"Hey, I'm talking to you!" Seeing that Fang Ming remained silent, Chen Qian felt a bit displeased.
Even now, she was still unwilling to give up her dominance in this relationship.
Fang Ming snapped back to his senses and glanced at her. "Our mission is to follow Chu Yao. We go wherever she goes. It's not your place to be picky."
"You..." Chen Qian was at a loss for words, then gave up and said, "Fine, fine, fine. I'm a bit hungry, let's go eat."
This time, Fang Ming didn't refuse. He took out his phone and gathered the others together.
Yanjing, late at night. The darkness was as thick as ink.
Outside the Third Ring Road, in a prime location where land was worth its weight in gold, stood a top-tier private club named "Floating Dreams."
Just looking at the name, it exuded a sense of extravagant hedonism—living for today's wine.
There were no gaudy, gold-plated signs, only two five-meter-high black bronze gates. Four retired special forces soldiers stood guard as security year-round. It was said that the minimum threshold for a membership card here was an eight-figure asset verification.
At this moment, in a luxury suite on the top floor, a scene of debauchery was unfolding.
A massive crystal chandelier cast an ambiguous warm light, and the air was thick with the scent of cigars, expensive red wine, and women's perfume.
Lu Chenzhou sat on the leather sofa in the center, lazily crossing his legs.
He was twenty-eight years old and the current head of the Lu Group.
He was indeed handsome, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes. When he wasn't speaking, his cold and ascetic aura could leave many young girls completely infatuated.
But those who knew him well knew that this Young Master Lu was a madman in human skin.
"Young Master Lu, how is this wine? I had someone fly this in from France—an authentic 1982 Romanee-Conti!"
A smiling fat man beside him was bowing as he poured the wine for Lu Chenzhou.
Lu Chenzhou swirled the wine glass in his hand, the red liquid leaving trails of 'wine tears' on the glass walls.
He took a careless sip, then... pfft, spat the wine directly onto the fat man's face.
"What kind of horse piss is this? You dare try to fool me with this?"
Lu Chenzhou casually threw the crystal glass, worth tens of thousands, onto the ground.
Smash! ~
It shattered into pieces.
The fat man, his face sprayed with wine, didn't dare wipe it. He could only offer a forced smile. "Yes, yes, yes. It's my lack of judgment. Young Master Lu, please calm down. I'll change it right away, right away!"
"Get out."
Lu Chenzhou uttered the single word coldly, his eyes devoid of any warmth. As if granted a grand reprieve, the fat man scrambled out of the private room.
Lu Chenzhou tugged at his tie, his gaze somewhat irritable.
Several hot women in skimpy clothes wanted to approach him, but they were frozen in place by a single look from him, not daring to move.
He had no interest in these common beauties now; his mind was filled with that ungrateful woman at home.
Ye Nuannuan.
It was a name as ordinary as could be. She looked pure, and while she wasn't exactly a world-class beauty, it was her stubbornness that made him feel as if he were possessed.
A month ago, he saw her feeding stray cats on the roadside. The smile on her face as the sunlight hit her caused the sleeping beast in his heart to instantly awaken.
So, he had someone 'invite' her back to the villa.
He thought a little girl like this, who hadn't seen the world, would obediently crawl into his bed after being frightened a bit and then given some rewards.
The result?
Hunger strikes, jumping out of windows, even holding scissors to her own throat.
"Heh, interesting."
A cruel smile curved on Lu Chenzhou's lips as he pulled a box of specially supplied cigarettes from his pocket and lit one.
Amidst the smoke, his gaze became somewhat pathological; the more he couldn't have something, the more he wanted to destroy it.
"Young Master, the car is ready."
At the door, a bodyguard in a white shirt reported in a low voice.
Lu Chenzhou stood up and straightened his wrinkle-free shirt. The aura of a refined scoundrel was instantly maximized.
"Back to the villa."
...Lu Family Mid-Hill Manor.
This wasn't a crowded wealthy area, but a private territory occupying the entire hilltop in the western suburbs of Yanjing. Everything within several kilometers was the Lu family's private property. Only a winding private road led to the summit. Security was tight; those who lived here were either extremely wealthy or highly influential.
Lu Chenzhou's main villa stood at the very center of the manor. It was a three-story European castle-style building with its own massive private garden and outdoor swimming pool, as luxurious as a small palace.
But at this moment, this magnificent manor looked like a cage in the night.
In that basement room, the windows were welded with security bars, and two burly men guarded the door.
In the room, the lights were off.
Ye Nuannuan curled up in the shadows of the bed corner, her hands hugging her knees, her body trembling slightly.
Click.
The sound of the lock turning was particularly piercing in the silent night. Ye Nuannuan snapped her head up, staring at the door with terrified eyes.
The door was pushed open, and a tall figure walked in against the light.
Lu Chenzhou?
He closed the door casually and didn't turn on the light. Using only the faint light from the hallway, he walked toward the bed step by step.
The sound of leather shoes on the floor was heavy and oppressive, each step feeling like it was treading on Ye Nuannuan's heart.
"Not asleep yet?"
Lu Chenzhou walked to the bedside and looked down at her, his voice carrying a lingering scent of alcohol.
Ye Nuannuan shrank back until her back hit the cold wall, with nowhere left to retreat.
"You... don't come over..."
Her voice was hoarse, with a sob.
Lu Chenzhou gave a light laugh. He reached out to loosen his tie and threw it onto the floor before sitting on the edge of the bed.
A section of the mattress sank under his weight, making Ye Nuannuan feel as if her whole world were tilting.
"What? Still throwing a tantrum?"
Lu Chenzhou reached out to touch her face, but Ye Nuannuan instinctively turned her head away, avoiding his touch.
Lu Chenzhou's hand froze in mid-air, and his expression, which had been somewhat playful, instantly darkened.
The next second, he suddenly reached out and grabbed Ye Nuannuan's slender neck, lifting her up and slamming her against the padded headboard.
Mmph...
Ye Nuannuan let out a pained groan, her hands desperately scratching at his arm, but her strength was nothing more than an ant trying to shake a giant tree in the face of Lu Chenzhou.
"Ye Nuannuan, am I giving you too much face??"
Lu Chenzhou leaned in close, his gaze terrifyingly cold. "In this city of Yanjing, killing someone is easier for me than crushing an ant."
"Although I like your stubbornness, it doesn't mean you can keep challenging my bottom line."
Lu Chenzhou's voice was hysterical, yet carried a morbid gentleness.
Hearing Lu Chenzhou's words, Ye Nuannuan's body stiffened like a piece of wood. Tears welled in her eyes, but she bit her lip hard, refusing to let them fall.
Lu Chenzhou suddenly let go and stood up, looking down at her with an arrogant, predatory gaze.
"Three days. I'll give you three more days to think it over."
"Three days later, if you still won't take the initiative... I won't mind teaching you how to serve a man in front of these bodyguards."
After speaking, he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, wiped the hand that had just touched Ye Nuannuan with disgust, and tossed it onto the floor.
"Watch her. Don't let her die."