Qiao Shan had no idea what Lin Huaiyu was thinking, but Bai Xueping’s sharp words struck her like a slap to the face. A wave of humiliation surged through her, her complexion shifting between pale and flushed. Shame and anger warred inside her, but she had no choice but to swallow it down. After all, the person chastising her was Lin Huaiyu’s mother—someone she couldn’t afford to offend.

Suppressing her resentment, she forced herself into submission, lowering her gaze like a reprimanded child.

“Aunt Bai, you’re right. I’ll be more mindful in the future and make sure not to disgrace the Lin family.”

Her voice was soft, seemingly filled with remorse, but beneath that docile exterior, her heart seethed with indignation. She deliberately hesitated before continuing, stealing a glance at Lin Huaiyu before speaking again.

“The reason why I came here… is because I heard that Huaiyu was injured, and I was worried. I wanted to see for myself, if he was alright…”

Her words trailed off abruptly, her breath catching in her throat as her eyes landed on the faint, unmistakable mark on Lin Huaiyu’s lips—a set of teeth imprints.

For a moment, she froze, her mind going blank.

At one point, realization dawned, a searing jealousy ignited within her, spreading like wildfire through her veins.

She knew exactly what kind of situation would leave such a mark.

There was no doubt.

Lin Huaiyu had gone to see Su Weichu.

What is more, something intimate had happened between them.

A violent surge of possessiveness and rage churned in her chest, threatening to consume her entire being. The thought of them together, of him touching and being touched by another woman, was enough to unravel the carefully constructed poise she had maintained for so long.

Her fingers clenched into fists at her sides, nails digging into her palms, yet no amount of pain could drown out the vicious storm raging within her.

Just then, a voice as cold as ice sliced through the air, dousing Qiao Shan like a bucket of freezing water.

“I heard you were the first to know about my injury. I’m curious—how exactly did you find out?”

Lin Huaiyu’s tone was devoid of warmth, each syllable carrying an unmistakable edge of suspicion. Though he hadn’t explicitly ordered his subordinates to keep the matter quiet, anyone with a shred of intelligence would understand that some things were best left unsaid.

Which meant only one thing—someone had been speaking out of turn.

His sharp gaze locked onto Qiao Shan, scrutinizing her with a quiet intensity. A chilling thought crossed his mind.

Did she have spies planted around him?

Realizing the dangerous territory she had stepped into, Qiao Shan felt her breath hitch. Panic crept up her spine.

She knew better than anyone—Lin Huaiyu loathed deceit and manipulation. If he so much as suspected she had been scheming behind his back, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Forcing a strained smile, she quickly attempted to explain, “I only heard about it while roaming. I wasn’t the first to know.”

Her voice wavered slightly, but she pushed forward, desperate to divert his attention.

At that moment, as if suddenly overcome with weakness, she swayed slightly on her feet, bringing a delicate hand to her temple.

“Huaiyu…I don’t feel well…I’m starting to feel light-headed”

Her voice grew softer, laced with a pitiful fragility as if she might collapse at any moment.

She played her part well—the perfect picture of vulnerability, hoping to stir even a sliver of sympathy in him. Hoping, perhaps, that he would forget the harshness in his gaze and instead see her as the helpless woman who needed his care.

Unfortunately for Qiao Shan, her delicate act was wasted on a blind man—at least metaphorically speaking.

Lin Huaiyu didn’t even spare her a glance. His tone was devoid of sympathy, utterly unmoved.

“If you know you’re still recovering, then you should be resting in your room instead of running around making a spectacle of yourself. I’ll have someone escort you back.”

With that, he pressed the intercom and summoned Qin Chuan, instructing him to send Qiao Shan back home.

Even though resentment churned inside her, she had no choice but to obey. She had lost this battle.

But just as she reluctantly turned to leave with Qin Chuan, Lin Huaiyu’s voice—cold as the edge of a knife—cut through the air behind her.

“I despise people who pry into my affairs without permission. If this happens again, you’ll bear the consequences.”

The warning was final. Unmistakable.

—

Meanwhile, Su Weichu had no idea about any of the events that were occurring.

Her mind was a mess. Lin Huaiyu’s unexpected reappearance had left her deeply unsettled, her emotions tangled in frustration and unease. The weight of it all pressed against her chest, suffocating.

She needed to do something—anything—to let it out.

The moment she wrapped up work, she grabbed her keys and drove straight to a bar.

The air inside was thick with smoke, a haze of tobacco and alcohol swirling under the dim neon lights. The stench was suffocating, but no one inside seemed to care.

Men and women moved in a feverish frenzy, their bodies tangled together beneath the flashing, multicolored stage lights.

The bass pulsed like a heartbeat, heavy and relentless, vibrating through the floor.

The dance floor was a storm of heat and sweat, filled with people drowning themselves in music and liquor, surrendering to the wild rush of the night.

Amid the sea of revelry, there was one person who stood apart—out of place, like a misplaced brushstroke on an otherwise chaotic canvas.

Su Weichu sat at the bar, neither sorrowful nor joyful, drinking alone.

One glass. Two glasses. Three.

She kept going, pouring liquor down her throat as though it might drown out the bitterness in her heart.

Time blurred. The world around her softened at the edges. Her gaze grew hazy, her mind light and untethered. At some point, she slumped forward against the bar, mumbling to herself in a voice thick with alcohol.

“Why is it that when I gave you my heart, you never cherished it? But now that I’ve finally decided to let you go, you keep coming back to haunt me?”

Her lips curled into a self-mocking smile, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Lin Huaiyu…what kind of person do you believe me to be?”

Soon enough, with a sudden burst of drunken defiance, she sneered and muttered the words that had been festering inside her.

“Men are all the same—shameless bastards.”

She thought she had spoken softly.

Except, the moment the words left her lips, they seemed to take on a life of their own, cutting through the air just enough to reach the ears of those nearby.

Apart from that, perhaps it was fate—or simply misfortune—because as the pulsing music throbbed through the club, two men with unmistakable bad intentions exchanged a glance and sauntered toward her, grinning, their drinks in hand.

From the moment Su Weichu walked into the bar, they had been watching her.

Two men, their eyes gleaming with ill intent, whispered among themselves before making their move.

“Hey there, gorgeous. Broken heart, huh? How about we keep you company, and make you feel better?”

“We’re pretty good at making a woman smile.”

Their voices dripped with false charm as they closed in from both sides, hemming her in like a pair of circling vultures.

Though the alcohol had clouded her mind, Su Weichu still had enough awareness to sense the danger she was in.

“Get lost,” she snapped, her voice sharp despite her slight slur. “I don’t need company.”

She reached for her car keys on the bar top, intending to leave. However, one of them blocked her path before she could take a step.

“Aw, don’t be so cold now,” the man in a tailored suit cooed, his gaze slithering over her like a snake sizing up its prey. “Look at you—you can barely stand on your own two feet. How about we take you home?”

As he spoke, he lunged forward, arms outstretched, ready to pull her into an unwanted embrace.

Su Weichu instinctively moved to dodge, but before she could escape, a pair of strong hands clamped onto her shoulders from behind, locking her in place.

Her pulse spiked.

The suited man loomed closer, his breath reeking of alcohol, his smirk widening with victory.

But just as he was about to lay his hands on her—

Su Weichu’s instincts kicked in.

With the force of adrenaline and pure rage, she lifted her leg and struck.

Hard.

Her knee landed with perfect, punishing accuracy.

Right between his legs.

A strangled cry tore from the man’s throat. His face contorted in sheer agony as he crumpled to the floor, clutching his groin, his breath coming in wheezing gasps.

The other man froze, shock flickering across his features.

For a moment, the pulsing club lights painted a surreal picture—the man curled up on the floor in excruciating pain, Su Weichu swaying slightly but standing her ground, her gaze blazing with cold defiance.

The defeated man crumpled to the ground, his face twisted in agony, his body curled protectively around his most vulnerable area. His scream tore through the air, but the pounding bass of the club music swallowed it whole, leaving his suffering unnoticed by the oblivious crowd.

“You Bi***!” he spat through gritted teeth, rage flaring in his bloodshot eyes. “How dare you kick my—Damn it—teach her a lesson!”

At his command, his companion moved without hesitation.

With a sharp inhale, the second man raised his hand, his palm poised to strike.

Su Weichu instinctively clenched her eyes shut, bracing for the sting of the blow.

But the pain never came.

Instead, she felt herself being swept away—strong arms enveloped her, lifting her effortlessly from danger.

A stimulating, clean scent filled her senses, tinged with something dark and familiar.

Her lashes fluttered open, and her dazed gaze landed on a face carved with striking perfection.

Lin Huaiyu.

The breath caught in her throat. For a moment, reality wavered, her intoxicated mind struggling to process what she was seeing.

“Am I dreaming?” she mumbled, her voice thick with alcohol. “Why the hell am I seeing this bastard Lin Huaiyu?”

In a move as reckless as it was impulsive, she lowered her head—

She bit down.

Hard.

Her teeth sank mercilessly into his chest, punishing and unyielding.

A sharp sting bloomed across Lin Huaiyu’s chest as the drunken girl in his arms sank her teeth into him without mercy. He grunted, his muscles tensing at the unexpected pain, and lowered his gaze to the little troublemaker clinging to him like a furious kitten venting its grievances.

Yet, despite the sting, he said nothing.

It was the two men who had tried to take advantage of Su Weichu who reacted first.

They stood frozen, their expressions shifting from arrogance to sheer disbelief as they registered the man who had interrupted their plans.

“L—Lin…President Lin?!”

The color drained from their faces. A cold dread clawed up their spines, their earlier bravado shattering in an instant.

As if to confirm their worst nightmare, Lin Huaiyu’s voice, cold as the edge of a blade, sliced through the heavy air.

“You dared to make a move on my wife?” His words dripped with quiet menace, each syllable laced with an unspoken warning. “You must have a death wish.”

“W—Wife?! Your wife?!”

Their blood ran cold.

The woman they had been eyeing greedily just moments ago—the one they had tried to touch—was Lin Huaiyu’s wife?

A shudder of pure terror wracked through them.

Thereafter, as if controlled by the same invisible force, they both dropped to their knees with a resounding thud, their backs drenched in cold sweat.

“President Lin, we—we didn’t know! If we had known, we never would have dared!”

“It was a mistake! A terrible mistake!”

Desperation clawed at their voices as they frantically smacked their own faces in a pathetic display of repentance, the sharp slaps echoing over the bass-heavy music.

Their eyes glistened with fear, their expressions contorted with regret.

“Please, sir—please have mercy!”

Yet, their pitiful display did nothing to quell Lin Huaiyu’s fury.

His eyes remained cold, dark as an impending storm, his entire presence exuding an air of dangerous restraint—like a beast barely leashed. Mercy was not something he granted easily, and tonight would be no exception.