the man ignored it entirely.
Not only that, his lecherous gaze began to wander toward the collar of her shirt. Every glance felt like he was appraising an object he could easily obtain.
“Has it been so long that you don’t recognize me?”
Cen Zhen was baffled by his words.
Seeing her frown, the man chuckled softly, leaning closer with a sinister smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
“If you hadn’t stood me up on our blind date, you’d be my wife by now, Miss Cen.”
He emphasized the last three words heavily.
With this reminder, Cen Zhen immediately recognized him.
Liu Chuan.
The notorious playboy and second-generation heir of Jingcheng.
Rumor had it he had no boundaries—whether male or female, if he took a liking to someone, even a pregnant woman, he would try to get his hands on them.
He was arrogant and shameless, yet his family was wealthy and influential, leaving no one able to hold him accountable.
Cen Zhen had no desire to deal with someone like him.
After placing the cake on a nearby table, she muttered, “You’ve mistaken me for someone else,” and turned to leave.
But the moment she moved, her wrist was seized in a fierce grip. His knuckles dug in with such force it felt like he might crush her bones.
“Trying to run?”
“Cen Zhen, you made me lose face. Do you really think I’d kindly let you walk away?”
His actions drew noticeable attention.
Before long, the surrounding area erupted with waves of raucous laughter.
“Young Master Liu, you’ve changed your taste this time—delivery girls now?”
“Gotta say, this delivery girl’s got quite the look.”
“If Young Master Liu fancies you, it’s your good fortune, girl. How much do you even earn delivering one order? If you go along with our Young Master Liu, he can guarantee you a life of luxury.”
“Exactly, sister, when fortune falls from the sky, you gotta know how to catch it…”
“…”
The clamorous chatter came in wave after wave.
As the men closed in from all sides, a chill shot from the soles of her feet straight to the top of her head.
Cen Zhen panicked, struggling desperately.
“Let go of me!”
Liu Chuan spent his days surrounded by women—there was no shortage of those he could have. But encountering someone like Cen Zhen, who dared defy him, struck him as incredibly amusing.
Instead of releasing her, he tightened his grip on her hand, pulling her forcefully toward him.
His alcohol-laced breath washed over her face.
“Stop pretending. You’re out here delivering food just to throw yourself at men, aren’t you? Well, today, I’ll grant your wish—”
With that, he shot a glance at one of his buddies nearby.
These guys spent every day together, and a single look was enough to convey their intentions.
The man’s lips curled into a sinister smile.
In the next second, he viciously grabbed Cen Zhen’s shoulders and shoved her onto the sofa, while Liu Chuan took the opportunity to unbuckle his belt.
Everything happened too fast.
Only after being thrown onto the sofa did Cen Zhen realize what these scoundrels intended to do.
Trembling uncontrollably, she fought back her fear, shrinking away as she searched for an escape route, her voice quivering with a warning.
“I advise you not to do anything reckless. This is a society governed by law. If you dare force yourselves on me, the law of this country won’t let you off…”
Her words, however, were met with uproarious laughter.
“You think I’m afraid of the law?”
“Miss Cen, I didn’t take you for such a naive fool…”
As he spoke, his lecherous hand began to roam freely over her body. Sensing the danger, Cen Zhen instinctively flailed her arms, striking out wildly. “Get away! Don’t touch me…”
Her legs kicked frantically.
Liu Chuan hadn’t expected her to be so strong.
In a moment of carelessness, his arm was scratched several times, leaving bloody marks, and his pant legs were stamped with multiple footprints.
All of this, without a doubt, signaled Cen Zhen’s disgust toward him.
Instantly, he felt his charm had been disregarded. His previously amused expression twisted into one of malice as he grabbed her by the throat.
“Damn it, I gave you face!”
“Shengzi, Liuer, hold her down! I’m going to have her tonight, no matter what!”
The two men called upon immediately complied.
When it came to strength, men and women had always been worlds apart.
And in such a cramped environment, Cen Zhen was surrounded with nowhere to run.
Now, every struggle she made was futile.
As Liu Chuan began to unzip his pants, Cen Zhen was frozen with terror. In her panic, the image of a certain man suddenly flashed through her mind, and in the next second, she screamed—
“If you dare lay a hand on me, Fu Linyuan will make sure you die without a place to be buried!”
The sudden mention of the name “Fu Linyuan” brought everyone present to a halt.
The jeering crowd fell silent. The hands gripping her shoulders loosened their hold. And Liu Chuan, who had been intent on violating her, paled dramatically.
Who doesn’t know Fu Linyuan?
That man has the face of a bodhisattva but the heart of a venomous snake.
Seizing the moment when they were distracted, Cen Zhen turned and ran. But before she could take two steps, she was dragged back again.
Liu Chuan gripped her chin, his expression guarded.
“What’s your relationship with Fu Linyuan?”