Shen Nanxing glanced at the time on his wristwatch — it was past 4:00. He stood up and said to the piano teacher beside him, “I’ll go to the restroom, and then I’ll continue practicing.”

“Okay.”

As soon as he entered the restroom, someone covered his mouth and nose from behind. Fu Chengyu tightly pressed his hand over Shen Nanxing’s mouth, preventing him from making a sound. Soon, the struggle in Shen Nanxing’s body grew weaker. Lin Bai, looking around carefully, asked cautiously, “How is it? Did you succeed?”

Fu Chengyu, looking at the person in his arms who had passed out, had an icy look in his eyes. “Let’s go!”

Lin Bai, dressed as a janitor and pushing a cleaning cart, helped Fu Chengyu carry Shen Nanxing to the car, skillfully avoiding surveillance cameras. They exited through a small side door. Once they reached the roadside, Fu Chengyu’s car was waiting. They shoved Shen Nanxing, along with the car, into the trunk and drove off. The excitement in their eyes was unmistakable.

Meanwhile, the piano teacher, noticing that Shen Nanxing hadn’t returned, was confused. Usually, he would come back in five minutes. Why was he taking so long today? She anxiously looked towards the men’s restroom door and called out a few times, “Mr. Shen? Mr. Shen, are you in there?”

Nearby, the bodyguards, hearing someone looking for Shen Nanxing, quickly realized something was wrong. They rushed over. “Teacher Li, what happened to Mr. Shen?”

“Mr. Shen said he was going to the restroom, but he hasn’t come out yet. Could something have happened?” The piano teacher spoke with worry.

The bodyguards broke into a cold sweat and rushed into the restroom to find it empty. A sinking feeling hit them. They quickly called Fu Zhiyuan.

Following Fu Zhiyuan’s instructions, they had been secretly protecting Shen Nanxing, but now, in their carelessness, he had disappeared.

Fu Zhiyuan, furious upon receiving the call, immediately feared the worst. In the meeting room, the atmosphere was tense. Everyone tried to minimize their presence, not daring to breathe too loudly under Fu Zhiyuan’s rage. Who had angered him this time?

With a thunderous expression, Fu Zhiyuan dropped the words, “The meeting is canceled,” and hurriedly left the room, his assistant trailing behind.

Fu Zhiyuan drove as fast as he could to the concert hall. He angrily scolded the bodyguards, “Why didn’t you keep an eye on him?”

The bodyguards, their heads hung low in guilt, knew they had been careless, letting someone take advantage of the situation.

Fu Zhiyuan, irritated, clicked his tongue, “What are you standing around for? Call the police, check the surveillance!”

“Also, find out Fu Chengyu and Lin Bai’s whereabouts!”

A wave of dread surged within Fu Zhiyuan, his eyes reddening. “Wife, you cannot be hurt!” The previous incident still haunted him. His intuition told him this was connected to Fu Chengyu and the others.

With this thought, Fu Zhiyuan ordered his men to investigate properties under Bai Mengqi and Fu Chengyu’s names. There was a strong possibility Shen Nanxing had been kidnapped by them.

Fu Zhiyuan rubbed his temples, his eyes fixed on the footage in the surveillance room. He had to admit, Fu Chengyu and Lin Bai were careful. The footage never showed their faces clearly. If not for their anxious movements, Fu Zhiyuan might have missed it entirely.

The police managed to capture footage at an intersection, confirming that the car was registered under Fu Chengyu’s name. They quickly dispatched people to track Fu Chengyu and Lin Bai’s movements.

As night fell, Fu Zhiyuan, upon learning that Fu Chengyu and Lin Bai were likely heading towards the outskirts of the city, anxiously drove out to intercept them.

Fu Chengyu and Lin Bai arrived at a secluded area on the outskirts. Not far off, an endless dark sea stretched out before them.

Shen Nanxing was jolted awake by the bumpy ride. His surroundings were pitch dark, and he felt weak and unable to move. Breathing became difficult in the narrow space. He could faintly hear the voices of the people in the car.

“Do you think they’ll catch up with us?” Fu Chengyu asked, sounding worried.

Lin Bai sneered, “Fu Chengyu, are you scared now? Don’t forget, we’re in this together.”

“What do you want to do?”

“Of course, I want to push Shen Nanxing into the sea in front of Fu Zhiyuan and let him experience the pain of losing his true love,” Lin Bai said, breaking into mad laughter.

Thinking that Shen Nanxing’s life was about to end, Lin Bai felt his entire body surge with excitement.

Shen Nanxing, listening to their conversation, furrowed his brow. Now wasn’t the time to be afraid. Shen Nanxing, you have to stay calm.

Shen Nanxing’s hands were bound with ropes, and his wrists were chafed and red. He clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging into his flesh. The pain caused veins to bulge on his forehead, but it also made his mind grow clearer.

He absolutely couldn’t just sit there and wait to die; he had to find a way to buy some time. After a while, the car stopped. Fu Chengyu opened the trunk and looked at the unconscious Shen Nanxing, a glint of madness flashing in his eyes. He reached out with an obsessive expression and touched Shen Nanxing’s face. “Nanxing, you forced me to do this!”

“Don’t blame me for being cruel. You’re the one who betrayed me first!” A flash of the image of Shen Nanxing embracing Fu Zhiyuan appeared in Fu Chengyu’s mind, and he wanted nothing more than to tear the person in front of him apart. He roughly pulled Shen Nanxing out of the car, muttering, “This is what you owe me!”

The wind by the sea was strong, and the waves crashed against the rocks, sending sprays of water into the air. Shen Nanxing inhaled the damp, salty air, pretending that Fu Chengyu’s rough movements had woken him. Seeing Fu Chengyu standing close to him, a flicker of disgust passed through his eyes. “Fu Chengyu, what do you want?”

Shen Nanxing feigned fear as he looked at him. Seeing that Shen Nanxing had woken up, Fu Chengyu directly threw him onto the ground and glared at him with hatred. “What else do you think I want? Of course, it’s your life!”

Shen Nanxing trembled with fear and took a step back. When he turned around, he saw Lin Bai’s malicious grin. His eyes shifted between the two men for a moment before he coldly said, “It seems the lesson I gave you last time wasn’t enough for you.”

Lin Bai’s face turned pale with anger. “Shut up! Shen Nanxing, you bastard! It’s all your fault!” If it weren’t for him, he wouldn’t have been forced out of school!

Shen Nanxing gave him a cold glance and muttered, “Idiot.”

“Don’t you know what you’ve done? Always putting on an innocent face, thinking you’re pure and innocent, but you don’t even look at whether you deserve it!” Lin Bai was furious, his face twisted with hatred as he walked toward Shen Nanxing, intending to teach him a lesson. He smugly said to Shen Nanxing, “I really want to tear that mouth of yours apart. You’re in my hands today, so pray for yourself! Hahaha…”

With that, he raised his hand to slap Shen Nanxing. Shen Nanxing, whose hands and feet were bound, desperately lunged forward with all his strength and slammed his head into Lin Bai’s chest.