Qin Wan turned off the engine and got out of the car.
She had never intended to stay long at Xu Liming’s home. Taking only her car keys, she got out and locked the car.
Hurrying, Qin Wan headed into the stairwell.
She climbed several flights, then stopped in front of the familiar door.
The front door was ajar.
Without giving it much thought, Qin Wan took a deep breath, pushed it open, and went inside.
But the whole apartment was empty.
She looked around, then headed for the kitchen.
“Mom?”
Thinking Shen Wenna might be washing vegetables or doing the dishes in the kitchen, Qin Wan called tentatively as she walked.
There was still no answer.
She peeked into the kitchen. No one was there.
At last, in the stillness of the apartment, Qin Wan sensed that something was wrong.
Her heart sank. She was just about to turn and leave when a potbellied middle-aged man emerged from the bedroom!
“Miss Qin, you’re even more stunning in person. Your stepfather’s a lucky man—he gets to pay off his gambling debts with you. And when you become my children’s stepmother, you’ll bring a little glory to me and my kids, too.”
The middle-aged man spoke with a leering grin as he advanced toward Qin Wan.
Xu Liming, the gambling addict, was always full of lies. But when he described his beautiful stepdaughter, he hadn’t exaggerated in the least.
Hearing this, Qin Wan immediately realized that this must be Mr. Chen, the man Xu Liming intended to sell her to. He had used her mother to lure her back, and the whole thing was a trap, carefully laid out!
The thought brought a cold sweat to Qin Wan’s back.
Only one thought remained in her mind.
Run!
She had to run!
Before Mr. Chen could reach her.
Qin Wan spun around and hurried toward the door, taking two steps at a time.
But before she could reach it, she heard someone outside slam it shut. A key was swiftly shoved into the lock and turned twice. The door was locked from the outside without mercy!
“You little brat! You’d better take good care of Mr. Chen! After tonight, you’ll be Mrs. Chen. It’s good for everyone, so don’t you dare be ungrateful!”
Xu Liming’s triumphant shout came from outside.
Qin Wan’s face went deathly pale.
Before she could react, she heard a woman’s tearful voice.
“Liming, aren’t we going too far? Wanwan’s still a virgin. We…”
Shen Wenna began, her eyes red, but under Xu Liming’s threatening glare, her voice grew fainter and fainter.
“That’s exactly why she’s worth something! Your daughter gets to marry into a rich family—what more could you want? Now come with me, and don’t get in the way of Mr. Chen enjoying himself!”
As he spoke, Xu Liming grabbed Shen Wenna by the wrist and dragged her away.
All color drained from Qin Wan’s face.
Fear and panic seemed to fill every cell in her body. Even the hand gripping her car keys was trembling.
“You heard him, gorgeous? Tonight’s going to be a lot of fun. Once you’re Mrs. Chen Long, I’ll give you everything I own—my houses, my cars. And I’ll pay off your father’s gambling debts, too!”
Chen Long had already been blinded by Qin Wan’s beauty.
And Xu Liming had told him that his stepdaughter was a virgin, which had only made him more impatient.
With that, Chen Long lunged toward Qin Wan by the door.
Seeing the man charging at her with his ugly leer, Qin Wan felt sick. She tried to dodge, but her legs were weak, so she grabbed the nearest decorative object from the entryway and hurled it at him—
“Damn you! You won’t take a drink when it’s offered, so now you’ll drink a toast to your own punishment!”
Chen Long failed to dodge in time. The object struck his shoulder.
He cursed, then suddenly lunged forward and seized Qin Wan by the wrist!
Pain shot through her.
“Get off me! Don’t touch me!”
Qin Wan twisted her arm, fear and revulsion etched across her face.
What she didn’t understand was that the more she resisted, the more it brought out the basest instincts in a man like him.
Chen Long was clearly getting more and more excited.
He clamped a hand around her wrist and dragged her over to the dining table.
His weight—around 170 or 180 pounds—came crashing down on her, pinning her so she couldn’t move.
His rough, greasy hand closed around Qin Wan’s slender waist.
The softness of her body nearly drove Chen Long out of his mind.
“You’d better behave. Once we’ve done this, you’ll be mine. I won’t mistreat you or your family!”
He wrapped one arm around her waist and grabbed her hair with the other, forcing her to lift her head.
Her pale neck came into view.
Chen Long’s eyes were full of lust and greed. He lowered his head, tearing at her clothes as he bit into her neck.
“H-help… someone!”
Tears of despair slid down Qin Wan’s cheeks.
As she struggled and cried for help, she searched the dining table for anything she could use.
Her gaze landed on a fruit knife nearby.
While the man was distracted undoing his belt, Qin Wan stretched one hand desperately forward… farther…
At last!
A flash of silver streaked past her eyes!
“Pfft!”
She clearly heard the blade slice through flesh.
The knife had cut into the man’s arm, from his wrist all the way to his elbow.
The wound was a bloody mess, horrifying to look at.
“You bitch! You actually used a knife on me! I’m calling the police—I’ll report you!”
Clutching his steadily bleeding arm, Chen Long glared at Qin Wan, his eyes hard with fury.
Qin Wan was already in a daze.
But she knew she couldn’t let go of the knife.
She gripped the handle tightly with both hands, held it up, and advanced on Chen Long step by step. Seeing that she was on the verge of losing it, he could only back away.
“Go ahead! Call the police!”
Qin Wan held up the knife and urged Chen Long to call the police.
Only if the police were called could she truly escape!
Still badly shaken, the man fumbled for his phone.
The blood on the floor spread farther and farther, and the whole room reeked of it.
He punched in the three digits “110.”
Just as he was about to place the call, Chen Long suddenly came to his senses.
Call the police?
He had conspired with Xu Liming to rape Qin Wan. If he called the police, both he and his company would be finished!
“Trying to trick me into calling the police? No chance! I refuse to believe I can’t handle a little bitch like you! Give me the knife! Give it to me!”
Chen Long put away his phone and charged at Qin Wan, shouting.
Qin Wan screamed and swung the knife wildly.
The scene descended into chaos and terror.
Gu Yingchuan had barely made it to the door when he heard Qin Wan scream. Without the slightest hesitation, he raised his leg and kicked hard at the door.
“Bang!”
The door of the old, run-down apartment was flimsy to begin with.
Gu Yingchuan kicked with all his strength. One blow was enough to nearly rip it off its hinges.
The two people inside were startled by the sudden crash.
Qin Wan turned around, knife raised. The instant she saw Gu Yingchuan, a glimmer of hope appeared in her eyes.
The scene inside the apartment was also utterly unexpected to Gu Yingchuan.
He strode inside.
Seeing Qin Wan distracted, Chen Long seized the chance to snatch the knife from her—
“Look out!”