Chapter 42#

Du Yijie wore a faint smile, but there wasn’t a shred of warmth in his eyes, making his expression look almost twisted. He grabbed my elbow with one hand; the moment I struggled even slightly, he threw a lazy, vicious glare at me.

During the ride, he took several phone calls, his tone growing colder and harsher each time.

By the last one, he narrowed his eyes, staring out the car window with a touch of cruelty, and said, “Since he wants to play a life-or-death game with us, then we’ll accompany him to the end—I want to see how much of a trick this sick bastard has up his sleeve. Tell Lawrence and the others to stop holding back and let them have it!”

After hanging up, Du Yijie cast a meaningful glance at me. I sat stiffly, biting my lip and avoiding his gaze.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through me.

Du Yijie yanked me toward him violently, twisting my face with one hand to force me to look at him.

I glared at him, biting my lower lip hard. Du Yijie tilted his head to study me for a moment, then gave an abrupt laugh. His other hand tapped my face lightly as he said, “You’re not actually much to look at.”

“…” I stared at him, bewildered.

Du Yijie suddenly leaned over and pecked at the bridge of my nose, while his other hand maliciously kneaded my lower lip, a gesture that filled me with an inescapable sense of unease.

“Where have you been these past few days? Hmm?”

I turned my eyes away, only to hear him laugh softly, sounding almost helpless. “Xiao Qi, you really are—tsk, disobedient.”

“Du… Mr. Du,” I felt as though I were inhaling nothing but cold air. “Let Qinghong go… let’s talk this through properly.”

Du Yijie smiled. He crossed one leg, and I was currently half-draped over his knee, my hand clutched in his grip in a very awkward position.

He pondered for a moment, raised his hand to support his forehead, and then suddenly shook his head, laughing, “Xiao Qi, you care about him so much; it makes me want to let that brat go even less.”

“You!” My heart skipped a beat, and I lunged to grab his collar.

Du Yijie frowned and yanked me forward again. I swung my other hand at him, but he pulled me, flipped me over, and pinned me beneath him.

I lay slumped on the seat with Du Yijie pressed closely against my back, whispering in my ear: “Xiao Qi, seeing you treat me like this, I’m just so heartbroken.”

He moved his hands toward my waist as if he were truly devastated, pressing his entire body against mine and resting his forehead on the back of my neck, taking a deep, shuddering breath.

He seemed to be talking to himself as he muttered, “I’m just heartbroken to death.”

The car neared an old Spanish-style mansion. As soon as it stopped, someone rushed up to open the door for Du Yijie. He pushed me out of the car, and a large black man caught me at just the right moment, bowing respectfully to Du Yijie as “Boss.”

Du Yijie acknowledged him and tilted his head, giving a cold order: “Watch him closely. If anything goes wrong, you know what to do.”

“Yes, Boss.”

The large man bent down to hold the open door. I struggled with all my might, shouting “Du Yijie!” He simply pulled the car door shut with a faint smile, and the car sped away, leaving dust in its wake.

“Du Yijie! Du Yijie—!” I struggled violently. The large man, seemingly finding me troublesome, produced a rope from somewhere, bound my hands, and then dragged me by the collar into a room.

I fell to the floor in pain, hearing only a “bang” behind me followed by the sound of a lock clicking.

Locked in. My heart instantly turned cold. I lifted my head with great effort, twisting my body and kicking the closed door hard.

Finally, exhausted and curled up on the floor, my mouth parched and feeling chilled, I had no choice but to close my eyes.

When I woke, it was completely dark outside. I blinked. “Ugh…” My left eye felt painfully sore, and I squinted, closing it again. My hand instinctively touched it—and I was shocked to realize the rope that had bound me had been removed.

I was lying on soft cushions. Suppressing my confusion, I groped around in the darkness and stood up, swaying.

“You’re awake.”

I was startled and immediately looked toward the sound. A faint, hazy light source sat ahead, and I steadied my nerves, focusing my attention in that direction.

Du Yijie was sitting on the horseshoe-shaped sofa, a cigar between his lips. The dim, yellowish light illuminated his face. No trace of joy or anger could be seen, only a sharp, glinting edge in his eyes.

“Come here.” Du Yijie stubbed out his cigar, rested his chin on one hand, and beckoned with the other.

I watched him warily.

“Heh, come eat. People need to eat to survive; why make it hard on yourself?” His mood seemed to be one of eerie excitement. I took a few steps forward and finally saw the exquisite meal laid out on the low table in front of him.

I pressed my lips together and walked toward him, sitting on the sofa opposite him.

There was a two-person Western-style meal laid out with a candlestick in the center. Combined with his current expression, the atmosphere seemed bizarre.

He curled the corners of his mouth and picked up a glass of red wine.

“Drink up.” He took a wine glass, filled it, and handed it to me. “I remember you can’t hold your liquor well. Last time at Zuo Chen’s place, you accidentally got drunk. I didn’t expect that even when drunk, your manners remained intact. You really are a young master from a prominent family—well-bred, unlike us people from the slums.”

I remained silent, sizing him up, and only took the glass when he tilted his head in impatience.

“Cheers.” He raised his glass. “Xiao Qi, let’s celebrate our fresh start.”

I faced him with a stiff expression; his jubilant mood could not infect me.

“Du… Mr. Du, I—”

He waved a hand. “Enough with the ‘Mr. Du’—it’s—” He leaned in closer. “Truly annoying.”

A chill washed over me, and I blurted out, “The way you treated me at the French restaurant last time… it was just like this.”

I stared at him, my hands clenching into fists. “Du Yijie, what exactly are you after…? No, I should ask you, what do you want by dragging me here?”

Du Yijie sipped his wine. His posture was casual, his collar unbuttoned. Looking at him through that vibrant red liquid, I could almost feel the dangerous aura surrounding him.

“Xiao Qi,” he shook his head and laughed. “Bringing you here is naturally because I want to get along with you properly.”

“This is your way of getting along? I don’t understand.”

He sighed, stood up from his seat, and frowned. “Xiao Qi, why has your temper become so bad…?” Then, as if suddenly realizing something, he nodded and said in an icy tone, “Oh, I know. That sick bastard has spoiled you, turned you soft.”

“Don’t talk nonsense.” I stood up as well.

Du Yijie wasn’t annoyed. He took his hands out of his pockets, picked up the remote from the table, and pointed it at the LCD TV in front of us.

“We should be happy today. Let’s watch something interesting to liven things up, shall we?”

Before I could react, an image appeared on the screen.

It was a high-definition surveillance recording—clear, but without sound.

I looked at the scene on the screen and froze—that was…

“You…” I looked back at him, unable to believe it. “You were spying on me?”

Du Yijie didn’t deny it. His gaze was fixed on the screen as he whispered, “Shh, Xiao Qi. Pay attention.”

I stared blankly at the screen.

Du Yijie kept skipping through the footage; these recordings were from three months ago—when Wang Zheng had first moved in with me.

The surveillance covered not only the living room but also the kitchen, the bedrooms, and even the bathroom. I gritted my teeth and glared at him, stepping forward to snatch the remote from his hand. However, when the image froze on Wang Zheng wrapping his arms around me as we fell onto the sofa, laughing and tumbling together, my hand froze.

“Xiao Qi, what’s wrong? You liked that guy?” Du Yijie laughed mockingly. “It’s a pity he’s already dead.”

“Shut up!” I grabbed his collar fiercely. Du Yijie caught my hand and laughed dismissively. “Since you want to see him, I’ll show you the best part.”

I glared at him in fury and turned away.

Du Yijie laughed and dragged me forward.

I couldn’t help but lean forward, only to witness a scene I would never forget for the rest of my life.

The camera zoomed in. Aside from being clear, there was sound now. I watched in a daze as the footage suddenly sped up, and the person opposite became clear.

Wang Zheng was crossing the road with a faint smile on his lips. Then, amidst a sharp, piercing sound, I watched with my own eyes—

Wang Zheng was struck with brutal force, his body even bouncing off the windshield.

That cruel, bloody red dyed my world.

————————

I woke up because I couldn’t bear the sharp, stinging pain in my eye.

From the heat coming from the right and the blinding light, I knew it was the next morning. I lifted a hand to cover my left eye and slowly turned over.

Even though my eye throbbed with unbearable pain, I kept it open—the moment I closed my eyes, all I saw was a sea of blood.

The door seemed to have opened; I heard approaching footsteps.

“Xiao Qi.”

I lowered my eyes, burying my face in the pillow and covering my ears with my hands.

Suddenly, a powerful force yanked me off the bed. I tilted forward in pain, only to hear a contemptuous laugh. Du Yijie tapped my face with his other hand and said, “Be good. Eat something, then change your clothes. We’re going out later.”

He was already fully dressed. I glanced up quickly before lowering my head again.

I felt nauseous.

Du Yijie had someone bring a tray and set it on the low table. He sat on the edge of the bed, reaching out to play with my hair. I turned my head away.

“Ugh.” My hair was pulled, forcing me to turn back to him.

Du Yijie wore a half-smile, his expression cold. After staring at me for a long time, he suddenly laughed. “How pitiful. You passed out so quickly last night; I hadn’t even penetrated you yet.”

My eyes widened and my body trembled. A deep, profound sense of hatred accompanied by humiliation surged up within me.

He pinched my jaw again. “Such a treasure. You don’t even grow much facial hair, and your body is beautiful, though a bit too thin.”

I shoved his hand away hard, but he countered by grabbing my wrist.

“Filthy…!” I gritted my teeth and glared at him. My voice was hoarse. “You make me sick…!”

He remained completely unmoved. Instead, he laughed, leaned over, placed one hand on my shoulder, and pulled me toward him. “I’m disgusting? Then who are you not disgusted by? That guy who was prettier than a woman and died with his eyes wide open, or…”

He pulled at my hair, forcing me to meet his eyes.

“Or—that sick bastard? Does his dying look make you feel comfortable? Heh.”

I swung my other hand at his face with all my might. However, I had no strength left, and the strike barely brushed his cheek—it didn’t hurt at all.

Du Yijie stroked his own face with a smirk. When I tried to stand up to grab his collar again, he restrained my hand with one hand and pulled me toward him with the other, crushing his lips onto mine. I pushed against him in distress. Du Yijie seemed to have become addicted, taking the opportunity to pin me to the bed. I tried to scramble away in terror, but he pressed against my back and kissed me again, sucking hard on the back of my neck, his leg wedging between my thighs.

“…” I bit my lower lip, digging my nails into the mattress in hatred.

When he had kissed and toyed enough, he took a heavy breath and whispered in my ear: “Don’t be impatient. I’ll take you for an examination later. Once the results are out, there will still be time for you to feel good.”

“…Beast!”

Du Yijie laughed softly and bit my earlobe. “Xiao Qi, I wanted to be a gentleman, too.” He dragged my head up, forced me to face him, looked at my swollen lips, and rubbed them hard with his thumb. His hands slipped into the only garment I was wearing, the shirt, stroking my body forcefully before pinching my waist with intent to hurt.

I winced, gritting my teeth, and tried to kick him away. Du Yijie grabbed my ankle with one hand, causing me to shriek as I fell off the bed. He laughed lightly, lifted me up from the floor, and placed me back on the bed.

“Eat something. You didn’t eat all day yesterday; you’ll starve.”

I gasped, looking at the food in front of me with lingering fear.

He leaned toward me again. Gritting my teeth, I grabbed the cup from the tray and threw it at him with all my strength.

Du Yijie dodged it easily. The cup hit the floor, shattering with a crisp sound.

“Get out! You… get out!”

I roared at him.

Du Yijie’s expression darkened, but he laughed out of sheer anger, wiped his mouth, and stood up straight.

He turned to open the closet, grabbed two pieces of clothing, and threw them at me.

“You won’t eat? Fine. Then hurry up and change. I’ll be back in ten minutes.” He walked over, grabbed my hand, and threatened, “Don’t even think about playing games, and don’t think about escaping from me. If you aren’t changed in ten minutes, I’ll let everyone see exactly how I fucked that sick bastard’s precious treasure.”

I was trembling with rage, unable to do anything but glare at him with utter hatred.

Du Yijie smiled, turned, and walked out the door.

Only when the door closed again did I stagger back, my legs shaking, before collapsing onto the bed. I raised my hand to cover my eyes, breathing rapidly, tears rolling from the corners of my eyes.

How did it… become like this?

Aside from the sea of red from last night, my only other memory was Du Yijie picking me up and throwing me onto the bed. I had tried to beat him, but he had just kneaded my entire body as if trying to vent his frustration.

This time, it was Li Ling who saved me.

He had asked me then, “That woman had AIDS, didn’t she?”

I had closed my eyes, not answering him. His hand, which had been stroking my body, paused, and he asked in a low voice, “Did you sleep with her?” He laughed, and finally squeezed my thighs hard, fooling around for a while.

I turned my head away in misery, not even knowing when I had passed out.

But that overwhelming, desperate pain I felt then, and that vibrant, demonic red like blood flowers, were already deeply etched into my mind, never to be erased.

Du Yijie took me to a white building. It looked like a private hospital, but it was in a remote area, and the sign was small. He seemed to be carrying this out with extreme secrecy. Aside from the dozen or so bodyguards following us, Du Yijie seemed afraid I would escape, so he didn’t let go of my wrist from beginning to end.

My heart was so full of hatred that I felt exhausted. I went from struggling at the beginning to feeling as if all my strength had been drained; my left eye was hurting so much I could barely keep it open.

Du Yijie noticed and reached out to touch the corner of my eye.

Even though my vision was blurry, I stubbornly turned my head away. At this moment, the scent of him only made me feel sick.

Du Yijie laughed and ignored me.

After the blood draw, I felt dizzy and held onto the desk to stand up. Du Yijie was wearing sunglasses and reached out to support me. Because of the pain in my eye, my reaction was slow.

Du Yijie frowned this time and told the doctor to check my eye.

The doctor tapped around briefly, only saying it was some kind of infection and that some eye drops would fix it.

Du Yijie said “Oh,” laughed, sighed, and squeezed my shoulder.

On the way back, I vomited everything Du Yijie had forced me to eat at the restaurant.

I turned on the shower and sat down on the floor of the bathtub.

I tilted my head back, feeling groggy. My eye had been medicated, and the pain had eased slightly, but it still hurt—hurt more and more, tears streaming down my face.

I felt as though I were going blind.

I wanted to clear my head, so I turned the tap to cold water. Just as I was regaining some semblance of consciousness, I heard a loud bang.

“Xiao Qi!” Du Yijie had been angry that I vomited all over him earlier and had tossed me into the bathroom while he went to change. Now, he suddenly burst in. I leaned against the edge of the tub to sit up, but saw him stride over to shut off the water and yank me out with one hand.

He pushed my dripping wet body onto the edge of the bed. I slid off the bed, clutching the frame, and saw that my fingertips were pale with a blue-purple tint. Du Yijie threw a blanket over me and said in a low voice, “Stop with your young master temper. Who are you putting on this performance for? Heh.”

I moved my legs with difficulty, trying to stand.

Du Yijie pulled me up. My collar was open, and just before he threw me onto the bed, his eyes landed on the two pendants hanging against my chest.

He frowned. “This is…”

“Get out.”

I pushed him away with all my might, then pressed my hands to my stomach and fell back onto the bed.

He seemed to say something else, but I felt so miserable that I wrapped my arms around myself and curled up as tight as I could.

For a long time, as I drifted toward sleep, I felt a source of heat pressing against me. I opened my eyes with difficulty; Du Yijie was leaning over to undo my wet clothes. I gave a start and gritted my teeth, trying to raise my fist at him.

“Xiao Qi, stop making trouble.” He rubbed the back of his hand against my face and said with a touch of helplessness, “I’m changing your clothes so you can sleep. Be good.”

I gasped, shook my head, and pushed him away.

Du Yijie finally seemed to lose patience; he grabbed my wrists and twisted them behind my back. His warm hand pressed against my cold skin. I shuddered as I heard him say: “Don’t want me to touch you? Hmm? Then who are you thinking of right now? Hmph, don’t hold your breath—that sick bastard can’t save you for now; he’s got his own problems…”

I caught that last sentence and my eyes widened, grabbing his hand.

“He… Third Uncle…”

He laughed, but there was no mirth in his eyes. He wrapped his arms around my waist and leaned closer.

“Xiao Qi, kiss me. Then I’ll tell you. Hmm?”

I spat at him.

Du Yijie narrowed his eyes, looking at me with a cold, dark expression.

Suddenly, he slapped me across the face. It was the first time in two days he had truly gotten physical with me.

My face was knocked to the side; my ears rang, half my face went numb, and I tasted iron in my mouth.

Just then, Du Yijie’s phone rang. He looked at me coldly, turned, and answered it.

“—What?”

His voice spiked.

“You idiots! I told you to bomb his ship, and instead, you let him burn our warehouse—what the hell are you all doing! FUCK! Put Lawrence on the line! I don’t believe for a second that he can outplay me at this life-or-death game!”

“…”

“What did you say…!”

His expression changed drastically. Without another word, he grabbed his coat and strode out the door.