Whether it was Qin Muyao or Ji Hantian, even Zhong Sinian—she was afraid of them all. The way they looked at her always carried an unfathomable darkness.
In truth, Pei Qiuxu was not the country girl Qin Muyao made her out to be. Her family could even be considered wealthy.
Wealthy in Moqing City, that is. They had only come to A City this year, for one simple reason: the Pei family was barely holding on.
The Pei family had existed for a very long time, with a history stretching back to the last century.
At its peak, it could even rival today’s four great financial dynasties.
When exactly did the decline begin?
Pei Qiuxu couldn’t say for certain. She only knew that the Pei family of today truly counted for nothing anymore.
Father Pei lacked much talent and could not guarantee that the family wouldn’t fall into ruin in his generation. Mother Pei had always been a pampered young lady of means, and her younger brother was still a child.
Pei Qiuxu knew what kind of people her family were—they had always been kept afloat by money. If the Pei family ever fell, none of them would survive.
So she had known early on that she needed to marry someone from a good family.
Later, Father Pei dug up a marriage contract from who knows where.
It turned out that more than twenty years ago, the old master of the Zhong family had visited Moqing City and hit it off instantly with the old master of the Pei family, privately arranging a marriage between their grandchildren.
It shouldn’t have counted for anything, but Pei Qiuxu still came to A City with an anxious heart to find the Zhong family.
To her surprise, Zhong Sinian had actually agreed. She had to admit she had a beautiful face.
But ever since her relationship with Zhong Sinian was confirmed, he had kept bringing her to places like this, and she always felt as if she were walking on thin ice.
Looking at the person in the mirror with bloodshot eyes, forcing back tears, Pei Qiuxu sighed.
She couldn’t stay away too long. Once she had collected herself, she took out her lipstick from her bag and applied it carefully.
Passing by a private room, she was nearly knocked over by someone rushing out head-on, and she hastily dodged to the side.
But her arm was seized in a death grip. She looked up to see a burly man, a length of transparent coiled tubing hanging from his ear, winding its way into his collar—a bodyguard.
He glanced down at Pei Qiuxu, then said something in English.
Pei Qiuxu only vaguely caught the words woman, drug…
Before she could react, she was dragged by the wrist toward the private room nearby.
Pei Qiuxu tried to scream, but a hand clamped tightly over her mouth.
Her little high heels came off from the violent struggle, landing on the carpet in the hallway, and she was yanked into the private room.
When she was thrown to the ground, Pei Qiuxu felt her palm touch something sticky and slick, and a thick smell of blood suddenly flooded her nose. At last, she broke into sobs.
Just in front of where she had fallen, right before her eyes, lay a corpse with eyes still open in death. The thick, reeking blood had stained her clothes red.
Terrified, she curled into a ball in the corner, squeezing her eyes shut as tears splashed heavily to the floor.
The person who had dragged her in had already left. She couldn’t get out, and could only hug her legs helplessly.
She could feel a gaze fixed on her. Pei Qiuxu looked over, trembling.
A man sat on the sofa, his movements casual, a cigarette held between his fingertips, ash drifting silently down.
The man wore casual clothes, yet he gave off a dangerous aura. He lowered his head and took a drag of his cigarette, the muscles of his back rippling in a strangely alluring way.
He suddenly looked over, his sharp gaze meeting her tear-reddened eyes. His pale face was covered in sweat, and between his muscular thighs something rose up conspicuously.
Pei Qiuxu dared not look any longer and broke into quiet sobs again.
The man watched coldly, observing her trembling weeping.
She was curled up in a ball, and from his angle he could see her fair, tender legs. He stubbed out the cigarette and strode over.
Her long hair was pinned up at the back, a magnolia hairpin thrust sideways through the beautiful strands, exposing half of her pale white neck. The slender curve of her neck looked as if it had been left there just for his hand to grip.
She was still crying, pitifully, adorably.
Like a frightened rabbit that knew danger had come but could only kick its legs helplessly, waiting to be devoured and consumed.
A sudden, hidden current of electricity climbed up his nerves, instantly spreading through his entire body.
He suddenly covered his widening smile with his hand, his gaze roaming freely over the person before him—from the little tuft of hair on her head down to her tender little feet, curled up in fear.
He crouched down and reached toward her fair little feet, but before he could touch them, she gave a light kick.
Pei Qiuxu was terrified out of her mind, her body scrabbling backward uncontrollably, trying to get away from the man in front of her.
But he caught her ankle and dragged her toward him.
“You’re afraid of me?” Huo Yu bit down on her ankle, his voice puzzled. “Why?”
He reached out and touched her belly, feeling the body beneath his palm shudder violently. He smiled. “You’re a bit thin. You need to be fattened up.”
Fattened up for what? To be… eaten?
Pei Qiuxu’s thoughts ran wild as she sobbed, “Don’t eat me, I… I don’t taste good.”
The words had barely left her mouth when she felt a breath fall against her neck, sharp teeth pressing against her throat.
Warm breath drew near, and beneath that thin layer of skin, she felt her blood stop flowing.
A stab of pain came instantly, and she cried out.
She instinctively waved her hands, trying to break free, but they were caught, leaving her unable to move.
When the man lifted his head again, Pei Qiuxu’s face was already covered in tears.
“Don’t cry, don’t cry,” Huo Yu soothed softly.
Pei Qiuxu could only shake her head in a daze, her mind a blur. Out of the corner of her eye she glimpsed a candlestick lying nearby, and her hand moved faster than her brain—she grabbed it and swung it at the man’s head.
But Huo Yu was faster. He caught her hand and took the candlestick away, his large palm prying open her clenched fist, his burning-hot palm brushing against the soft flesh of her hand. His wrist shifted slightly, and his fingers interlaced with hers.
Only after a long moment did he speak gently: “There, there. No need to be afraid.”
He had finally found something that interested him—he didn’t want to scare her.
“I don’t know you… I was dragged in here.” Pei Qiuxu stared in terror at the corpse on the ground, pressing herself as far back as she could.
“So what?” The man toyed with her slender, jade-like fingers.
“Will you let me go? Please? I promise I didn’t see anything, and I won’t say anything.” Pei Qiuxu wept pitifully, her nose twitching, her palm damp with sweat.
“Alright.” The man smiled and let her go.
Pei Qiuxu, not expecting the man to agree, froze abruptly and hurriedly shifted her body, trying to leave.
But just as her hand touched the door handle, a laughing voice sounded behind her. “Stop right there.”