Zhou Ye was awakened by water splashed on her face, instantly realizing her situation was dire!
Forcing her eyes open, she saw the ferocious faces of a family of four.
Hah…
She never expected that in this lifetime, their greed would grow so bold before even being fully nurtured.
Old folks spoke of burning bridges after crossing the river; but rarely had she seen someone dismantle the bridge so efficiently before even reaching the other side!
Zhou Yuanyao put on a pained expression: “Xiao Ye, your uncle has no choice. Just return the money now, and I’ll let you go!”
Zhou Ye let out a scornful laugh.
Yu Wen snarled viciously: “Zhou Ye, you’re our prisoner now. Tell me honestly – did you kill Ziyue?”
Zhou Zijiao shot Yu Wen a disdainful look before stepping forward to grip Zhou Ye’s throat, threatening: “Zhou Ye, for the sake of our sisterhood, I’m giving you a way out! Hand over the money! That money rightfully belongs to our family! If you don’t return it today, I’ll strangle you! Don’t even think about leaving here alive!”
“Never!”
Zhou Ye provoked.
Zhou Zijun said furiously: “Stop wasting words with her! If she won’t listen, just beat her! Anyway, the wedding isn’t until next month. The Song Family’s son is an idiot – what could they possibly notice? Besides, all the Song Family wants is a breeding tool their son likes! What are you afraid of?”
Zhou Yuanyao seemed somewhat hesitant.
The inherently vicious Zhou Zijiao smiled and said: “See? Today will be your nightmare, and no one’s coming to save you! Tell me, where’s the money?”
Zhou Ye smiled faintly, coincidentally spotting the familiar figure in the corner. So they’d called for backup too!
But… this was perfect!
“Who do you think you are? Demanding money from me?”
“Zhou Ye, at this point, what gives you the right to be arrogant? Let me tell you, the Song Family doesn’t necessarily have to be yours! If you die today, you deserve it! Either hand over the money, or I’ll break both your legs and scar that pretty face of yours. Let’s see how you’ll play the vixen after that!”
Zhou Zijiao threatened.
Zhou Zijun chuckled as he stepped forward, his eyes full of malice: “Since we’ve come this far, there’s no family affection left to speak of! Such a beautiful figure – what a waste to give it to outsiders! Zijiao, let me have some fun first, haha…”
Realizing Zhou Zijun’s intentions, none of the Zhou family members stopped him. Instead, they watched like spectators waiting for Zhou Ye to break down!
Zhou Ye never understood before why she had to endure all this – in her previous life, and now in this one too.
She clearly hadn’t done anything wrong, so why did they always target her?
Now she understood – some people were born evil!
“Not coming out yet? Waiting to die?” Zhou Ye’s voice was soft yet clear, so pure it sent chills down the spines of those hiding in the shadows.
The Zhou family’s hearts skipped a beat.
Bald Head emerged with his crew.
Zhou Zijun greeted them with a laugh: “Brothers, you’re out too early. Could it be you want some fun too?”
He was the one who hired them, still unaware that danger had already arrived!
Bald Head rubbed his head and commanded: “Untie her!”
Zhou Zijun started in surprise and immediately protested: “Wait, what are you doing? Boss, I paid you! You can’t double-cross me! What will the brothers in the underworld think of you?”
Words always carried so little weight. Under the Zhou family’s watchful eyes, Zhou Ye stood up.
Bald Head let out a scornful laugh, looking at Zhou Zijun with disdain. “When did you ever give me money? Who the hell do you think you are? If I’d known you kidnapped Miss Zhou, I’d have killed you first!”
He then turned with an ingratiating smile. “Miss Zhou, I hope you weren’t frightened? Please, have a seat!”
Zhou Ye gave a noncommittal hum in acknowledgment.
Sitting in the chair, she coldly regarded the Zhou family members.
Zhou Yuanyao sensed trouble and looked at Zhou Ye pleadingly. “Xiao Ye, you know them? Haha… We’re family! Your uncle was just joking with you. We don’t want the money back! Of course not! That money was your uncle’s gift to you—how could we take it back?”
While Zhou Zijiao remained bewildered, Yu Wen immediately caught on.
“So it was you who killed Ziyue, wasn’t it?” she demanded instantly.
“And what if it was?” Zhou Ye smiled innocently.
Yu Wen immediately broke down, shouting, “She admitted it! Look, she admitted it! She’s the murderer! Wuwu… Did you all see that? Call the police! Call them now! Arrest her!”
The Zhou family stared at Zhou Ye in shock, but did she care? Hadn’t they brought all this upon themselves?
“Hahaha… Arrest me?” Zhou Ye laughed.
“Then you should be arrested first! You pack of heartless, ungrateful wretches! Living the high life with the wealth my parents left behind. Does your food taste good? Huh? You took the benefits, killed them, killed me—you’re the real murderers! Now it’s your turn… None of you will escape!”
At this moment, Zhou Ye’s emotions surged through her like an instantaneous mudslide—violent and deep, flooding her entire being. Her heart ached as if someone were squeezing it tightly, a sharp, piercing pain…
Her gaze toward the Zhou family was cold, icy, bloodthirsty.
Even Bald Head, long accustomed to the underworld, felt a chill run down his spine.
Zhou Yuanyao seemed confused. “What are you talking about? They were my family too, just like you. We share the same feelings—I was worried too!”
“Same feelings? How dare you claim that? You’re the ones who pushed me deep into the swamp. My grandparents, my parents and brother—you framed them all. Now, how dare you tell me you understand how I feel? Ah?”
“What? Brother? What are you talking about?” Zhou Yuanyao grew increasingly frightened.
“Heh…” The sharp-tongued Zhou Ye suddenly let out a light laugh. “What? Scared? Auntie, you guessed right—I killed Zhou Ziyue! I originally planned to keep you around a while longer to investigate what happened to my parents. But I’m angry now. You all deserve to die!”
Zhou Zijiao was terrified. “No, no! It was all my parents’ doing! It has nothing to do with me! Why kill me?”
“No particular reason? It pleases me!” Zhou Ye leaned close to Zhou Zijiao and whispered.
“You’re insane! You’re insane!” Yu Wen screamed in terror.
“Exactly! I’m insane! Driven mad by all of you! Satisfied? So, who should we start with? Uncle? Auntie? Or perhaps my dear cousins?”
Zhou Ye pointed at them one by one…
Zhou Zijiao shrieked, “Zhou Ye, I never harmed you! I’ll give you everything I own, okay? I’ll never bully you again! Please don’t kill me!”
“Tsk… Since you spoke up first, why not start with you? They say nothing hurts parents more than burying their own child. This way, I kill two birds with one stone!”
“What did you just say? Break both legs first? Heh… fine, we’ll do it your way!”
Zhou Ye finished with a smile, then looked at Bald Head!
Bald Head pointed at himself: “Me?”
“Get to work!”
“Wait, I was just…” Bald Head still wanted to negotiate for some benefits…
“Your mother won’t last three days. I can save her if I intervene!” Zhou Ye said softly.