As soon as the agreed time arrived and Dachengnan Abandoned Factory came into view, the person meant to meet them never appeared.
Shen Nanyue told Lin Siwan to call the kidnappers.
Just as she turned her head, she caught the triumphant smile curling on Lin Siwan’s lips.
“Big sister, you’re really too stupid.”
Shen Nanyue instantly sensed danger, but before she could react, a numb sensation spread across the back of her neck.
She did not even have time to run before her vision went black and she collapsed unconscious.
Lin Siwan looked at Gu Linlang, who emerged as Shen Nanyue fell, and the smug satisfaction in her eyes could no longer be concealed.
“Now we just wait for Young Master Zhou to take the bait.”
The two women looked at each other and smiled, their expressions twisted with malice.
…
When Shen Nanyue woke again, dusk had already settled.
She was tied tightly to a chair, her mouth sealed with tape so she could not speak.
Rough hemp rope bit into her delicate skin, and even the slightest movement caused a tearing phantom pain that made her frown instinctively.
“Big sister, you’re awake?”
Lin Siwan walked over to Shen Nanyue, the smile on her face dazzling—so dazzling that Shen Nanyue felt that if her hands were not bound, she would have slapped this so-called sister without hesitation.
Perhaps noticing the fury in Shen Nanyue’s eyes, Lin Siwan’s smile widened even further.
“Big sister, don’t be angry. I’m doing this for your own good too. Don’t you want to watch a good show?”
Shen Nanyue frowned, unable to imagine what scheme she was plotting this time.
They were on the second floor of the abandoned factory.
Lowering her gaze slightly, Shen Nanyue could see the scene downstairs through the broken, dim railings.
Another woman in a hospital gown was tied up on the first floor.
Even from the back alone, Shen Nanyue recognized her immediately—it was Gu Linlang.
Several rough-looking men stood in front of her.
The men said something to Gu Linlang.
She turned and looked upstairs, her eyes meeting Shen Nanyue’s.
Shen Nanyue’s sharp vision caught the terror and despair in Gu Linlang’s eyes.
She frowned and suddenly turned to look coldly at the leisurely Lin Siwan beside her.
“Big sister, are you wondering why I kidnapped Gu Linlang too?”
Shen Nanyue stared at her icily.
Lin Siwan smiled. “This brother-in-law of mine has quite the unusual relationship with Miss Gu. Even though you’ve never treated me that well, I care about you very much.”
As she spoke, Lin Siwan bent down close to Shen Nanyue’s ear and whispered softly,
“Just watch. Brother-in-law will be here soon. I sent him a message telling him that both you and Miss Gu were kidnapped here, but he can only take one person away. Who do you think he’ll choose?”
The moment Lin Siwan finished speaking, the warehouse doors were kicked open violently.
Through the broken railings, Shen Nanyue saw Zhou Yushen stride inside with suppressed fury radiating from his tall frame.
Warm golden light from the sunset filtered in behind him, making him look like a savior walking against the light.
At that moment, one of the men beside Gu Linlang had already reached out with filthy hands toward her.
Shen Nanyue saw Zhou Yushen’s gaze sharpen.
In just a few steps, he knocked the men to the ground, then untied the ropes binding Gu Linlang.
Clearly terrified out of her mind, Gu Linlang threw herself into Zhou Yushen’s arms, sobbing uncontrollably.
Zhou Yushen hesitated for a second before raising a hand to pat her back comfortingly.
He made no move to push her away.
“You’ll pay for what you’ve done.”
Shen Nanyue heard his voice—cold to the extreme.
Then she watched him bend down, lift Gu Linlang into his arms, and turn toward the exit.
At that moment, it felt as though a tiny crack had torn open inside Shen Nanyue’s heart.
Blood slowly seeped from the wound, bringing with it a dull ache and a suffocating pain she could barely describe.
Suddenly, one of the men lying on the ground shouted toward Zhou Yushen, “Young Master Zhou! Are you sure you’re only taking Miss Gu away?”
As he spoke, the man pointed toward Shen Nanyue on the second floor.
Zhou Yushen paused.
Turning his head, he followed the direction indicated and looked upstairs.
Shen Nanyue met his eyes.
In her bright, glistening pupils, there was still an unavoidable trace of hope.
But even after seeing her, Zhou Yushen’s gaze remained icy and indifferent—as though he were looking at a complete stranger.
Perhaps he had already made his decision on the way here.
Without sparing her another glance, Zhou Yushen carried Gu Linlang away and turned to leave.
The small crack in Shen Nanyue’s heart suddenly felt as though it had been pried wide open with an iron rod, scorching the bloody flesh within until the pain became unbearable.
Her face turned pale, tears streaming silently from the corners of her eyes.
And within Zhou Yushen’s cold, merciless gaze, she seemed to glimpse an indescribable pain hidden deep beneath.
She had never wanted to place unreasonable hopes on Zhou Yushen.
“Yo! Big sister, you’re crying?”
As if she had discovered a new world, Lin Siwan bent down to look at the tears glistening on Shen Nanyue’s face and could not resist reaching out to wipe one away.
The scorching tear felt like a stimulant to her excitement.
She burst into loud laughter.
“I always thought someone as cold-hearted as you would never cry for anyone! Big sister, didn’t you say you didn’t believe in love or marriage? So how did you fall for a man so quickly?”
Shen Nanyue said nothing.
She had no interest whatsoever in responding to Lin Siwan’s deliberate attempts to provoke her.
Lin Siwan sighed dramatically, as though pitying Shen Nanyue.
“Big sister, actually, Young Master Zhou was only using you. I looked into that Gu Linlang woman. Half a year ago, she and brother-in-law were boyfriend and girlfriend. Later, for various reasons, they broke up.”
“They say first love is a lifelong regret. Brother-in-law chose his regret and abandoned the wife he was already bound to. It’s only natural that you’d be heartbroken.”
Lin Siwan straightened up and smilingly patted Shen Nanyue’s head.
“What a pity. Brother-in-law took one hostage away, which means the other hostage has to be punished. This is a lesson from your little sister. Big sister, enjoy it properly.”
At some point, the burly men downstairs had already come upstairs and surrounded Shen Nanyue.
As Lin Siwan stepped back, the men cracked their knuckles and approached Shen Nanyue with lewd grins.
“Not bad at all—Fengcheng’s number one beauty really lives up to the title. That face and body are top-tier!”
“Don’t worry, little lady. We may not be as handsome as your husband, but we’re definitely no worse than him in bed. We’ll take good care of you!”
“President Shen, don’t forget to tip us afterward!”
“…”
Watching the men close in on Shen Nanyue, Lin Siwan sneered and turned to leave.
Shen Nanyue—from today onward, you would no longer be the untouchable president of the Shen Group.
Her gaze drifted toward the blinking red recording light on the ceiling.
As long as this video spread to every corner of Fengcheng, there would no longer be any place left in the city for Shen Nanyue.
This was the future she had always dreamed of.
A world without Shen Nanyue—only Lin Siwan.
Just as she stepped into the stairwell, Shen Nanyue’s voice rang out behind her like a demon’s whisper.
“Why are you leaving so quickly? Don’t you want to watch me beg for mercy and see how these men ruin me before you go?”
Lin Siwan turned around in shock.
There stood Shen Nanyue at the stairway entrance, her face cold and expressionless.
— The end of the Chapter–
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