Darkness pressed against the walls of Qi Yunlan's private mansion like a second skin—too quiet, too controlled, too untouched for a place that currently held a trembling captive.
Yu Lixin lay tied to a heavy oak chair in the center of Yunlan's guest room—though tonight, nothing about it felt like a guest space. The lights were dim, the curtains drawn, the air-conditioning far too cold. A harsh spotlight above his head cast a tight circle of light on him, making him feel dissected, stripped, exposed.
His wrists burned. His throat hurt from screaming earlier. His chest kept rising and falling in terrified, uneven bursts.
The room smelled faintly of cologne—Yunlan's—and rope.
Lixin tried again, voice cracking, "L–Let me go… please. I don't know anything. I didn't—I wasn't there for him—"
His words tangled with panic. Fear sat like iron on his tongue.
He had lost track of time. Minutes in this place stretched into something grotesque—thin but unbearably long. Occasionally, a distant sound from outside the mansion grounds—the crunch of gravel under guard boots, a car turning around—would remind him he wasn't alone in the world.
But inside the mansion?
There was no one.
No guards.
No witnesses.
Only him… and Yunlan.
And Yunlan hadn't returned yet, fortunately.
Lixin's mind replayed the last hours in agonizing loops—the moment Yunlan's guard shoved him inside the mansion, the cold hands tying him, the relentless silence. He had tried to reason. He had tried to beg.
Nothing worked. His eyes burned with helplessness.
I'm not the stalker… I'm not anyone important… Why is this happening?
His thoughts spiraled in circles he couldn't escapewhen the door clicked.
Slow.
Unhurried.
Deadly.
Lixin's breath stopped.
Footsteps entered—measured, clean, too calm for the chaos they brought.
Qi Yunlan walked in with the expression of a man who had held back his temper far too long. His coat was still on, collar raised, shirt loose around his wrists like he had yanked it repeatedly. His eyes were cold, sharp and unsettling, flickered across Lixin's struggling body.
Lixin swallowed. His entire body curled inward instinctively.
Yunlan's tone was deceptively soft.
"Still breathing?"
Lixin's voice cracked. "W-Why—why am I tied like this? I didn't do anything. You can't k-keep me here—I didn't harm Han Shuilin, I didn't even know he was in the b-building—"
Yunlan's hand entangled in his hair so suddenly Lixin gasped. He dragged his head back, forcing him to meet his eyes.
"Then explain," Yunlan murmured darkly, leaning close, "why you were in the tower. Why you were in the restricted zone. Why every time something happens… you happen to be there."
Lixin winced, shaking. "I told you already—! I was drunk, I was lost, I didn't even know where I—"
He was not even finished when a rough, calloused hand shot out and clamped around his chin so sharply that Lixin gasped. Yunlan's fingers dug in, forcing his trembling lips into an involuntary pout—vulnerable, helpless, humiliating.
Lixin froze, breath stuttering, as Yunlan tilted his face up, studying him with an expression that lingered far too long to be accidental.
For a moment, Yunlan simply stared—cold eyes tracing the shape of Lixin's quivering lips, the fear trembling through him, the way his lashes shook.
Then Yunlan's grip tightened.
"Choose your answers wisely," he murmured, voice low and dangerously calm. "Because every lie you speak… will cost you something you'll regret."
Yunlan watched the tied man tightly shutting his eyes, and let go of him. He straightened slowly, his voice steady… too steady.
"You are either the stupidest pawn in whoever's playing this game…"
He paused, eyes narrowing.
"…or you're the one holding all the strings."
Lixin stared, horrified. "Y-you think I kidnapped him? I can barely lift myself when hungover!"
Yunlan's lips curled—not a smile but something colder.
"And yet someone erased security logs. Someone crossed blind zones. Someone knew Shuilin's movement schedule down to the second. Someone made twelve minutes of blackout feel like twelve hours."
He crouched in front of him, gripping Lixin's face lightly but with unmistakable threat.
"And someone, Yu Lixin, always appears at the wrong time. In the wrong place. With the wrong excuse."
Lixin breathed out shakily, "P-please trust me, I'm innocent…"
Yunlan's thumb brushed his cheek almost gently.
"Then pray you stay that way."
He stood, anger simmering under ice.
"Because if you're guilty…" he walked to the door, voice dropping into a chilling calm, "…you'll disappear long before Shuilin is found, and no one will question why."
He paused with his hand on his back, turning his head just enough for Lixin to see the faint curve of something not quite a smile.
"After all… you already know my little secret, no?"
Lixin's body shook with terror.
That secret—unguarded, accidental, horrifying—something he should never have seen. It flashed behind his eyes like a blade catching light.
Lixin's entire body locked. His throat bobbed, his breath refused to move. Tears burned the back of his eyes, but he refused to let them fall, not in front of this man. Not when every drop would feed Yunlan's anger.
Yunlan smiled with satisfaction before reaching for the door. That single click of his shoes on the floor made something inside Lixin snap.
"W–wait!" Lixin's voice broke, raw and trembling. "Please—please just let me go. I don't know anything! I swear I just want to go home—please, I won't come near you or your company ever again, I'll disappear, I'll— I'll do anything, just let me go!"
For a heartbeat, Yunlan didn't move.
Then he turned his head slightly, just enough for Lixin to see. A mocking sound slipped out, soft and deadly.
"Home?" Yunlan repeated, as though it were the funniest lie he'd heard tonight. "You think you still has a place to run back to? Even after offending me?"
Lixin flinched.
Yunlan's gaze swept over him—tied, shaken, desperate—like he was examining something pathetic.
"You walked into my world even after my warnings," Yunlan said coldly. "Now, You don't get to walk out just because you're scared. Learn to adjust because this is where you will be spending your entire life."
He stepped out of the room but paused again, his next words thrown back like a blade:
"And do remember—if you try escaping…"
A low chuckle. "I enjoy chase games the most. Anyways, you won't be going far."
Before Lixin could speak again, the door slammed shut with brutal finality.
Silence swallowed the room.
But the echo of Yunlan's threat stayed, crawling under Lixin's skin, sinking deep into his bones.
...
CEO Jiang Zhixian's office was a warzone.
Reports littered the polished floor like shrapnel. Multiple monitors glared with breaking news banners, each more chaotic than the last. Outside the high-rise windows, you could practically hear the journalists screaming questions at the building. Drones buzzed around the parking lot like mechanical vultures.
Han Shuilin's fans had turned the internet into a battlefield—accusations, conspiracy theories, demands for answers. The entire entertainment industry was vibrating with panic.
Inside the conference room, Jiang Zhixian stood at the head of the table like a storm held together by sheer will.
He was usually the definition of composure—unbothered, controlled, unreachable. But today, his jaw was so tightly clenched a vein pulsed along his neck. His fingers drummed once against the table.
"Who," he said, voice dangerously low, "leaked the news?"
No one answered.
Executives sat stiff as statues, exchanging helpless glances. Xu Yishang shifted beside him, tablet in hand, silently bracing himself.
Zhixian's eyes swept the room like searchlights.
"Someone in this building," he continued, "decided they wanted to play hero. Or worse, traitor."
A trembling PR head finally spoke. "S–sir, we are tracking the source, but the leak spread too fast. Media channels reported it before our internal teams—"
"Which means," Zhixian cut sharply, "the leak was premeditated. Tell me about the damage."
Silence thickened.
Yishang read from a report, "Sir, three sponsors have already paused their campaigns. Two international brands are requesting statements. Shuilin's fan forums are planning a protest outside the headquarters in—" he checked the time, "—less than four hours."
Zhixian exhaled, slow and lethal.
"Of course they are."
Another executive added shakily, "Sir, trending hashtags are accusing us of negligence and cover-up. The company stock dropped three percent in the last hour—"
"And it will drop ten more," Zhixian snapped, "if you all continue sitting like sheep waiting for slaughter."
Yishang cleared his throat softly. "Sir, we should decide our response before the investors—"
"I already have the response."
Zhixian straightened, all fury sharpening into cold strategy.
"First," he said, "shut down every unofficial channel. I want our lawyers sending cease-and-desist notices to every platform spreading unverified information."
He looked toward PR.
"And prepare a statement. Not an apology—Shuilin is a public figure. We acknowledge concern. We confirm the investigation. And we do not entertain rumors."
"Y-yes, Sir."
"Second," he continued, "I want security to triple at the front entrance. If fans are coming to protest, we will not fuel panic by hiding. We stand firm and calm. Anything less will turn into a riot."
Executives nodded rapidly.
"And third…" Zhixian's eyes hardened like frozen glass. "Find me the source of the leak. I don't care if they're an intern or a department head—when I find them, I will make sure they never step foot in media again."
Everyone swallowed as he leaned forward, hands on the table.
"This company does not collapse under pressure. Not today. Not because someone wanted to cause chaos."
His voice dropped into a cold promise.
"And not while I am standing."
Yishang glanced at him—half impressed, half worried at how close Zhixian was to losing the very control he was famous for.
"Move," Zhixian ordered.
Chairs scraped instantly as everyone rushed to obey. Only Xu Yishang stood beside him. Zhixian stared at him fir a second before telling him to continue reading updates swiftly.
"Sir, both Head of Staff Selection and Head of Cyber Security have anomalies in their logs," Yishang updated. "Staff master-list shows unauthorized alterations. Cyber logs show deliberate blind spot creation in sectors C7 to C9. All during the blackout."
Zhixian breathed out slowly.
"They knew."
Yishang didn't flinch. "Not just knew, Sir. They executed."
Zhixian's jaw tightened.
Shen Minqi entered then, tossing a thin folder on the table. "We checked the hours before the blackout. Someone accessed the rooftop emergency grid without authorization. That grid controls backup CCTV relays."
Zhixian looked up sharply. "Which means they planned this before the blackout even started."
"Exactly."
"Great then, we almost got the insiders. Call Yunlan, he will get the truth out of their mouth. Let him handle this in his way, until then pretend everything's fine.....what about the stalker theory?" Zhixian asked quietly.
Minqi hesitated. "I'm starting to think the stalker wasn't after Yunlan."
Zhixian's eyes flickered. "Explain."
Minqi's expression darkened. "Maybe… Yunlan was just a shield. The real target was Shuilin all along."
Silence filled the room—heavy, terrifying.
Zhixian exhaled shakily.
"Then that man locked in Yunlan's mansion…"
The name hung between them.
Yishang muttered quietly, "Yu Lixin… could be the pawn. Or the bait. But I actually believe now that he's related somehow. Anyways, still our suspect."
Zhixian glanced at him.
"There's also this possibility that he was used."
"I think," Yishang said carefully, "he was placed there. Someone wanted him caught. Someone wanted us misled but again, this is all just our theory. He could be the mastermind, operating his work from somewhere else, no one knows..."
Minqi added, "And Yunlan has already reacted violently."
Zhixian closed his eyes for a second.
"This entire game is bigger than it looked."
...
Back in the Yunlan's Mansion, hours had passed. Yunlan returned only once—to force water into Lixin's mouth and a plate of burned food, then to ask the same questions phrased in different ways.
By evening, Lixin's fear boiled into anger.
"Why won't you listen!? I didn't touch Shuilin! I never followed you! I barely know who you even are!"
Yunlan stopped in the doorway, eyes narrowing at the surge of defiance.
Lixin's chest heaved. "You're crazy. Tying me here like this. Threatening me without any proper evidence—"
The next thing he knew, Yunlan's hand was around his throat. Not choking just reminding.
"Choose your words carefully next time," Yunlan whispered. "I'm holding back for now. Don't give me a reason to stop."
He released him with a shove. Lixin coughed, trembling violently.
Yunlan stared at him a moment longer with an unreadable expression. Then turned to leave for real this time. He locked the door behind him.
Lixin heard him telling the guards outside:
"No one enters and no one leaves without my authority. If he tries anything stupid, notify me immediately."
And the mansion fell silent again.
...
Night deepened like ink spilled across the world, swallowing the last traces of warmth from the room. Lixin's heartbeat was the only sound he could hear—ragged, terrified, and stubbornly alive.
His wrists throbbed where the rope bit into his skin, each pulse a reminder of who had tied him and what Yunlan was capable of. The loose knots weren't mercy—they were mockery. Yunlan wanted him to struggle, wanted him bruised, shaking, humiliated on camera. But fear was giving way to something else now.
Survival. Lixin inhaled shakily.
If I stay, I die. If I run, I die slower. Pick one.
He twisted his wrists, pressing the tender skin against the coarse rope. Pain shot up to his elbows—white, searing, violent—but he clenched his teeth and pulled harder. His skin scraped open, but sweat slicked his hands, helping the rope slide.
One twist. Another. Another one. The knot shuddered and then slipped. His breath hitched so sharply it almost hurt.
Oh god… I did it.
With trembling fingers, he untangled the remainder and forced himself to sit up. His legs were numb, his arms shaking with adrenaline, but he crawled quietly, desperately toward the window. He pressed his ear to the door first.
Silence.
No footsteps. No guards. Just as Yunlan had boasted—all guards outside, none inside. Because he believed no one could escape him. Lixin's throat tightened.
Arrogant bastard.
He moved to the window and lifted the latch. Yunlan's mansion used reinforced locks on entrances—but the windows on the second floor were old, rarely used, not electronically monitored. Yunlan never imagined his prisoner escaping through them.
The window creaked—soft, but enough to make Lixin freeze.
Nothing.
He pushed it open wider. A gust of cold wind slapped across his face. It carried the scent of manicured gardens and distant pine. The estate grounds stretched below—dark, vast, patrolled by guards near the gates, drones sweeping the perimeter, motion sensors lining the outer walls.
But here, on the mansion's east wing, the blind spot Yunlan didn't consider a threat… it was his chance.
He swung one leg out. Then the other. Hands gripping the ledge, he lowered himself slowly.
His foot found the narrow decorative beam beneath the window—a ridiculous piece of luxury architecture that now became his lifeline. He edged sideways, pressed against the wall, breath trembling as he reached the corner where a thick vine-covered trellis crawled up the side.
The wood groaned under his weight.
"If you break now," he whispered shakily, "I swear I'll haunt this entire mansion."
He eased down rung by rung until his feet touched damp soil. His knees gave out for a second. He forced himself up.
The guard patrols were visible near the outer fences—flashlights sweeping, silhouettes pacing. They weren't close, but they weren't far either. Yunlan had ordered them to watch for intruders, not escapees. No one expected someone to break out of the Lion's Den.
Lixin crouched low, breathing through the pounding in his ears. He moved through the shadowed side garden, staying behind tall hedges, weaving between stone lanterns and trimmed shrubs.
Every rustle sounded like thunder. Every shifting shadow felt like Yunlan's hand closing around his throat.
Finally, he reached the far-left corner of the estate—where the CCTV had a timed rotation, leaving a five-second blind spot when it turned toward the driveway. He waited, counting the seconds with his heartbeat.
One sweep.
Two sweeps.
Now.
He darted across the exposed strip, sprinting toward the old maintenance shed near the perimeter. He knew from earlier observation before Yunlan dragged him away screaming that the fencing near this area had construction scaffolding stacked for renovations. A small gap existed at the bottom where the steel didn't sit flush with the ground.
He threw himself onto his stomach, fingers clawing through mud, and squeezed into the gap. The metal scratched his arms, his shirt tore, something sharp cut his shoulder but he pushed, pushed, pushed wnd he slipped through.
He lay outside the estate's boundary, mud-caked and panting, staring up at the night sky like he'd just crawled out of his own grave.
Then he ran.
Branches snapped beneath his feet as he tore through the small forest skirting the estate. Gravel scattered as he reached the downhill path. His lungs burned, his vision blurred, but he didn't stop.
The main road wasn't far. If he reached it, if he flagged any car, if someone saw him, he could live.
Lixin didn't look back. He didn't dare look at the mansion behind him. That was nothing but a prison for him.
He didn't want to see the moment the sensors pinged, or when the CCTV flagged unusual movement, or when a certain man opened his notifications and saw,
Unauthorized perimeter breach.
Time: 11:48 PM
Location: East boundary.
He didn't want to imagine Yunlan's expression when he realized Lixin wasn't cowering in that room anymore.
He just ran.
...
The moment Yunlan stepped inside inside the Private Conference Room, the atmosphere thickened.
CEO Jiang Zhixian stood by the window, the city lights cutting sharp reflections along the glass. His face was calm—too calm, the kind that came only when a man was thinking ten steps ahead.
Minqi, however, was pacing like a caged animal, fury simmering in every movement.
Yunlan closed the door behind him, expression unreadable.
Zhixian spoke first.
"Good. You're here."
Minqi slammed a folder onto the table. "The department heads are lying. All of them. The leak didn't come from outside—someone inside the company sold the news. Just give me an hour with them and I'll—"
"No." Zhixian's voice cut like a blade.
Minqi glared. "You're doubting me?"
Yunlan slid into a chair, resting one arm over the back, silent but watchful.
Zhixian sighed, rubbing his temple. His tone remained unnervingly steady.
"If you go after them, Minqi, you'll kill them before you get answers. Plus I have something else for you."
"That's the point. Let me finish this first."
"That's the problem," Zhixian countered, eyes narrowing. "You're too aggressive. They'll see it coming. And if they're being watched from outside—which I'm almost certain they are, then your methods will only draw suspicion to yourself and can alert them."
Minqi clenched his jaw but didn't argue.
Zhixian turned toward Yunlan slowly.
"You, however…"
Yunlan lifted his eyes lazily.
"…have a talent for making people talk without leaving a trace."
Minqi stiffened.
"That's what you're doing? You're letting him handle it? Yunlan? Gosh, he is worst than me."
Zhixian's lips curved into a controlled, calculated smile.
"Yes because he's the only one in this room who knows how to clean up a mess without creating a new one."
Yunlan didn't deny it. He merely leaned back, a slow, faint smirk cutting across his lips—a smirk that said he understood exactly what Zhixian was implying, and he wasn't surprised.
"Don't regret later Zhixian because you know how and where I handle jobs like this." Yunlan said calmly.
"Just do it quietly," Zhixian confirmed. "Before the press digs deeper and before the police start sniffing around. Handle it your way. No witnesses. No evidence. No noise. I want names, the one who bought the insiders, who kidnapped Shuilin and who leaked the news."
Minqi exhaled sharply, frustrated but resigned.
"So I don't get to do anything."
"Yes, you get to not ruin this," Zhixian replied bluntly.
Silence settled. Heavy. Uncomfortable.
Yunlan's smirk lingered as he tapped the table with a finger.
"I will do my best, but for now make sure nobody gets alert outside. Let them think we are still finding clues. And what about the security system?"
Zhixian nodded once.
"I've told Minqi already, he will take outsiders' help in rebooting the whole system. He already has a trusted person for that."
Yunlan leaned forward slightly.
"Staffs is the major issue, we don't how many of them are included."
Minqi responded before Zhixian would have said anything,
"My father is helping us in that. His new agency needs staffs, almost from every department. So we are going to send all doubtful staffs there, and recruit new ones privately."
Zhixian hummed in agreement,
" And because this is the matter of security and the news are already leaked, no on will object. If they will, they are free to resign."
Yunlan was about to comment when his phone buzzed. Once. Then again. Then again. Urgent. Insistent.
He finally checked the notification, leyes sharpened. The smirk vanished. He stood abruptly, chair scraping back.
"I'm leaving."
Zhixian raised an eyebrow. "Problem?"
Yunlan's tone dropped into a cold finality.
"I have something to handle. Don't worry about the department heads. I'll deal with them after this."
Minqi frowned. "Where are you going now?"
Yunlan was already walking to the door.
"Mansion."
The door opened.
Before stepping out, he added quietly,
"Keep the heads in place until I'm back. Don't question anything you hear tonight."
Then he left. Furiously. Like a storm on legs.
A man who'd just learned something he could not ignore.
...
Lixin staggered onto the narrow service road, breath tearing out of him in ragged shreds that scraped his lungs raw. Each inhale burned and each exhale trembled.
His feet were numb from running barefoot across stone and dirt, skin split in places, blood smearing across the gravel behind him in uneven footprints.
The wound on his shoulder had torn open again somewhere along the way—warm blood trickled down his arm, soaking through the thin torn fabric and sticking it to his skin in damp, uncomfortable patches. The cold night air bit into the exposed flesh, turning the pain sharp and electric.
His hair hung in tangled clumps, strands taped to his sweat-slicked face, leaves and tiny twigs caught between them. He looked like someone who had clawed his way out of a grave—half-alive, half-broken, but fueled by desperation.
But then, the road was there. The boundary of Yunlan's estate.The edge of his nightmare.
His freedom.
The realization nearly made his knees buckle. He felt the faintest flicker of life spark inside his chest—hope so thin it was almost painful. He forced his trembling legs to move, each step shaking as if his bones were hollow.
Just a little more. Just reach the road. Just reach a car. Just someone. Anyone.
Then, suddenly out of nowhere he saw headlights. A soft glow at first, then a blinding sweep of white cutting through the dark.
A car!
A real car!
His heart lurched violently—relief crashing through him like light breaking through storm clouds. His vision blurred, not from tears, just raw exhaustion and disbelief.
Someone could help. Someone could save him. Someone could take him away from here faster. He lifted a weak hand, taking a stumbling step toward the approaching SUV.
But then, the vehicle slowed on its own. Then angled and swung to a halt directly in front of him—perfect, deliberate, predatory.
It was too perfect. Lixin's relief shattered instantly. Something cold and instinctive crawled up his spine. His sixth sense screamed at him to run.
The SUV's shape sharpened in the headlights—sleek, dark, expensive. Familiar or too familiar.
Lixin's stomach dropped straight to the ground.
No… no… no—this can't be h-him.
His voice broke as the truth slammed into him. It was Qi Yunlan's SUV.
"No… no, no, no—" The words fell out of him in broken whimpers as he staggered backward. His legs were shaking, thin and overworked, barely supporting him.
He tried to retreat, tried to turn but his body wouldn't hold. His heel caught on loose gravel, and he fell.
His knees hit the ground first—hard enough to send pain ricocheting up his legs. His palms scraped against the coarse gravel, skin splitting, tiny stones embedding under the surface. He tried to crawl back, fingers slipping on dirt and blood.
"No… please… no—no—no—"
His breath quickened into wild, uneven gasps. The pounding in his chest felt almost sickening, like his heart was trying to escape through his ribs. His vision throbbed at the edges, narrowing around the SUV like the world was collapsing to force him to watch.
With terrified eyes, he watched the engine going silent. And then—
.
.
.
To be continued....