At the same time, within the Bai Family's estate.
Bai Wanyi, who wore a moon-white cloak, stood alone in front of the carved window. The night wind blew gently across her hair through the gauze curtains. The candlelight flickered as she lowered her head and opened a secret report that had just been delivered to her.
On a sheet of black paper, the golden letters stood out with stark and concise.
[Li Chengyuan has ransomed Li Junxi and Zeyang is still trapped in the warehouse — confirmed.]
Her eyes suddenly turned frosty and her fingertips stayed on the line of words for a few seconds.
In the next instant— rip! — The letter was torn by her in half. The shredded pieces fell at her feet like snow, but with the chill of an oncoming storm.
She sat down slowly and her eyes were empty for a moment, then she took a deep breath. Her chest was heaving violently, as if she were suppressing a beast trying to break free.
"He actually dared... to choose this way."
Her voice was as low as a whisper, but as sharp as a frozen blade. Her lips pressed tightly together, and there was not much expression on her face, but fury was gathering in her eyes with no shock but was wrath, deep and bone-chilling.
She thought that even if Li Chengyuan was cold-hearted, he would at least feel a little guilty towards her son.
But now what he showed was not hesitation. It was choice—a choice made without a flicker of doubt, condemning Zeyang to hell.
At that moment, her anger was like thunder striking her heart, and her blood seemed to explode.
"Zeyang is my entire life!" She slammed her palm hardly on the table, making the candlelight quiver from the force. "Who the hell does Li Chengyuan think he is. How dare he abandon my son?"
Bai Wanyi's assistant was so shocked by her angry voice that he lowered his head and dared not to move. He said tremblingly: "Madam...you want..."
"Rescue my son now!!!" She nearly roared the words, her tone as frigid as ice. "Send men to the abandoned warehouse and bring my son back. Now!"
She turned toward the cabinet by the wall, commanding in a cold voice:
"Take weapons. Take men. Take the contingency plan. At the warehouse, whoever dares to stop me from saving Zeyang will be killed!"
"Yes, madam!" The assistant obeyed the order instantly but was halted again at the door.
"Wait." Her voice sank low—so low, it seemed to rise from the depths of hell. "And also Li Chengyuan."
The assistant froze, even his breath stilled in his chest.
Bai Wanyi slowly stepped back to the desk and picked up another sealed order. Her finger traced the envelope slowly, with a cold and lethal smile tugged at her lips.
"He defied my command. He abandoned my child."
She pronounced each word with deadly precision:
"Then... treat him as if he were dead."
She slowly raised her eyes, and at that moment, the look in her eyes was no longer that of an elegant lady, but of a thorough judge, filled with the anger and revenge of a weeping mother.
"Issue the kill order." She faced away from the assistant and her voice was colder than frost, "If he's alive, I want to see him. If he's dead, I want to see his body."
The assistant's face turned pale instantly: "Madam... this, this is... your true order?"
She didn't turn back but just looked out the window at the pitch-black night, which was the silence before the endless storm.
"From this moment on, Li Chengyuan—"
Her voice was low, as if she was squeezing out the last of her emotions from her chest:
"—is no longer a son-in-law of the Bai family."
"Nor does he deserve to be called the father of my child."