A desolate island, waves crashing against the sky.
“Your ransom is only enough to save one person. Choose.”
One was his fiancée from an arranged marriage, the other was the woman he truly loved.
Han Shixu made his choice quickly.
“Yuanxi, the Jing family will spare no expense to rescue you, but she has only me. I’m sorry.”
Jing Yuanxi’s mouth was gagged, unable to make a sound. She could only watch helplessly as her fiancé took the other woman away, while she herself was dragged onto a boat by the ruthless kidnappers.
A sharp blade sliced across her entire face, leaving terrifying, bloody scars.
*
Under the starry night, a sudden scream pierced the darkness of the room.
A young woman sat up in bed, drenched in sweat, and glanced around her surroundings as if still shaken by the lingering fear.
Even in the dim light, she could make out the luxurious furnishings in the room, a stark contrast to the scenes from her dream.
_Click—_
The lights in the room flickered on.
The young woman walked to the dressing table mirror. Only after seeing her reflection clearly did she sit down on the chair, finally at ease.
Her name was Jing Yuanxi, the only daughter of the prestigious Jing family in Zhongdu. Not only did she come from wealth and power, but she also had a fiancé from an equally prominent family and a circle of friends who were all heirs to aristocratic fortunes.
Yet in her dream, Han Shixu, the heir to the Han family who was supposed to be engaged to her, suddenly brought home a girl from outside. Not only did he arrange for her mother to work as a maid in the Han household, but he also transferred her to a new school and kept her by his side at all times.
From then on, Han Shixu fell uncontrollably in love with this commoner girl. At their engagement anniversary banquet, he publicly declared his love for her, demanding to break off the engagement with the Jing family and humiliating Jing Yuanxi in front of everyone.
Even during a kidnapping incident, he abandoned his fiancée—her—and chose to rescue the commoner girl instead.
The scenes from the dream flashed through her mind like a fragmented, rapid slideshow. When she tried to recall the details, she found that only the image of her own corpse, lying dead in a prison cell, remained vividly clear.
The dream felt so real that Jing Yuanxi had been jolted awake in terror.
But now, thinking back on it, it all seemed absurd and laughable.
How could Han Shixu ever fall in love with the daughter of a maid? Besides, he had always stayed in Zhongdu and never ventured out, let alone had the chance to meet someone like that.
Shaking off these ridiculous thoughts, Jing Yuanxi got up and headed toward the bathroom.
_Ring, ring—_
After answering the call, a slightly noisy background filled the line, followed by a cheerful female voice:
“Yuanxi, are you coming to the party tonight? It’s just getting to the fun part~”
“First, tell me what kind of entertainment you’ve arranged tonight?” Jing Yuanxi wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and asked casually.
“Jin Mingzhu brought that illegitimate daughter of hers along, and she invited a bunch of celebrities. They’re lining up by the pool for a seafood buffet. Hey, come over here and say hi to Yuanxi!”
At that moment, a burst of screams suddenly erupted from the other end of the line.
The girl covered her phone and yelled impatiently at the noise behind her. Once it quieted down, she continued cheerfully, “So, are you coming?”
“Not interested. You guys have fun.”
“Huh… Shixu isn’t coming either, and now you’re not coming either? It’s been so long since we last hung out. Is it because school’s about to start that you’re both in a bad mood?”
Jing Yuanxi frowned. “Why isn’t he going? He usually never misses these.”
“Hey, Yuanxi, didn’t you know? He’s not in Zhongdu anymore.”
Perhaps sensing the silence on the other end, the girl quickly added, “It must have been sudden, and he didn’t have time to tell you. Honestly, I only found out when I heard others talking at the gathering.”
“Where did he go?”
“I don’t know that, Yuanxi. Are you really not…”
The girl on the other end stared at the disconnected call in confusion, while others nearby slowly gathered around.
“What, she’s not coming?” a boy holding an empty bottle asked.
“Shixu didn’t tell Yuanxi he was going on a solo trip.”
“Huh? Didn’t he even message Li Chengshuo? Is he afraid she’ll get angry if he tells her?”
The group fell silent for a moment.
“Forget it, forget it. Let’s not meddle in their business. Come on, let’s keep playing.”
On the other end, after hanging up, Jing Yuanxi immediately called Han Shixu.
No answer.
“What’s going on? Leaving Zhongdu without a word.”
For some reason, Jing Yuanxi was reminded of that nightmare again, and an absurd expression slowly crept onto her face. “You’d better not be planning to bring someone back…”
After staring at her phone for a moment, she turned and headed into the bathroom.
Normally, she wouldn’t care where Han Shixu went, but that dream felt too real. She decided to go to the gathering spot and ask them directly.
Soon, a red sports car roared past the villa gate.
The pitch-black night stretched endlessly, with neon lights crisscrossing the bustling city.
A flash of bright red sped down the main road, quickly swept across an overpass, and soon arrived at an empty intersection.
Just as she turned the corner, a flash of white light streaked across the rearview mirror, followed by a loud crash as the car was jolted sideways.
Jing Yuanxi’s pupils contracted sharply. She gripped the steering wheel, steadying the car and forcing it to a stop.
Looking ahead, the white van that had scraped past the edge of her sports car while speeding showed no intention of stopping.
The front corner of the sports car was scratched, and the rearview mirror had been knocked off, shattered to pieces.
Watching the fleeing vehicle ahead, Jing Yuanxi let out a faint click of her tongue, then stepped on the gas and gave chase.
“Officer Xue, intercept the white van with license plate Yun N·D12333 on Central Avenue, Road Five.”
After hanging up, the red sports car accelerated again. Jing Yuanxi glanced at the van’s route, turned, and took another road.
In the darkness, the sound of tires screeching against the pavement mingled with the roar of engines.
A tall man in a black cap gripped the steering wheel with one hand while answering a call with the other.
The jolting caused Pei Jize, tied up in the back seat, to bleed heavily from his wounds, his face pale with pain.
The man’s fragmented conversation drifted into his ears.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got it handled. No one’s noticed yet.”
“The scrapyard? It’s too far. The surveillance cameras around here have already caught me. I need to deal with the person in the car quickly…”
Before the man could finish, the sound of police sirens suddenly blared from behind.
Just as he was about to step on the gas to escape, a red sports car shot out from a side road, its tires sparking against the pavement. It swerved sharply, blocking the road ahead.
The man’s face paled. He slammed on the brakes, the front of his van barely grazing the sports car.
At that moment, the police cars had all surrounded and stopped, with over a dozen officers quickly stepping forward to inspect the accident vehicles.
Seeing Jing Yuanxi get out of the car, Officer Xue walked straight over, smiling as he approached. “Don’t worry, Miss Jing. I’ll make sure to interrogate them thoroughly.”
“Captain Xue, there’s someone tied up in the car,” a young officer hurried over and whispered into his ear.
……………………………………………………
Content Warning: This is likely a novel filled with melodrama + high society + all characters are villains + ensemble cast (large ensemble, not a small one). Supporting characters’ plots are relatively detailed. Readers who prefer pure wish-fulfillment stories or are heavily protagonist-focused should proceed with caution.