Viper—Lu Yiren—stood with his jaw clenched, fists tightening until his knuckles turned white. The chandelier above cast flickering shadows across his tense expression.
"I'm only going to say this once," he growled, his voice as sharp as a blade slicing through silence. "If my wife isn't brought back here within the next ninety-six hours… your blood will pay the price."
Fang Ai flinched, her face pale. "Yiren… please. What do you expect us to do?" she asked, her voice shaking.
Lu Yiren's eyes were cold and glinting with threat. "I don't care how you do it. Bribe her. Beg her. Lie to her. Just get her back. Or I'll burn this house down with all of you in it."
He stormed away, slamming the door so hard the walls trembled. Silence followed—heavy, suffocating.
Hong Yue, the aunt, wrung her hands. "What have we done? What madness did we sell this child into?" she whispered.
Fang Jing sighed, rubbing his temples. "She won't even look at us, talkless of listening. We lost her long ago."
Ai turned on her elder sister, eyes flashing. "You started this, Sis! You don't have kids of your own, so you sold her like a bag of rice to a killer!"
She said knowing, Hong Yue is a widow with no child.
Yue snapped back. "No, you started it, didn't you sell her and dumped her on me. Don't pretend you didn't abandon her."
"Enough!" Fang Jing shouted. "This isn't helping. What's done is done. Right now, we need to fix it. Or we'll all be buried under Viper's fury."
They fell into grim silence, each consumed by dread.
---
At Long Shan's estate, the atmosphere was the complete opposite. The afternoon sun sparkled against the surface of the luxurious pool. Long Shan reclined on a lounge chair, shirtless, a newspaper in one hand and a glass of white wine in the other.
Xiao Yu peered at him from behind the pillar of the veranda, clutching her phone and biting her lower lip.
"He looks relaxed… too relaxed," she muttered to herself. "How do I ask him for money? I can't keep asking the maids for pads like I'm ten. Ugh."
She thought of texting Jiang Meili, but right before she dialed, Long Shan's voice floated across the pool.
"What are you hiding for, Xiao Yu?"
Xiao Yu jumped. "N-Nothing!" she stammered, avoiding eye contact as her eyes accidentally skimmed his sculpted chest.
Long Shan's smirk widened. "You've been lurking for five minutes. If you have something to say, say it."
"I just…" She fidgeted with her dress hem. "Can I… borrow some money? I need to buy some personal stuff."
"How much?" he asked calmly.
"Fifty dollars."
He didn't hesitate. "Get me my wallet," he called out to one of his men, who quickly retrieved it.
Long Shan handed her a crisp $200 note. "Here. For emergencies."
Xiao Yu's eyes widened. "I said fifty…"
"I know. You might need the other when I'm not around," he said smoothly, already reclining again with his wine.
Xiao Yu clutched the note like a lifeline. "Thank you…" she whispered.
---
Later that day, Xiao Yu entered the mall with one of Long Shan's assigned guards trailing behind her. She browsed the shelves quietly, until she heard a familiar voice behind her.
"Shopping too?"
She turned to see Jiang Lifen, holding a shopping basket. There was an awkward pause.
"Yeah," Xiao Yu replied. "Just grabbing some things."
Lifen smiled stiffly. "That's nice…"
As she turned to leave, Xiao Yu stopped her. "Wait—Lifen."
The older woman turned back slowly.
"I just want to say… I'm sorry. For everything. Please don't misunderstand me and Long Shan. There's nothing going on between us," Xiao Yu said earnestly.
Jiang Lifen raised a skeptical brow. "You don't need to explain anything to me. But for what it's worth, I'm going to win him back. And when I do, I won't let you stand in my way."
Xiao Yu blinked, then smiled. "I hope you two find your way back to each other. You're a good match."
Lifen's expression softened with surprise. "You really think so?"
"I do."
There was another pause.
"So you don't have feelings for him?" Lifen asked, eyes narrowing.
Xiao Yu's smile faltered. "No. Never. I see him more like a father, even if he isn't my real one."
"Then why are you living with him?" Lifen challenged.
Xiao Yu hesitated. "It's… complicated."
Lifen nodded slowly. "Alright. Take care," she said, and walked away.
---
That evening, Jiang Meili was sprawled across her bed reading when the door opened.
"Sis," Lifen entered, eyes filled with something unspoken.
"You okay?" Meili asked, setting her book aside.
"I need your help," Lifen said, sitting beside her.
"With what?"
"I want you to find out why Xiao Yu is living with my love… I mean Long Shan."
Meili blinked. "Why not just ask him yourself?"
"He won't tell me," Lifen muttered.
"And you think she'll tell me?"
"You two are close. She might open up to you."
Meili sighed. "Why do you really want to know?"
"I just need to be sure there's nothing between them," Lifen admitted. "I want to know if she's a threat."
Meili studied her sister quietly. "You're scared you'll lose him."
"I've already lost him. I just want the truth now."
Meili sighed again. "Alright. I'll try."
Lifen smiled and hugged her tight. "Thank you."
Back at Long Shan's estate, Xiao Yu sat by the window, watching the city lights.
Everything was changing...
But her situation wasn't.