A ripping sound resounded as the man tore A Miao's shirt and began touching her all over. She felt something rising from her stomach and then vomited all over herself and Xia Mingde.
"Let me go… You bastard, let me go!" Without even bothering to wipe her mouth, she felt around for the table lamp on the floor and swiped Xia Mingde with it.
"F*ck!" Xia Mingde blocked her attack with his arm and snatched it out of her hands. With a turn of his hand, he landed a hard slap on her face. "You bitch."
A Miao fell on the floor. Xia Mingde once again grabbed her thighs and ripped her skirt with one smooth movement.
"No! Let me go… Mom… Help!" A Miao stared at the ceiling with tears streaming down her face. The only thing she could think of was her mother's final words.
Thud! Just as she was about to close her eyes and waited in despair for Xia Mingde to climb over her, the door abruptly opened.
"Boss, how should we handle this man?"
A Miao opened her eyes and saw Shen I standing beside her. Xia Mingde was lying on the ground without moving.
"Thank… Thank you…" She wanted to get up but she had lost all energy in her legs. The only thing she could do was to sit under her tattered skirt. She turned to look at the man who came in after Shen I.
Shen Xinglan slowly walked in without sparing A Miao a glance. When he walked past Xia Mingde, he stepped on the latter. "The last time I saved you, you ended up owing me 100,000 yuan. This time… how much do you think I should charge you?"
"You know I'm penniless." A Miao's emotions had yet stabilized and her voice was still trembling. "I'll steal what you want as soon as possible."
"Hehe…" Shen Xinglan smirked. "Did you grow a brain just to give yourself additional height?"
"Pfft!" Shen I nearly laughed out loud.
A Miao waved her hand tiredly. "Did you grow a mouth just for your poisonous tongue?"
"Very well!" Shen Xinglan smirked again. "Seeing as you still have the energy to talk back to me, I'll let you handle the following matters."
"Thank… Thank you." A Miao stared straight into his eyes." No matter what, thank you for coming. Thank you…"
Shen Xinglan furrowed his brows. "You're unpleasant to look at in the first place. You look like a ghost after crying that hard."
"Hehe…"
A Miao did not want to talk to a psycho any longer. Holding onto the bed, she got up with her legs still trembling under her. "I need to leave this place as soon as possible. If I'm not mistaken, someone will come very soon."
"You're not entirely stupid." Shen Xinglan looked at her. "Remember that you owe me another favor." He turned around and walked out of the door. Shen I followed suit but when he saw that A Miao was still in a daze, he could not stop himself from giving her a nudge. "We'll send you home."
Just as they walked into the corridor, they spotted four people stepping out of the elevator.
"I really saw her! I saw A Miao entering the hotel with a man." Just as the voice reverberated, the four of them saw A Miao and Shen Xinglan. Their expressions could be described as incredibly colorful.
Xia Wan appeared obliviously relieved. She then cautiously pulled A Miao to her and asked, "Why are you here? Why would you be with Mr. Shen?"
"Impossible. I obviously…"
"Mei!" Xia Fan cried in a cold voice as he patted Xia Mei's shoulders twice. "Look. You're mistaken, as expected."
A Miao's heart was clouded but the show must still go on. She sniffled and said, "You're not mistaken. Several hooligans knocked me out and brought me here. If not for…"
She glanced at the expressionless Shen Xinglan and clenched her teeth before continuing, "If not for Mr. Shen recognizing me and saved me, I would've…I would've…" She started sobbing.
"Who told you to run around outside this late at night? You even made us come and find you." Bai Youran, who had been keeping quiet the whole time, was also unhappy. Ever since Xia Wan saw Shen Xinglan, her gaze had never left him.
Noticing that Xia Wan was frowning as if she was thinking about something, A Miao added, "Mr. Shen wouldn't have cared if he didn't recognize me to be your cousin."
This time, it was Shen Xinglan's face that turned dark. He gave A Miao a warning look.
"Don't drag me into your family affairs."
"You're involved the moment you showed up here…"
No one noticed their silent conversation. Xia Wan, who was pleasantly surprised, walked toward Shen Xinglan and conveyed her thanks.
"Mr. Shen, thank you for saving my cousin."
Shen Xinglan's gaze flitted over her head, where he saw A Miao looking as if this had nothing to do with her. He felt a wave of inexplicable anger.
"You're welcome. Since I'm her savior, then I'll be bringing her with me." He walked past the dumbstruck Xia Wan and headed straight for the elevator.
Shen I gave A Miao a little push. She turned to look at him. Just as she was about to run, she heard a cold voice coming from inside the elevator.
"Try and run."
"A Miao!" Xia Wan inserted herself in front of A Miao. "Mr. Shen, my cousin is still young. If she did something to insult you, I'll apologize on her behalf. If… If you're still unhappy, I'm willing to take her place. Please let her go home!"
Silence.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Shen Xinglan suddenly said.
Xia Wan's eyes brightened. Just as she was about to enter the escalator, she heard him say, "Are you deaf?"
Shen Xinglan's gaze was evidently directed at A Miao who was being pushed around by Shen I. She entered the elevator with great reluctance.
"Mr. Shen," Xia Fan said politely. "Whatever the reason is, isn't it inappropriate for you to take my cousin away like this?"
Xia Mei, who had been hiding behind Xia Fan all along, added, "Who knows if she's the one who plotted all these?"
"Xia Mei!" Xia Wan glared at her unhappily. "What are you saying?" She felt deeply uncertain. She did not understand why Shen Xinglan would have a sudden interest in A Miao and the only thing she could think of was not letting them leave.
Bai Youran pulled her out of the elevator. "Wanwan, just ignore her. She's the one who wants to go."
"No, she's my cousin!" Xia Wan said righteously. Clueless outsiders would have thought that she truly cared for A Miao.
Shen Xinglan's patience had been thoroughly exhausted. He glanced at Shen I and the latter pressed the button to close the elevator doors. To their surprise, Xia Wan blocked the doors from closing with her own body. Before she was going to say anything, however, the man's gaze frightened her.
"Miss Xia," Shen I said in a warning tone. "I advise you to take a look inside the room!"
The doors shut before Xia Wan could react.
"The room… What's inside the room?" She shoved Bai Youran aside, ran down the corridor, and stopped in front of an open door.
Bai Youran tugged at her arm. "Stay here. I'll go in and take a look."
"Older Brother, what happened?" Outside the elevator, Xia Mei finally questioned Xia Fan. "Why would Shen Xinglan be here?"
They had plotted their scheme very well. Xia Fan ordered men to kidnap A Miao here and then drugged Xia Mingde. Once the two of them were on the bed, the siblings would bring Bai Youran here to catch them red-handed. Then, the Bai family would naturally cast A Miao aside.
Moreover, the one who ruined the engagement would be A Miao's older male cousin, Xia Mingde. Even if their grandfather became mad, it would have nothing to do with them. Their uncle's family would bear all the consequences.
"How would I know?" Xia Fan was not as agitated like his sister. He said placidly, "Maybe he happened to pass by the area."
Xia Mei stamped her feet. "How can that illegitimate child be that lucky? What should we do next?"
"Keep still for the time being," Xia Fan said, reminding her. "Don't make any trouble for her either. Don't forget that your goal is to marry into the Bai family. If you worsen things to the point of ruining Xia Wan's marriage, she'll be the one who will marry into the Bai family."
"Yes, yes, yes!" Xia Mei nodded. "So we should be helping Xia Wan marry Shen Xinglan as soon as possible."
Meanwhile, Xia Wan had never been angrier tonight. She could still ignore the fact that Shen Xinglan had embarrassed her but to think that she would find her own younger brother inside the room! Fortunately, she and Bai Youran were the only witnesses.
She gave Xia Fan and Xia Mei a call and told them to go home by themselves. Then, she and Bai Youran secretly sent Xia Mingde home.
"Please don't be angry anymore. Mingde isn't conscious now and won't hear you no matter how you scold him." Bai Youran comforted her as he drove. "I think he's just fooling around. It's not such a big problem!"
"Youran, stop trying to speak for him." Xia Wan's eyes were red. "This is such a huge issue. Let's see when I question him tomorrow. Can you keep this a secret for me?"
Bai Youran chuckled. "Why are you being so polite? I'm always on your side!"
A villa halfway up a mountain in City S.
"Why did your boss bring me here?" A Miao eyed the large living room while dragging her feet on the white fur rug.
Shen II looked straight ahead without sparing her a glance.
"You're both bodyguards but Shen I is so much cuter than you."
The mouth of Shen I, who had walked into the living room behind Shen Xinglan, twitched after hearing her words. He chuckled in front of his boss.
With the hotel blanket still draping over her shoulders, A Miao curled herself into a ball on the sofa. Shen Xinglan sat down opposite her. "Xia Yongqiang will be going for a hospital check-up next month."
"So?" A Miao yawned. "You want me to make my move at the hospital?"
Shen Xinglan smirked. "This is your last chance. If you still fail this time, our deal will be canceled and you'll owe me 80 million yuan."
"Since when did I owe you so much money?" A Miao jumped up in shock but because she used too much force, the blanket slid off her body and revealed her snow-white shoulders.
The man's eyes dimmed. "If you're thinking of using your body for money, I advise you to forget it. I'm not interested in you."
A Miao frantically pulled the blanket back to its position before flashing him a fake smile. "That's fine with me. Likewise, I have zero interest in you!"
"Is that so? Then when someone tries to rape you next time, I won't be showing up anymore. I'll let you fulfill your wish."
"Hehe, do you think I'm an idiot?" A Miao pointed at him without any courtesy whatsoever. "You've been monitoring me all along! How can you not know they've made a move against me? I'd really like to ask, did you have fun eavesdropping from outside the door?"
She had been truly grateful to Shen Xinglan when she was first rescued. The man's appearance at a time when she was feeling completely hopeless revived her. Back then, she thought that she would do anything for him, let alone stealing the bronze mirror.
Once she finally calmed down, realization dawned on her.
Masking the helplessness that she felt on the inside, A Miao tried her best to feign strength. There was no longer anyone in this world who would help her without ulterior motives. Hadn't she gotten familiar with the cruelty of the world a long time ago?
"Very well." In spite of his anger, Shen Xinglan smiled. "It's been a long time since someone made me so angry. Shen I, locked her up."
Shen I held onto A Miao's arm and took no more than a few steps before turning his head to ask, "Boss, where should we…" "Just find a random dark room." Shen Xinglan waved impatiently. "Not the underground." "Understood." Noticing that A Miao was faintly trembling, Shen I comforted her while dragging her. "Don't worry. I'll be locking you in the storeroom. When boss' mood improves the next morning, I'll let you out." Worrying that she would catch a cold at night, Shen I kindly found a particularly small storeroom and even placed a quilt inside. When he saw how A Miao lied on the quilt without moving, he said nothing and locked the door. It was pitch-black inside the storeroom without even a hint of the moonlight. In the darkness, A Miao began to quiver. She could not stand staying in a cramped space like this. To a claustrophobic person, this was life-threatening torture. "Let me out! Let me ou
Shen Xinglan ordered the hospital to inform the Xia family that A Miao was involved in a car accident. "How did you end up getting involved in a car accident? What about Shen Xinglan?" Xia Wan questioned her as soon as she entered the room. Yao Lili and Xia Mei carefully observed A Miao. "Where are you injured?" A Miao raised both of her hands. "If that guy didn't dump me on the roadside, I wouldn't have been hit by a car." It was Le Yi who told her that Xia Wan might get suspicious if A Miao said that Shen Xinglan dragged her home. "Don't tell me you've gone blind!" Xia Mei said, evidently happy over A Miao's misery. That was because the bedridden A Miao was wearing a pair of shades. Beside her, a nurse who was preparing to leave immediately replied, "Her eyes were injured. She can't see light for the time being." "What sort of injuries are these? You're even staying in such an expensive ward
A Miao's smile instantly disappeared. Le Yi got up while shaking his head. "Have you been here for long?" Le Yi meant that he must have heard most of their conversation. "I just got here," Shen Xinglan shamelessly lied. He then looked coldly at A Miao. "You better recover as soon as possible. Otherwise, don't dream of going to classes in the second half of the year." A Miao stared at him and suddenly smiled. "I'm not in a hurry then. Worse comes to worst, I'll just attend next year." What she did not know was that her smile earlier had stupefied Shen Xinglan. It was as if the soft and gentle little girl in his memories was lying on his body, saying, "Brother Lan, it'll stop hurting after I blow on it…" Le Yi called him. "Shen?" "I'm fine." Shen Xinglan sat down on the sofa. "How soon can her hands recover?" "One and a half month if she obedient
Before he was a doctor, Le Yi was first and foremost Shen Xinglan's friend. Moreover, he came here because Shen Xinglan wanted to heal her hands... "I understand." A Miao pushed aside the bowl of soup in front of her without any expression. "Don't worry, I'll play along. You're right. This is a deal that I should complete." Le Yi chuckled, his expression ever attentive and gentle. A Miao smirked in self-mockery. She was the foolish one here. How could she think that this man was a good person? No, the man was not a bad person. They merely had different stances. "Why didn't you finish the soup?" Le Yi pushed the bowl in front of her again. "This is good for your recovery. It's much better than the hospital food." A Miao once again scolded herself in her mind. She thought that he was being kind when he prepared all those meals for her. She had been so grateful and treated him as a friend. Hehe, she was simply t
There was no way that she could run. Never mind that she had so little money on her or that she did not have her passport, she knew the casino town was dangerous just from the scene she saw earlier. Dejected, she hid in a corner of the room. She felt like crying but no tears came. "Mom…" she cried out with much difficulty. Suddenly, she found herself truly despising people of the Xia family. She did not know when her tears began to flow. She sobbed and whimpered quietly until her voice turned smaller and smaller. She had fallen asleep with her body curled up. She woke up to the sound of someone knocking on her door. Bai Youran sent someone to deliver a dress. She gave it no more than a glance before throwing it on the floor. Later on, Bai Youran came over and saw that she was not wearing the dress. "What do you mean by this?" He flew into a rage. "Put on that dress!" The dress was so deeply cut in the front that she wo
She was wearing a peaked cap, a men's T-shirt and jeans, and even her shoes were men's. If Shen Xinglan hadn't seen her iconic dull eyes, he would consider her a man from nowhere. "Don't be angry. You don't want to eat with a bald woman, do you?" A Miao sat down. "At least I'm not as conspicuous as I dress up as a man." Shen Xinglan pursed his lips, staring at the woman opposite him, and said, "I don't mind. Go back and change your clothes." "You are supposed to become a laughing stock. If you dress like this, it will go easy on you." "Since I have come, can I go back and change them after we finish eating?" A Miao said, grinding her teeth. "Once I come back to eat alone later and tell someone something that I should not say, it won't be good, right?" Shen Xinglan sneered, picked up the coffee and said, "Follow Shen I after you change your clothes." Seeing A Miao eating attentive
Shen I and Shen II wiped their foreheads. They felt wet with cold sweat. "Where is the last person who threatened our Boss? No... The last person who threatened our Boss is A Miao, who is obviously still alive." "Mr... Mr. Shen..." The waiter was terrified and said in a shaking voice, "Mr. Shen, I know nothing. That's what our boss told me." Shen I despised him and said, "Loser." The waiter glared at him. "We are all employees. Why are you so arrogant?" "Show me the way." Shen Xinglan stood up and his expression seemed calm. However, everyone who was familiar with him knew that he was about to lose temper. In He Shishi's private VIP room, A Miao changed back to men's clothing. She put on makeup and her eyes turned into dull eyes again, which shocked He Shishi's subordinates. "Is she a man or a woman?" "Do you really want to do this?" A Miao asked her indef
When she entered the living room, A Miao realized that it was not the right time to come back. "You still know you should come back!" Xia Mei was going to yell at A Miao when she saw a few people standing behind A Miao. She was stunned, and Xia Wan pushed her away before she came to her senses. "Mr. Shen!" Xia Wan shouted in surprise. When her gaze fell on A Miao, she turned her words into a question, "What are you doing with Mr. Shen?" No one answered her. A Miao didn't know how to answer her, while Shen Xinglan did not care to answer. "Hey, I didn't lie to you!" Bai Youran walked out from behind. "I told you that she ran away with a man, but you don't believe me!" Xia Mei immediately yelled as well, "I am going to tell Grandpa. The Bai family will not want a woman like you." "Xia Mei!" Xia Wan hurriedly stopped her. "Let her talk. Maybe there is a misundersta