The bathroom door opened. An Ruo kept her head down, afraid to look at the man's face. Even though he was blind and couldn't see her embarrassment, she couldn't get past that hurdle in her heart.
"What's wrong?"
Panic rising, An Ruo wanted to flee. "N-nothing."
As she passed him, her wrist was suddenly seized by a strong, firm hand. His palm was scorching hot, making An Ruo instinctively want to pull away.
"Your voice doesn't sound like nothing's wrong."
An Ruo froze, silently biting her lip, terrified of showing any hint of abnormality in front of him.
Taking a light, deep breath, she forced a relaxed tone. "Really, it's nothing."
Then, she changed the subject. "I'm hungry. The kitchen should be closed by now, right?"
The man wrapped his hand around her slightly cold one, his thumb gently stroking her knuckles, a faint smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "I knew you'd be up late, so I had the kitchen save you a meal."
"...I'll go downstairs to eat."
The man didn't let go; instead, he held on tighter, his voice soft. "Just have them bring it up."
Under his insistence, she pressed the call button and summoned a servant to bring the meal.
This system was designed specifically for him—since he couldn't walk well and was blind, he could use the call button in the room for anything he needed.
The lunch the servant brought was lavish, not like leftovers but freshly made.
Because An Ruo had slept until two in the afternoon, she was ravenous, and on top of that, she had to carefully figure out how to ask Gu Chao for time off.
"Yesterday..."
The moment he mentioned those two words, the girl, who had been eating absentmindedly, tensed up, gripping her chopsticks as if sitting on pins and needles.
"Where did you go yesterday? How did you end up passed out on the roadside?"
An Ruo glanced up at him, her grip on the chopsticks tightening. "I... I was out with friends. On the way back, I suddenly felt unwell, and then... I don't remember what happened after that."
Shen Xiaoxing's eyes flickered, his deep gaze sweeping over her pale, nervous face, a pang of reluctance stirring in his heart.
He nodded. "Make sure to come home earlier after work from now on. If a passerby hadn't found you passed out, we wouldn't have known where to look."
An Ruo pressed her lips together. "I'll remember. I'll come home earlier from now on."
From his words, she could roughly piece together how she'd gotten back yesterday.
But... who was that man who had come to save her and then taken advantage of her?
His voice was familiar, but her mind had been too foggy to see his face.
The more An Ruo thought about it, the more agitated she became. She hadn't forgotten who was to blame for all this, nor could she forget An Qing's hysterical hatred.
She was the one who had cried and refused to marry Shen Xiaoxing back then, and now An Qing, driven mad by jealousy, wanted to kill her for it. Was she born to be hurt?
An Ruo's eyes turned cold. She would make An Qing pay for this.
Watching the girl's gaze grow icy, Shen Xiaoxing felt a flicker of unease. Could she be suspicious of yesterday's events and misunderstanding him?
Both of them harbored their own secrets until An Ruo finished her meal. Using the excuse of going to the bathroom, she called her boss, Gu Chao.
She couldn't make it to the company on short notice, and as his special assistant, she had to hand over a lot of work. She expected him to tear into her, and she was ready for it...
But instead, the man generously gave her two days off and kept telling her to rest well at home, saying she'd been working hard lately and needed to take care of herself.
An Ruo listened, bewildered. Still, getting the time off was the best outcome, and she didn't have the energy to dwell on the reasons right now.
In the study, Han Chong rushed in to report. "Young master, our men have secretly sealed off the airport and all dock exits, but we still haven't found her."
The man's deep eyes fixed on the burning cigarette at his fingertips. He took a harsh drag, and as the smoke cleared, his cold, sinister face emerged. He crushed the cigarette butt into the ashtray with his long fingers.
His voice was icy and hoarse. "Then keep looking!"
He was determined to get justice for the girl's suffering.
The group that had kidnapped her had been captured, but during the detention process, the ringleader, An Qing, had managed to escape. He had sent people searching everywhere, but there was still no trace. As sharp as he was, he knew someone was hiding her.
With his resources, rooting out a rat in Shencheng was child's play. The problem was that he couldn't make too much noise, or his girl would suffer. If the details of her being drugged last night came to light, it would damage her reputation.
He couldn't bear to see her endure even a shred of humiliation.
So this matter had to be handled carefully. While ensuring she wasn't harmed, he would uncover the real culprit and vent this anger for her.
At the Wanjia Entertainment City.
Two bodyguards dragged a woman in and threw her down—
An Qing's knees hit the floor, pain bringing tears to her eyes. Trembling, she looked up to see the arrogant, domineering man before her.
He leaned over the pool table, closing one eye to aim, and took a shot. Only two balls went in!
Shen Tingfeng angrily tossed his cue stick. When he turned around, his gaze turned icy. He crouched down slowly, pinching An Qing's chin.
"Do you know what I like to do most to people who don't obey?"
An Qing trembled all over, watching his wild eyes grow colder by the second, a chill running down her spine. "Second Young Master, I, I didn't, I didn't betray you. I don't know either..."