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In the end, I managed to squeeze out a difficult sentence: “Brother, don’t… say anything.”

As soon as the words left my mouth, time seemed to fall into a vortex of stillness.

I opened my eyes and met Zhu Wenqin’s conflicted expression, both of us inevitably recalling the hurtful things he had said before.

I stood up, summoning all my strength to support my weak legs as I tried to walk outside. Zhu Wenqin, suppressing all his possessiveness and desire, calmly asked, “Where do you think you’re going in that disheveled state?”

Awkwardly, I licked my lips and hesitated for less than three seconds before admitting the truth: “I’m just going to the bathroom. I got up because I needed to go.”

Zhu Wenqin: “…”

The silence that followed was suffocating, especially with the intense tension simmering beneath the surface.

With a sigh of resignation, Zhu Wenqin finally spoke: “You know, there’s a bathroom in the room.”

Awkwardness tends to make people busy themselves. I clutched my freshly marked gland and, limping, made my way to the bathroom, following his reminder.

When I came out, he had already bandaged his wounds and filled the room with nutritional supplements.

I didn’t know why, but the following seven days became something I’d never forget in my entire life.

…

The villa was just the two of us. Early one morning, while Zhu Wenqin was still asleep, I grabbed my phone—which I had found hidden under the bed—and fled the villa.

There were no obstacles along the way, and he hadn’t intentionally set any traps for me. Perhaps he was keeping his promise.

Although, I wasn’t sure if he had actually made one.

I ran back to my rented apartment, and as soon as I opened the door, Ah Yue was sitting in the living room with his legs crossed, watching TV. When he saw me, his face lit up with surprise.

But then he noticed the marks on my neck, and his expression froze: “Didn’t you text me saying there was an emergency at home that you needed to handle? How did you end up looking like this?”

Betas couldn’t smell pheromones, so I confidently made up a lie: “I was helping build a house for my family and had a nasty fall.”

Ah Yue believed me and nodded. I exhaled in relief, heading to my room to take a shower and prepare to catch up on some much-needed sleep.

But just as I lay down, I received a message from Zhu Wenqin: “It’s just a temporary mark; there’s no need to wash it off. Also, we’re not over.”

I closed my eyes, trying to calm my breathing, turned off my phone, and placed it aside, trying to force myself to sleep.

It will end, I told myself.

He would definitely end up with Miss Wen.

…

The project had wrapped up, and Ah Yue and I went out to eat with the foreman. As we passed a fancy restaurant, I saw something I shouldn’t have.

Zhu Wenqin and Miss Wen.

I was about to lower my head and walk away when their heated argument caught my eye.

Miss Wen furiously threw a folder at Zhu Wenqin’s face. The action startled me, but Zhu Wenqin just smiled, wiping the blood dripping from a scratch on his face.

He saw me. Moving his lips, he said something. Confused, I frowned, unable to hear what he was saying from so far away.

Ah Yue, thinking I was mesmerized by the sight of the wealthy diners, quickly pulled me away.

Zhu Wenqin’s gaze turned cold, like a snake flicking its tongue.

I hurriedly pushed Ah Yue’s hand away and whispered, “Let’s go, quickly.”

For a while, it seemed like Zhu Wenqin had stopped clinging to me, allowing me a chance to breathe freely.

I had no idea what would happen if he set his sights on me again.

…

A week later, Ah Yue and I were heading to work when we overheard some people talking. They said that the building was going to be left unfinished because the Wen family had run into financial trouble.

Ah Yue shook his head and sighed heavily: “I wonder if the Wen family will be able to pay us all our wages.”

At first, only a few people were discussing it, but soon the gossip spread like wildfire, with the media reporting on it heavily, as if someone was pushing it behind the scenes.

I anxiously checked my savings over and over again. Without that paycheck, I wasn’t sure I could save enough for my surgery.

But unless it was absolutely necessary, I wouldn’t go through with it.

Ah Yue patted my shoulder, looking puzzled: “The project manager wants to meet you to discuss something. A young lady from the Wen family. Do you know her? Oh, and when you go, ask about our wages.”

I also found it strange why she wanted to meet me. Unable to figure it out, I agreed to go. Ah Yue tossed me the car keys and told me to drive there in the evening, reminding me to be careful in the rain.

I tossed the keys in the air and caught them, reassuring him: “You know my driving skills, right?”

Ah Yue playfully punched my shoulder and told me to be careful. I flashed him an ‘OK’ sign before getting in the car.

The rain grew heavier that night. I drove cautiously, glancing in the rearview mirror to see a car quietly trailing behind me.

The window rolled down slightly, revealing Zhu Wenqin’s face.

I was startled but quickly refocused on the road. My peripheral vision caught his car speeding past mine, eventually disappearing from view.

But then another car appeared behind me, much faster than Zhu Wenqin’s. It seemed like it was chasing me—no, more than that.

It felt like it was targeting me.

A blinding white light flashed from behind. Nervously, I gripped the steering wheel, the wind roaring in my ears. Then, a loud crash, as if I had slammed into a tree.

…

In a daze, I heard Zhu Wenqin’s voice screaming, heart-wrenching and desperate.

And sobbing, as if… as if I had died.

Wait, I wasn’t dead yet, was I? Panicked, I touched my face, my neck, my body.

Through the haze, I saw Zhu Wenqin punching through the car window until it shattered. He knelt on the ground, his tailored suit soaked in the pouring rain, his pant legs covered in mud—looking nothing like the proud, high-and-mighty leader of Hong Kong he used to be.

My tongue tasted bitter, and I couldn’t tell if the drops sliding down my chin were tears or rainwater.