Chapter 11: The Restrained Man Who Lost Control  

As the night deepened, wisps of scented incense curled silently from the corner, permeating the thin quilt with its fragrance.  

Pei Yuezhou climbed into bed. The man who had been the epitome of restraint during the day now held a slender waist tightly in his arms, his eyes glinting with an intoxicating, unrestrained madness.  

He buried his face in the crook of her neck, nuzzling lightly as he greedily inhaled her alluring scent. A hoarse whisper escaped his throat: “Once Song Chuhe is gone, Zhizhi’s eyes will only be on me…”  

Breaths mingled in the darkness.  

An air of decadence lingered, entwined with the cool fragrance, refusing to dissipate.  

**  

Yu Zhi slept soundly until dawn, feeling her energy mostly restored.  

When she went downstairs for breakfast, there was no sign of Pei Yuezhou—he had likely already left for the consortium headquarters.  

The Pei family’s consortium was more commonly known as the Bangs Consortium in Country M. Though primarily focused on smart technology domestically, its roots here lay in chemical and military industries, backed by formidable financial strength.  

With the head of the family just returned, there was undoubtedly much to attend to. For Yu Zhi, this was the perfect opportunity.  

She called Xiao Shui several times in her mind, but there was no response. Just as she grew puzzled and considered trying elsewhere, Xiao Shui finally came online, unhurried.  

[Host, you were looking for me?]  

“Did you freeze? I feel like you’ve been less responsive lately.”  

The recent unexplained disconnections left Xiao Shui unsure how to explain. It decided to wait until the maintenance results from headquarters came in.  

For now, it feigned ignorance to muddle through.  

Yu Zhi brushed it off casually, not dwelling on it.  

“Let’s get to business. I plan to lure the bodyguards to a crowded area and lose them. You cover my tracks at the right moment.”  

[Understood!]  

In this country without gun restrictions, the bodyguards assigned to Yu Zhi were far more heavily equipped than those back home.  

Though they kept a low profile, aside from a female bodyguard stationed close by, a carload of male bodyguards in black trailed behind her.  

And these were just the ones visible.  

After hesitating, Xiao Shui finally asked: [If Pei Yuezhou gets word that you’ve gone missing, might he react… excessively? Didn’t someone say he has some mental instability…]  

Yu Zhi frowned. “Don’t talk nonsense.”  

She had quietly investigated Pei Yuezhou’s complete medical history recently—there wasn’t a single issue.  

If the records weren’t falsified, then the problem lay with the events of the past.  

Yu Zhi clenched her fists, hoping her suspicions were unfounded.  

Yu Zhi arrived at the most renowned luxury boutique in the area and entered the fitting room under the pretense of trying on clothes.  

Only the female bodyguard remained inside the store, while the others waited outside.  

As time passed, the bodyguard checked her wristwatch and stepped into the fitting area.  

Of the three fitting rooms, only one door remained closed.  

She knocked and called out, “Madam, do you need assistance?”  

No response.  

“Madam?”  

Finally sensing something amiss, the bodyguard kicked the door open without hesitation—only to find the room empty.  

Her expression darkened as she activated her transmitter to alert the team outside. “Madam is missing!”  

Over the bustling streets, dark clouds loomed low, as if brewing a storm of colossal proportions.

Yu Zhi had successfully infiltrated the psychiatric hospital under the Pei family’s control.  

Dressed in a pink nurse’s uniform, white high heels, and a face mask, she pushed a small cart down the hallway without drawing any suspicion.  

All surveillance equipment in the building had been tampered with using special methods, ensuring no trace of Yu Zhi would be recorded.  

So when she slipped into the records room, even under the watch of four cameras, she didn’t alert a soul.  

Yu Zhi successfully searched for Pei Qingsong in the system and noted his location, but she wasn’t in a hurry to leave. Instead, she typed in Pei Yuezhou’s name.  

**[No need for that. Even if Song Chuhe didn’t lie to us, there’s no guarantee he’d be in this hospital.]**  

“This hospital was acquired shortly after A Yue took over the Pei family. At the time, it was operating at a loss and drowning in debt. Even now, it’s barely kept afloat by subsidies. Businessmen are profit-driven by nature—so why would A Yue do this?”  

Xiao Shui caught on quickly: **[Unless this psychiatric hospital is special to him.]**  

The screen soon displayed the words **“No Results Found,”** but Yu Zhi’s tense nerves didn’t relax.  

Because under Pei Yuezhou’s control, erasing records was as easy as giving an order.  

Without wasting time, Yu Zhi stepped into the elevator and headed for the top floor.  

But what she hadn’t expected was the unusually tight security—even meal deliveries were thoroughly interrogated.  

Yu Zhi hid in the shadows, waiting until the nurse delivering food had left before emerging.  

“I’ll handle the ones in front. You take care of the ones behind—just stun them.”  

It wasn’t that she couldn’t fight them all, but dragging it out risked someone raising the alarm.  

**[Got it.]**  

With their combined efforts, they took down everyone in the hallway.  

Yu Zhi pushed open the door and was immediately met with a scene of utter disarray.  

Peeling wallpaper, a leaking ceiling, moldy sheets on the bed—all emitting a strange odor.  

Even the food the nurse had just delivered, upon closer inspection, looked no better than slop.  

Yet the man crawling out from under the bed acted as if he’d found a feast, shoveling it into his mouth with his hands, his disheveled appearance bearing no resemblance to his former arrogance.  

He must have noticed someone in the room, but he paid no mind, eating faster as if afraid Yu Zhi would take the food away.  

“Long time no see. Let’s talk.” Yu Zhi spoke in Mandarin.  

Perhaps startled by hearing his native tongue after so long, Pei Qingsong stiffened before tremblingly lifting his head, revealing a face covered in stubble, dark circles under his eyes, and a gaunt frame.  

His vocal cords must have suffered some damage—his voice grated like gravel scraping against the ground. **“Who are you?”**  

Still lucid. That made things easier.  

Yu Zhi removed her mask, her expression complicated as she looked at him.  

Pei Qingsong’s first reaction upon seeing her was a bizarre laugh. He writhed, trying to stand.  

“Did that lunatic get tired of you too? Throw you in here as well?”  

Yu Zhi instantly recognized who he meant, her expression turning icy as she pressed her high heel onto the back of his hand. **“Watch your mouth.”**

The pain was like a drizzle to him, barely eliciting any reaction from Pei Qingsong. Instead, Yu Zhi’s words surprised him: “Why are you suddenly defending him again? When I showed you the video of him fighting for food like a dog, you barely reacted at all.”

His words successfully provoked Yu Zhi. She nearly lost her composure, grabbing Pei Qingsong by the collar: “What nonsense are you spouting?!”

Still unflinching, her expression only deepened the amusement in his eyes: “I remember telling you… six years ago, when I took control of the Pei family, Pei Yuezhou was nothing but a stray dog I locked away in an asylum. Oh, right—this very room, hahaha—”

“Do you know why the Pei family led the field in psychiatric medications back then? Of course, it was thanks to the contributions of my dear nephew as a test subject… When I was in a bad mood, whipping and electrocution were just routine for him…”

Before Pei Qingsong could finish, Yu Zhi slammed him to the ground, punching him relentlessly, breaking his nose in the process.

“You bastard! How dare you treat him like that?!”

Pei Yuezhou, a man of such fierce pride, had once been trampled into the mud—and she had been completely unaware.

Gritting his teeth in pain, Pei Qingsong spat out a mouthful of blood as he crashed to the floor. Yet he stubbornly continued to provoke her: “Does this hurt you? I should’ve found some diseased prostitutes to really humiliate him back then—”

[Host, calm down! He’s doing this on purpose!]

Yu Zhi clenched her fists tighter. Of course she knew.

“You want to provoke me into killing you, don’t you?” Yu Zhi crouched slowly before him, a cold smile on her lips. “That’d be too merciful. Live on as the dog you are. I’ll visit often.”

His scheme foiled, he howled like a desperate man who had missed his last chance at salvation: “Don’t go! Kill me, just give me a quick end—”

Yu Zhi stood, looking down at him with disdain. “Enjoy your life, you pitiful worm.”

With those final words, she turned and left without hesitation.

Behind her, Pei Qingsong’s mad laughter echoed: “I’m pitiful? Yu Zhi, oh Yu Zhi, you’ve been loved by that lunatic Pei Yuezhou. One day, you’ll be far more wretched than I am—hahaha—”

Even in the hallway, his shrill laughter lingered.

As she walked, Yu Zhi tore off her cap and ID badge, clutching her high heels in hand. Ignoring the strange looks and protests around her, she strode out of the asylum with her hair disheveled.

The icy rain pelted her body, but she moved like a lifeless shell, numb to the cold.

Xiao Shui watched as Yu Zhi’s eyes reddened, yet no tears fell, unsure how to comfort her.

[Host, it’s pouring. You’ll get sick. Please go back.]

Yu Zhi didn’t respond, continuing down the street.

All these days since her return, she had taken his care for granted. What had she even been doing?

Xiao Shui quietly lifted the barrier around her, hoping Pei Yuezhou would find her soon.

Meanwhile, Pei Yuezhou was frantic with worry, sending out search parties one after another—yet there was no trace of her.

Several bodyguards knelt on the ground, their voices trembling: “It… it was our negligence. We beg for your forgiveness and a chance to redeem ourselves…”

Though they appeared as mere bodyguards on the surface, they were actually elite mercenaries trained with the conglomerate’s hefty annual investments. Yet now, they couldn’t even keep watch over a seemingly delicate woman.

Lin Zhi’s expression darkened—utterly useless.

Pei Yuezhou’s long leg swept out, kicking a bodyguard to the ground, who scrambled back up immediately, not daring to meet Pei Yuezhou’s stormy gaze.

The cold muzzle of a gun pressed against his forehead, and his back was drenched in cold sweat.

“Want to redeem yourselves?” Pei Yuezhou suddenly laughed, his voice so gentle it sent chills down their spines. “Of course you can—with your lives…”

“Sir! Madam has returned!”

The shout halted the man’s descent into madness. The black gun slipped from his hand, and without waiting for an umbrella, he dashed into the rain.

Lin Zhi adjusted his glasses, speaking just loud enough for everyone present to hear: “Alright, you’re all dismissed…”

Then, his voice turned sharp with warning: “But as for tonight’s events—what should and shouldn’t be mentioned in front of Madam—you’d better think carefully.”

The crowd immediately bowed their heads: “Understood.”

Then they hastily retreated from the scene.

The servants, who had been trembling in the corners, quickly stepped forward to clean up the shattered remnants of the vase and the blood Pei Yuezhou had left behind.

The once-vibrant flowers in the manor had been stripped bare by the torrential rain. Yu Zhi stepped on the scattered petals, watching the man running toward her, and the tears she had held back the entire journey finally spilled over.

When Pei Yuezhou pulled her tightly into his arms, she returned the embrace with equal fervor.

“A Yue…”

“Don’t be afraid.” Pei Yuezhou softened his voice as much as possible, his chest swelling with the relief of having her back—so much so that he was almost cautious.

He wanted to check if she was hurt, but her arms around his waist tightened, stopping him.

“I’m sorry… I came back too late…”

These were the last words Yu Zhi spoke before collapsing.

“Zhi Zhi.” The carefully maintained facade on Pei Yuezhou’s face shattered completely. He scooped her up and sprinted back to the mansion. “Get the doctor, now!”

Lin Zhi didn’t dare delay, immediately calling for medical assistance.

Soon, Yu Zhi was settled safely in the master bedroom.

The doctor took her temperature, confirming a high fever, and quickly started an IV drip.

“Don’t worry, sir. Madam just has a fever from being out in the rain. She’ll be fine after a few days of rest and the IV.”

Pei Yuezhou’s oppressive aura kept everyone at a distance.

He gripped Yu Zhi’s hand tightly, refusing to leave her bedside, and ordered sternly: “Run a full-body examination on her.”

“But…” The doctor hesitated—it was completely unnecessary. He wanted to object but didn’t dare.

Lin Zhi stepped forward. “Madam isn’t feeling well right now. She might not handle the strain. Perhaps we should wait until she wakes up?”

Though they couldn’t dissuade him, once the lady of the house regained consciousness, their intervention wouldn’t be needed.

Pei Yuezhou said nothing further, clearly considering the suggestion.

Lin Zhi exhaled in relief.

But soon, the voice in his earpiece made his expression shift again. He wanted to delay reporting, but Pei Yuezhou had already noticed, his terrifying gaze locking onto him.

“What did you find?”

Lin Zhi didn’t dare meet Pei Yuezhou’s gaze, his voice several degrees lower than usual: “Madam… went to see Pei Qingsong.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Lin Zhi instantly felt the atmosphere in the room grow even more terrifying, suffocating to the point of breathlessness.

Pei Yuezhou’s expression was ghastly, veins bulging on his arms, the man looking on the verge of losing control.

Like brewing a terrible storm that could sweep someone away without leaving even bones behind.

Seizing the moment, Lin Zhi quickly dismissed everyone.

In the room lit only by dim wall lamps, the man’s striking features appeared somewhat blurred in the faint light. His hand holding Yu Zhi’s trembled slightly: “Zhi Zhi, did you hear something?”

That disgusting past… had she learned about it after all?

Zhi Zhi loved the upright, pristine Pei Yuezhou—that shameful past he himself despised, let alone her.

Would she want to distance herself from him even more now?

With a hoarse voice and the corners of his eyes flushed red, Pei Yuezhou pleaded, “I beg you, don’t despise me…A plea so humble it touched the dust, repeated over and over from the mouth of one who usually commanded authority.

Pity the woman deep in slumber showed no reaction at all.