Earlier that day, Hong Yue stood nervously before Lu Yiren, who sat in his veranda, a cigar clenched between his fingers and a bottle of aged wine by his side. The air around him was heavy with smoke and silence.
"What do you want?" he growled, eyes narrowing as he stared at her with clear disdain.
"I came to talk," Hong Yue said quietly, trying to mask her unease.
Lu Yiren gave a short laugh and gestured at the seat across from him. "Talk fast."
She sat down, hands trembling slightly. "You want Xiao Yu back. I can bring her back."
"I know I made a mistake," she said quickly, eyes lowering in shame. "I can't undo what I've done. But if I pay Long Shan back the full amount, maybe he'll agree to release her."
Lu Yiren's expression shifted slightly. He took a long drag from his cigar before answering, "So you want me to give you the money to fix your mess?"
"I'll do anything. Just promise me you won't hurt her when she's back." She begs.
Viper took a long drag of his cigar, smirking.
*
*
*
*
Back at Long Shan's mansion, the past and present collided like thunder. Xiao Yu froze when she saw her aunt standing in the living room, holding a brown envelope filled with cash.
"What are you doing here, Aunt?" Xiao Yu's voice cracked, a mix of disbelief and betrayal flooding her expression.
"I came to take you home, my child," Hong Yue said with teary eyes. "I brought the money. You don't have to stay with this man anymore."
Jiang Lifen stood awkwardly in the background, holding a birthday cake. The tension in the room was suffocating.
"You think I'd go back with you?" Xiao Yu's voice rose in anger. "You sold me, Aunt. Sold me like a cattle!"
"I regret it! I regret it every day. Please, Meilian… give me a chance to make it right."
"My name is Xiao Yu!" she snapped, voice cold as steel. "Don't call me Meilian. I don't belong to you anymore."
"You're still my niece."
"No," Xiao Yu said firmly. "You lost that right the moment you traded me for your debts."
Hong Yue's hands trembled as she turned to Long Shan. "Here is the money. Please, release her to me."
Long Shan stood quietly, arms crossed, his face an unreadable mask. Then he spoke with a voice sharp as glass.
"You dare come here and talk to me like this? I don't want your money. Leave."
"I will not!" Hong Yue cried. "She's my niece!"
Long Shan's eyes flared with warning. "Get out before I lose what little patience I have left."
"I regret giving her to you!" Hong Yue screamed. "You monster!"
"I said, leave!"
The sound of his voice echoed through the hall like a whip crack. Hong Yue's shoulders slumped, but her tears didn't stop. She turned, humiliated and defeated.
As she headed toward the gate, Jiang Lifen followed her, her curiosity now boiling over.
"Wait!" Jiang Lifen called out.
Hong Yue turned, red-eyed. "Who are you?"
"I'm Jiang Lifen... Long Shan's fiancée."
Her face lit with hope. "Then help me. Talk to him. Convince him to let my niece go."
"Only if you tell me the whole truth," Jiang Lifen replied, her expression unreadable.
—
Meanwhile, Xiao Yu sat on her bed, knees drawn to her chest, staring out the window. Her tears had dried on her cheeks, but the pain lingered. She didn't hear the knock until his voice called out softly.
"Yu…"
She opened the door to see Long Shan standing there, his usual calm replaced with something gentler. Without thinking, Xiao Yu flung herself into his arms.
"Please… don't let her take me," she whispered. "I don't want to go back. I'd rather stay here, even if it means enduring everything."
Long Shan closed his arms around her stiffly but didn't push her away. He led her back to the couch and sat her down.
"Stop crying," he murmured.
Xiao Yu looked up at him, eyes swollen. "Will you send me back to her?"
"Do you want to go?"
She shook her head violently. "No. What if she takes me back to Lu Yiren? What if she hands me over to someone worse? Please, let me stay…"
"Is that how you see this place?" Long Shan asked slowly. "Hell?"
Xiao Yu looked away. "It used to feel like one."
Long Shan chuckled dryly, but his eyes softened. "I've never forced you to call me brother or boss, have I?"
"No…" she admitted, voice barely a whisper.
"Then why are you always so dramatic?"
"Because you're a demon," she muttered.
Long Shan leaned back with a smirk. "I may be a demon, but I'm the one protecting you from wolves."
Xiao Yu's expression twisted with helplessness. "If I could work to repay the debt, I would. Just let me stay."
"You?" Long Shan laughed. "With what skills? You'd need a hundred years to repay me."
Xiao Yu's face paled. "How much did she borrow?"
"You don't want to know," he replied cryptically. "But… I can offer you something else."
She leaned forward. "Anything. Just name it."
Long Shan raised an eyebrow. "Even if it means signing a contract with the devil?"
"I already did the moment you bought me."
He laughed, full and deep. "Fair enough. I'll draft the new agreement tomorrow. No more talk of going back."
Xiao Yu nodded, relief washing over her.
Behind the door, Jiang Lifen had been listening. Her heart thudded with conflicting emotions. Something is between them and it was deeper than she'd thought. She walked away, expression unreadable.
—
Back at Jiang Wei's home, tension reigned.
"She was sold to Long Shan by her own aunt?" Jiang Meili asked in disbelief.
"Yes," Jiang Lifen confirmed. "I heard it myself."
"This is unbelievable," said Jiang Yuze, eyes dark. "All because of money?"
"She came there today to get her back," Jiang Lifen added. "But Xiao Yu refused. And Long Shan… refused too."
"Why?" Jiang Wei asked, frowning. "If she paid the money, shouldn't he let her go?"
Jiang Lifen sighed. "I don't think it's about the money anymore."
"What do you mean?" Meili asked.
"I think… something else is going on. Long Shan isn't just keeping her. I think he wants her."
The room fell silent.
"She may be a prisoner there," Jiang Meili said, "but maybe she feels safer than being with people who betrayed her."
"She's not a slave," Lifen argued. "She's just a girl caught in something dark."
"But the question is…" Jiang Yuze said, his voice grave. "Will she survive this world of darkness?"