"Miss Yun, after all this trouble, I haven't seen a single cent. Are you trying to bluff me, Miss Yun?"
At this moment, in a private room in the capital's nightlife, Yun Rong was kneeling on the ground. Before her sat a man with one leg crossed, wearing a mask on the sofa. He was surrounded by over a dozen burly men.
The dim, multi-colored light cast an indistinct, hazy environment, but it did not bring Yun Rong any sense of relief. Instead, she felt like she was being stared at by countless venomous snakes.
"I'm not. Please wait for me. Once I find their location, I'll be halfway successful!" Yun Rong was so intimidated by the man's imposing presence that her whole body trembled, and her voice quivered with her teeth, making a chattering sound.
Yun Rong lowered her head.
The man's knuckles tapped on the table, a rhythmic, persistent sound.
Yun Rong's body trembled more violently with each tap of the man's hand on the table.
"Really, please wait for me a little longer. As long as I successfully attach myself to Mu Qi, I'll give you as much money as you want."
"Hmm, you make a valid point." The man's tapping on the table did not stop. Then, the corner of his mouth, visible outside the mask, curved into a smile. He raised his hand and beckoned to the man standing beside him with his index and middle fingers.
The man immediately understood. He took out an exquisite, small aluminum case and placed it on the table, opening it.
Instantly, six small bottles containing liquid, each nestled in black sponge, and a syringe were exposed to the air.
The man inserted the needle into the silicone cap of the small bottle, then placed his index finger on the cap, pressing it against his thumb.
After two sounds of fingernails tapping on plastic, three bubbles floated to the top of the syringe.
"Miss Yun, it's time for your injection."
The man's series of actions seemed to have been performed countless times. A wicked smile played on his lips, as if this was a game that excited him.
"Don't come near me!" Yun Rong cried out in despair, curling her body rigidly and backing away.
"Don't come near? Miss Yun, that's a rather dangerous thought you're having." The man stretched lazily, the curve of his lips deepening. It seemed the more Yun Rong feared him, the more excited he became.
"Miss Yun, don't forget our wager. Sixty million to buy your life!" The man walked steadily towards Yun Rong, step by step.
Looking at the man from top to bottom, Yun Rong felt as if he were a monster, exuding an aura of pure evil.
Everything felt like a nightmare to Yun Rong. Or rather, this nightmare had not ended since the day she went to that small inn.
Yun Rong's gaze was vacant, then filled with tears as she turned and ran towards the door.
"So, you don't want this, but you'll want your life!"
The man's voice followed her, and Yun Rong quickened her pace.
However, just as Yun Rong twisted the doorknob, the monster suddenly grabbed her by the collar of her shirt at the nape of her neck.
"Please, I beg you, don't inject me, don't give me that thing!" Yun Rong struggled and screamed, her voice breaking as she shrieked incoherently.
The man kicked Yun Rong aside and then stepped on her neck.
At this point, Yun Rong's struggles grew weaker and weaker.
Only then did the man lift his foot and, under Yun Rong's terrified gaze, slowly insert the needle into Yun Rong's skin.
-------------------------------------
"Mu Qi, you're too wicked!" Yun Shu Nian's eyes were sharp, and she looked indignant.
Mu Qi's brow twitched at her words: "What do you mean?"
"You just want to feed me until I'm stuffed, so I can't move, and then you can just abandon me here." Yun Shu Nian spoke, her anger shifting to a pout.
"No, I just thought you've lost weight these past few days." Mu Qi said, leaning in to kiss Yun Shu Nian's eyes.
"I'm not eating anymore." Yun Shu Nian insisted on refusing, but she did not get up from Mu Qi's embrace.
"Alright. No more eating." Mu Qi put the fish back into the bowl but made no move to put Yun Shu Nian down.
Suddenly, Mu Qi's well-defined hand tugged at Yun Shu Nian's collar.
Yun Shu Nian instinctively raised her hand and, accompanied by the sound of clinking chains, covered her chest.
Mu Qi held Yun Shu Nian in his arms. From Yun Shu Nian's perspective, she could only see half of Mu Qi's profile, so she couldn't discern his current emotions.
"Baby, what is all this?"
Mu Qi's tone was as clear and crisp as usual. Yun Shu Nian felt his seriousness.
"I guess I bumped into something accidentally." Yun Shu Nian shifted her gaze, avoiding Mu Qi's eyes.
Mu Qi took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "I'm not so clueless that I can't tell the difference between a hickey and a bruise." Mu Qi's tone grew colder, unwilling to be deceived by Yun Shu Nian any longer.
He wanted to know what had happened.
Yun Shu Nian pursed her lips, wanting to avoid the topic yet not wanting to leave Mu Qi.
Mu Qi looked at Yun Shu Nian with a detached expression, appearing patient.
If it were anyone else, Mu Qi would have condemned them to eternal damnation. But before that, he had to appease Yun Shu Nian first.
Mu Qi glanced at the chain on his hand. When he wore it and it was connected to Yun Shu Nian, he had enjoyed it immensely.
But slowly, Mu Qi realized that while he enjoyed it, Yun Shu Nian experienced moments of anxiety, both deep and shallow.
Given this, he couldn't let the situation continue.
"Did I do this?" After a silence that lasted for tens of minutes, Mu Qi finally spoke.
"Of course, you did." Yun Shu Nian's eyes widened, looking very agitated.
Hearing Yun Shu Nian's reply, Mu Qi grew even more irritable.
So, in the end, it was he who had hurt his baby.
For a moment, a myriad of thoughts raced through Yun Shu Nian's mind, and she looked at the agitated Mu Qi with a peculiar expression.
What was Mu Qi's intention? Did Mu Qi think it was Shan Gong who did it, and was he jealous?
So, was Mu Qi jealous of me, or of Shan Gong? Su Dan Novel Network
When Mu Qi finally emerged from his self-reproach, he saw Yun Shu Nian's look of sheer horror.
The soft touch of her skin in his hands created a sharp contrast with the ache in his heart.
"Punish me, alright? It might make me feel a little better."
Yun Shu Nian felt Mu Qi's muscles tense and his body stiffen, but she didn't quite understand what he meant.
"Punish? What punishment?" Yun Shu Nian asked, looking at Mu Qi with great confusion.