"Did you really think that I was ever going to let you go back to that house?"
The words hung in the quiet space of the Maybach, heavier than the rain beating against the roof.
Shuyi's breath hitched. Her heart hammered so violently against her ribs she was sure he could feel it. Lu Tingzhou was too close. His broad chest caged her in, blocking all the light, and his thumb was still resting against her lower lip. It was burning hot.
She stared into his dark, bottomless eyes, looking for any sign of a joke. But there was only a suffocating, terrifying intensity.
He's lost his mind, Shuyi thought, a cold dread washing over her. Shuran's death… it completely broke him.
"President Lu," she choked out, her voice barely a whisper. She raised her trembling hands, pressing them flat against his hard chest to push him away. "You're… you're confused. Let me go."
He didn't budge an inch. Instead, his gaze dropped to her small, pale hands pressing against his wet shirt.
"Confused?" he repeated slowly. His voice was dangerously soft.
"Yes!" Shuyi blurted out, her panic rising. "I know I have her face. I know looking at me right now reminds you of her. But I am not Shuran! You can't just take me because you miss her!"
For a second, a dark emotion flashed through Lu Tingzhou's eyes. It looked almost like anger, but it was buried so quickly Shuyi thought she imagined it.
He suddenly grabbed both her wrists with one large hand, pulling them away from his chest. His grip was tight enough to keep her in place, but careful enough not to bruise her.
"Don't speak her name right now," he ordered, his voice suddenly dropping in temperature. "And don't tell me what I want."
He released her wrists and leaned back into his own seat, restoring the physical distance between them. But the heavy, oppressive aura in the car didn't fade. He reached out and pressed a button on the armrest.
The privacy screen slowly rolled down.
"Speed up," Lu Tingzhou told the driver coldly.
"Yes, Sir."
"Wait! Stop the car!" Shuyi lunged toward the door handle, her survival instincts kicking in.
Click. The child locks engaged.
Shuyi froze, her hand hovering over the useless handle. She turned back to Lu Tingzhou, her eyes wide with disbelief and fear. "You're kidnapping me. If my parents find out—"
"Your parents?" Lu Tingzhou interrupted. He let out a low, humorless laugh that sent shivers down her spine. "Do you honestly think your parents care if you come home tonight?"
The words felt like a physical slap. Shuyi flinched, biting the inside of her cheek.
He was right. Her parents probably hadn't even noticed she wasn't in the house yet. Even if they did, they would just assume she was being her usual, difficult self and lock her out. Nobody was looking for her. Nobody was coming to save her.
Seeing the sudden flash of pain in her eyes, Lu Tingzhou's jaw tightened. He looked away, staring out the rain-streaked window into the dark city.
"Sit quietly," he said, his tone leaving no room for argument. "We're almost there."
Ten minutes later, the Maybach slowed down. They passed through massive, towering iron gates that opened silently to reveal a sprawling private estate. Shuyi pressed her face against the window, her heart sinking.
This was Jingyuan. The Lu family's private manor. It was a place of absolute power and luxury, sitting at the very peak of the city. For anyone else, being invited here was a dream. For Shuyi, it looked like a massive, beautiful prison.
The car came to a smooth stop under a brightly lit portico. A line of servants in matching uniforms was already standing by the grand double doors, holding umbrellas.
Before Shuyi could even think of a plan to run, her door was pulled open.
"Welcome back, Sir," the head butler bowed respectfully. Then, without missing a beat, he bowed to Shuyi. "Welcome, Miss Chi."
Shuyi's stomach churned. The way the butler said Miss Chi… it sounded rehearsed. Like they had been expecting her. But how could they? Shuran had just been buried.
Lu Tingzhou stepped out of the car, ignoring the umbrella a servant offered him. He walked around to her side and looked down at her. She was still glued to the leather seat, clutching the towel like a lifeline.
"Are you going to get out," he asked calmly, "or do I need to carry you?"
Her cheeks flushed with humiliation. She quickly scrambled out of the car, almost tripping over her own wet shoes. Lu Tingzhou's hand shot out, gripping her elbow to steady her. His large hand felt like an iron shackle. He didn't let go as he guided her up the steps and into the mansion.
The inside of Jingyuan was breathtaking. Towering ceilings, imported marble floors, and priceless art on the walls. It was cold, clean, and perfectly ordered—just like its owner.
"Prepare a hot bath in the master bedroom," Lu Tingzhou instructed the butler as he took off his wet suit jacket, tossing it to a waiting maid. "And bring the clothes I ordered yesterday."
Shuyi stopped dead in her tracks.
"Yesterday?" she echoed, her voice trembling. She stared at his broad back. "You ordered clothes for me... yesterday?"
Lu Tingzhou slowly turned around. He looked down at her, his expression unreadable. She was soaked to the bone, her dark hair plastered to her neck, looking like a fragile, abandoned kitten.
"Did you think my decision to bring you here was a sudden impulse?" he asked quietly.
Shuyi took a step back. "I don't understand. Why are you doing this? If you want to honor Shuran's memory, this is wrong! I'm her sister, not her!"
Lu Tingzhou's eyes darkened dangerously. He closed the distance between them in two long strides, forcing Shuyi to back up until her shoulders hit the cold marble pillar behind her.
He leaned in, planting his hands on the pillar on either side of her head, completely trapping her. The maids and the butler silently lowered their heads and backed away, disappearing into the hallways. They were suddenly completely alone in the massive foyer.
"You really love playing the victim, don't you?" he murmured, his voice a low, rough rumble.
Shuyi glared at him, tears of frustration finally pooling in her eyes. "You're crazy. You're just projecting your grief onto me because of my face. Let me go home!"
"Home?" Lu Tingzhou's gaze fell to her trembling lips, then back up to her tear-filled eyes. "To a father who forces you to walk in the rain? To a mother who looks at you like you're garbage? Is that the home you're crying for?"
Shuyi gasped. "How do you—"
"Did you think the Lu family doesn't investigate the families they merge with?" he said coldly, stepping closer until his shadow completely swallowed her. "I know exactly how little the Chi family values you. Which means I know they will not dare to come looking for you."
Shuyi's eyes went wide. He knows. He knew her family wouldn't care. He knew she had absolutely no one to rely on, which made her the perfect, easy target to lock away as his substitute.
"You're not going back there," he continued, his tone absolute. "Starting tonight, you live here. You sleep here. You eat when I tell you to eat, and you don't take a single step outside these gates without my permission."
"You can't do that!" she cried out, pushing against his chest again. "It's illegal! I'll call the police!"
Lu Tingzhou didn't even flinch at her pushing. He just looked at her, his eyes filled with a dark, terrifying possessiveness.
"Call them," he challenged softly. "Call whoever you want. But before you do, remember that your father's company is currently surviving on a supply chain that I control. If you walk out of that door tonight, Chi Shuyi, I will crush the Chi family into dust by tomorrow morning."
Shuyi froze. Her blood ran cold.
He wasn't joking. The man standing in front of her could bankrupt her family with a single phone call. Even though her parents treated her terribly, she couldn't be the reason they lost everything.
She stared at him, completely defeated. A single tear escaped her eye, tracing a warm path down her cold cheek.
"Why?" she whispered, her voice cracking. "If you know I'm not her... why are you doing this to me?"
Lu Tingzhou watched that single tear fall. He slowly lifted his hand, his thumb catching the drop of water before it reached her chin. He wiped it away with surprising gentleness, a stark contrast to his cruel words.
He didn't answer her question. He just stared at her face, tracing her features with his eyes as if he was memorizing them all over again.
He's looking at her, Shuyi thought bitterly, closing her eyes. He's looking at Shuran.
"Take a bath," Lu Tingzhou finally said, dropping his hand and taking a step back. His voice was cold and detached once more. "You're shivering. Don't make me wait."
He turned and walked toward the grand staircase, leaving her standing alone in the massive, echoing hallway.
Shuyi wrapped her arms around herself, feeling smaller and more trapped than she ever had in her entire life. She was no longer just the unwanted shadow of the Chi family.
She was now the prisoner of the most dangerous man in Jingcheng.