Qiao Shan turned her head and saw Mei Feng approaching at some point. Her eyes were filled with reluctance, but she dared not argue. With a forced smile, she withdrew her hand.

Mei Feng looked at Su Weichu with a charming smile, exuding gentlemanly elegance. “Let’s get acquainted. My name is Mei Feng, and I find you very interesting. I hope we can be friends, Miss Su.”

“Friends? If this is how you make friends, then I have no interest in being yours.”

Su Weichu’s tone was laced with sarcasm as she met his gaze.

Seeing this, Qiao Shan thought she had found an opportunity to put Su Weichu in her place. She immediately scolded, “Su Weichu, don’t be ungrateful! It’s an honor that our master is willing to befriend you!”

Then, turning to Mei Feng, she added, attempting to curry favor, “Sir, this woman is arrogant and insolent. Let me teach her a lesson so she learns some respect.”

Mei Feng cast a cold glance at her, his voice dripping with menace.

“Did I give you permission to speak?”

“…No.”

Qiao Shan’s arrogance deflated in an instant.

“Then get lost,” Mei Feng commanded icily.

“Yes, sir!”

Though she obediently complied, as she turned to leave, she shot Su Weichu a venomous glare.

Su Weichu, however, paid her no mind. Instead, she studied Mei Feng, curiosity flickering in her eyes. Just what was his connection to Qiao Shan?

Mei Feng, of course, noticed her scrutiny. He smirked with an unreadable expression. “Miss Su seems to have a lot of questions. Ask away.”

“If I ask, will you answer?”

Su Weichu arched a brow, skepticism clear in her gaze.

Mei Feng chuckled lightly. “Not necessarily, but I may choose to answer depending on the question.”

She wasn’t surprised by this response. Without hesitation, she posed her first question.

“What is your relationship with Qiao Shan? And why did you send her to Lin Huaiyu’s side?”

Mei Feng’s eyes gleamed with amusement. “Two questions at once? Which one would you like me to answer?”

“Both,” Su Weichu demanded haughtily.

“That won’t do. One at a time.”

“Fine. Then tell me—why did you send Qiao Shan to Lin Huaiyu?”

She watched as Mei Feng lazily twirled his fingers before repeating her question with more insistence.

Mei Feng seemed unsurprised, his eyes darkening with intrigue. “That, I cannot disclose.”

Su Weichu was momentarily speechless, a wave of frustration washing over her.

She scoffed. “So, Mei Feng, your words are as empty as the wind. They mean nothing.”

“Ah, but Miss Su, that’s not true. I said I would answer—I never promised I’d answer properly.”

Mei Feng shook his head, as if genuinely finding fault with her logic.

Su Weichu ground her teeth in frustration but knew she had no choice but to endure.

Taking a deep breath, she pivoted. “Fine. If you won’t answer that, then tell me your relationship with Qiao Shan. Surely you can answer that much?”

“That, I can,” Mei Feng mused, deliberately vague. “Our relationship? It can be whatever you think it is.”

His words were ambiguous, but Su Weichu caught the underlying implication. A sinking feeling crept into her chest.

Clearly, his ties with Qiao Shan were not simple.

And Lin Huaiyu—did he know that his so-called pure and untouchable goddess wasn’t as flawless as he believed?

Brushing aside that thought, she fixed her gaze back on Mei Feng. “Earlier, you said you were interested in me. What kind of interest are we talking about?”

Even as she spoke, her mind raced, strategizing a way to get word outside for rescue.

Little did she know, the outside world was already in chaos over her disappearance.

It turned out that when Su Weichu failed to return, Old Master Su had tried calling her, only to receive no response. Fearing something had happened, he sent people to look for her.

They found her abandoned car by the roadside, but she was nowhere in sight. Further investigation confirmed she had been kidnapped.

When Lin Huaiyu received word, he immediately mobilized his forces to search the entire city.

Following the surveillance footage along the highway, they finally tracked her down—to a secluded villa by the sea.

Inside, Su Weichu had grown weary of talking to Mei Feng.

Conversations with him felt like slowly bleeding to death from a thousand paper cuts.

Just as silence stretched uncomfortably between them, sounds of fighting erupted outside.

Her eyes lit up.

Rescue had arrived.

She turned to the man before her, raising a brow. “My rescue team is here. Shouldn’t you be making an escape?”

“Why would I run?”

Mei Feng returned her gaze with amusement. “With you as my hostage, do you really think they can do anything to me?”

Su Weichu was left speechless yet again.

She kept her mouth shut, eyes locked on the door as anticipation built.

Her mind buzzed with speculation—who had come to save her?

Unbidden, an image of Lin Huaiyu’s cold, detached face surfaced in her thoughts.

She quickly dismissed it with a shake of her head.

There was no way he knew about her situation. It was far more likely that her grandfather had sent someone.

After all, she had promised to return home for dinner with him.

A sudden pang of worry hit her.

Had her disappearance scared the old man? He had only just begun to recover—what if this shock made him fall ill again?

As her thoughts spiraled, the battle outside intensified.

The fighting drew closer.

Soon, the door was forcefully kicked open, and a group of men stormed inside.

The sight of the man leading them stunned Su Weichu.

Because it was none other than Lin Huaiyu.

His usual composure was shaken—his black suit was disheveled, dark stains blooming across the fabric. Blood. He was injured.

His cold eyes swept the room and landed on her, sitting unharmed on the bed. The tension in his posture eased, as if a weight had finally lifted.

“Let her go.”

Lin Huaiyu’s voice was low, each syllable laced with ice as he directed his command at Mei Feng.

Mei Feng’s eyes flickered with a dark glint. A quiet chuckle escaped his lips. “And if I refuse?”

“Then don’t blame me for what happens next.”

Lin Huaiyu’s tone was a warning, a promise of violence.

Mei Feng scoffed. “Oh? I’d love to see you try.”

He clapped his hands once, and suddenly, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed from outside.

In the next second, one of Lin Huaiyu’s men shouted, “Boss! We’re surrounded!”

Lin Huaiyu’s expression darkened. He clenched his jaw. “Ten of you, follow me to rescue my wife. The rest—deal with them!”

The battle erupted instantly.

Chaos filled the room.

Neither side held the upper hand—Mei Feng’s forces were many, but Lin Huaiyu’s men were highly skilled.

Blows were exchanged, bodies clashed, yet a stalemate remained.

Lin Huaiyu attempted multiple times to break through and reach Su Weichu, but Mei Feng’s men blocked him at every turn.

Watching Lin Huaiyu, bloodied yet relentless, a strange emotion surged within Su Mochu.

Her heart clenched.

Before she knew it, tears slipped silently down her cheeks.

And then—another twist.

A new force arrived.

Fu Wenbo had brought reinforcements.