Chapter 11 You Are So Ungrateful

Xi Yue instinctively raised her hand and slapped him.

“Pop!”

Wang Jin’s hand was knocked askew, instantly swelling and turning red.

Xi Yue stepped back, her eyes full of caution. “Mr. Wang, I’m sorry. I’ve trained in self-defense techniques, and it was just an instinct...”

This made Wang Jin feel even colder inside. Did she not even see him as a good person?

Wang Jin’s eyes darkened, and he unwillingly stepped forward again. Xi Yue backed up two steps, finding herself trapped against a Royce Rolls.

“I really like you. Please give me a chance to take care of you. I promise...”

“Mr. Wang, I want to focus on my studies. I have no plans for a relationship. Thank you for your feelings, but I’m truly sorry.”

“Xi Yue,” Wang Jin raised his hand to touch her face, “let’s give it a try, shall we? Trust me, I—”

Click.

Just as Xi Yue was about to push him away, she heard the sound of a car door opening behind her. Turning her head, she saw Zong Du stepping out of the car.

Xi Yue’s mind went blank.

No wonder this Royce Rolls looked so familiar.

Zong Du leaned on the car door, watching them with a mocking expression.

Xi Yue’s face turned pale, her mouth opening and closing several times as she tried to explain but couldn’t find the words.

Wang Jin thought the man was upset about them touching his car and pulled Xi Yue aside a few steps, frowning. “Sir, if you’re unhappy because we touched your car, I can apologize. But we have things to deal with now, so could you just leave?”

Zong Du ignored him and instead looked at Xi Yue. “Something to deal with?”

His dismissive gaze made Wang Jin uneasy. He wanted to get rid of this intruder, but Xi Yue broke free first.

Xi Yue said, “I have nothing to deal with. I’m going home now!”

Wang Jin was stunned.

Facing Wang Jin directly, Xi Yue said, “Mr. Wang, thank you for your feelings, but I’m truly sorry!”

She then opened the passenger door of the Royce Rolls and got in.

Zong Du lit a cigarette and glanced at Wang Jin. “A bouquet of flowers for the girl? Well...it’s not bad. I can deliver it for you.”

Wang Jin, seemingly in a daze, handed over the flowers instinctively as Zong Du spoke.

Zong Du took them, thanked him, and got into the car.

Wang Jin, looking lost, got into his own car and drove off.

Inside the car, they sat in silence until Wang Jin had left the premises.

Zong Du still hadn’t started the engine. The silence was deafening, and Xi Yue felt increasingly anxious.

After a long while, she couldn’t help but break the silence. “Miss Lin...where is she...”

“She went home,” Zong Du lit another cigarette. “Let’s talk about your Mr. Wang.”

Her heart sank completely.

Xi Yue stammered, “He’s just a schoolmate.”

“Only a schoolmate?” Zong Du chuckled and took the bouquet from the back seat, waving it in front of her. “A schoolmate who gives you roses?”

Xi Yue muttered, “I didn’t want to accept that. It was you who...” took it.

Zong Du pulled out a rose, sniffing it.

The rich fragrance filled the car, and the red of the flowers seemed especially glaring.

Tossing the remaining bouquet to the back, Zong Du pressed his lit cigarette into the flower he had pulled out.

The flower sizzled faintly as it burned, filling the car with a strange, burnt smell.

Xi Yue watched him, feeling helpless.

Zong Du smirked, crushing the flower head in his hand.

Bright red flower juice seeped through his fingers, dripping onto Xi Yue’s light blue pants.

Xi Yue’s heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively tried to back away.

“Xi Yue, I thought you understood me.”

Zong Du released his grip, letting the crushed rose drop.

It turned to mush.

Xi Yue bit her lip. “I really have no relationship with him.”

“No relationship?” Zong Du’s fingers, stained a vivid red, were cold as he pinched her chin. “He gave gifts to the teachers for the sake of you, made connections, and got you into the Senior Dance Troupe. He worked hard for your study abroad application, being considerate and thoughtful. And you say you have no relationship with him?”

Zong Du’s voice was light and teasing, making it hard for Xi Yue to gauge his true feelings.

Zong Du murmured, “Xi Yue, you are so ungrateful, huh?”

Xi Yue’s face turned ashen, not knowing how to explain.

Wang Jin had indeed done a lot for her, but she had been unaware of most of it.

Zong Du let go of her, pulling out a wet wipe to clean his hands. “Xi Yue, you know my temper. If you anger me, you might as well forget about school.”

“No!” Xi Yue’s face went pale, and she instinctively grabbed his arm. “Mr, please. I’ll apologize. I’ll kneel if I have to! Please, just let me stay in school!”

Zong Du pushed her away, making her fall onto the seat.

After wiping his hands, he tossed the stained tissue aside and looked at her coldly. “I’m not happy.”

From the initial phone call, to the rumors overheard in the restroom, and finally to the confession just now, each incident had hit Zong Du’s sore spots.

Xi Yue looked at him, her heart growing colder.

After a prolonged silence, Zong Du looked into her eyes and coldly said, “Last night, a vase from the Tang Dynasty went missing from the antique shelf on the fourth floor.”

Xi Yue looked at him in confusion. “What?”

Zong Du opened his tablet and played a surveillance video.

Xi Yue watched as the video showed Zhuang Yi carefully taking a vase from the antique shelf and replacing it with another bottle with hibiscus. The high-definition footage captured every detail, from Zhuang Yi’s careful movements to her excited expression after successfully swapping the vases.

The sweat on her face, her gleeful eyes, and the smile she couldn’t suppress...

It felt like a cold bucket of water had been dumped over Xi Yue, or like she had been slapped.

Despite the blazing sun outside, she felt like she was in an ice pit. Her ears were ringing, and she couldn’t stop trembling.

Tears fell in big drops, but she didn’t dare to make a sound as she cried.

Zong Du took a tissue and calmly wiped her tears. “I heard your father owes another two million in gambling debts. What do you think will happen to you if you leave the Zong Family?”

What would happen?

Xi Yue’s vision blackened.

Zong Du’s expression remained soft, his voice gentle. But his words were chilling.

“Xi Yue, from the moment you entered the Zong Family, you were destined to be my toy. If I want you to cry, you cry. If I want you to laugh, you laugh. Understand?”

Xi Yue couldn’t respond, nor did she need to. From the moment her father brought her to the casino as collateral at fifteen and from the moment she borrowed five million from Zong Du at eighteen, she knew she could never escape this man.

Zong Du looked at Xi Yue’s dazed eyes and chuckled.

Xi Yue’s eyes sparkled, as if she could find the strength to fight back no matter the adversity.

From the first time he saw her, Zong Du had been particularly fond of her eyes. The vibrant life in them brought him a joy that seemed to come from the depths of his soul.

That feeling of seeing light in hell was addictive.

He was willing to protect her innocence.

As long as she was his.