《Love with Danger in the Purple: Being Beloved by the Hardhearted Avenger》


 C1. The Kidnapped Bride

    Ding Manman wakes up in a dingy room.


    "Awake?" Hearing a man''s low voice echoing in the darkness, Ding Manman sees some sparks flickering in the corner of the dark room.


    "Who are you?" She looks around and sees nothing but the sparse moonlight outside the small window.


    The man over there doesn''t utter a word. But she feels that the man, hardhearted and callous, rises to his feet and strides over towards her. Ding Manman is so frightened that she steps back and bumps against the cold wall.


    The tactile impression of the soft wedding dress reminds her that it is her wedding day today. The wedding car was stopped on the way to the wedding venue, and she was dragged out of the car and lost her consciousness immediately afterwards.


    With no space to hide, the only thing she can do is strive to see clearly the face of the man standing in front of her with her eyes wide-open. "What do you want to do?"


    "Fuck you!"


    The man steps forward, ruthlessly pinches her chin and ravishes a kiss.


    With the tobacco ordor diffusing into her mouth, Ding Manman struggles fiercely and bites hard at the man''s lips.


    The taste of blood, instead of stopping the man''s brutal actions, arouses his sexual desire. Roughly he tears at Ding Manman''s wedding dress, which sends her into screaming, "Let me go!"


    The man, turning a blind eye to her struggles, grabs her hair and pushes her against the wall. Feeling a sticky liquid sliding down from her forehead, she opens her mouth widely and the gnawing pain from the wound wrenches her unable to utter a single sound.


    "Painful?" The man''s voice rings again in her ears.


    "Yeah..." Ding Manman is pinned against the wall with her back to him. She cannot see his expression, which makes her feel more terrified.


    The man''s hot lips sink into the snow-white skin on Ding''s shoulder. "Compared with the deadly pain he suffered from, the pain you are suffering is nothing!"


    Then, the man lifts her wedding dress and harshly thrusts his waiting erection into Ding''s lower body regardless of her tenseness and dryness, the pain caused by which sends tears flowing down her face.


    Her eyes are full of despair. On the very day of her wedding she is kidnapped and raped in the most humiliating way in the darkroom.


    Feeling the existence of hymen hindering him from going further in, the man is taken aback and confused. "Hasn''t Fang Hao had sex with you?"


    Hearing the name "Fang Hao", Ding Manman, who had given up resisting, suddenly starts to struggle fiercely. "You are not allowed to mention his name." It is the most embarrassing thing for her to hear her fianc¨¦''s name mentioned at such a humiliating moment.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Zhong Shaoting''s last bit of pity disappears after hearing Ding Manman''s words, and he penetrates through her hymen with force mercilessly.


    "Zhong Shaoting." The man bites at her earlobe and utters his own name. "Remember, this is just the beginning."


    When Ding Manman wakes up once again, she finds herself still in the darkroom, but Zhong Shaoting has been gone. A scent of Eros permeating in the air makes her feel so sick that she almost throws up. She huddles up into another corner, trying to keep herself from thinking about what has happened. All of a sudden, she feels the pain in her ankles which she finds her ankles are shackled with a thick iron chain. A strong sense of shame crowds into her mind. "Is Zhong Shaoting treating me as a slave?!"


    Just then the door is opened, and Zhong Shaoting, a tall and upright figure, shows up at the door.


    "Come out," he orders


    Ding Manman, biting at her lips, remains motionless.


    An impatient voice sounds over there. "My words, once said, won''t be repeated!" Ding Manman tightens her fists and remains still. Zhong Shaoting, with his grim and cold eyes, strides forward to drag at her.


    Ding Manman quickly steps back. Unfortunately, her hair is violently gripped by Zhong with great force. "Can''t you hear what I say?"


    "Let me go." She says, "Otherwise, the Fang Family and the Ding Family won''t let you off anyhow."


    "The Fang Family and the Ding Family?" As if he hears something funny, a cruel smile crawls onto his lips. "Do you think that the two families dare to make a stand against the Zhong Family Group? One call from me will get them out of City A!"


    With brows knitted, Ding Manman suddenly gets the answer why she hasn''t been found for so long. The man in front of her wields so much power that no one can contend against.


    Seeing her preoccupied, Zhong Shaoting grows more impatient. He pulls her out of the dark room. The resounding clash of the chains rings along the way, warning her of her present identity.


    Zhong Shaoting takes her to the parlor and throws her some loose garments.


    Staring at Zhong Shaoting, Ding Manman doesn''t know how he will humiliate her next.


    "Don''t dream to escape! The only key to your anklet is here in my hand." Zhong hugs his shoulders and looks down upon her. "Go and pick 50 roses for me... with your BARE hands."


    Ding Manman tugs at the corner of her clothes, understanding his deliberate intention to hurt her. The servants hurry by around her. No one dares to steal a look at her.


    Seeing her hands punctured by the thorns of roses, Ding Manman grits her teeth.


    Since no one will save her, she has to snatch at a straw to save herself.


    On entering the parlor with the roses, she sees Zhong Shaoting in the sofa with a glamorous woman snuggling at his side. While seeing the roses in Ding''s hands, the woman gets up to fetch them.


    "Shaoting, are these roses for me?"


    She speaks with a high-pinched voice which sounds very charming and cloyingly sweet. The woman looks at Ding up and down until she sees the chains on her ankles. A smile broadens on her face. The moment she touches the roses, she drops them to the floor.


    "How do you do your work, maid?! Why haven''t you cleared up the thorns?"


    With these words, she slaps Ding on the face.


    A crisp and loud sound of slapping is heard. The slap turns Ding''s face to one side. With her ears still buzzing, she catches a glimpse of Zhong watching with cold eyes. Ding Manman bites at her lips and turns her head back without uttering a single word.


    "Are you new here? How dare you be so rude!" Lin Xi''er raises her tone and snuggles into Zhong''s arms. "Shaoting, look at your servant! She doesn''t even know how to behave herself."


    Zhong Shaoting twines his arms around Lin Xi''er and coaxes her. "All right, all right. Come on, let''s go upstairs."


    Lin Xi''er takes his broad hint immediately and bursts into a huge smile, alluringly and flirtatiously.


    A trace of contempt flashes across Ding Manman''s eyes, which is noticed by Zhong whose eyes harden with heartlessness and insensibility.


    "Ding Manman, you, come with us."


    Even though not knowing what Zhong Shaoting is going to do, Ding Manman has sensed something terrible. While seeing the motionlessness of Ding, Lin Xi''er turns to scold her, just as the hostess. "Are you deaf?"


    "I see!"

 C2. This is Just the Beginning

    Lin Xi¡¯er¡¯s coquettish voice echoes along their way to the room. Ding Manman¡¯s eyes are full of satire. She originally viewed Zhong Shaoting as a virtuous man who is aloof from the worldly affairs, however... Just as a proverb says, ¡°Dogs bite in every country.¡± There is no good man any more.


    ¡°Close the door!¡± While commanding Ding Manman, Zhong Shaoting enters the room and leisurely sinks himself into the sofa.


    Lin Xi¡¯er rolls her eyeballs towards Ding Manman, meanwhile she clings her lithe body to Zhong, with her waist twisted so as to please the man in front of her to the best of her abilities. All her seducing skills are employed as she seeks to evoke the man¡¯s sexual desires.


    However, the man in the sofa, whose face is overclouded as usual, remains reticent and grim, with his cold eyes staring at Ding Manman.


    Meantime, Ding Manman is also looking at him, never bothering to conceal her feelings of disgust and sarcasm in her eyes.


    Seeing that, Zhong Shaoting suddenly squeezes Lin Xi¡¯er to his breast and begins kissing her intensely. The sound of the hot kiss breaks the quietness of the room, which makes Ding blush and turn pale alternately due to embarrassment.


    ¡°Disgusting.¡± She says coldly. Then she turns and leaves the room, slamming the door hard.


    Zhong Shaoting immediately pushes Lin Xi¡¯er to the floor. Knitting his brows, he follows Ding out.


    Lin Xi¡¯er, almost naked, is discarded on the floor like a toy. There is a flash of non-reconciliation on her face. ¡°Ding Manman, right? I won¡¯t forgive you!¡±


    Ding Manman rushes into the dark room and locks the door. After a short while, Zhong Shaoting¡¯s footsteps are heard outside.


    ¡°Open the door.¡± His chilly voice rings at the door.


    ¡°No way!¡±


    Hardly has she got the last word out when she hears a boom as the door is kicked open by Zhong, the demon, who is striding towards her. He grabs her neck between his fingers, with ruthlessness and brutality reflected in his eyes.


    ¡°How dare you!¡±


    With her eyes wide open, Ding Manman senses that the strength of the man''s hand is increasing. When she starts to struggle fiercely, Zhong throws her to the floor.


    When she is still feeling dizzy, he comes forward and rips at her pajamas violently. By placing her hands above her head, he pins her there.


    The body is once again beyond her own control. The feeling of darkness and despair of the previous night overwhelms her again, which makes her extremely terrified. She sinks her teeth severely into the man¡¯s shoulder.


    Instead of hindering the man¡¯s actions, it earned her the same treatment on the shoulder. Two rows of red teeth prints appear on her snow-white skin immediately. ¡°You still have chance to beg for mercy.¡±


    Ding Manman spits on him ferociously. ¡°Bah! No way!¡±


    ¡°Very good!¡±


    With no more hesitation, once again in the dark room he presses Ding Manman under his body.


    With tears shedding down her cheeks and teeth clenched, Ding Manman hurls a final defiance in a hostile silence.


    It is not until the next evening that Ding Manman wakes up. Dizzy and hungry, she feels very uncomfortable with the slimy body.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    The maid, Xiao Fang opens the door at the moment. When noticing that Ding Manman is half-naked, she quickly lowers her head and says hastily, ¡°Mr. Zhong tells me to bring you something to eat.¡±


    Ding Manman, extremely hungry, starts eating right away while glancing around, ¡°Where is Zhong Shaoting?¡±


    Xiaofang whispers, ¡°He is out!¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡± All of a sudden, something occurs to Ding Manman and her eyes brighten up. She suddenly covers her mouth with the hands. Then she starts vomiting. She doesn¡¯t stop until everything she has just eaten down is thrown up.


    Xiaofang is shocked and quickly steps forward to help pat on her back. ¡°What¡¯s wrong¡­with you?¡±


    ¡°Doctor... I want to see a doctor!¡± Ding Manman puts her hands on her lower abdomen and her face is so pale that no trace of blood can be seen.


    Owing to the emaciation of her figure caused by recent tortures, plus her deliberate acting, she looks like a dying woman with severe illness.


    On seeing this, Xiao Fang hastily says, ¡°I¡¯ll call the doctor right away.¡±


    A doctoress soon comes in and the servants in the house crowd at the door. Ding Manman deliberately reveals the red traces of love-making on her body, which makes the servants blush.


    Biting her lip, Ding Manma says with humiliation, ¡°Except the doctor, everyone gets out!¡±


    Though her voice is as low as the sound from a mosquito or fly, it touches the sympathetic part of the servants¡¯ hearts. They know what has happened to this poor girl in the past few days. Realizing that she will be accompanied by the doctor, they leave with a sigh.


    As soon as the door is closed, Ding Manman grabs the doctor¡¯s hand and begs, ¡°Doctor, please, please help me!¡±


    The doctor, a woman around 40 years old, glances at Ding who is rather discomfited, and asks indifferently, ¡°What is the matter with you?¡±


    Ding¡¯s heart sinks when she sees the doctor¡¯s indifference. She bites her lip and says in a low voice choked with sobs, ¡°Help me, please! And a little more of this, I will die!¡±


    The doctor, sitting by the bedside, doesn¡¯t stir a little, but the awkward expression is obvious to be noticed, ¡°Miss Ding, if I help you, I will die!¡±


    Ding Manman stays stunned for a second and then says suddenly, ¡°Then¡­ may I use your phone? Just to make a call!¡±


    The doctor pushes Ding¡¯s hands aside. Noticing her tearful eyes, she sighs and hands her phone over, ¡°All right, hurry up.¡±


    Ding Manman again and again thanks for the doctor¡¯s help and quickly dials the number. Before hearing the receiver¡¯s voice she starts asking for help. ¡°Fang Hao, save me, I am kidnapped and locked in Zhong Shaoting¡¯s house...¡±


    Before her voice dies away, a sneer is heard on the phone.


    This is not the voice from Fang Hao.


    Breaking out into cold sweat, she recognizes the voice which is very familiar to her and whose owner is no one else but Zhong Shaoting himself.


    ¡°Ding Manman, I¡¯ve told you, this is just the beginning.¡± What he is saying mercilessly disheartens Ding Manman.


    Just at this time, Zhong Shaoting¡¯s figure appears at the door. With her pupils contracted, Ding Manman opens her mouth but no sound comes out. The doctor lowers her head and takes her phone back from Ding¡¯s hand. ¡°I will be back later.¡± Then, the doctor leaves the room, without casting a single glance at her at all.


    ¡°Zhong Shaoting... Why are you doing this to me?¡± Seeing Zhong slowly walking towards her, Ding Manman speaks out her confusion.


    A shadow of insidious smile appears at the corner of his mouth. Zhong Shaoting squeezes Ding Manman¡¯s chin between his fingers, forcing her to see clearly the hatred in his eyes. ¡°You don¡¯t know me, but do you remember¡­¡±


    Under the gaze of Ding Manman, he slowly utters the name, ¡°Zhong Shaoyan?¡±


    Shocks flash among Ding Manman¡¯s expressions, ¡°How do you know Zhong Shaoyan?¡±


    What she said verifies the relationship between her and Zhong Shaoyan. Zhong Shaoting¡¯s expression turns to be more ferocious and he says slowly word by word, ¡°Zhong Shaoyan died just because of you.¡±


    It is a quiet night, a night without moon or light.


    Doctor Liu walks out of the room, seeing Zhong Shaoting, who is smoking by the door. The haze of cigarette smoke blurs his expressions. ¡°Do you feel happy when you torture her like this?¡± Doctor Liu sighs deeply and closes the door. When receiving no answer, she goes on saying, ¡°Her body will be stressed to its limit. If it goes on like this, I''m afraid there will be something wrong with her mind.¡±


    Zhong Shaoting stiffens a little, which is hardly noticeable. Then he turns to look at the doctor and asks her in a hoarse voice, ¡°Becoming insane?¡±


    Dr. Liu is nearly scared by this ghost-like hoarse voice. She thinks of something and smiles bitterly. ¡°The dead could not rise from the grave.¡±


    Zhong Shaoting pesters the doctor for the answer to his question, ¡°Will she become insane?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Without answering, Dr. Liu asks him instead with the corners of her mouth twitched a little. ¡°I know you can¡¯t let go of the death of Shaoyan¡­but, you won¡¯t feel relieved even if you go on torturing her.¡±


    Zhong Shaoting looks indifferent and turns a deaf ear to Doctor Liu¡¯s words. ¡°I don¡¯t care. She is a sinner and she has to make atonement.¡±

 C3. The Last Hope Fading

    Ding Manman doesn¡¯t deserve his softheartedness and compassion.


    If it were not for the frame-up plotted by Ding Manman¡¯s despicable father that year, how could his father have been thrown into prison and how could his twin brother, Shaoyan have got into prison instead of him in order to save him?


    Zhong Shaoting will never forget his brother¡¯s entrustment before Shaoyan went to prison. He said that he had met his dream lover whom he wanted to protect all his life and he hoped Shaoting would replace him to look after her.


    Unfortunately, hardly had Shaoyan gone to prison when his most beloved one, Ding Manman, ruthlessly abandoned him. Like the last straw which broke the camel¡¯s back, in addition to the boundless darkness caused by the life imprisonment, the news finally rendered Shaoyan collapse and he committed suicide.


    ¡°The reason why Shaoyan went into the prison instead of you is that he wished you a happy life then and after.¡± Seeing Zhong Shaoting lost in his own thoughts and looking more and more painful, Doctor Liu unconsciously shakes her head, ¡°You should not torture yourself with the past any more.¡±


    At his words, Zhong Shaoting¡¯s eyes turn hard and ferocious, ¡°I won¡¯t repeat it: this woman doesn¡¯t deserve my compassion and it serves her right.¡±


    Then, he throws the cigarette to the ground fiercely, stamping on and grinding it until the last spark of the cigarette dies down with no more sign of its existence.


    All they talked about is heard by Ding Manman in the room.


    Zhong Shaoting¡¯s words, like a nightmare or a curse, echo in her ears over and over again.


    Shaoyan is dead? How come?


    Flustered, she fingers out that it isthe reason why Zhong Shaoting treats her like this.


    When she is still thinking, Zhong Shaoting comes in with the servant Xiaofang following behind him.


    ¡°Miss Ding, it¡¯s time for the meal.¡± Xiaofang serves a bowl of thin porridge and a little bit side dish. With her head lowered, Ding Manman nibbles at her food bit by bit. She feels extremely uneasy with Zhong Shaoting staring at her with great intensity.


    Here upon, she looks up at him, ¡°Zhong Shaoting, what did you say about Shaoyan¡­¡±


    Before she finishes the sentence, Zhong Shaoting¡¯s gaze turns sharp suddenly. "How dare you mention his name?" Looking at the timid and fragile woman, he becomes more agitated. ¡°Don¡¯t pretend to be pathetic in front of me."


    Upon these words, out of the door he strides.


    Xiaofang rarely met such an occasion before and whispers, "Miss, please finish eating quickly. You still have a lot of work to do.¡± While nodding, Ding Manman suddenly catches a glimpse of a silver light in the doorway¡ª¡ªit is a bunch of keys if she is not mistaken.


    Ding Manman gets the key. When she is trimming the rose garden, she unlocks the chains on her feet and escapes from Zhong¡¯s house in a haste.


    To her unawareness, Zhong Shaoting is looking at her not far away. With a gloomy face, he dials a number on his phone.


    ¡°Do as planned.¡±


    At the house of the Fang Family.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Fang Hao parks his car outside the gate, but doesn¡¯t get off immediately. He solemnly listens to his assistant¡¯s report on the phone, and suddenly smashes at the carseat. "It has been so long since her disappearance.How could there be no news at all?"


    Owing to Ding Manman¡¯s disappearance, their wedding had to be canceled. Fang Hao got injured severely and lay in hospital for a week. He wants to find Ding Manman eagerly, but it seems that she has evaporated from the earth.


    ¡°I am so sorry, sir. All the monitors at the wedding were destroyed so we could not find any clue about Miss Ding¡¯s disappearance.¡± The assistant feels rather helpless on the other end of the phone. ¡°In order to find her, I have tried all kinds of approaches which were all stealthily hindered by someone. The person who kidnapped Miss Ding must have an unfathomable background.¡±


    "Bastard!" While Fang Hao thinks about the man who kidnapped Ding Manman on his wedding day, his eyebrows knit together more tightly. This city is neither too big, nor too small. However, to find a completely unknown man in such a city is equal to looking for a needle in a haystack.


    ¡°Expand the scope of your search! All the people around Ding Manman should be carefully checked! There must be some clues left behind.¡± Calming down, Fang Hao gives commands to his assistant one by one. Just then, his mother, who leads a pretty woman by hand, is walking towards him.


    He hangs up the phone hastily and greets his mother with steady eyes, ¡°Hi, Mom!¡±


    Fang Hao turns a blind eye to the woman beside his mother. But the woman shows her enthusiasm by walking forward to shake hands with him. ¡°Nice to meet you. This is Song Xin.¡±


    Noticing Fang Hao¡¯s indifference, Song Xin purses her lips and says, ¡°This is my first time to visit your big house. Could you please show me around?¡±


    For the sake of civility, Fang Hao shakes hands with her perfunctorily. Then he looks at his smiling mother and says, "Mom, I am tired. I have to take a rest now!"


    Song Xin¡¯s face freezes for a split second. She never expects that Fang Hao will just ignore her like this!


    She looks at Fang¡¯s mother feeling wronged. As expected, taking Song Xin¡¯s side, Fang¡¯s mother clouds her face and reprimands, "What¡¯s the matter with you? Song Xin is our guest, how could you be so impolite to her?"


    Fang Hao frowns with disgust. How could he not know the intention of his mother?


    Since there is no trace of Ding Manman¡¯s whereabouts, he has no interest in this woman at all.


    ¡°Mom, Manman hasn¡¯t been found yet. I am tired enough. Don¡¯t make any more trouble for me. OK?¡±


    Fang¡¯s mother pulls at his arm and complains with obvious disappointment. ¡°Ding Manman! Ding Manman! She is just a jinx! I have never agreed to your marriage before, but you insisted on marrying her without listening to my advice! What happened then? At the wedding, the jinx not only ran away herself, but also caused you to be badly injured! I hate this woman!¡±


    Spluttering a lot, Fang¡¯s mother ends with, ¡°Now, behave and try to get along well with Xinxin (intimate address for Song Xin). As for Ding Manman, you¡¯d better give up your silly love!¡±


    Fang Hao was approved to marry Ding Manman before just because he loved Ding Manman so dearly that the Fang family had no choice. Actually, they looked down on Ding Manman and thought that she was just a daughter of an ordinary rich family, nothing special or amiable. How could she marry the best heir of the Fang Family Group?


    Fang Hao¡¯s mother, in particular, despised Ding Manman and spared no effort to make trouble for her.


    However, Fang Hao was hell-bent on loving Ding Manman, which finally made his mother give in and approve their marriage.


    It happened that Zhong Shaoting hijacked Ding Manman at the wedding and her son was injured by the men with Zhong Shaoting, which increased her hatred towards Ding Manman.


    ¡°You go nowhere else. Show Xinxin around.¡± Fang¡¯s mother drags his son towards Song Xin and says in a harsh voice, ¡°If you dare to disobey me, don¡¯t call me ¡®mom¡¯ any more!¡±


    As soon as Ding Manman was kidnapped, she immediately began to organize matchmaking events for her son for she wanted her son to marry the daughter of the Wang Family.


    But Fang Hao was unable to forget Ding Manman and uncompromisingly objected to his mother¡¯s arrangements. As a result, not only did he refuse the blind date arranged by his mother, but also irritated the daughter of the Wang Family and ruined the expected marriage.


    Hence, the plan of marriage to the Song Family requires particular attention from his mother!


    Fang Hao, gritting his teeth and looking at his irrational mother, says coldly, "Mom, don''t be ridiculous! I¡¯ve been engaged to Manman. Even if the wedding is temporarily canceled, we are still a would-be couple!"


    After a pause, he turns to Song Xin who looks rather annoyed. His voice becomes more indifferent, ¡°Does Miss Song want to be a mistress?¡±Next chapter -> I Loathe Your Dirtiness</a>

 C4. I Loathe Your Dirtiness

    No proud socialite can bear such a humiliation!


    Gritting her teeth, Song Xin turns to say farewell to Fang¡¯s mom with a forced smile, ¡°Auntie, I am thinking that we had better drop this matter since Fang Hao is not willing to do that. As for me, to find a man to marry is not problem, yet.¡±


    Roaring with anger, Fang¡¯s mother starts to cry and shouts when she sees her son¡¯s attitude, ¡°Just for the sake of Ding Manman, you want to infuriate the whole family to death, don¡¯t you? Ah?¡±


    Fang Hao can¡¯t bear his mother¡¯s disturbance and frowns with annoyance, ¡°Mom! There¡¯s only one woman I love and I want to marry and her name is Ding Manman! Now, she is missing and in danger. I only want to find her in the shortest possible time, rather than date with such unknown women!¡±


    He has made every effort to find Ding Manman while his family has always been hindering him, which makes him virtually collapse.


    His mother¡¯s eyes are filled with tears immediately at his words. She smacks her son and says, ¡°Do you still have your family in mind! Do you still remember your parents who gave birth to you and raised you? What¡¯s good about Ding Manman? Are you intoxicated by her?¡±


    Fang Hao stands motionless and endures his mother¡¯s beating and scolding. Only after his mother gets tired does he say calmly, ¡°Mom, if you insist on compelling me, I¡¯ll move out.¡±


    No matter how, he will find Ding Manman for sure.


    At this moment, Song Xin, who is watching them aside with her arms crossed, opens her mouth, ¡°Auntie, Fang Hao, I think there¡¯s one thing you two might need to know.¡±


    Hearing this, Fang Hao and his mother turn to look at Song Xin simultaneously. Fang Hao frowns, wondering what Song Xin is going to do.


    Song Xin takes her time in finding and playing a video clip stored in her mobile phone and shows to them. ¡°I heard about Miss Ding¡¯s disappearance and I was willing to be of help, so I sent someone to look for her. Then I found this video.¡±


    The lighting of the video is so dim that they can only faintly see two overlapped figures. Fang Hao hears the low breath of a woman with some repression. The man in the video faces the lens with his back from the beginning to the end. What Fang Hao can see clearly is the woman¡¯s white tender body and a small birthmark on the shoulder.


    The woman in the video is none other than Ding Manman.


    ¡°I think you are more familiar with Ding Manman than I. This video came out during the period of her disappearance. You took so much trouble to look for her, but what was she doing?¡±


    With a gleam of success in her eyes, Song Xin adds fuel to the flames.


    While just at this time, the housekeeper appears at the door and what he utters is like a thunder on a sunny day. ¡°Milady, Childe, here is Miss Ding.¡±


    Hardly had the housekeeper finished speaking when Fang Hao rushed out and saw Ding Manman at the gate of his house.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    At that time, Ding Manman, with messy hair, is in some baggy clothes which seem to have been stolen from his boyfriend. On seeing Fang Hao, her eyes light up.


    ¡°Fang Hao!¡±


    With a faster reaction, Fang¡¯s mother rushes up to Ding Manman and gives her a slap in the face.


    ¡°Bitch! How dare you come back!¡±


    The loud slap stuns Ding Manman who covers her face and looks at Fang¡¯s mother feeling wronged. ¡°Mom, what did I do wrong?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me¡®mom¡¯! I loathe your dirtiness!¡±


    Song Xin steps forward and shows the video to Ding Manman. ¡°Miss Ding, how can you be so shameless as to come to see Fang Hao? Can¡¯t one man satisfy your sexual desire?¡±


    Watching the video, Ding Manman grows pale and quickly turns to Fang Hao. She never cares if others misunderstand her as long as Fang Wei trusts her.


    However, what does she see in Fang Hao¡¯s eyes?


    Disappointment, suspect, then disdain.


    Doesn¡¯t he trust her?


    Fang¡¯s mother directly pushes Ding Manman, who is still stunned, out of the gate, ¡°Get out! From now on, our family has no more relationship with you!¡± With these words, she drags Fang Hao away.


    Seeing Fang Hao¡¯s back as he leaves, Ding Manman opens her mouth with no sound coming out. She finds her tears sliding down her face.


    She didn¡¯t cry when Zhong Shaoting humiliated her, when Lin Xi¡¯er slapped her and when her call for help turned to be Zhong Shaoting¡¯s trick. But now, seeing Fang Hao going away, she is overwhelmed with suffering and pain.


    With the dazzling sunlight Ding Manman, physically and mentally exhausted, faints away.


    Ding Manman wakes up in bed with familiar surroundings, which gives her an illusion that she has sunk into hell. However, when she sees Zhong Shaoting place a stack of photos and magazines in front of her, she realizes that the hell she felt she was in is not deep enough.


    Zhong Shaoting flips through the photos and magazines in his hands and shows them to Ding Manman. ¡°Your fianc¨¦ is currently having blind dates with the daughters of the Wang and the Song Family. It seems that your mother-in-law prefers the daughter of the Wang Family. The marriage news has been released!¡±


    The highest level of tormenting a person is not to torture her body, but to destroy her will, and to ruin what she cares most.


    For Ding Manman, what she cares most at present is Fang Hao.


    Zhong Shaoting is clear of Ding Manman¡¯s weakness so he deliberately lets go of her and asks Song Xin to show the video to Fang Hao in the meantime, which aims to deprive Ding Manman of everything.


    Ding Manman glares at him with eyes widened and teeth gnashed, ¡°Hao can never be engaged to another woman!¡±


    Even though he turned his back on her at that time, she still cherishes some hope. She is still waiting for him to save her from the hell. How could he abandon her?


    Zhong Shaoting sarcastically glances at her. Ding Manman¡¯s inexplicable trust in Fang Hao makes the fire in his heart burn rampantly. How could she still have hope in such a desperate situation?!


    With a sneer, Zhong Shaoting leans down and bites at Ding Manman¡¯s lip until the scarlet blood drips down. He says with a smile, ¡°Do you still dare to lie under Fang Hao? Is Fang Hao so generous that he wants a woman I¡¯ve slept with?¡±


    Ding Manman feels stiff with coldness and the despair hidden in her heart is provoked now. ¡°It was against my will¡­Fang Hao will trust me.¡± With these words, tears fall down. Biting her lip, she wipes the tears away so as not to show a sign of her distress in front of Zhong Shaoting.


    Seeing the distress and despair on her face, Zhong Shaoting stands up and looks at Ding Manman sarcastically while saying, ¡°Wish the Fang Family would think like that!¡±


    Zhong Shaoting throws those photos onto Ding Manman and turns and leaves.


    Ding Manman, head lowered, says nothing while her tears fall down onto the photos and magazines.


    The enlarged photo of Fang Hao dating the daughter of the Wang Family is printed in the most noticeable place. Seeing Fang Hao¡¯s face, so gentle and dashing, wrenches Ding Manman¡¯s heart.


    ¡°You look so great... but I...¡± Ding Manman covers her lips, with despair filling her eyes, ¡°can¡¯t be your match any more!¡±Next chapter -> He Didn¡¯t Get Engaged to Another Woman</a>

 C5. He Didn’t Get Engaged to Another Woman

    Dr. Liu was right. Unreasonable torments and vents time after time from Zhong Shaoting have brought Ding Manman to the point of breakdown.


    The photos of Fang Hao being together with other women now plus his abandonment of her the other day serve as the last straw to overwhelm her.


    It is said that death will become the final release for a person in despair. The loss of warm scarlet blood gradually cools and stiffens the body until the heart stops beating.


    Ding Manman lies in the ice-cold bathtub, with the memories of Fang Hao¡¯s pampering and gentleness flashing across her mind. As the cold water around her gradually calms, she thinks in despair: Perhaps she should have committed suicide as early as the first time when Zhong Shaoting tortured and humiliated her.


    Thus, she wouldn¡¯t have heard any news about her beloved passing his affection to another woman!


    ¡­


    When Zhong Shaoting rushes into the bathroom, what he sees is despair and decadence in Ding Manman¡¯s eyes and a bathtub of bloody water.


    He feels that his heart tightens, which is a feeling hard to describe.


    ¡°How is she?¡± Zhong Shaoting takes Ding Manman to the hospital as fast as he can. Dr. Liu is the attending doctor. There is no other patient except for Ding Manman on the whole floor of the hospital, whose oppressive atmosphere makes people eager to flee without a second¡¯s delay.


    ¡°She? Terrible!¡± Dr. Liu glances at Zhong Shaoting who is distracted, and slightly shakes her head. ¡°I¡¯ve told you she had been driven desperate!¡± Dr. Liu says in a more severe voice.


    With a hoarse throat, Zhong Shaoting doesn¡¯t know what to say. When he sees Ding Manman lying in the bloody water in the bathtub, he suddenly realizes that he may have begun to care for that woman.


    He cares for her, which is extremely ironic.


    But this time, compared with the pressure of death, the guilt he feels for his brother, the regret he feels for his father and his hatred for Ding Manman cannot be outweighed by Ding Manman¡¯s desperate eyes.


    ¡°I see.¡± Zhong Shaoting says with a sigh. His heart is heavy with loss and  stuffed with bitterness.


    He turns and goes into the ward. He consciously puts out the cigarette even if Dr. Liu didn¡¯t remind him to do so. Furthermore, he stays by the window for the wind to blow away the smell of cigarette from his clothes before he sits back at the side of Ding Manman¡¯s bed, watching her sleep.


    Dr. Liu stands at the door and watches what happens in the ward. In addition to a kind of slight sadness, her eyes shimmer with wisdom, telling her that she may have experienced many ups and downs in life.


    He is still so young anyway!


    So he blunders!


    Slowly Ding Manman wakes up. When seeing Zhong Shaoting beside her bed, with her dry lips pinched tightly, she subconsciously closes her eyes again and turns away from him with great difficulty.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Ding Manman¡¯s stubbornness annoys Zhong Shaoting a little. While seeing the bandage on her wrist, he hesitates and controls his temper. He then asks, ¡°Ding Manman, that¡¯s all you can do?¡±


    No response.


    Zhong Shaoting is almost suffocated with anger, ¡°Do you think all would be over if you died?¡±


    Still no response.


    Zhong Shaoting stands up abruptly. While seeing the lying woman stiffens, he loosens his fist slowly and speaks in a sulky tone,¡°Fang Hao didn¡¯t get engaged to another woman!¡±


    Hearing this, Ding Manman¡¯s eyes brighten up. While in a twinkle, the light in her eyes turns dim again quickly.


    Now, Zhong Shaoting has no other way to deal with Ding Manman. How can she be terrified if she is even not afraid of death?


    Zhong Shaoting casts Ding Manman a glance in silence and finally turns to leave, with one more sentence, ¡°Take a good rest!¡±


    On hearing the door closed, Ding Manman curls up her cold body while hot tears silently drip down.


    Ding Manman refuses to eat anything all day so Dr. Liu has no way but to call Zhong Shaoting. Less than half an hour, Zhong Shaoting rushes over from his company in haste, with a bowl of hot porridge in hand.


    ¡°Do you plan to starve to death?¡± Zhong Shaoting drives everyone away from the ward. Then he lifts her up by the shoulders and makes her lean against his chest.


    Like a puppet, Ding Manman neither moves nor talks, even refuses to look up at him.


    Zhong Shaoting¡¯s eyes, with a dark storm raging in, gradually turn gloomy, which seems has made the air in the ward fall by several centigrade.


    The woman in his arms stiffens. With a light flashing in his eyes, Zhong Shaoting suddenly takes a mouthful of porridge. With a pinch at Ding Manman¡¯s jaw, he feeds the porridge into her mouth.


    Ding Manman wants to spit it out by instinct, but her mouth is blocked by Zhong Shaoting¡¯s, which forces her to swallow it down. Because of the oppression and resistance, the rims of her eyes turn red.


    ¡°Eat on your own or let me help you?¡± With red eyes, Ding Manman, like both an angry beast and a wronged kitten, makes Zhong Shaoting¡¯s heart tender in an instant.


    Ding Manman, with no strength to confront the dominating man, has no choice but to yield. After wiping the corner of her mouth with hatred, she takes over the bowl and starts to eat.


    Ding Manman widens her eyes and speculates: Could Zhong Shaoting have put poison into the porridge?


    It is not until she has finished having the porridge that Zhong Shaoting picks up the bowl and stands up. He kindly helps Ding lie down and asks the doctor to change the bandage for her. Zhong¡¯s gentle actions make her rather perplexed.


    Later, Ding Manman finds that Zhong Shaoting seems to be less harsh on her.


    Although Zhong Shaoting still looks at her coldly with a straight face, he doesn¡¯t despise her so much as he used to.


    Zhong Shaoting never mentions any information about Fang Hao to Ding Manman, meanwhile, she is wise enough not to ask about him. Since she is still alive and Fang Hao is not engaged to anyone else, there is still hope.


    When being cooperative in the treatment, Ding Manman recovers quickly and is soon sent back to Zhong¡¯s house.


    Standing in the attic of the house, she looks out from the narrow window and feels her heart suddenly brightens. She is just a puppet for Zhong Shaoting, which he won¡¯t let go until he gets tired of her.


    Just like what he did last time, to set her free is just a way to have more fun for him.


    When Zhong Shaoting comes out of his study, he sees Ding Manman standing by the window. The wind flicks her hair, which makes her ineffably charming. She is very beautiful, but her body is so slim as to highlight her fragility and weakness.


    Her eyes are so empty as if she has lost interest in everything in front of her. It seems that she may fly away with the wind outside the window in the next second to be free from any one¡¯s imprisonment.


    With a frown, Zhong Shaoting pushes the button and the window is closed automatically. Then without a word, he lifts Ding Manman up and wants to take her back to her room.


    ¡°Do you really want to die? If you died, you wouldn¡¯t be able to see that man outside any more.¡±


    Her empty eyes suddenly brighten up. That man, can I ever see him again?


    Thinking of what Zhong Shaoting has said just now, it seems that he is afraid she might commit suicide. This man is so strange that he always hates her and incessantly torments her, but he doesn¡¯t want her to die.


    ¡°I just... want to see the sun.¡± Next chapter -> You are the Redemption of the Young Master</a>

 C6. You are the Redemption of the Young Master

    Ding Manman speaks in such a low voice that it could hardly be heard. If Zhong Shaoting doesn¡¯t see her glowing eyes, he will doubt that he is experiencing auditory hallucinations.


    Zhong Shaoting pauses for a moment as if he were thinking about something.


    Without waiting for his reply, Ding Manman struggles to free herself from his arms and slowly walks to her room.


    ¡°I am not eager to see it anyway.¡±


    Her hair softly brushes by the tip of Zhong¡¯s nose, and she exhales a pleasant fragrance of jasmine mixed with the smell of green tea, which melts his heart. He is not a man who knows nothing about love, so he naturally recognizes this unfavorable sign.


    Ding Manman walks slowly, back straight, showing no trace of affection and reluctance.


    The moment she returned to Zhong¡¯s house, she realized clearly that something in life would have nothing to do with her, such as sunshine, freedom and ... Fang Hao...


    She tries to behave as obediently as possible so that Zhong at least won¡¯t vent his anger on others.


    Noticing Ding Manman¡¯s obedience, Zhong Shaoting suddenly becomes sullen. It is an uncomfortable feeling with the sense of powerlessness like a punch into a ball of cotton. It is feeling unable to be expressed clearly,


    ¡°Rest up and take care of yourself. If you die, you will have no chance to meet him.¡±


    After he says so with sarcasm and grimness, Zhong Shaoting backs out and kindly closes the door. Meanwhile, Ding Manman opens her eyes, which are very bright.


    Zhong Shaoting seems to be very busy recently, which makes Ding Manman happy to have more leisure time. But she is still not allowed to go out and her every move is totally monitored. She felts that her life ...is becoming worse and worse.


    Although the room is very large, there is nothing to amuse her. Therefore, with some simple stationery, she draws something that no one can appreciate.


    When Zhong Shaoting comes in, Ding Manman, with her back toward him, is trying to blacken a piece of paper. By her side lays a little stack of colored drawings, the patterns of which are so messy that he can hardly tell what they are.


    It seems that Ding Manman doesn¡¯t notice his arrival. With an indifferent expression, she keeps on painting and coloring with force.


    He sees her painting like this when he leaves home in the morning and comes back home at night, the same action again and again.


    After taking a deep breath, Zhong Shaoting enters the room and closes the door behind him. While seeing Ding¡¯s body stiffen by instinct, the curvature of his lips is completely pressed down.


    He stands behind Ding and suddenly says, ¡°Do you want to go out?¡±


    Ding feels stunned at his words because she thinks that he will torture her again with anger, but he unexpectedly asks such a question?


    She slowly turns her head, with the doubts still reflected in her eyes. ¡°What... do you mean?¡±


    They haven¡¯t conducted a normal conversation with each other for a long time. Her voice sounds terrible which is very low and coarse, like the moving sound of an old stone mill, which makes others feel repressed heavily.


    ¡°Tomorrow, go to a cocktail party with me.¡± Zhong Shaoting inhales deeply, for fear that he will regret his decision in the next second.


    Ding¡¯s eyes brighten up. It suddenly occurs to her that if she goes to attend the party, she might meet Fang Hao or some acquaintances?You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    Seeing her glowing eyes, Zhong Shaoting suddenly snorts. He strides over and stares down at her. ¡°Stop planning any of your tricks! This time we will go to City T!¡±


    The lights in Ding Manman¡¯s eyes are shattered. City T is thousands of kilometers away from this city where the Fangand Ding families live. Since Zhong Shaoting will take her there, it must be a place where nobody knows her!


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to go?¡± Zhong Shaoting notices the disappointment in her eyes. He seems to have lost interest and turns to leave.


    Ding Manman hurries to catch up with him. With her lips tightly closed, she hesitates for a while and finally says, ¡°I¡¯ll go with you!¡±


    As long as she can leave this suffocating place, she would like to go anywhere.


    The housekeeper is happiest to get to know that Zhong Shaoting will take Ding Manman to the party. She has been accompanying Zhong Shaoting for so many years and she has noticed the influence of Ding Manman on her young master though she doesn¡¯t know whether the influence is good or bad. She has been in contact with Ding during this period and is also worried that she might get sick sooner or later with lasting suppression. Going out for some change is undoubtedly good for her.


    Before leaving, the housekeeper deliberately exhorts Ding Manman, ¡°Miss Ding, our young master rarely speaks nice words, but he is kind by nature. As long as you give in a little, maybe he won¡¯t treat you like that. ¡±


    Ding thinks that the housekeeper is probably talking about some cold jokes. Ding knows that she says so out of kindness and doesn¡¯t refute.


    The housekeeper notices her indifferent reaction and continues, ¡°Miss Ding, you are the redemption of our young master. No one can save him except you. I don¡¯t demand you to obey him for everything, just don¡¯t set you against him any more please. Otherwise, you will not be able to undertake the consequences in your current situation.¡±


    What she says reminds Ding Manman that in the villa everyone is Zhong Shaoting¡¯s informant. What¡¯s more, there are monitors everywhere in the villa. Zhongcan easily does everything to her if he really wants to.


    Pretending to view what the old housekeeper says as a coincidence, Ding Manman shakes her hand and hustles the housekeeper out, ¡°Stop kidding me!¡±


    Zhong Shaoting sees Ding Manman walk over to him. Ding Manman wears a beautiful dress revealing a big part of white skin on her chest, which makes Zhong Shaoting frown subconsciously.


    Seeing Zhong Shaoting walking towards her with furrowed brows, Ding Manman warily steps back, but her shoulders are held by Zhong. The next second, Zhong¡¯s suit falls around her, covering her exposed skin.


    ¡°Ding Manman...¡±


    ¡°No!¡± She wants to strip off the suit. However, he doesn¡¯t allow her to speak and urges her to move on, ¡°If you struggle again, I will send you back.¡±


    In this way, Ding Manman gives up resisting.


    With its picturesque scenery, singing birds and fragrant flowers, City T is well-known for its tourism. If the one who accompanies her were not Zhong Shaoting, Ding Manman would be much happier.


    The party is held in the most famous hotel in City T. In the soft light of the crystal chandelier, pretty ladies and handsome gentlemen are toasting one another in the splendid hall of the hotel.


    The guests are all celebrities of City T. With polite and artificial smiles on their faces, the guests clink their champagne glasses with one another.


    Undoubtedly, Zhong Shaoting has a quite high status among the guests. When he comes into the hall with his arms around Ding Manman, a lot of people turn their eyes towards them, even Mr. Zhao, the host of the party, comes up to welcome him. ¡°Welcome, Mr. Zhong! The party is honored by your presence. It is also a great honor for me to have you here!¡±


    Zhong Shaoting usually behaves indifferently even on business occasions. He reaches out his hand without much expression, ¡°I am honored to have received your invitation!¡±


    Zhong Shaoting utters the words for social engagements without other meanings, revealing a bit of alienation.


    Ding Manman is actually very beautiful, which Zhong has never denied. With careful make-up, she looks stunningly attractive by the side of Zhong at the party.


    ¡°Mr. Zhong, some friends here want to know you.¡± Mr. Zhao notices that Zhong Shaoting¡¯s eyes are always on Ding Manman and says with a meaningful smile, ¡°Your female companion can have a rest over there.¡±


    Ding Manman can¡¯t wait to get farther away from Zhong. Upon hearing this, she hastily releases Zhong¡¯s arms and says in a low voice, ¡°You go ahead with your business. I¡¯ll go there and take a rest.¡±


    In the rest area sit several ladies who are talking happily. Feeling Zhong Shaoting¡¯s gaze following her like daggers, Ding Manman gnaws her teeth and walks faster forward and sits down next to them, even though she doesn¡¯t know them.


    ¡°I am sorry to disturb you.¡±


    Ding Manman feels a little embarrassed when the ladies turn to look at her at the same time. Looking back and seeing Zhong Shaoting talking with his business partners, she finally lets out a sigh of relief.


    ¡°What is the relationship... between you and Mr. Zhong?¡± One of the ladies in a black dress stares at Ding Manman and asks with a tentative tone, ¡°Are you his girlfriend?¡± Next chapter -> Being Harassed</a>

 C7. Being Harassed

    Ding Manman hastily shakes her head and tires to disassociate herself from Zhong Shaoting, ¡°No, no ... I¡¯m not his girlfriend!¡±


    As soon as she finishes her words, the ladies look enlightened and relaxed. ¡°I told you...I have seen Mr. Zhong at parties before, but I have never seen you with him. I guess...you are his new fancy?


    Ding Manman doesn¡¯t want to get involved in their talks about Zhong Shaoting, so she turns away and starts to eat her food quietly.


    It seems that the ladies look down upon Ding Manman. After commenting critically on Ding Manman, they turn and leave, as if they were unwilling to sit beside her.


    Ding Manman doesn¡¯t pay attention to their contempt and arrogance. After a while, the sofa beside her sinks again, ¡°Is it boring to eat alone?¡±


    An unknown man!


    The plump man with white skin in a wine-red suit is like a white bun wrapped in red satin.


    ¡°Sir, what¡¯s up?¡± Ding Manman is not a naive girl of humble birth and used to participate in many such parties. She has always been dismissive of such kind of man who accosts her.


    The lascivious light in the man¡¯s eyes burn so rampantly, which disgusts her!


    Ding Manman stealthily moves a little farther from him, but the insatiable man sits closer to her.


    ¡°Why not dance with me?¡±


    Ding Manman quickly evades his outstretched hand and looks annoyed. ¡°Sir, please be self-possessed.¡±


    She tries to leave, which is hindered by that man. He directly catches up her, ¡°What do you think of becoming my mistress?¡±


    ¡°Sir, please behave yourself!¡± Ding Manman feels very disgusted with this kind of man who keeps bugging her. In such a public place, instead of shouting out, she warns him in a low voice.


    Unfortunately, her warning doesn¡¯t deter that man. On the contrary, her serious expression arouses his sexual desire. He grasps Ding Manman¡¯s hand suddenly and says in a lewd tone.


    ¡°Do not pretend to be pure. I heard what you talked about. There are so many women like you in the world. You should feel grateful for my fancy to you. Don¡¯t be shameless.


    That man¡¯s insulting words irritate Ding Manman. Having never experienced such an occasion before, she has no idea what to do with it. She just struggles to free her wrist subconsciously.


    She wants to ask for help. But all kinds of people, good or evil, gather at the party. Everyone at the party is busy finding more business opportunities so that nobody will notice the little chaos. Even someone really does, he/she will pretend to have seen nothing, which makes Ding Manman desperate.


    The man is so strong that Ding Manman is unable to free herself. Their action of pulling and pushing is viewed by others as flirting.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    The moment Ding Manman gets extremely anxious, the man is kicked with force to the ground and the hand holding Ding¡¯s wrist is released, too.


    ¡°Thank you...¡± Ding Manman subconsciously thanks the man who has done her a favor. However, when she looks up and sees his face clearly, her expressions stiffen immediately.


    A moment ago, Zhong Shaoting was talking with the host of the party, but he couldn¡¯t help casting his eyes on Ding Manman. When hearing her eager words of disassociating herself from him, all of sudden his face clouds and his sullen look startles the host. The host wonders: did I just say something wrong to annoy him?


    ¡°Mr. Zhong, is there anything wrong?¡± The host asks scrupulously. However, Zhong Shaoting neither replies nor casts a glance at him. The next second, he walks directly itowards a certain direction, leaving the host completely confused.


    How the host could have known that when Zhong Shaoting saw Ding¡¯s wrist grasped by that strange man, he really wanted to kill him.


    Ding Manman is too scared to speak when she sees Zhong¡¯s dreadful expression which looks like he is about to kill someone. Has she done something wrong again?


    The man who was kicked cannot stand up. He lies on the floor for a long time with a painful look which reveals Zhong¡¯s complete mercilessness while kicking him.


    ¡°How dare you touch my woman and who gave you this courage?¡± With a devil-like voice, he says ruthlessly and aggressively. What he says is heard by everyone at the party, especially the man who got kicked and now is convulsed with fears from Zhong¡¯s imposing manners.


    No one at the party dares to give a hand to this man, because they all know Zhong Shaoting¡¯s social status at home and abroad. Touching his woman equates with committing suicide.


    In the end, the man is dragged out of the hall by the security guards like a dead dog. The party regains its vitality, but Ding Manman is not able to be happy any more.


    After the chaos, she thinks Zhong Shaoting will rage against her, but he just gives her a cool look and strides away.


    Everyone who knows about Zhong Shaoting is clear that the angrier he feels, the calmer he is. Thus, even if he looks very peaceful now, his heart may be burning with rampant anger, which gives Ding Manman an inexplicable fear.


    On their way back to the hotel, sitting beside Zhong Shaoting in the car, Ding Manman is so scared that she becomes overly sensitive. When he accidentally touches her skin, she subconsciously trembles a little and then quickly hides herself into the corner.


    In Zhong¡¯s eyes, her reaction, like a spark falling into the gunpowder, sets his bad mood into burning flames of fury.


    Ding Manman may have realized Zhong¡¯s bad mood. The instant they arrive at the hotel, Ding Manman can¡¯t hold her fear and runs back to her room directly. She locks the door from inside, which still cannot relieve her nervousness.


    Just then the door is suddenly opened, which gives Ding Manman a jump. She turns back and finds Zhong walking in, with the key in his hand, as if walking into his own room.


    ¡°This is...my room.¡± It implies that she doesn¡¯t welcome him and asks him out.


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll leave you alone and give your chance to escape?¡± Zhong Shaoting says with sarcasm. Then he starts to take off his clothes, ignoring the resistance in Ding¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to escape.¡± She says in such a faint voice that even she herself won¡¯t believe in her words. She is extremely clear about her desire for freedom...


    ¡°Do you think I will trust you?¡± Now, on his body only remains one loose shirt that is casually dressed, which still makes him look perfectly handsome. But only Ding Manman knows the terrible craziness hidden under his perfect appearance.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you struggle when that man grabbed your hand?¡± Zhong Shaoting walks up to her. His expression is still calm, but Ding Manman can clearly feel the anger emanating from him.


    ¡°I did. But the man was too strong.¡± At that time, she desperately struggled to shake off his hand. But the gender disparity could not be neglected. It was for this reason that the her wrist is reddened.


    But what Ding Manman said is not persuasive for Zhong Shaoting. Their actions of pulling and pushing looked just like a kind of flirting, which is the very reason why Zhong gets mad at her. Next chapter -> The Angry Man</a>

 C8. The Angry Man

    ¡°But I don¡¯t think you wanted to release his hand. Did you long for a man so much?¡± Zhong Shaoting reaches out his hand to lift her jaw and says jeeringly to humiliate her.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t!¡± Ding Manman, who didn¡¯t dare to speak aloud in front of him before, suddenly shouts out.


    Zhong¡¯s slander makes her feel inexplicable shame and indignation. She just roars back at him even if she doesn¡¯t know where she¡¯s got the courage.


    Zhong Shaoting is stunned for a second because he didn¡¯t expect that she would get irritated, not to mention that she would speak so loudly to him. Ding Manman, like a delicate soulless doll, turns dazzling after being suddenly pumped into vitality.


    That¡¯s how Ding Manman looks like at the moment. With anger, her pale and bloodless face blushes a little. Ignoring the flames of fury, her once lifeless eyes now brim with radiating vigour.


    The Ding Manman like this is so attractive. Even her angry look is viewed by Zhong Shaoting as being so lovely. He is lost in admiring her beauty for a moment.


    Ding Manman is too furious to notice his blurred eyes. When she turns to see him again, he has already recovered from distraction.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you stay by my side at the party? If I didn¡¯t save you...have you predicated the consequences?¡±


    Ding Manman is perfect except for her innocent nature and she tends to trust others easily. For instance, last time she believed his lie immediately that Fang Hao had got engaged to another woman.


    If that man had said some more sweet words to tempt her, she would have left with him.


    He is blaming her but with a trace of concern conveyed in his tone, which is not noticed by himself, but discovered by Ding who is very sensitive.


    ¡°Are you worried about me?¡± Ding Manman asks with a little bit of uncertainty. Just now, she seems to have detected some concern from his tone, but...can a devil care about others?


    It is obviously impossible. What Zhong Shaoting says next makes Ding realize the ridiculousness of her own thoughts.


    ¡°Huh, worried? Do you think you deserve my concern? If something happens to my female companion at the party, my reputation will be damaged. I don¡¯t want my reputation to be ruined by a shameless woman.¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    Worried? Ridiculous. Zhong Shaoting feels very funny of Ding¡¯s words. How comes she deserve his care and concern? He is thinking so with a faint feeling of strangeness in his heart, which is such a feeling that neither can influence him nor can be neglected.


    What Zhong says makes Ding Manman, who is seldom energetic, become silent again. Is she shameless? It is Zhong Shaoting who set her in such a predicament. Now it is rather ridiculous for him to blame her for being ¡°shameless¡±.


    ¡°I am sleepy.¡± She feels so tired that to cast a glance at him is so strenuous. Then, regardless of whether Zhong Shaoting will get angry or not, she lies down in bed and puts her arm over her eyes in an attempt to isolate herself from the outside world.


    Zhong Shaoting is so annoyed by Ding¡¯s ignoring his presence that he wants to pull her up from bed. However, when he notices the bruises on her wrist, which remind him of what happened at the party, his eyes turn dangerous abruptly .


    ¡°Stay by my side whenever we go out. Don¡¯t disgrace me any more.¡± Zhong Shaoting says without much expression. No matter she hears it or not, he leaves the room. Taking his mobile phone out of his pocket, he dials a number.


    ¡°Make a thorough investigation into the man¡¯s background who touched Ding Manman today at the party.¡±


    ¡°No problem, sir. What shall I do after that?¡± A man on the other end of the phone replies mildly.


    ¡°Destroy him, including the family behind him.¡± Fearsome words come out from his mouth with thin sexy lips. It is the power of Zhong Shaoting that a few words from him can determine the fate of a family, destruction or survival.


    ¡°Yes, Sir. I¡¯ll deal with it right now.¡±


    Next day, Ding Manman wakes up without seeing Zhong Shaoting, which is the best thing for her.


    After dressing herself, Ding Manman sets her eyes on the door of the room. She can¡¯t help walking towards the door and trying turning the door handle with a ray of hope and expectation, only to find that the door is locked.


    It seems that even being here she still cannot escape from her fate of house confinement. Her eyes turn dim gradually. Although she has expected such a result, she still can¡¯t help feeling disappointed.


    For a moment, an idea occurs to her, ¡°Will she be imprisoned by Zhong Shaoting all her life?¡±


    Merely thinking of this makes her hair stand on end and goose bumps creep all over her body.


    She shakes her head with the hope to get rid of this terrible speculation out of her mind, but it doesn¡¯t work. Finally, she has to turn on the TV in the hotel room to distract her attention.


    She is just browsing casually when a piece of news catches her attention.


    ¡°News Report: Last night, a well-known group in City H got under suspicion of a variety of illegal acts, such as drug trafficking, tax evasion, oppressing labor, etc. and now all the police departments have been involved in investigation. Owing to this incident, the stocks of this well-known large group which was established 40 years ago plummeted overnight and the group is facing a bankruptcy crisis now. The founder of the group and his son who are suspected of breaking the law have been detained by the police...¡±


    This kind of news is neither rare, nor surprising, but when the lens of the TV camera turns to the son of the founder of the illegal group, Ding Manman is suddenly stunned.


    Thanks everyone very much; your support is really greatly appreciated. We will try our best to provide steady updating.  ? ? ? ?

 C9. His Slave

    Isn¡¯t it that man who harassed her at the party yesterday? Ding Manman takes a good look at the man on the screen a few times to convince herself. Yesterday he looked good, but today he has fallen into misfortune. It makes Ding feel a little strange. However, she is unable to tell what has gone wrong.


    On second thought, this kind of illegal company deserves ending in bankruptcy. Without thinking more about this episode, she feels delighted somehow.


    Just then the door is opened and a hotel waiter pushes the dining cart into her room. The waiter looks very kind. But with the lesson learned from the incident with Dr. Liu, Ding Manman doesn¡¯t dare to rest her hope of escaping on these people.


    After finishing breakfast obediently, Ding Manman receives a notice from Zhong¡¯s assistant, asking her to accompany Zhong to meet several important business clients.


    ¡°Why does he want me to go to such an important meal?¡± Sitting by the window, Ding utters her doubts with her eyes on the fascinating scenery outside the window.


    She lives in a well-equipped presidential suite of the hotel. Sitting by the French window, she can see the most beautiful scenery of the city. It is a pity that she can only appreciate the beautiful views outside while sitting in the room.


    Song Chen is Zhong¡¯s right-hand assistant who has experienced innumerable occasions. But he has never witnessed such an occasion as his boss would destroy a man¡¯s family business just because he had harassed his woman.


    By principle, this woman should be very special for his boss. Thus, when faced with the question asked by Ding, he doesn¡¯t know how to answer for the time being but to tell her the truth.


    ¡°Normally, the executives of a company will take one or two female public relations... female staff with them when they attend a dinner for negotiating on contracts, which will make the negotiation go smoother.¡±


    With these words, Song Chen casts a glance at Ding Manman, just finding that she neither looks sad nor starts to wrangle. He can just notice that inexplicable sorrows keep lingering around her.


    Everyone with experiences in business knows that the so-called PR is another name of the high-class mistresses who mainly serve to please the top executives so that they will sign the contracts happily and quickly.


    Although Ding Manman is not very familiar with the business world, she has heard something about PR misses from Fang Hao who will take over his family business in the future. She once sneered at this kind of women, but she did not expect that today she herself becomes the woman she once looked down on.


    She clearly knows that this is a trick that Zhong deliberately uses to stimulate her but she can do nothing with this. She casts a last glance at the scenery outside the window, but finds it not that pleasing as it was a moment ago.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Ding Manman is clear that she has no ability to resist, so she stands up helplessly and follows Song Chen to the restaurant.


    Ding Manman waits for a long time at the entrance of the restaurant until Zhong Shaoting arrives with a girl who wears careful make-up by his side. Yes, a girl.


    The girl looks just over 20, and her fair little face is full of vitality. At the moment, arm in arm with Zhong Shaoting, she is walking towards Ding Manman step by step.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Indifferently throwing a glimpse at Ding, Zhong Shaoting says without much expression.


    ¡°Brother Shaoting, who is this Auntie?¡± The little girl beside Zhong asks with innocence, but her words are so vicious.


    Auntie? Maybe, two years older than the girl, Ding Manman is just 22 years old. What¡¯s more, Ding Manman has got a cute and childlike face.


    If Ding Manman dresses up and does some make-up carefully, no one will doubt that she is just an 18-year-old senior middle school student. It¡¯s obvious that the girl¡¯s remarks are targeting at mocking her, but Ding Manan doesn¡¯t talk back because she needn¡¯t get angry with a child.


    ¡°Public relations, to please the clients, so as to foster the cooperation in business, do you understand?¡± While saying this, Zhong stares at Ding with sarcasm in order to see her embarrassment. As expected, at his words, Ding¡¯s face turns pale instantly and she pinches her lips tight, which reveals that she seems to be suppressing some emotions.


    Only Song Chen knows that since the company was established many years ago, PR misses have never been used during the negotiations with clients in order to sign contracts.


    This method is only used by the minor companies. Considering the international position of Zhong¡¯s Group, other companies are involved in intense competitions in order to be able to cooperate with the Zhong¡¯s Group. Some directors of companies might even want to sacrifice their wives or daughters to win such a competition.Therefore, Zhong Shaoting never needs to employ PR misses in business at all.


    ¡°Public Relations? The so-called mistresses! That¡¯s really shameful. Well, the requirements for a mistress are really low these days!¡± The girl abruptly raises her voice. Seeming to be enlightened, she looks at Ding up and down. With contempt and despise on her face, as if she would get sick by looking at Ding one more time.


    Song Chen beside them really wants to ask her: Little girl, are you serious?


    Ding Manman is actually outstandingly beautiful, as exquisite as a doll. Her face, though a little pale, adds a special beauty of gentleness and delicacy to her.


    Compared with Ding Manman, this aggressive little girl looks very ordinary. Apart from her innocence, she cannot be in competition with Ding Manman at all.


    Song Chen now wants to say: Little girl, while uttering these words, won¡¯t you feel it against your conscience?


    ¡°Well, baby, be good. The dinner is about to begin and it¡¯s too late to change a PR miss. She is just a makeshift.¡± A makeshift...


    What Zhong Shaoting says is like a sharp dagger that slices her heart of self-respect into a big opening and then stamps on it mercilessly. It gives her a profound understanding of what ¡®as humble as dust¡¯ means.


    ¡°OK, Brother Shaoting, let¡¯s go in. Daddy hopes that you will teach me how the company works. Don¡¯t waste our time on such an insignificant woman.¡± The girl says with an artificial sweetness.


    ¡°All right.¡± With these words, as intimate as a couple they walk into the restaurant, without casting a glance at Ding Manman as if she were air.


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 C10. The So-Called PR Misses

    ¡°Miss Ding, please.¡± Song Chen reminds her scrupulously. He is now afraid that Ding will lose her temper or even fly into such a rage as to slap or leave as other women might have reacted when faced with such an occasion.


    Seeing Ding Manman standing still there, Song Chen thinks that she may get so irritated that she wants to leave, so he gives her a reminder.


    But unexpectedly, Ding just pauses for a moment and then follows them in, keeping a proper distance. Observed from the back, Ding just looks like an employee or an assistant.


    The guests have already arrived early, but not until Zhong Shaoting arrived did they start to eat. Even if the guests have high reputation in the business field, no one can equal Zhong Shaoting in status.


    All the guests at the dinner are the presidents or senior executives of some companies, all of whom are in their 50s or 60s. Among them, Zhong Shaoting is the youngest and the most eminent entrepreneur.


    It is not until Zhong Shaoting sits down that the dinner begins. At the same time, Ding Manman notices that by the side of other guests sit some women in white-collar clothes, revealing their excellent ¡°career line¡± and white and tender thighs.


    Their eyes keep moving back and forth, as if they were looking for a target man. Zhong Shaoting¡¯s appearance at the moment attracts all their attention on the scene. Their eyes, bright and dazzling, clearly convey the message that they like this perfect man.


    The dinner starts. The guests are toasting one another with polite and artificial smiles on their faces, while willing so much to defeat their opponents.


    Ding Manman hates such hypocritical occasions most, which is related to her dislike for two-faced people.


    ¡°Welcome, Mr. Zhong. Please get seated!¡±


    ¡°I have ordered your favorite dishes. I¡¯ll ask the waiters to serve now.¡±


    ¡°Hello, everyone. I am Lin Xi¡¯er, my father is the President of Lin¡¯s Group. He requested Brother Shaoting to help me get acquainted with the company business these days. Nice to meet you all.¡± Standing beside Zhong Shaoting, Lin Xi¡¯er says in a haughty tone. No one minds that since she is still young.


    Lin Xi¡¯er is declaring in disguise that she is under the protection of Zhong Shaoting. Everyone is clear of what her words implies, thus no one dares to ask her to drink much at the dinner. And some people even keep flattering her, which makes Lin Xi¡¯er very happy and the corners of her mouth, while smiling, almost touch her ears.


    In contrast, Ding Manman is striving to be invisible at the dinner. She is supposed to sit next to Zhong but she beats Song Chen by taking his seat which is a little farther away from Zhong Shaoting.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Song Chen doesn¡¯t know how to deal with such an unexpected situation and turns his eyes to his boss for help. Zhong Shaoting nods toward him slightly, and then turns away without casting a glance at Ding. Somehow, Song Chen feels that his boss seems to be in a bad mood...


    At dinner, Lin Xi¡¯er busies Zhong Shaoting with various questions incessantly. Tirelessly, Zhong answers them one by one with patience and gentleness, which has never happened between Ding Manman and him before.


    Zhong and Lin interact as if they were an intimate couple. Everyone at the dinner views Lin Xi¡¯er as Zhong¡¯s little girlfriend. Ding Manman stays aside quietly without attracting any attention from the guests, which is exactly what she expects.


    If possible, she would like to stay unnoticed like that until the dinner ends. But unfortunately, those people strive to find a variety of excuses in order to get into a conversation with Zhong. Finally, they set their eyes on the quiet Ding Manman.


    ¡°Does this lady come here with you, Mr. Zhong? She looks gorgeous.¡± A company president in his fifties says. Zhong Shaoting has multiple collaborations with him, as a result, he usually tries not to cause him to lose his face.


    However, this man has a typical weakness: his lust for pretty women. It is said that he still has a lot of mistresses even at the age of 57. Today he also brings two sexy hot women. When he stares at Ding Manman, maliciousness is faintly revealed on his wrinkled face.


    Without the fact that Ding Manman has come with Zhong Shaoting, he would have been more presumptuous to her. Even so, he can¡¯t drag his eyes away from Ding Manman, from which everyone recognizes his intention. The instant Ding Manman hears the old man mention her, she detects a foreboding sense of danger.


    Before Zhong Shaoting opens his mouth, Lin Xi¡¯er by his side cuts in and says, ¡°She? Brother Shaoting pities her and keeps her as a female companion, but she might be replaced any time.¡±


    After saying that in a very disdainful tone, Lin Xi¡¯er glances at Zhong proudly as if she were seeking a reward from him.


    But this time, Zhong Shaoting does not utter a word. On the contrary, he looks a little sullen, which, in others¡¯ eyes, confirms Lin Xi¡¯er¡¯s words that he doesn¡¯t like Ding Manman.


    Owing to her exquisite appearance and elegant temperament, everyone originally thinks that Ding is also a daughter of a rich family as Lin Xi¡¯er.


    Lin¡¯s words excite the old man and his concupiscent eyes are virtually fixed on Ding, which makes her shudder uncontrollably. She can even guess what the old man will say next.


    ¡°Since this lady is of lesser importance, why not let her come to work in my company? I see this lady can fit in the vacancy in my company as a receptionist with good appearance and temperament. I promise that I will treat her well. She is just of minor importance anyway. What do you think, Mr. Zhong?¡±


    As soon as the old man finishes his words, everyone understands his intention immediately. Everyone is clear of the hidden rules of being a receptionist. Since then, their eyes on Ding Manman turn frivolous.


    Ding Manman turns to Zhong Shaoting for help. As long as he disagrees, the man will give up harassing her. At this moment, Ding really hopes that she does belong to Zhong Shaoting so that he will protect her.


    However, the reality is unbearably cruel. Zhong Shaoting not only ignores Ding¡¯s begging eyes but also smiles at the old man.


    ¡°Since you said she is of minor importance, there is no need to think about as long as Mr. Cai likes.¡± Zhong Shaoting says it in such an indifferent tone. It seems that she is just an item that can be exchanged at will without considering her thoughts and feelings.


    Zhong¡¯s indifferent attitude and his words of disposing of her at will instantly render Ding Manman a sense of despair as if she fell down into an ice cave, which overwhelmingly freezes her.


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 C11. An Insignificant Person

    With dim eyes filled with sorrow, she doesn¡¯t have tears to shed. She has never expected that Zhong would give her to someone else as a gift. Is she so humble in Zhong¡¯s eyes?


    ¡°Yeah, as long as Mr. Cai wants her! There are so many such women, aren¡¯t there, Brother Shaoting?¡± Lin Xi¡¯er echoes what Zhong says with a sweet smile. While she turns to Ding Manman, her expression changes instantly, with intensive disgust in her eyes, as if she weres looking at something extremely dirty.


    ¡°Miss, since you have accepted the money, you should take your responsibility. Haven¡¯t you heard what Brother Shaoting said? Go and greet Mr. Cai. You must know that now Mr. Cai is your ¡®donor¡¯...No. Mr. Cai is your boss and you must not be sloppy.¡± Lin Xi¡¯er deliberately emphasizes the word ¡°donor¡±.


    Lin Xi¡¯er is extremely delighted to see Zhong¡¯s indifferent attitude towards Ding Manman. She hates those women who are better-looking than she is. What is even more hateful is that this woman has always been lingering in front of her beloved Brother Shaoting obviously with the purpose to seduce him. As a result, she has always longed to drive this woman away. Here comes the chance finally!


    Other PR misses accompanying the presidents cannot help laughing at Ding in a low voice, when they realize that the exceptional lady (Ding Manman) as expected is actually just a barmaid. Zhong Shaoting observes the surrounding, frowning a little. This is not the result he wants.


    Originally, he just wanted to teach her a lesson so as to let her realize how terrible the consequences of her escape will be, but Lin¡¯s words deviate the situation from what he expected. In the face of so many people, he cannot go back on his words.


    Seeing Ding¡¯s eyes gradually turn dim, the scene of her lying in the bloody bathtub that day occurs to him instantly. He feels flustered just like last time, which really annoys him. But he cannot figure out the cause of this feeling and how to deal with it.


    He casts a glance at Ding who is sitting there quietly, just like being abandoned by the whole world and everyone is laughing at her. Zhong is thinking: as long as she gives in and asks for mercy once more, he will let her off.


    However, unexpectedly, Ding slowly stands up and walks towards Mr. Cai under the gaze of all. Mr. Cai is so overjoyed that he laughs so heartily that his wrinkled face turns into a blooming chrysanthemum.


    He pushes aside the hot beauties by his side to vacate a seat for Ding Manman. Ding stiffens for a split second and then sits down there naturally, completely ignoring Zhong¡¯s darkening look.


    ¡°Mr. Cai, you¡¯ve promised to treat me well, and I would like to count on you in the future. While...I am... a little clumsy, please give me a little more care.¡± Ding forces a smile which is supposed to be sweet, in the meantime she feels the unbearable pain in the wound of her heart.


    Ding Manman has never been so deliberately catering to anyone, so her tone and intonation are exceptionally unskilled, which seems to have a special flavor in Mr. Cai¡¯s eyes. He has long been tired of those women in the prostitutes¡¯ quarter. Now this girl is just for a change.


    ¡°I assure you that as long as you work hard, I promise I¡¯ll treat you well. And then, you will get whatever you want.¡± Mr. Cai laughs complacently and seems about to drool with his intoxicating look. After all, it is so rare to meet such a PR miss who looks so noble and elegant like a daughter of a rich family.


    Mr. Cai has seen too many of those coquettish women. The unfamiliar aloofness of Ding makes him extremely excited. If Zhong Shaoting was not here, he would have already taken Ding to the ¡°interview¡±.


    ¡°Thanks very much, Mr. Cai.¡± Ding Manman says with a skin-deep smile and then stiffly forces a smile as sweet as possible. If an old man who is older than your father by your side has been staring at you with lascivious eyes, would you be in a good mood?


    Even though Ding smiles very reluctantly, her exquisite looks intoxicate all the guests present, all of whom suddenly feel those women by their sides look somewhat vulgar. Since they are all females of public relations, why should there exist such huge differences?If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Seeing their donors¡¯ attention being attracted by Ding, other PR misses feel so indignant as to stare at Ding with jealousy and complaint, of which Ding is completely ignorant because the only thing she is thinking about is how to get rid of this old pervert man!


    However, Ding¡¯s smile melts Mr. Cai¡¯s heart. Regardless of Zhong¡¯s dark face, Mr. Cai reaches his hand out for Ding¡¯s little snow-white and clean face which he has longed to touch for a long time.


    Ding Manman tends to turn her head away subconsciously because this has exceeded her tolerance. However, when what Zhong Shaoting said just now occurs to her mind, she gives up her instinct to elude and stays motionless while Cai¡¯s wrinkled and greasy hand approaches her face.


    He said she is just an insignificant person.


    He said she is a humble PR miss.


    It is very obvious that he tends to humiliate her, just like last time when he deceived her that Fang Hao had got engaged to another woman. He just wants to see her collapse in despair and then stamps on her mercilessly. Now, she is very clear of Zhong¡¯s purpose.


    Therefore, she will never do as he expected. No matter how dirty or disgusting the old man is, she will never surrender to Zhong!


    Ding Manman¡¯s non-evasiveness to Cai¡¯s touching is viewed as a kind of flirting out of her own willingness in others¡¯ eyes. Noticing Cai¡¯s hand getting closer, Ding gets ready for the worst. While suddenly a loud noise from the dinner table is heard, which attracts everyone¡¯s attention.


    Mr.Cai¡¯s hand is just an inch away from the face that he has been coveting. At the disturbing noise, Mr. Cai has to take back his hand unwillingly with a sullen expression. After realizing that the sound is from Zhong Shaoting, his dissatisfaction fades away.


    Without the harassment of Mr. Cai, Ding Manman spontaneously lets out a sigh of relief. Then, she realizes it was Zhong Shaoting who accidentally dropped the bowl to the ground, which Ding Manman just views as a coincidence.


    However, people familiar with Zhong Shaoting know that he, a perfectionist, never makes any mistakes. Song Chen, siting by Zhong¡¯s side, has an illusion that just now his boss deliberately dropped the bowl to the ground.


    ¡°Brother Shaoting, are you all right? Are you injured?¡± Startled by Zhong, Lin Xi¡¯er asks in a hurry. However, this time Zhong Shaoting replies to her with a tone seeming to be somewhat low and deep.


    ¡°I¡¯m OK.¡± From Zhong¡¯s simple answer, everyone senses his bad mood and the oppressive atmosphere at the moment. But no one knows why Mr. Zhong¡¯s good mood in the last second turned bad in the next. No one dares to complain. All they can do is to keep a wary eye on the scene.


    Mr. Cai becomes much self-possessed in such an oppressive atmosphere though he is still staring at Ding Manman with lascivious eyes, which is far better than touching her directly. Everyone except for Ding feels the dinner boring and tasteless. Only she enjoys her meal pleasantly.


    As soon as the dinner ends, everyone cannot wait to flee here, afraid to be implicated in the incident. While Mr. Cai is still staring at her, Ding feels it difficult to decide what to do. All the way through the dinner, Mr. Cai has kept hinting at her to go with him after the dinner.


    Being an adult instead of a three-year-old child, Ding Manman naturally knows what will happen if she goes with him, so she will never do that. Since she has come here with Zhong¡¯s assistant, she subconsciously casts a glance at Zhong Shaoting.


    Now, Zhong is standing next to Lin Xi¡¯er. Although Lin isn¡¯t holding Zhong¡¯s arm, the two are standing very close. Just then, Lin seems to notice Ding¡¯s glance. She turns and finds Ding with a tangled face while it is too late for Ding to divert her sight.


    Just then, Mr. Cai walks towards Ding Manman. Nobody knows what they are talking about, but it can be clearly seen that resistance is written all over Ding¡¯s face. Upon seeing this, Lin Xi¡¯er suddenly smiles as if she enjoyed great pleasure in Ding¡¯s misfortune.


    ¡°Brother Shaoting, it seems that the PR miss you brought is still there chatting with Mr. Cai. It seems that they get along quite well with each other. She is rather good at seducing men.¡± Lin just aims to tarnish the image of Ding Manman for she hates Ding¡¯s charming face which makes her always look so haughty and indifferent. What an enchantress can do is just seduce people so as to do something shady.


    ¡°Very competent.¡± Echoes Zhong Shaoting, which he rarely does. With storms in his eyes, Zhong looks at Ding, who is talking with Mr. Cai happily. Lin Xi¡¯er is surprised that Zhong agrees with her, because he never has any interest in others¡¯ affairs, not to mention giving some comments.


    But just now he echoed what she said. Lin Xier cannot help thinking more£­Does this mean that she is unique in his heart? Meanwhile, she associates his patience with her today with his indifference in the past, which makes her extremely happy.


    At the moment, Zhong Shaoting with Lin Xi¡¯er walks by Ding Manman. Lin, full of joy, follows Zhongtotally neglecting his sullen face.


    ¡°Mr. Zhong, thank you very much for giving up this beauty to me. If there are good cooperation projects in the future, Cai¡¯s Group will definitely take the Zhong¡¯s into consideration first, even though my company will be at a loss.¡± Supposes that he can finally take the beauty home, Mr. Cai is in an extremely good mood, which is conveyed totally in his words.

 C12. The Lascivious Mr. Cai

    Zhong Shaoting doesn¡¯t reply to Mr. Cai immediately. Yet he casts his slightly inquiring eyes at Ding Manman who still stands aside quietly with a view to seeing something from her face. At this time, Lin Xi¡¯er replies forwardly.


    ¡°Just a negligible woman. Mr. Cai, if you like, you can take her with you. Hi, Sis, you should behave obediently since now and Mr. Cai will not maltreat you. Following Mr. Cai is much better than being a humble PR anyway.¡± What Lin says makes Ding frown spontaneously. Zhong Shaoting on the other side is somewhat sullen, too. It¡¯s really a mistake to take Lin here today. She talks too much nonsense.


    ¡°You talk too much.¡± Zhong Shaoting says coldly with his tone as indifferent as usual, but it can be seen that he is rather annoyed at this time. Lin Xi¡¯er mistakenly believes that Zhong really hates Ding Manman, so he doesn¡¯t want her to talk too much about her.


    At Lin Xi¡¯er¡¯s vicious words, Ding Manman frowns slightly. She can¡¯t remember when she has offended Lin Xi¡¯er. Lin keeps targeting at her with incessant verbal humiliation, which is not the most desperate thing for Ding Manman. What makes her bitterly disappointed is that Zhong says nothing, which reveals his silent approval of Lin¡¯s words.


    In an instant, Ding¡¯s original hope to ask him for help vanishes. Forget it! How could he care about an insignificant person¡¯s life or death?


    ¡°Mr. Zhong, take care. With some missions to finish, I¡¯ll leave first.¡± Mr.Cai says urgently with his eyes on Ding Manman all the way, which makes her feel very uncomfortable. Even so, she keeps a decent smile on her face.


    ¡°Miss Ding, I will guide you to familiarize yourself with some of the basic business of our company so that you are not prone to make mistakes when you come to work in two days.¡± Mr. Cai says in a high-sounding way. Everyone with discerning eyes knows that if Ding Manman steps into his car, she will be surely taken to a hotel.


    With immense resistance, she does not want to go with Mr. Cai. Even if her body is no longer clean, it does not mean that she will give it up at will. Since there is no hope of seeking help from Zhong, next she has to rely on herself.


    She looks up at Zhong and finds that he is looking at her at the same time. While locking gaze with him, Ding Manman sees the disdain in his eyes. She knows clearly that he intends to see her panicked and embarrassed. She won¡¯t live up to his expectations!


    ¡°All right, sorry to bother you.¡± Ding Manman¡¯s straightforward answer makes Mr. Cai too happy to keep his mouth closed and he wants to lead her away by taking her hand.


    Ding Manman seems to have seen through his wretched thoughts and immediately steps away. Cai is not angry but rather excited. The girl like this has special attraction for him.


    If Zhong¡¯s previous expression can be compared to a cloudy day, now his face shows the fury of a storm. Upon seeing that, Song Chen aside is already shivering with fear.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    Especially when Ding Manman and Mr. Cai go out of sight one after the other, Zhong Shaoting¡¯s face clouds gloomily.


    Song Chen, who has been with Zhong for many years, is sensitive enough to tell the changes of his boss¡¯ mood.


    There, on such an occasion, Song Chen is smart enough to keep silent even though he doesn¡¯t know why his boss is in a bad mood. However, Lin Xi¡¯er by his side is not that sensitive and smart.


    The nasty woman finally leaves, which makes her feel instantly much better. She takes hold of Zhong¡¯s arm and splutters unceasingly.


    ¡°Brother Shaoting, where are we going next? I want to have some dessert. Let¡¯s go eat some dessert, OK? I know a dessert shop whose cakes are extremely delicious and it is just nearby...¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Zhong Shaoting says indifferently. Only two words are enough to make people shutter. Upon seeing this, Song Chen silently ¡°lights a candle¡± in his heart to wish this Miss Lin good luck.


    You are really courageous to pester the boss regardless of his bad mood. Should I say you are stupid or foolish?


    ¡°Brother Shaoting...¡± Lin Xier is scared by Zhong¡¯s horrible face and unconsciously draws back her hand from Zhong¡¯s arm.


    What happened? A minute ago he was so gentle. How can he suddenly become so terrifying?


    ¡°Send Miss Lin back.¡± With this sentence, Zhong Shaoting leaves abruptly. Lin Xi¡¯er tends to follow him subconsciously.


    Dad once said that it¡¯s difficult to find another man as preeminent as Zhong Shaoting in the whole world. I must seize the opportunity. When I become Zhong¡¯s wife, I will be able to enjoy endless splendor and wealth.


    Before she steps forward a few steps, her way is blocked by Song Chen, which makes her so irritated that she yells at him.


    ¡°Get out of the way immediately! I am going to find Brother Shaoting!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Miss Lin. Mr. Zhong asked me to send you back.¡± Song Chen says solemnly with no intention to make way for her.


    Seeing Zhong going farther away, Lin Xi¡¯er stamps her feet in frustration. However, Song Chen who is like a sculpture shows no sign of letting her pass.


    ¡°Let me tell you, my father is the chairman of the Lin¡¯s Group. If you don¡¯t get out of my way, believe it or not, I will ask Brother Shaoting to fire you!¡±


    ¡°I just want to accomplish the task assigned by my boss. If Miss Lin doesn¡¯t need me, you can ask others to take you back.¡±


    Song Chen doesn¡¯t like this kind of rich second generation who totally rely on their families. Faced with her unreasonable troublesome behavior, Song just frowns, but still stations himself in the way.


    ¡°Humph, you wait until I see Brother Shaoting next time and ask him to fire you.¡± After Lin Xi¡¯er realizes that she has no chance to see Zhong Shaoting again today, she utters some harsh words angrily and turns and leaves.


    Without caring what she says, Song Chen shrugs. He is not worried about her because such a daughter of a rich family always has a full-time driver. These pampered girls are really ugly when they lose their temper. He¡¯d rather go back to work at the company.


    At the same time, Ding Manman departs from the restaurant. Mr. Cai¡¯s Audi is already waiting for her at the door. Pretending to be a gentleman, Mr. Cai opens the door of the car to let her in.


    Having an idea in her mind, Ding Manman doesn¡¯t resist. She looks around and sees no Zhong Shaoting or his assistants. She then gets into the cat with a sweet smile.


    But all is seen by Zhong Shaoting who is sitting in his private car, not far away.


    Seeing Ding Manman get into Mr. Cai¡¯s car smilingly with no resistance, his hands on the steering wheel tighten with force fiercely, making his blue veins pop up in sight faintly.


    Ding Manman feels tormented in Mr. Cai¡¯s car as well. The lascivious Mr. Cai reaches his hands out to her chest several times.


    If she didn¡¯t use some tactful methods to divert this perverted old man¡¯s attention, on the way she might...

 C13. Escape

    After a while, the driver says that they have arrived at the destination. Ding Manman looks out of the window and sees a hotel just as expected.


    She curses inwardly ¡°such an old pervert¡± and gets off with Mr. Cai with a forced decent smile.


    Mr. Cai cannot wait any longer. He originally planned to ¡°eat some dessert¡± (take advantage of her) inside the car, but Ding Manman is so smart and ruined his plans. However, being smart is useless for a woman in such a situation, because he has already booked a room in the hotel. When thinking of what¡¯s going to happen next, Mr. Cai is too excited to restrain himself.


    ¡°Mr. Cai, you must have booked a room, but I forgot to bring any changing clothes when I left this morning. Could you take me to buy some clothes? In this way, no matter how... intense we are...tonight, I don¡¯t need to worry about my clothes.¡±


    Just when Mr. Cai plans to take Ding Manman to the hotel room directly, she suddenly becomes a charming fairy who utters every word with a trace of temptation.


    Hearing what she says, especially the last sentence with shyness and coquetry, Mr. Cai feels his blood pressure shooting high. Instead of thinking about Ding¡¯s words carefully, he just nods blindly.


    ¡°Well, well, sweetheart, I will satisfy you with everything you want!¡±


    To see her plan succeed, Ding Manman can¡¯t help breathing a sigh of relief. Ever since she left the restaurant, she has been nurturing an idea in her mind.


    What Zhong Shaoting said at the dinner means that he has abandoned her. As a result, she has regained her freedom. Before getting into Mr. Cai¡¯s car, she looked around carefully and didn¡¯t see Zhong Shaoting¡¯s car among the flock of luxury cars, which convinces her speculation. That¡¯s why she gets into Mr. Cai¡¯s car boldly.


    She has intended to find an excuse to get rid of this old lascivious man when they arrive at the destination. By then, not bound by Zhong Shaoting, she will be really free.


    In addition, when they arrived at the hotel, Zhong Shaoting¡¯s staff didn¡¯t show up, which implies the truth of her speculation and makes her extremely excited.


    To think of regaining freedom soon, Ding Manman smiles to Mr. Cai very sweetly. After all, if it hadn¡¯t been for this Mr. Cai, she wouldn¡¯t have the opportunity to escape.


    Ding Manman chooses a large shopping mall with a good flow of people. Then she walks into a seemingly popular store of women¡¯s wear.


    She takes a few pieces of clothes and walks into the dressing room. At the same time, Mr. Cai is talking with the lady at the front desk. Other staff in the store are busy with their respective customers with no time to care about others.


    Ding Manman in the dressing room has a panoramic view of her surroundings. When Mr. Cai¡¯s eyes are stuck on the sexy and hot woman, she slowly moves from the corner to the door of the clothing store with disguised calmness.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    On her way, she flips the clothes on display from time to time. When Ding Manman arrives at the doorway, Mr. Cai has got his hand on the hot woman¡¯s little hand.


    Good chance! Ding Manman turns and goes out of the store with no hesitation and directly walks towards the gate of the shopping mall without any lingering.


    When she steps out of the mall, the golden sun shines on her. In the warmth of the sun, she squints naturally.


    She hasn¡¯t felt so relaxed like now for a long time and Ding Manman cannot remember the exact time when she had the similar feeling the last time. When she believes she is totally free, suddenly a minibus stops right in front of her and its door is pulled open abruptly. Subconsciously Ding Manman wants to run away, but the man in the car acts much faster. He grabs her by the hand and quickly covers her mouth with a piece of white cloth, and then drags her into the minibus.


    Ding Manman wants to cry out for help, but her mouth is sealed by the white cloth which has a strange smell. She gets choked over the smell and gradually loses her consciousness with her hands and feet becoming limp.


    Before Ding Manman faints away she can do nothing but helplessly watch the door being closed gradually and the last ray of the sunshine being blocked outside.


    The whole kidnapping process only lasts less than ten seconds. The people in the street were all playing their mobile phones with heads lowered, none of them has noticed that a person was kidnapped ten seconds ago.


    Now, in the hall of the hotel, Sun Ling¡¯er, who feels bored in the room, intends to go out and stroll around. To see Zhong Shaoting come back from the outside, Sun runs forward in excitement.


    ¡°Brother, you¡¯re back. Where is Sister Manman? Didn¡¯t she come back with you?¡± Sun Ling¡¯er asks with curiosity and casts her eyes behind Zhong and sees nobody following.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention her.¡± When Zhong with a sullen look hears Ding¡¯s name being mentioned, his eyes shine with a thirst for blood.


    But Sun Ling¡¯er who is very insensitive does not notice that at all. Instead, she wants to persuade her brother to treat Ding Manman better.


    ¡°Brother, don¡¯t treat her like that. Sister Manman looks great. I feels super bored these days and intends to ask her to go out with me today. Who knows that both of you are out. It is really boring.¡±


    ¡°I warned you not to be close to her.¡± Although Sun Ling¡¯er still wants to say something, Zhong Shaoting leaves these words behind coldly and steps into the elevator. His figure looks a little impatient as if there were something urgent to do.


    Looking at the closed elevator door, Sun Ling¡¯er makes a grimace. Such an inhuman guy is bound to stay a bachelor all his life!


    ¡°Sir, we have brought the person you want.¡± A man¡¯s rough voice is heard, but the sound seems to be blocked by something which is very vague and unclear.


    ¡°Well, go out and get paid.¡± A magnetic-rich voice, huh? Where has she heard this voice before?


    Ding Manman thinks so unconsciously. When she opens her eyes, she finds herself on a soft, wide bed and the wallpaper on the ceiling seems so familiar.


    It looks like the wallpaper... of Zhong¡¯s hotel room.


    Wait! Hotel! Ding Manman seems to think of something and abruptly sits up, and her action is so violent that she can¡¯t help feeling dizzy. She looks at the surroundings anxiously.


    She becomes desperate when she realizes the room is exactly the same as the hotel room that she left in the morning. How could this be...?


    In the afternoon, she was right outside the shopping mall, how can she be back at the hotel now? Ding Manman is very disgusted with this hotel room.


    The image of the minibus suddenly occurs to her mind. Ding Manman immediately understands that she was kidnapped. Seeing the familiar hotel, she can easily tell who has kidnapped her.


    At the moment, the door is opened and in comes Zhong Shaoting¡¯s tall figure together with her endless despair.


    Yes, that¡¯s right. As for Ding Manman, nothing is more desperate than that she felt: she was freed in the first second but was dragged back to the hell in the next.


    She originally thought she could get off Zhong¡¯s control, only to find that she is just like a clown playing a trick in his eyes.

 C14. Punishment in Anger

    Night falls. With no light on in the room, the light from outside illuminates the spot where Ding Manman is lying. While Zhong Shaoting is in the darkness and she can¡¯t see his expression clearly.


    But Ding Manman can clearly sense that the temperature of the whole room suddenly drops several degrees since Zhong Shaoting comes in, which makes her shiver uncontrollably.


    Ding Manman quickly realizes that he is absolutely irritated. She can¡¯t see Zhong¡¯s expression clearly now, which makes her feel more horrible and terrified.


    ¡°How is your feeling of coming back?¡± In the room spreads out the sexy voice like a demon¡¯s whisper echoing in Ding¡¯s ears, which makes her tremble uncontrollably and to which she refuses to give an answer.


    Zhong Shaoting has expected that she would act like this. He slowly moves into the brightness and finally comes to stand by her bedside. He looks down from above at her, like a proud king looking down at his despicable slave.


    ¡°It seems that recently I have been treating you so well that you intended to escape.¡± If he hadn¡¯t told someone to shadow her, she might have escaped successfully. He knows that in no way she can escape from his control though.


    But when he learned that she had fled, he was still in a bad mood. He had not tortured her enough, how she could have escaped!


    Ding Manman really wants to tell Zhong Shaoting face to face that she won¡¯t miss any chance to escape from him, but she dare not say so.


    Especially at this very moment, Zhong Shaoting is like a piece of chilly ice frozen for thousands of years, full of ice darts. If she ventured to annoy him now, she would definitely encounter the deadly terrible consequences.


    However, Ding¡¯s silence gives Zhongan ineffable sense of irritability. He reaches out to take her chin hard between his fingers so as to force her to look straight into his eyes.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you talking? Weren¡¯t you very talkative with Cai Wen this afternoon? Are you dumb now?¡±


    The flame of fury is concealed in Zhong¡¯s tone. Even if he sees her wince with pain, he doesn¡¯t loosen his hand which has kept exerting force.


    ¡°Why have I failed to find out that you were such a bitch to seduce men, even such an old man. You really make me sick!¡±


    At the thought of her smile at the old guy, Cai Wen, in the afternoon, the flame of fury in Zhong¡¯s heart is roaring higher and higher. Hasn¡¯t she realized her identity? As a woman with whom he had slept, she dared to smile at another man, which is really a suicidal act.


    ¡°Ah, disgusting... as he is, he is...better than you.¡± Says Ding intermittently. Ignoring the pain from her chin, Ding musters up her courage and looks straight into Zhong¡¯s eyes.


    All of this is obviously caused by him. It is he who said that she is just a female PR to please his clients. She just did what he told her to. What¡¯s wrong with her, then?You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    Cai Wen is disgusting, but less nauseous than Zhong who pushed her into the fire pit and watched her struggling, but finally blamed her for the ugly struggling posture which had made him disgusted. Ding Manman has not heard of anything more ridiculous than this.


    ¡°You say it again!¡± says Zhong with no emotion. Setting his dark pupils at Ding¡¯s painful expression, he seems not to believe what he has heard.


    If it had been another girl who saw Zhong Shaoting like this, she must have been so scared as to beg for mercy. However, Ding Manman has something so obstinate in her character that she will never compromise, especially on some matters she doesn¡¯t approve of.


    ¡°I said, compared with Cai Wen, you are the one who is more disgusting.¡± At least for now, Zhong Shaoting is the one who makes her more disgusted.


    ¡°Pa!¡± The instant she finishes her words, a loud slap rings out suddenly. Ding Manman clearly feels the burning pain on her left cheek. The next second the red palm print shows on her fair-complexioned face quickly. It¡¯s obvious that Zhong is really furious this time.


    ¡°Disgusting? Today I will let you experience the feeling of being fucked by a disgusting man.¡±


    Letting off her chin, Zhong grabs her and tears her clothes abruptly. Ding wants to resist, but her tiny strength is merely nothing in Zhong¡¯s eyes.


    Then he ties her hands to the head of the bed with the rags of her clothes, completely regardless of her red face caused by her struggling.


    ¡°Zhong Shaoting! You bastard! Let me go! No! Beast!¡± But no matter how abusive Ding is, Zhong never stops.


    Seeing this, Ding is really panicked. When she was beaten by Zhong formerly, she was overwhelmed with anger rather than fear. Now, looking at Zhong¡¯s wolf-like look, fierce and ravening, Ding feels her body cannot help trembling.


    She does regret for the mistake she has made now. But there is no medicine to retrieve what she has said in this world. When Zhong Shaoting presses down, her tears fall instantly. She cannot hold back her tears with this feeling of fear.


    Seeing Ding¡¯s tears, Zhong is stunned for a second. But when he remembers her getting into Cai Wen¡¯s car with a sweet smile that afternoon, his feeling of rage comes back again and the tiny bit of pity fades away.


    ¡°Do you think I will let you go when you cry? You are too naive. I will let you remember that what you will experience tonight is all caused by yourself.¡±


    With these indifferent words, he enters into her body abruptly the next second. The pain as if to be torn apart makes Ding scream out.


    ¡°This is just the beginning. The night is still very long.¡± Zhong says slowly in her ears, and then begins his crazy raping despite her crying and screaming.


    The next morning, Song Chen brings several important contracts of the company by Zhong¡¯s orders. Zhong Shaoting comes here with the purpose to attend parties these days.


    The affairs of the company are temporarily laid down, but some major matters and important contracts still need to be handled by Zhong himself.


    When Song Chen presses the doorbell of the presidential suite, he sees his boss coming out of the other presidential room the next second, which makes him feel a little too excited! Song Chen unconsciously opens his eyes wider and looks at the number on the closed door in front of him again. He couldn¡¯t have made a mistake in the room number.


    What surprises Song Chen more is that his boss has just come out of Miss Ding¡¯s room! And his slightly messy shirt still diffuses a love scent, which makes his imagination run riot.


    ¡°Sir, there are some important company documents of these two days which need your handling.¡± Although Song Chen is shocked by the present scene, he still remembers his business and hands the documents to Zhong.


    ¡°OK.¡± Zhong Shaoting takes over the documents and then opens the door where Song Chen stands and enters the room.


    ¡°By the way, Sir, there is still another thing to inform you. Mr. Cai called last night and talked about Miss Ding.¡±


    Hearing about Ding Manman, Zhong walks on without a halt. He puts the documents on the desk with nothing uttered. But Song Chen knows that his boss wants him to continue reporting.

 C15. The Boss Freed His Sexual Instincts!

    ¡°Mr. Cai said that he was very angry at Miss Ding¡¯s escape, and he would rethink about our cooperation project on developing the resorts in City H.¡±


    In fact, Song Chen was a bit surprised when he received the phone call from Mr. Cai. He didn¡¯t expect that such a weak and delicate girl as Ding Manman would escape without being discovered by Cai Wen. She was really courageous! While seeing his boss come out of Miss Ding¡¯s room, he realizes that Miss Ding has returned safe and sound.


    ¡°If so, just substitute him. Hand over the project of developing the resorts to Shao Ling. He knows how to deal with it.¡±


    If the project is carried out well as expected, Cai Wen will make a profit of at least 500 million yuan from it. The reason why Zhong Shaoting has decided to cooperate with Cai Wen is that the two groups have cooperated a lot and the recent one with Cai¡¯s Group would be more favorable to this project.


    Zhong Shaoting is profit-oriented in business, so when many companies were striving to please him in order to join this project, he directly granted the development right of this project to Cai¡¯s Group.


    This gave Cai Wen an illusion that Zhong¡¯s Group had no choice but to cooperate with him. As a result, Cai Wen has become so presumptuous these days that he even made a demand for Zhong¡¯s woman at yesterday¡¯s dinner.


    However, as for Zhong, he chose Cai Wen only for convenience and it won¡¯t cause more trouble to substitute Cai Wen for another.


    Cai Wen didn¡¯t know that his complaining phone call would make him lose 500 million yuan of profits. If he had known that, he wouldn¡¯t have said anything. How could a woman be equivalent to the enormous sum of 500 million yuan?!


    ¡°Okay, I will go to notify Childe Ling right now.¡± With these words, Song Chen is about to leave when he catches a glimpse of some obvious scratches on his boss¡¯ back as Zhong takes off his shirt. At the moment, Song Chen is about to explode with amazement as if he had discovered some striking gossips. Yet he still leaves the room with a calm face.


    Oh my god! The Boss freed his sexual instincts! At first Song Chen doesn¡¯t believe what he saw but at that inadvertent glance, he realizes that the scratches on his boss¡¯ back must have been caused by a woman.


    This is really incredible! He has been following his boss for so many years and he is very clear that so many women including some celebrities and supermodels want to seduce his boss every day.


    However, his boss has always been self-contained. Not to mention touching those women, he wouldn¡¯t even ever take a look at them. He thought his boss would be abstinent for ever but he finally freed his sexual instincts last night!


    As for Song Chen, this piece of news is more shocking than that of the breakout of the Third World War. Casting another glance at Ding Manman¡¯s room, he fills his eyes with admiration.


    The girl is really awesome with hidden talents to be able to sweep his boss, a stubborn old virgin, off his feet. In the future, he must treat Miss Ding with more respect and care, definitely not allowing any carelessness to occur.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    Ding Manman has no idea that Song Chen¡¯s attitudes toward her has changed dramatically for it is already the next afternoon when she wakes up.


    She is awakened by the pain coming from her lower body when she turns around and the piercing pain is so sharp that she can¡¯t help taking a deep breath.


    With the pain comes the horrible memory of last night when Zhong Shaoting acted so rudely without any tenderness just like a ferocious beast.


    His actions are regarded as a punishment rather than a vent. She remembered that every time she was on the verge of fainting, he forced her to wake up and then conquered and tortured her madly until she finally fell into a faint. Even so, he still pressed on her body with no intention to stop at all.


    ¡°Damn beast!¡± Ding Manman curses him fiercely, with her heart filled with hatred. She really wishes to smash his body to pieces so as to vent her inner rage.


    But all this is out of the question. With all that she experienced yesterday, she comes to have a general idea of Zhong¡¯s power.


    Although she doesn¡¯t know how financially powerful Zhong¡¯s Group is, she could tell the extraordinary influence of Zhong Shaoting from yesterday¡¯s dinner. All the people at the dinner are well-known successful people such as the chairmen and general managers of big groups, most importantly, all of them behaved scrupulously in front of Zhong Shaoting.


    Therefore, Ding Manman clearly realizes that it is impossible to escape from Zhong¡¯s control on her own because no matter where she goes, Zhong will know her whereabouts clearly and then get her back insidiously.


    Even so, she doesn¡¯t feel hopeless. She will still try to escape once an opportunity pops up. Now the most important thing for her is to immediately clean up her body, and especially, the sticky and filthy feeling of her lower body makes her unbearably uncomfortable.


    There is a very spacious bathroom in her bedroom. Within such a short distance from her bed to the bathroom, Ding Manman spends at least half an hour. Every little step causes a prickling pain to her lower body. On her way to the bathroom, Ding keeps cursing Zhong Shaoting for no less than a hundred times.


    After washing and rinsing, she spends another half an hour in moving back to her bed. After exerting much effort on the round trip, she feels her stomach starts grumbling. Thinking back, she hasn¡¯t had even a drop of water since the dinner of yesterday afternoon.


    With the excessive physical exertion, her stomach has been very empty. When she is about to call the front desk for some food, she hears the sound of the room door being opened and in come everal waiters with a dining car.


    After stuffing her stomach, Ding falls asleep again with exhaustion. And she has never known that girls will become so tired after such things.


    When she falls asleep, Fang Hao, in City H far away, is trying to wash his sorrow away with potent liquor. Not being able to bear his parents¡¯ nagging, he has moved to the new apartment which he bought secretly without telling his parents.


    Although he does not believe that Manman betrayed him, the video that day clearly revealed everything. Even so, Fang Hao still chooses to believe her in the depth of his heart, otherwise, her image will not always linger in his mind when he is forced by his mother to meet other girls.


    Fang Hao has sent a lot of people to look for Ding Manman, but just in vain. His mother said that it was because Ding Manman has done something guilty, she doesn¡¯t dare to show up. However, he feels that is not the case, but the reality forces him to believe it. Thus, he buys liquor to get drunk every night, attempting to numb himself with alcohol.


    ¡°Charm¡± is a bar with avant-garde decoration Fang Hao often haunts. He often gets drunk there and few people know this place.


    Even Fang Hao¡¯s mother and father don¡¯t know this place, so whenever he is in a bad mood, he will come here to drink. With no exception, he is thoroughly drunk again tonight.


    He doesn¡¯t get back to his apartment right away which is completely empty. Fang Hao falls asleep directly in the box of the bar.

 C16. An Ya

    Fang Hao forgot to lock the door. Just then, a woman scantily clad passes by and notices Fang who is lying in the sofa, totally drunk. In a flash, her eyes light up.


    With his flashy suit, Fang Hao, handsome and eye-catching in the crowd, looks exactly like a childe from a wealthy family. And those guys who can afford to consume in the boxes in ¡°Charm¡± will never be ordinary.


    Seeing no one around, the woman quietly opens the door and enters the box, locking the door behind her and leaning a table against it for security.


    After that, the woman comes to stand in front of Fang Hao and looks at his handsome face and costly costumes, her eyes looking greedy. Then she notices that he is just a little muddled with alcohol instead of being unconscious, while muttering constantly:


    ¡°Manman... er! How could you... betray me? We have agreed to... get married... and be together for a lifetime!


    ¡°Manman... where are you?... Please show up! I miss you so much! I really, really miss you!¡±


    Every word that Fang Hao utters is about Ding Manman, which makes the woman look very sullen. But then, something seems to occur to her mind. She walks to Fang and straddles her legs across his body slowly.


    Feeling something pressing on his body, Fang Hao opens his eyes, trying to make it out, only to see a vague figure. At least he is sure it is a woman.


    Just then, the woman stretches out her hand and gently undoes Fang¡¯s shirt. Then she bends down and kisses his body gently. For a moment, Fang is confused whether it is a dream or not. The sexual pleasure from his body makes him unable to restrain himself and he asks:


    ¡°Manman, is that you? You¡¯re back, aren¡¯t you?¡± Fang Hao holds the shoulders of the woman tightly and asks anxiously. The woman looks a little rigid for Fang is still thinking about Ding. But the next second she echoes.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me, Fang Hao. I¡¯m back. I did something wrong before. Please forgive me. Let¡¯s make up, OK?¡± The woman¡¯s words make the drunk Fang Hao overjoyed. Although he cannot see ¡°Manman¡±¡¯s face clearly, he still hopes that she has returned.


    The next second, the woman proactively kisses Fang Hao. Believing the woman is Ding, Fang, extremely joyful, subconsciously picks up her face and begins to kiss her back. Meanwhile, the woman¡¯s hands start groping his body, which makes him somewhat overwhelmed.


    Before their engagement, Ding Manman has always been shy and conservative, so until now their most intimate interaction is just a kiss on the cheek or forehead. Although Fang Hao was dissatisfied with this, he never forced Ding to do anything against her will.


    Now her sudden initiative makes him unable to make it straight with his drunk mind. Soon he is overwhelmed with sexual pleasure. As the woman undresses her clothes, Fang cannot help pressing the woman to the floor and starting to kiss her frantically.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    Waking up the next day, Fang feels his head aching. Looking around the box, he finds that the floor is in a terrible mess, which reveals how intense their actions were last night. What makes Fang¡¯s headache severer is the naked woman lying beside him!


    Her hands are around his waist and he is naked, too. With all the mess around in the box, even a fool may guess what happened the previous night. Fang Hao rubs his temples and frowns unconsciously. Why is this woman here?


    With the woman still asleep, Fang Hao has the chance to get dressed and leave immediately, pretending nothing has happened. But he doesn¡¯t do that. After getting dressed, he lights a cigarette and starts to recall what has happened last night.


    He remembers that he fell to bed directly after drinking too much last night. Later what happened fails his memory because he was too drunk. He recalls hard and suddenly remembers that he seemed to have seen Manman back last night and she took the initiative to kiss him, then he pressed her down because of the effect of alcohol.


    Fang Hao casts a look at the woman sleeping on the floor, who is definitely not Ding Manman. Just then, the woman wakes up. Seeing Fang neatly dressed, she is stunned for a second. Then she glances at her bare skin and immediately covers her mouth with a look of astonishment.


    ¡°All right, An Ya. You don¡¯t need to pretend. Only we two are here and your acting performance is useless in front of me.¡± Fang Hao relentlessly debunks the woman¡¯s acting. He really dislikes this woman.


    An Ya was actually Ding Manman¡¯s good friend. The two girls grew up together with a particularly good relationship. Whenever Ding got something good, she would share it with An. Because of Ding, Fang naturally got to know her best friend, An Ya.


    At first, Fang Hao had a good impression of An Ya who was gentle and intellectual and would not act unreasonably like other women. But this good impression only lasted for one year. After one year of his dating with Ding, An Ya did one thing which made Fang very annoyed.


    At that time, they were still high school students. One day, before going shopping together, Fang Hao went to Ding¡¯s dormitory to meet her. On arrival, he found that Ding was not there. An Ya said she had gone to get the delivery at the school gate so he sat on Ding¡¯s seat and waited for her.


    But just then, An suddenly closed the door to the dormitory, leaving only two of them in the room. Fang felt a little weird.


    ¡°An Ya, why did you close the door? Open it quickly, or Manman won¡¯t be able to get in.¡± After saying these words, without thinking too much, he just got absorbed in his cellphone games again. Then what An said really astounded him.


    ¡°Fang Hao, I like you. Could you date with me?¡± An said seriously, which was not like a joke at all. Fang flicked off the phone and frowned.


    ¡°You know clearly that I¡¯m dating with Manman, who is your best friend. Why do you say this to me? What do you mean?¡± Fang mentioned in particular that they were best friends, but An disagreed.


    ¡°Yes, best friends, so what? Since I¡¯m her best friend, she should learn to share you with me. Anyway, she has been monopolizing you for a year, and it¡¯s time to let you go.¡±


    It¡¯s been so many years since this happened, but Fang Hao still remembers An¡¯s matter-of-course expression clearly. Later, he rejected her with no hesitation. This kind of woman who is so selfish as to hurt her best friend is the most disgusting to him.


    Ding Manman didn¡¯t know anything about this incident. On the one hand, the relationship between the two girls is really good; on the other hand, Manman is really innocent and kind-hearted. If Fang told her about it, she would be heartbroken. Therefore, he chose to keep silent. But, since that day, Fang keeps staying away from An Ya.


    He once vaguely warned Ding that she should not trust An Ya with everything, but at that time Ding Manman could not listen to him at all and he had no other choice but to let her alone. He thought that he would never again have any relationship with An Ya in his life.

 C17. The So-called Best Friend

    ¡°Fang Hao, I know you were drunk last night, so I won¡¯t blame you for what you did to me. But how could you judge me like that? Actually I just passed by your box...¡±  Murmuring ruefully, An Ya picks up a piece of clothing thrown aside last night to cover her naked body, which manifests clearly that she is a piteous victim.


    Fang Hao might believe theses words if they were uttered by someone else. But since they are said by An Ya, they deserve careful exploring.


    ¡°You said that I had sex with you last night because I was drunk. I¡¯m wondering: was it I who have blocked the door?¡±


    Fang Hao looks towards the door to the box with no lock at all, which is a measure carried out by ¡°Charm¡±. But now, against the door stands a table, preventing people from entering.


    A trace of unease flusters across An¡¯s eyes. How could have she forgotten about this? Fang Hao doesn¡¯t ignore any movement of An. Seeing her rattled expression, a sarcastic smile curls up his mouth.


    ¡°How could you explain this? Was it possible that I blocked the door while drunk last night?¡±


    Faced with Fang Hao¡¯s questioning, An Ya looks extremely awkward. When Fang Hao almost loses his patience, she has to answer slowly.


    ¡°I heard that owing to Manman you have been haunted by sorrows these days which you tried to wash away with potent liquor. I came here because I was worried about you... Last night I passed by your box whose door was not well-closed, and found you totally drunk lying in the sofa. I cared about your safety so I entered the box. But you, probably driven by alcohol, held me tight and stopped me from leaving, shouting Manman¡¯s name incessantly. I was too weak to free myself. So...in the end, it ends up like this.¡±


    What An Ya said somehow alarmed Fang Hao. After all, what happened last night was just like some mist in his mind. He can just vaguely recall that he was overjoyed when seeing Manman back and nothing else.


    Therefore, Fang Hao is not fully convinced about An¡¯s words. What¡¯s more, he has a feeling that she is lying. His skeptical expression is revealed to An Ya clearly. She then lowers her head, saying grievously with a disappointed expression.


    ¡°I know you have always been prejudiced against me. I won¡¯t blame you for what happened last night. Moreover, I won¡¯t tell anyone about it, even Manman. If you are still not satisfied, I will leave right away.¡±


    With these words, she really starts to get dressed. Subconsciously, Fang Hao turns away from her and soon hears the door opened and closed.


    When Fang turns around again, there is no one left but the messy ground in the box, which is a sign of the chaos and craziness of the previous night.


    A mixed expression spreads over Fang Hao¡¯s face. He is still Manman¡¯s fiance, but he¡¯s had sex with her best friend. He could even imagine Ding¡¯s heart-broken look when she learns about that.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    At the thought of this, Fang Hao cannot help kicking over the table in front of him. Even so, his mind is still in a mess.


    An Ya leaves the box and walks directly to the gate of ¡°Charm¡±. It is already noontime. The originally upset-looking AnYa stands up straight the next second.


    A smile of triumph appears on her delicate face. Her complacent look turns her into a totally different woman from that in the box who wouldn¡¯t make any complaint, even though she looked wronged.


    At the thought of the moments with Fang Hao last night, An Ya feels that her heart is filled with so much joy that she can¡¯t help talking to herself: Ding Manman, Fang Hao is your fiance, so what? Hasn¡¯t he slept with me finally?!


    While, Ding Manman in City A has no idea of what happened for she is now bothered by another person.


    ¡°Sister Manman, let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s go shopping. You¡¯ve been resting in the hotel for several days and it¡¯s time to hang out.¡± Sun Ling¡¯er sits on Ding¡¯s bed carelessly and wakes her up, yelling to take her out.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go out.¡± With these words, Ding covers her head with the quilt. Early this morning, Sun Ling¡¯er ran into Ding¡¯s room and asked her to go shopping with her and she declined. But she has obviously underestimated Sun¡¯s perseverance.


    Sun Ling¡¯er keeps taking Ding¡¯s quilt off her face patiently while shaking Ding¡¯s arm gently and saying coquettishly,


    ¡°Alas, Sister Manman, you will get sick if you go on lying in bed like this. People should exercise more, instead of being confined to the room for a long time. It happens that my brother will be out all day. Even though you go out, he won¡¯t be able to find it out. So let¡¯s go, Sister Manman!¡±


    At Sun¡¯s words, Ding¡¯s expression turns somehow ironical. How could he fail to find it out? The second she takes one step out of the room, he will be informed.


    In the end, Ding Manman succumbs to Sun¡¯s strong perseverance. Reluctantly, she gets up, puts on some make-up, gets dressed and goes out with Sun.


    They walk out of the hotel without being hindered, but Ding Manman knows that someone must have notified Zhong Shaoting of her every move.


    The feeling of being monitored makes Ding have no passion for shopping at all. When Sun Ling¡¯er is wandering around excitedly, Ding just watches her in silence and feels amazed at Sun¡¯s abundant energy.


    Now, they come into a well-known jewellery store in which all the jewellery is of the latest fashion and ridiculously expensive. But as for the daughter of a wealthy family like Sun Ling¡¯er, she has no concept of money at all. She buys everything she likes regardless of the price.


    Actually, in less than an hour since they are out, their hands are full of shopping bags. All the things are purchased by Sun Ling¡¯er.


    When Sun Ling¡¯er keeps buying in the jewelry store, Ding Manman just sits quietly in the sofa. Just then, Sun, who is selecting necklaces, glances at the silent Ding in the sofa and says, ¡°Sister Manman, don¡¯t just sit there. Come to select some necklaces. These necklaces are well designed. If you like, I will buy some for you.¡±


    Ding Manman declines her politely, which is totally ignored by Sun Ling¡¯er who shoves Ding right in front of the glass counter where the necklaces are displayed. Then, Sun excitedly points to those glittering necklaces and urges her to choose.


    ¡°Just help yourself! You may select whatever you like. It seems that you are not in a great mood these days. It is said that women are able to vent their unhappiness through shopping, so sister Manman, come and pick whatever you like.¡±


    Sun Ling¡¯er says heroically. The expenses really count little as for Zhong¡¯s Group.


    Sun Linger¡¯s words somehow touch Ding Manman¡¯s indifferent and lonely heart. Formerly, she more or less repelled Sun just because she is Zhong¡¯s sister,


    But today, it is not until she notices the concern in Sun Ling¡¯ er¡¯s eyes that she realizes that Sun is just an innocent little girl. It is Zhong Shaoting¡¯s fault and she shouldn¡¯t blame others for that.


    ¡°All right, thank you.¡± Sun¡¯s concern warms her heart and a beautiful smile curls up the corners of her mouth slightly.

 C18. Turmoil in the Shopping Mall

    Seeing Ding¡¯s intoxicating smile, Sun Ling¡¯er is stunned for a while before she comes to herself.


    Sister Manman looks so pretty while smiling. Even she, as a girl, can¡¯t help being deeply attracted. When Sun recovers from the distraction, Ding is staring at a necklace in the display case.


    Originally, Ding Manman just wants to browse through the items casually. After all, she has no interest in choosing such things as necklaces at present. But her eyes are caught by one necklace.


    At the sight of that necklace, the rims of Ding¡¯s eyes turn red instantly.


    This necklace is the present from Fang Hao on her 20th birthday, and she still remembers the scene when he gave it to her.


    ¡°Manman, this is for you.¡± Fang Hao handed a red velvet box to Ding.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Ding Manman was a little curious. After opening the box, an extremely delicate necklace came into her view instantly, which was really a great surprise for her.


    ¡°This necklace is named ¡®Eternal¡¯, representing the eternal love between us.¡±


    Under the dim light, the young man¡¯s sincere words deeply moved Ding Manman, and it was just on the same day that she accepted his proposal.


    Later, Ding learned that this necklace was designed by Tiffany &Co, the new product of which wouldn¡¯t come out until at least one or two years later. In order to get this necklace for her, Fang Hao went to Paris and made use of many personal relationships. Finally, he got it in advance for her, which made Ding deeply moved.


    Since that day, the necklace had been around her neck inseparably, even when she took a shower.


    However, this necklace which she has been protecting carefully was lost on the day when she was kidnapped by Zhong Shaoting, which made her upset for a long time. She never expected to see it here. Now her heart is filled with mixed feelings.


    The necklace displayed in the case is brand-new, while Fang Hao and she are now separated in two places. She can¡¯t forget the look in his eyes, full of disappointment and puzzlement.


    Even if they met again, Ding Manman is not confident that their former love would return.


    Recollecting the past good times she spent with Fang Hao, Ding Manman cannot hold back her bitter tears, dripping down right onto the glass case where the necklace named ¡°Eternal¡± is displayed.


    Ding Manman¡¯s abnormal reaction catches others¡¯ attention. Sun Ling¡¯ er is taken aback when she sees Ding Manman suddenly burst into tears.


    ¡°Sister Manman, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Sun Ling¡¯ er asks with great concern. She is confused why she¡¯s crying.


    ¡°Nothing. I just remembered the past.¡± Ding Manman quickly wipes the tears off her face which still keep dripping down. Sun Ling¡¯ er is a little worried and about to say something.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    All of sudden, a group of robbers break into the mall. Hearing the screams, Sun Ling¡¯er and Ding Manman look back subconsciously, witnessing the thrilling scene.


    A group of masked robbers like madmen burst into the mall, with guns of various lengths in hand. They fire at the ceiling wildly as soon as they enter the mall.


    The moment the guns fire, the people in the mall where screaming sounds are heard start to dash around in panic. Many of them run towards the exit crazily, and the robbers then rush into the jewelry store and start their violent robbery.


    The two girls have never seen this kind of situation before, so both of them are deadly scared by those horrible gunshots. Ding Manman is the quickest to realize the importance of escape.


    But when she takes Sun¡¯s hand and tries to escape in chaos, Sun squats on the ground in fear and doesn¡¯t dare to move.


    ¡°Stand up quickly, or we¡¯ll be damned when they come over!¡± Looking at those terrible robbers, Ding Manman feels anxious and restless.


    ¡°But...my legs...have no strength.¡± Sun Ling¡¯er cries out with anxiety. She also wants to run, but such a naturally timid girl is so terrified by the bloody scene that she feels her legs become too weak to run away.


    ¡°Stop talking now. They are coming towards here.¡± An uncontrollable fear is revealed in Ding Manman¡¯s voice. These robbers are quick in collecting, obviously well schemed. After finishing robbing in other jewelry stores, they rapidly come over towards the one Ding and Sun are in.


    Ding Manman immediately pulls Sun Ling¡¯ er to squat and hide below the chairs. Now they have no chance to run out of the store, but to hide there, just hoping that the robbers will only take the jewellery without hurting people.


    ¡°Sir, Miss Sun has taken Miss Ding out today.¡± Song Chen informs Zhong Shaoting of the news, who is sitting in the back of the car with no response.


    Going out may be good to her lest she should have too much time thinking too much in the room. Zhong Shaoting hopes that the last suicide incident will never happen again. He hasn¡¯t tortured her enough, thus she has no right to die yet.


    After the day he had her, he hasn¡¯t visited her again, maybe because he saw the swelling in her left face when he got up the next morning, or because he saw her worn-out figure after being tortured all night.


    Seeing Ding Manman so weak and fragile, Zhong couldn¡¯t tell his true feelings. He just feels that he wants to escape from something, which is the reason why he hasn¡¯t visited her in the past few days.


    But he still appointed someone to monitor her. After learning that she has been confining herself in the room for several days, he begins to worry that she might commit suicide again. Such a strange feeling makes him very uncomfortable.


    Until he heard the news from Song Chen that Ding Manman has gone out today, he feels his heart is somehow relieved. It seems that his sister can also do him some favor except for making troubles.


    When Zhong Shaoting is still praising Sun Ling¡¯ er in his mind, what Song Chen says after answering the phone next minute proves that he is totally wrong.


    ¡°Sir! Now comes the news that a group of armed robbers broke into the mall where Miss Sun and Miss Ding were shopping. The mall has been closed. Our informants are unable to see the situation inside clearly, but it is certain that Miss Ding and Miss Sun are still inside that mall!¡±


    Song Chen¡¯s tone suddenly becomes intense. You know those robbers are armed with guns. Even Zhong Shaoting widens his eyes.


    ¡°Go to that mall quickly!¡± Zhong Shaoting says in a low voice, with his face clouded gradually. Song Chen doesn¡¯t dare to hesitate and turns the car in the direction of the mall.


    By the time they arrived at the mall, it has been surrounded by armed forces from the outside. The onlookers are blocked from entering.


    ¡°Sir, what should we do now?¡± Looking at the armed forces outside ready to take action, Song Chen cannot help feeling panicked.


    ¡°Call Shaoling and ask him to use his men.¡± Gazing at the mall in besiege with a dark and gloomy expression, Zhong Shaoting says indifferently.


    ¡°WillChilde Ling agree? It is his most important army.¡± Song Chen¡¯s words show his doubt and lack confidence. Childe Ling has such an eccentric temper that no one can gauge. Thus no one can order him to do anything.


    ¡°Just call him! Don¡¯t talk so much nonsense!¡± Zhong Shaoting casts his fierce eyes directly at him, which makes Song Chen immediately shut up and starts pressing the number on his phone.

 C19. General Gu Shaoling

    After having everything arranged, Zhong Shaoting once again focuses his eyes on the shopping mall. At the thought of Ding Manman, who probably crouches on the ground with her whole body trembling, or has already been killed, he feels more and more fidgety.


    Seeing his boss frowning, Song Chen starts to feel nervous inside. He knows that his boss is going to fly into a rage and what he has seen is just the prelude. Childe Ling, come on, please pick up the phone, otherwise I will be doomed to die! Song Chen prays in his heart.


    Fortunately, the phone is soon answered, after which Song Chen gets relieved as if he were granted an amnesty.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± A lazy male voice, which sounds like that its owner has just waken up, comes from the other end of the phone.


    ¡°Childe Ling, there is something urgent and my boss wants to ask you for a favor¡­¡±


    Not daring to waste time, Song Chen tells Gu Shaoling what has happened concisely. The man on the other end of the phone remains silent for a while, which is indeed a torture to Song Chen.


    When Song Chen starts to suspect that Childe Ling has fallen asleep again, his voice finally comes from the other end of the phone.


    ¡°I see.¡± After such simple words, Gu Shaoling hangs up. Song Chen has no choice but to tell his boss every word Childe Ling has said.


    ¡°He has agreed to come.¡± After saying this, Zhong Shaoting returns his gaze to the shopping mall. The expression in his eyes is much calmer. He can feel relieved if Shaoling has agreed to help.


    After a while, the commanding captain in front of the mall receives the message from the ones who were sent to fight, which says that no one can break through the store''s defense.


    ¡°Captain, those robbers have activated the defense system of the shopping mall. The whole place is like a metal bucket, which can¡¯t be broken through at all!¡±


    The captain gets so angry that he nearly crushes the intercom in his hand. It is known that people shopping in this mall are either wealthy or of high-ranking. If anything happens to any of them, the captain believes that he will absolutely lose his position.


    While the captain feels terribly defeated about the condition, a helicopter suddenly lands in front of the gate of the shopping mall. Being combat-ready, the armed troop immediately raise their guns at the helicopter which appears unexpectedly.


    Under the nervous gaze of all, a man in pajamas precisely, slowly descends the helicopter. Even so, the whole troop remain vigilant, though.


    Only the captain goggles at the coming person in astonishment. God, why is the big shot here?!


    ¡°All Clear!¡± The captain shouts immediately, after which the troop withdraw their guns. Getting off the command car, the captain nervously hurries to the man and makes a military salute which can¡¯t be more standard.


    ¡°This is Second Lieutenant Wu Hai of Armed Troop No.477. At your command, sir!¡±


    ¡°No command. You may just stand here. My men have entered the mall.¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    Scratching his head, the man sounds quite casual as if he were talking about today¡¯s fine weather.


    But Wu Hai¡¯s face turns pale right after he hears what the man said. Half an hour before, several teams he sent tried to break through the terribly tight defense of the shopping mall, but just in vain.


    Now this man is telling him that his men have broken through the defense system and are already in the mall, which is so unbelievable that Wu Hai can¡¯t conceal his shock!


    Seeing the man waving towards him, Wu Hai walks to him unconsciously. Taking a look at Wu Hai¡¯s watch on his left hand, the man says,


    ¡°It will be finished within at most five minutes.¡±


    If someone else said this, Wu Hai would absolutely think that he is boasting. But the man standing in front of him is so capable that today¡¯s robbery can¡¯t even be regarded as a problem for him.


    Gu Shaoling, the most legendary genius in the army who is known for his high intelligence, agility and fast reactions, successfully put a drug baron under arrest with only a small team at the age of 21, solving the problem that had bothered the army for years.


    After that, he makes numerous military exploits and becomes a General at a young age which is unimaginable to anyone else during their lifetime. It can be said that this man is born to be perfect, as he has not only a high rank but also an excellent appearance.


    Many people who have met Gu Shaoling would call him a demon. With such a fabulous appearance and outstanding capacities, isn¡¯t he a demon indeed?


    As a second lieutenant, Wu Hai knows that he is not a little inferior to General Gu Shaoling, but far inferior!


    Soon several gunshots come from the shopping mall. With a strained heart, Wu Hai can¡¯t help but look at Gu Shaoling, who is standing beside him.


    Surprisingly, he yawns! Wu Hai really wonders how this young general, who can even yawn under such intense circumstances, really feels. It is said that this young man has an eccentric temper, which seems fairly true now.


    Within minutes, the defense of the mall is totally removed. Wu Hai and his men immediately dash into the mall. As expected, they find the robbers are either shot to death or caught alive without ability to resist.


    What¡¯s more, there is no other death in the shopping mall. Only a few people are slightly injured by the stray bullets.


    At this instant, Wu Hai can¡¯t help but appreciate Gu Shaoling¡¯s brilliant mind. All of these took place within five minutes right after his appearance, no less or no more.


    After giving his men command of collecting team, instead of walking back to the helicopter, Gu Shaoling walks to a parking Maserati by the side door of the mall. By the time he reaches the car, the car¡¯s window slides down and the face of Zhong Shaoting, which is as cold as a statue, appears behind it.


    ¡°Your sister is fine. You can consider this as my return present for the resort project, but next time please don¡¯t wake me up while I¡¯m resting.¡±


    Leaning against the car, though in pajamas, Gu Shaoling attracts a lot of attention with his seductive appearance and unique temperament.


    ¡°I will try.¡± Zhong Shaoting answers calmly. If it hadn¡¯t been for the emergency, he wouldn¡¯t have woken him up, as he knows what Gu Shaoling hates the most is having his sleep disturbed.


    ¡°If there is nothing else, I will go back to sleep.¡± Finding more and more people, especially females gather around, some of whom even take out their mobile phones, about to take pictures, Gu Shaoling frowns and leaves after saying this to Zhong Shaoting.


    Meanwhile, Ding Manman and Sun Ling¡¯er who have gone through extreme danger and fear in the mall are finally relieved of danger.


    ¡°Sister Manman, I thought I was going to die just now.¡± After being moved to somewhere safe by regimental police, Sun Ling¡¯er regains power of thinking. Remembering the terrible experience, which is like passing the threshold of hell, Sun Ling¡¯er feels like a lucky survivor from a holocaust.


    ¡°Me too.¡± Covered with a blanket, Ding Manman can¡¯t control her trembling hands despite the cup of hot water for the purpose of getting over the shock.


    Sun Ling¡¯er shakes her head to show her disagreement to Ding Manman¡¯s words, because she believes that if it were not for Sister Manman, she might have been caught by the robbers.


    ¡°Sister Manman, if you hadn¡¯t dragged me down and hidden me below the chairs, I am afraid that I would have become the hostage of those robbers.¡±


    At the dangerous moment when the robbers broke in, it was Ding Manman who reacted immediately and dragged Sun Ling¡¯er below the chairs.

 C20. Lucky Survivors

    At that time, people who didn¡¯t have time to escape from the shopping mall lay on the ground in fear. Two robbers were in charge of the hostages. Ding and Sun learned from the robbers¡¯ conversation that they wanted to threaten the police outside with the hostages in order to retreat from the mall.


    The robbers thought they could get out of the danger. But when they robbed the jewelry store, a group of police rushed in and fought fiercely with the robbers and three of them were right near Ding Manman and Sun Ling¡¯er.


    At that time, afraid of being shot, Ding Manman and Sun Ling''er were too scared to make a noise. In the firefight, a robber was shot by a bullet and fell right in front of them. Sun Ling''er was on the verge of screaming out for she had never seen such a bloody scene before.


    Fortunately, Ding Manman quickly covered her mouth with her hand and stopped her. At that time the police were outside and the robbers were in the jewelry store. If the robbers found them, they would be sure to become hostages.  And then it might bode ill.


    Therefore, Sun Ling¡¯er is very grateful to Ding Manman after the survival. If Ding Manman hadn¡¯t reacted that fast, they might have died in the mall today. Ding Manman just smiles slightly, but her shaking hands still reveal her panic at the moment.


    ¡°Brother...¡± Just as Sun Ling''er is sighing with emotions that she is still alive, Zhong Shaoting appears, followed by Song Chen. As soon as Sun Ling''er sees her brother, she is frozen by the fact that he comes so fast.


    Damn! She finds herself in trouble for the reason that she took Sister Manman out without his permission as well as the danger she has got her into. Sun Ling''er feels that it is the end of her, and her brother must be out of rage.


    When Sun Ling''er is ready for Zhong Shaoting''s angry scolding, he says, "It''s time to go back." Zhong Shaoting just glances at Sun Ling¡¯er and finds that she is unharmed. Then he turns his eyes to Ding Manman next to her. When Ding Manman hears Sun Ling¡¯er call brother, her body stiffens for a split of second. Instead of looking up, she just stares at the cup in her hand.


    He hasn''t seen her for several days. Seeing her again, he feels it hard to express himself. She looks paler than she was. It is obvious that she is over-frightened, which can be seen from her trembling hands. Zhong Shaoting suddenly desires to hold her tight and gives her some comfort.


    When the idea comes into his mind, Zhong Shaoting at once feels a little ridiculous. Why should she get his comfort? But when he sees Ding Manman trying to stand up feebly, Zhong Shaoting subconsciously takes hold of her and scoops her up  in his arms.


    Ding Manman is taken aback. When she looks up, she sees Zhong Shaoting''s perfect side face. Her body is so close to his chest that she can feel his strong heartbeat, which makes her flustered heart calm down for some unknowable reason.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    Sun Ling''er is shocked by her brother''s unexpected gentleness. The shocked expression is rather funny. Song Chen and Sun Ling''er watch them two leave first.


    Sun Ling''er says unbelievably, "Is this my brother?" He''s totally different from what he had been before. When she first approached Sister Manman, he even flew into a rage. At that time, her brother was very harsh to sister Manman, but now he takes Manman in his arms. The relationship between them has had a sharp U-turn in such a short time.


    "Yes, this is your brother. But Miss Sun, it¡¯s time to go. Or my boss will get impatient." If the girl was someone else, maybe Song Chen might be surprised. Since it is Ding Manman, it is nothing surprising. After all, she''s the only person in the world who can sweep his boss off his feet.


    "You carry me!" Sun Ling''er suddenly says, and stretches out her arms directly indicating that ¡®I am waiting for you to carry me¡¯. A sneer appears on the corners of Song Chen¡¯s mouth.


    "Miss Sun, it seems that you are not injured." He means that if you are intact, why don''t you walk by yourself? He is the assistant to the boss, not her nanny.


    "No, I am not injured. But the situation just now was so terrible that my legs are too weak out of fear to carry me." Sun Ling''er says frankly. She is not a little embarrassed to say that her legs are powerless with fear.


    Song Chen admires her for that. It is the first time for him to see a girl who is so confident about her cowardice.  At last, Song Chen has no choice but to take Sun Ling''er in his arms and walks outside. Sun Ling''er steers herself to hold Song Chen''s neck and leans closely to Song Chen''s body, which makes Song Chen stiffen a little subconsciously.


    "Miss Sun..." Song Chen feels that he has been taken advantage of. She just asked me to carry her,  but now why does her whole body lean so close to him?


    "I can''t help it. I''ve been scared terribly. Now I have no strength at all, so I can only lean on you. I''m sure you don''t mind." Sun Ling''er is smiling like the sunshine, and then she continues her leaning on Song Chen. Song Chen just wants to say ¡®I mind¡¯ loudly.


    When Zhong Shaoting carefully puts Ding Manman on the back seat of the car, she still feels unbelievable. It is as strange and weird as the situation in which a man who has abused you badly in the past becomes extremely friendly to you one day.


    Zhong Shaoting doesn¡¯t think that much. When he sees the blanket has fallen off Ding Manman, he immediately takes off his coat and covers her with it. Then he naturally sits next to her.


    Ding Manman is very confused about Zhong Shaoting''s over-tender behavior. Especially when he puts his coat over her, she has more doubts. However, her fear is slowly disappearing. Maybe the scene in the mall was so terrible that she is still scared.


    The moment Sun Ling''er gets into the car, she sees his brother put his coat on Ding Manman and she is stunned again. Then watching them two look out of the window with their backs to each other, she comes up with a wonderful idea in her mind.


    "Brother, why did you come here so quickly? You went to a meeting today, didn¡¯t you? I remember that the site of the meeting is far from here. Or you were worried about Sister Maman and followed us to protect us? It seems that Sister Maman is particularly important for you."


    Sun Ling''er looks at them from one to the other with laughing eyes. She knows that her brother never cares about others, let alone carrying someone and covering her with his coat. The reason why he did this is that the person is particularly important for him.


    Thinking about the way in which her brother and Sister Maman get along, Sun Ling''er believes that it won¡¯t work in the long run, so she comes up with the idea to give them some help. But when these words are uttered, no one speaks in the car to answer her, making the atmosphere for a while unbearably awkward.

 C21. Misunderstanding

    Proofread by Zhou Zhijie


    Just then, Zhong Shaoting turns to stare at her. Even though he looks very calm, Sun Ling¡¯er cannot help feeling a shiver. Then he speaks coldly.


    ¡°If you want a beating, I wish you would tell me directly. I haven¡¯t made you pay for the trouble yet. Therefore, I can satisfy your thirst for a beating once for all.¡± Zhong¡¯s threatening words sound extremely terrifying to Sun¡¯s ears.


    ¡°Brother, I was wrong and I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯ll never kid you any more!¡± Sun Ling¡¯er is so scared that she immediately turns around and sits there quietly, so upset that she cries in heart without no tears. She just wants to match them. Why is he so hostile?! He deserves being single for such a long time!


    Ding Manman looks out of the window while pondering over Sun¡¯s words. Would he worry about her? No, she still remembers the last time when Zhong told her personally that she doesn¡¯t deserve his concern.


    When it comes to her importance in Zhong¡¯s heart, Ding Manman feels her heart is full of irony. If she matters in his heart, it must be his hatred of her, whose cause Ding is ignorant of and she wonders why Zhong treats her so badly.


    When they arrive at the hotel, Ding Manman gets out of the car herself and Zhong Shaoting doesn¡¯t show any intention to help her. They just walk into the hotel like two strangers. Seeing this, Sun Ling¡¯er cannot help shaking her head. Suddenly, it seems that something occurs to her, she immediately asks Song Chen to carry her to find her brother.


    At night, lying in the bed, Ding Manman feels her mind is haunted by the chaotic scenes in the mall, which makes her unable to fall sleep. When she is still tossing and turning in bed, her room door is opened, which makes her sit up instantly frightened and she looks at the coming man alertly.


    After warning and teaching a lesson to Sun Ling¡¯er, Zhong Shaoting originally planned to go back to his room for a shower. However, he cannot help looking at Ding Manman¡¯s room. Ever since they came back, she has locked herself in the room without coming out. She even skips her dinner. Zhong hesitates for a moment and finally orders a meal from the front desk for Ding before he takes his shower in peace of mind.


    However, after his shower, he receives a call from the front desk telling him that Ding Manman has refused the dinner, which makes him frown slightly. What on earth is she doing? Zhong Shaoting touches the thing in his pocket given by Sun. He stands by the phone for quite a while before he walks towards Ding¡¯s room.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Ding Manman, like a little hedgehog at this moment, erects all her thorns to guard against anyone who wants to approach her. Seeing Zhong, she cannot help thinking of Zhong¡¯s frantic punishment that night. With the same person and in the nighttime as well, is she going to undergo the same painful night once again? Ding Manman thinks in despair.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Previously, Zhong Shaoting would enjoy watching her so terrified while today he feels somehow uncomfortable. This is the first time that he has encountered her strong resistance and fear.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you have dinner?¡± Zhong Shaoting asks and sits down not far from her instead of approaching her. Seeing him sit down, Ding relaxes her vigilance apparently, but her hold of the sheet isn¡¯t loosened yet. She doesn¡¯t know what Zhong is thinking about and has to explain it truthfully.


    ¡°I have no appetite. I don¡¯t want to eat anything.¡± As soon as Ding utters, the atmosphere in the room suddenly becomes depressing. It is obvious that Zhong is very dissatisfied with her answer. Once again Ding becomes alert clutching the sheet tightly as if this action could protect her from any harm.


    Zhong feels somewhat ridiculous at Ding¡¯s reaction. If he really wants to do something, the sheet cannot hinder him at all. But today he doesn¡¯t want to touch her, so Ding¡¯s defense, in his eyes, is really unnecessary.


    But Ding Manman doesn¡¯t think so. The horror of that night has been so deeply rooted in her mind that when she sees Zhong approaching, her body cannot help trembling. Just when she supposes that Zhong is going to abuse her like a beast again, he pauses in front of her. In her terror, she feels something is suddenly thrown in front of her, which makes Ding open her eyes in puzzlement, only to find something glittering in darkness.


    Ding picks it up and finds that it is a necklace, the ¡°Eternal¡± necklace she stared at all the time in the mall. Ding¡¯s eyes shift from the the necklace to the tall man standing in front of her bed. She doesn¡¯t know what his real intention is.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think too much. I was satisfied with your body that night. This is your reward.¡± Zhong Shaoting, too, feels it is rather weird to present her a necklace, so he makes up an excuse.


    When Ding Manman throws it away fiercely the next second, it just flies by him, and finally falls to the ground. His mood falls now, too.


    The gift that he gave her for the first time was discarded rudely, which makes Zhong¡¯s face turn black and sullen. When he is going to question Ding, he is astounded to find that she doesn¡¯t look right.


    Her reddening eyes and biting her lips obviously reveal that she is suppressing certain emotions, which stuns Zhong and makes him feel lost.


    ¡°If you want to humiliate me, you¡¯ve achieved your goal! Now, leave, please!¡± Ding Manman says while gritting her teeth. Meanwhile, she points to the door, asking Zhong to leave, which she has never dared to try before. However, he¡¯s really gone too far today!


    Although the necklace is not the one that Fang Hao has given to her, it carries some good memories between them. When she first saw the necklace, a pleasant surprise struck her.


    But when Zhong said that it was the reward for her body that satisfied his lust, her pleasant surprise was shattered.


    This necklace as a gift is given her with such a disgusting reason that Ding Manman throws it away with no hesitation, though it would annoy Zhong.


    Ding Manman thinks that Zhong deliberately said the indecent words to insult her after knowing what this necklace means to her, and she was indeed humiliated.


    But Zhong Shaoting is confused why she lost her temper for no reason and threw away the necklace which has taken a lot of his efforts to present it to her after hesitating for a long time.


    It¡¯s too much for the proud Zhong Shaoting. He should have tortured Ding ferociously so as to make her regret for her provocative behavior. But he finds that he is unable to hurt her further when noticing her reddening eyes which are about to shed tears the next second.


    He can only slam the door angrily and leaves. After hearing the banging of the door, Ding Manman cannot hold back her sadness any more and cries her heart out. Both of them pass the night in enormous pain.

 C22. Faints Again

    Proofread by Zhou Zhijie


    The next morning, Song Chen comes to inform them that it is time to return to City H and everything is ready so that they can leave at any time.


    When Ding Manman opens the door, she happens to see Zhong Shaoting making a call and right looking into her eyes. Ding looks away first and leaves as quickly as possible, as if he were some kind of monster.


    Seeing this, Zhong tightens the phone suddenly. If he didn¡¯t control his strength, the phone would be crushed into pieces in the next second.


    Last night, Zhong Shaoting tossed and turned in bed for a whole night, trying to figure out why he failed to punish Ding after she defied him like that.


    In the past, he would never allow this to happen. As Ding Manman leaves without looking back, Zhong¡¯s eyes turn dark and gloomy. Recently many things have gone beyond his control and he feels he¡¯s not himself any more.


    All these must be attributed to Ding Manman. It seems that he has to keep her at a distance in order not to be further influenced by her after returning to City H.


    As soon as they arrive at the villa in City H, Zhong Shaoting directly sends Ding Manman into the rose garden to pick one hundred roses without using any tool or asking for a helping hand from the servants, which means that she can only use her bare hands and she is not allowed to eat before finishing this job.


    Actually Ding Manman is not really surprised at his punishment for what she did the previous night. On the contrary, what really surprises her is that Zhong Shaoting didn¡¯t punish her directly or merely threw her out of the hotel right then.


    So she does as he ordered. Under the scorching sun Ding Manman bends over in the rose garden and carefully picks one rose after another. No matter how careful she is, her hands are still cut by the thorns several times and the wounds hurt more and more.


    When Sun Ling¡¯er comes out of her room and passes the garden, she sees what Ding Manman is doing, and this makes her nearly heartbroken. But before she is going to get Ding into the room, Zhong Shaoting stops her.


    ¡°Brother, you are too cruel! How could you treat Sister Manman like this? Don¡¯t you know that the thorns of these roses are sharper than those of the ordinary ones?¡±


    Sun Ling¡¯er complains to her brother querulously, as she can vaguely see beads of blood on Sister Manman¡¯s hands, which makes her think that her brother has been acting too cruelly.


    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business. The sin she has committed is enough to get her killed for hundreds of times. So this little punishment is relatively nothing to her.¡± Zhong talks to his sister without lifting his head, but in a slightly murderous tone.


    Although she knows about her brother''s temper, Sun Ling''er still tries to persuade him; after all, Sister Manman looks so poor.


    ¡°If Sister Manman must do this, you can let her do it in the late afternoon. With the burning sun directly over her head, and with no water to drink, Sister Manman is likely to faint from sunstroke. Will you enjoy it, Brother?¡±  Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    Although she blames him, Sun Ling¡¯er is immediately cowed by only one harsh look from Zhong, and she lowers her head cowardly. She has to admit that she is really afraid of his brother in her heart.


    ¡°If you dare to step in, you have to move out from this house and live alone.¡± After saying this, Zhong stands up and walks back to the study, during which he doesn¡¯t give one glance at the rose garden outside at all.


    Looking at her brother¡¯s haughty figure, Sun Ling¡¯er stamps her feet with anger. This wooden head! He definitely cares about Sister Manman, but he just won¡¯t admit it! He really deserves being single!


    Sun Ling¡¯er still worries about Ding Manman, but she knows that Zhong Shaoting will act on what he says. So at last Sun Ling¡¯er can do nothing but ask the maids to make some cool herbal drinks for Ding Manman to resist the heat.


    When one hundred roses are finally picked, Ding Manman¡¯s hands are so seriously injured that they are beyond recognition. Besides her ten wounded fingers, her head is also dizzy because of the exposure to the scoring sun for several hours. Even in such a condition, she has to take the roses to Zhong herself.


    She can still remember that once after picking the roses she was so tired that she asked someone else to take the roses to him and went to bed directly. As a result, Zhong Shaoting was so irritated that he woke her up in the middle of her sleep and told her to do the work once again.


    This time Ding Manman tries to drag her tired body up to the study on the second floor. When finally reaching the door, Ding finds her hands are too seriously injured to open it, so she can only knock at the door with difficulty.


    The door opens quickly. Putting the one hundred roses on Zhong¡¯s desk, Ding Manman finds him talking on the phone with his back to her.


    In Ding Manman¡¯s memory, Zhong Shaoting has always been so busy that he is either talking about company affairs on the phone or attending conferences. If possible, she really hopes that he could be busier, in which case he will forget about her. But it is impossible.


    ¡°Here are the one hundred roses.¡± Ding Manman says in a hoarse voice resulting from drinking no water for a long time.


    Hearing this, Zhong Shaoting turns back and a cluster of bright red roses leaps into his sight. Ding Manman just stands in front of the desk, looking at him expressionlessly with blood still dripping from the wounds on her hands.


    Watching the blood on her hands dropping on the carpet, Zhong Shaoting feels his heart tightens, especially when he sees her dry lips and pale face. Suddenly, his heart pains as if being pricked by the rose thorns, so painfully that he knits his brows tightly and even forgets to talk on the phone.


    Zhong, who turns silent abruptly, makes Ding kind of confused. Raising her head, Ding finds him staring at her hands which are bleeding and leaving red stains on the carpet.


    With a nervous look, Ding immediately takes her hands back to her chest, as she knows that Zhong Shaoting is not only bad-tempered but also has mysophobia, the serious kind.


    The carpet looks very expensive. It is possible that Zhong will blame her for getting it stained.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to¡­¡± Ding Manman unconsciously starts to apologize to Zhong who looks unhappy, but she is instantly interrupted.


    ¡°Get out right now! Don¡¯t dirty my room.¡± At his cold and emotionless words, Ding Manman¡¯s whole body stiffens and then she lowers her head and retrieves from the room as rapidly as she can.


    Looking at the half-closed door, Zhong Shaoting remembers what he said to Ding just now. In fact, he only felt unpleasant to look at those wounds and intended to hasten her to get her hands dressed quickly. But his words finally came out in a totally contrary way.


    Just then, he suddenly hears a maid¡¯s scream downstairs. Knowing something has gone wrong, he immediately rushes out of the study and looks downstairs where he finds the scared maid pointing to Ding who has fallen to the ground.


    After walking out of the study, Ding feels dizzier with her feet getting heavier. At last her legs couldn¡¯t carry her even one step forward. She couldn¡¯t sustain herself any more and falls to the ground in the hall.

 C23. Doubts

    Proofread by Zhou Zhijie


    Ding Manman''s hands are full of blood from the wounds when she faints. It is no wonder that the maid is so scared. With her lying fainted on the ground, her two bloody hands and pale face look particularly frightening. If it were at night, the maid might think that it is a corpse and faints away directly.


    On seeing the scene, Zhong runs downstairs instantly. He picks up Ding Manman carefully. When he stretches out his hand to feel her breath, Zhong realizes that his hands are trembling.


    Zhong Shaoting doesn¡¯t feel relieved until he feels her warm breath.


    "Call the doctor immediately!" Leaving the order to the servant, he takes Ding Manman to the bedroom.


    Doctor Liu is on holiday, but she rushes here after receiving the call. She is scared when seeing Ding Manman lie in  bed unconscious. This time, her condition looks more serious than that of her former time!


    "If you go on like this, she will die sooner or later!" Doctors to the patients are what parents to their children. No matter what Ding Manman did before, Doctor Liu cannot help feeling heartbroken when she finds a young lady being tortured like this repeatedly.


    Zhong Shaoting does not confute Doctor Liu''s scolding, which is unexpected. His dark pupils focus on Ding Manman who is lying still in bed. His mouth is set in a tight line. It is obvious to anyone with good sense that he is in a bad mood now.


    Doctor Liu just utters with a sigh for this. She is older and experienced anyway.  Maybe she can''t compare with Zhong Shaoting in other aspects, but in terms of affection, she is way better than Zhong Shaoting, who is not so good as a five-year-old child in this regard.


    When Doctor Liu diagnoses Ding, she finds that her situation is much more serious than she thought.


    "Being malnourished for a long period, with a fever over 39 degrees Celsius, being sunburn on the arms, bleeding wound on her palm..."


    The more Doctor Liu says, the more emotional she gets. She assumes that with no need of her presence as a doctor during this period and the relationship between them should have been mended. But out of her expectation, their relationship worsens than before.


    ¡°In her case, if her treatment is delayed several hours, even if she wouldn¡¯t faint because of weakness, her brain would turn numb due to high fever." Liu says angrily while skillfully feeding her some antipyretic medicine.


    Then Liu begins to dress Ding¡¯s wounds on her hands. Zhong stands aside quietly. He looks still calm, but in fact he is already freaked out in his mind.


    Doctor Liu''s words make him realize that her condition is so bad. Each scolding sentence hurts him painfully like a hot stone hitting his heart.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Right now Doctor Liu is cleaning the wounds on Ding''s hands with disinfectant alcohol. Each time the alcohol touches her wounds, Zhong¡¯s heart jerks.


    Thinking that all these are attributed to him, Zhong Shaoting cannot stay here anymore. He turns and leaves the room, fleeing like a coward defeated in a battle.


    Zhong Shaoting has intended to take some fresh air, but finds Sun Ling''er standing outside the door resentfully. Seeing him come out, she flies into a rage


    "Brother, you¡¯ve gone too far. I just saw that Sister Manman fainted, which is totally caused by you!" says Sun Ling''er in a trembling voice.


    Sun Ling''er grows up in a wealthy family and  lives a simple and comfortable life. She has rarely been exposed to dark and negative things in society, therefore, she is kinder in nature than ordinary people.


    After returning to her room in the afternoon, Sun Ling''er is still unsettled. Although she asked the servant to send Sister Manman some herbal tea and warm water, she is still worried about Ding Manman.


    At dusk, on hearing the maid¡¯s scream, she ran out at once and saw Sister Manman being carried upstairs by her brother. Sister Manman looked lifeless with her eyes tightly shut, her lips dry and cracked and her face bloodlessly pale.


    This reminds Sun Ling''er of the first time she met Sister Manman. With a pale  face, Sister Manman said that her brother treated her cruelly.


    Sun Ling''er didn''t believe it at first. But now seeing Ding like this, how can she not believe?


    At the thought of her brother doing such bad things to such a nice woman, Sun Ling''er can¡¯t help trembling all over with fury. Before she kept trying to find excuse for her brother in the presence of Sister Manman,  now it seems that she is the most stupid!


    "How could you have done this?! It''s clear that you care about her in your mind. If you treat her like this, it will only make her hate you more. I was really wrong about you. Hum! " It is a pity that she even gave him the necklace that Sister Manman took a fancy to in the mall. Unexpectedly, he not only missed the chance but also messed things up like this, which really annoys her to death.


    Sun Ling''er leaves angrily after venting her dissatisfaction, leaving Zhong Shaoting there alone stunned and repeating Sun Ling''er''s words in his mind.


    "Brother, you¡¯ve gone too far.  You will only make her hate you more!¡±


    Has he really gone too far?


    Facing Sun Ling''er and Doctor Liu''s scolding, Zhong Shaoting suddenly has doubts. And he even starts to doubt whether he really has done something wrong every time.


    His younger brother who lived unwillingly in despair in prison and his parents¡¯ death from injustice have always been reminding him that this woman is the murderer of his parents and younger brother.


    This is what she deserves. Even if she dies, her sin can''t be redeemed. Therefore, he can''t be kind to her. But every time seeing her being weak and pale, he can''t help doubting whether he is doing right.


    Zhong does not realize how he got back to his study, but when he sits on the chair, he feels the large room looks so cold and desolate.


    With Doctor Liu''s unceasing care over the whole night, Ding Manman wakes up the next day. Seeing her wake up, Doctor Liu is relieved. She rubs her sore shoulders and is about to comfort her when thinking about her suffering. But she is stunned by Ding Manman¡¯s first sentence.


    "Doctor, is there any medicine that can make a person die unconsciously?" Ding Manman looks at the snow-white ceiling and says in an empty voice.


    After a long pause, Doctor Liu reaches out her hand to feel her forehead and says doubtfully.


    "The fever has been brought down. Why are you still talking nonsense? Oh, are you made stupid by the fever?¡±


    "Doctor..." Ding looks at Doctor Liu helplessly. Does she look like stupid?


    "Haha, just kidding." Doctor Liu says with a simple smile and turns to pack up her things. Since the fever has been brought down, she is free to go now.


    "But doctor, I''m not kidding." Ding''s expression is very serious. She does not mean to make a joke at all. Doctor Liu pauses in her packing and slowly turns around with a hesitating expression.

 C24. Death Isn’t a Way to True Emancipation

    Proofread by Zhou Zhijie


    ¡°Baby, I know you are very dissatisfied with Zhong Shaoting. But you have to be clear that you cannot compete with him, not to mention that there is no such medicine in the world, even if there is, you still have no chance to kill him. Anyway, it is you who will get hurt finally.¡±


    Supposing that Ding Manman hates Zhong so much as to poison him to death, Dr. Liu starts comforting her earnestly.


    Ding Manman is stunned by Dr. Liu¡¯s words at first. When did she say that she would kill Zhong Shaoting with medicine? Did Dr. Liu misunderstand her words?


    During these days, she has got very clear of Zhong¡¯s power. If she really wants to do this, the medicine will sure be found out before she approaches him. And he will definitely torture her to death in a worse way.


    ¡°Doctor, you misunderstood me. Compared with killing Zhong Shaoting, killing myself will be much easier.¡± She does want to get revenge on him, but she is also well aware of her own poor abilities, which overwhelms her with endless despair.


    Looking at Ding¡¯s despairing eyes, Dr. Liu cannot help taking pity on her.


    ¡°Baby, I know your life is really hard, but death is not a right way to solve the problem.¡± Dr. Liu consoles Ding gently who has fallen into real despair this time.


    ¡°Should I be imprisoned and humiliated by him for the rest of my life then? If so,  death will indeed be a relief to me.¡±


    The moment she fainted down alone in the living room, Ding suddenly wondered: what was the meaning of such a life, with her body soiled, her freedom restrained, and her life quality affected by others¡¯ moods? She was being humiliated and tortured day after day.


    What¡¯s the point of living such a life? She used to have a happy life, but now she is struggling to survive in the hell.


    Ding Manman is staring at the scenery outside blankly, and her melancholy look makes others unable to hold back a sense of sympathy. ¡°He really hates me, so my death will be good news for him and that will be the best result for both of us.¡±


    Ding doesn¡¯t know what she has done wrong, but she knows that Zhong will never let her go.


    Now that she is unable to go back to the good old days, it will be better for her to end her present life in this way.


    ¡°There is no such medicine to make one die unconsciously all over the world. As a doctor, I cannot allow my patient to commit suicide.¡± Says Dr. Liu in a serious tone. With the doctor¡¯s license for 20 years, she has the medical ethics as well as basic qualities.


    At the doctor¡¯s words, Ding¡¯s eyes turn gloomy. Although she knows that her plan would not be carried out smoothly as expected, she still feels disappointed with the results.


    Seeing her so desperate, Dr. Liu really can¡¯t help comforting her once again before leaving. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°No matter what you are going through, you should believe that everything will come to an end one day. If you cower now, you will be a loser. Even if you die, you can¡¯t change this fact.¡±


    With these words, Dr. Liu goes out of the door, leaving Ding alone in bed reflecting on her words in her mind.


    ¡°If you cower now, you will be a loser...¡±


    Actually, up to now Ding Manman still has no idea of what she has done wrong, which makes Zhong hate her to the guts.


    Every time she wanted to ask him about it, Zhong sarcastically called her cruel as a wolf and censured her for having the nerve to mention that. After several such occasions, Ding no longer wants to ask him.


    She has been enduring Zhong¡¯s humiliation and torture. But Dr. Liu¡¯s words remind her that all things will come to an end one day.


    Zhong Shaoting refuses to tell her the reason, then she is going to find it out herself. If Zhong deliberately accuses her of something she hasn¡¯t done, she won¡¯t be able to shake off his slander until she dies. It will be better for her to find out the truth herself. Ding believes as long as she can prove that she has done nothing wrong, naturally Zhong won¡¯t find the reason to blame her.


    Figuring this out, Ding rejoices that her thought of suicide becomes not that deeply rooted. She is also grateful for Dr. Liu¡¯s enlightenment, otherwise she might be still immersed in despair and unable to get it over now.


    In Zhong¡¯s study, Dr. Liu is reporting Ding¡¯s physical condition to him.


    ¡°She has woken up, but she is still quite weak, requiring abundant nutrition and rest.  The wounds on her palms are difficult to heal and need great care, otherwise they will crack open again easily. Ask the servants to take extra care of her these days. If she continues to have fevers at night, inform me immediately.¡±


    Dr. Liu mentions a lot of items that need extra care, which proves Ding¡¯s health  condition is really worse than before this time. While, hearing the doctor¡¯s words, Zhong just goes on reading his book in the sofa with no expression on his sober face.


    ¡°Just tell these to the servants. There is no need to tell me.¡± He says indifferently as if Ding were just a person of little significance for him. Zhong¡¯s indifference turns him into a totally different man from the one who nervously carried Ding in his arms yesterday.


    Dr. Liu used to keep silent about others¡¯ affairs, but in this matter she keeps making exceptions. Especially after hearing Ding¡¯s words and seeing Zhong¡¯s indifferent attitude, the doctor feels obliged to say something more.


    ¡°The first sentence after she woke up is to ask me for some medicine that can make her die unconsciously.¡± Dr. Liu doesn¡¯t say too much and stops where she thinks she should.


    As expected, Zhong¡¯s hand turning the page stops in mid-air at her words. Seeing this, a satisfied expression crawls onto Dr. Liu¡¯s face.


    ¡°Having treated her so many times, I¡¯ve never seen her so desperate. A girl, so strong-minded and brave, now turns so desperate, which is really disheartening. If things go on like this, she would probably stay like that.¡±


    With these words, Dr. Liu leaves quietly. It¡¯s useless for her to stay here. The rest is up to Zhong Shaoting because it is his anxiety that cannot be solved with a few words.


    Zhong Shaoting sits in the sofa with his hand keeping turning pages. She doesn¡¯t want to live on anymore...


    She gives up so fast and already wants to commit suicide. Where is the strong-minded woman? Zhong looks somewhat ironic. But he can not help feeling rattled, which is a rather familiar feeling to him.


    Last time Zhong experienced the similarly rattled feeling was when he saw his younger brother¡¯s eyes full of despair and emptiness after learning that he had been abandoned by his beloved woman.


    How could he have the similar feeling for her?


    Zhong finds that he is unable to continue reading the book in his hands. He has been in the reading posture for an hour, but has not finished a third of a page.


    He closes the book restlessly and paces up and down the study with an inexplicable irritation. After several laps, he cannot help opening his door and walking towards Ding¡¯s bedroom.


    But when he holds the doorknob of her room in his hand, he just stops there. He doesn¡¯t know what he is afraid of. What if he finds her lying in bed unconscious?


    Zhong Shaoting isn¡¯t a hesitant person. After a pause, he opens the door and enters. At this time, Ding is lying in bed quietly because of her weak body.

 C25. The Strange Attitude

    Proofread by Zhou Zhijie


    Seeing her slightly heaving chest, Zhong Shaoting feels relieved. When walking closer, he finds her face sickly pale. Her big eyes, which used to be bright and full of spirit, are now wearily closed, with somewhat sunken sockets. Besides, her cheekbones have become prominent and her red lips have turned pale. Taking an overall look, her whole body is much thinner than before.


    Zhong still remembers the first time he saw Ding Manman. At that time she and Fang Hao were sweetly selecting wedding photos when her exquisite little face was full of happiness. Her smile was so fascinating that he couldn''t control the desire to destroy it little by little!


    But now, looking at Ding who is so weak, Zhong doesn¡¯t want to torture her any longer. ¡°Just give her some time to restore her health,¡± he says to himself, as he can get even with her later.


    Zhong acts as he says. From that day on, Ding has been treated like a normal patient whose life becomes routines, sleeping and eating. What¡¯s more, all the food she eats is nutritious and restorative.


    Zhong Shaoting stops appearing suddenly in front of her to get her tortured. And even if he meets her, he says nothing humiliating, which makes Ding rather confused.


    Because of the serious wounds on her hands, Dr. Liu told her not to move casually until the wounds are healed. Now she is like a paralyzed patient who is put in bed and is totally taken care of by others while eating, drinking and washing. If Ding didn¡¯t know clearly that she is in Zhong Shaoting¡¯s villa, she would think that she is in a dream.


    Sun Ling¡¯er often comes to see her. Whenever seeing her hands bound up tightly, Sun can¡¯t help but scold her brother fiercely. Ding Manman really wonders where the Sun Ling¡¯er, who was so afraid of her brother the first time they met, has gone. But she knows that Sun is just trying to please her by dispraising her brother so harshly that he appears unbearable from head to toe.


    Every time Sun mentions Zhong Shaoting¡¯s name, Ding will frown unconsciously, with her face getting darkened as well. Therefore, Sun has to avoid mentioning him.


    A week later, Ding Manman¡¯s hands have almost recovered. But Dr. Liu still tells her not to get out of bed. Actually Dr. Liu is supposed not to have the power to restrict her freedom. However, to her surprise, no matter what Dr. Liu tells her to do, the servants will absolutely make sure to carry out the orders, just as they are ordered by Zhong Shaoting himself. Although Ding is kind of confused, she doesn''t ask anything.


    One night, Ding feels a little thirsty after waking up, but the maid on duty has already gone to sleep. She has to go to look for some water downstairs in the fridge on her own.


    While descending the stairs, Ding sees Zhong coming back from outside. They haven¡¯t seen each other since she woke up from her faint, which is at least considered by Ding Manman.


    Standing awkwardly at the end of the staircase, she can neither go forward nor draw back. It is Zhong Shaoting who looks away first after a brief glance at her. He then takes off his suit and randomly puts it on the clothes stand. After changing into his slippers, Zhong sits down in the sofa and turns on his laptop, starting to handle some files.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Viewing the whole process, Ding Manman just stands still there as she unconsciously feels afraid every time she sees the man.


    After a while, Ding remembers that she actually is the victim. She doesn''t need to be afraid at all. Considering this, she raises her head and crosses the living room with sufficient courage, totally ignoring Zhong¡¯s presence.


    The two keep silent until Ding Manman reaches the kitchen. With no reasons, Ding Manman feels it quite strange to get along with Zhong like this, but she doesn''t know where it is strange.


    Unfortunately, she then encounters a problem: as her hands are bound up, she fails to open the cap of the bottle after several attempts. When she tries to pour water from a water jug, she only ends up spilling it onto the floor. It is the first time she has felt so powerless.


    Suddenly, Zhong appears in the kitchen, which takes Ding aback when she turns back. Her sufficient courage disappears in a second. Is he going to torture her again? Ding can¡¯t stop thinking of this. After all, he still won¡¯t let her go, so the peace that has lasted for so many days is just a fake impression.


    In a short moment Ding has got prepared for the worst. But Zhong only opens the fridge and takes out a bottle of mineral water. After opening the cap, he looks dissatisfied. Casually putting the bottle of water aside, he leaves with a cup of coffee in his hand.


    Ding goes rigid and overwhelmed with fear and relief. She has thought that she was going to be tortured again, but it has turned out that he only came for a cup of coffee.


    When Ding is about to leave the kitchen in spite of her thirst, she sees the bottle of mineral water put aside by Zhong, its cap open. Looking at the bottle of water and Zhong, whose attention is focused on handling the files in the living room, she hesitates for a long while before she lifts the bottle and takes a sip.


    Ding then ponders that since the water has been drunk by her, Zhong, who is obsessed with cleanliness, will absolutely not touch it anymore. Therefore, she takes away the mineral water with satisfaction.


    When passing by the living room, Ding sees that Zhong shaoting is still tackling files. She also notices that the coffee he took is left untouched, but she doesn¡¯t care much about it.


    On hearing the door closed, Zhong takes his eyes off the laptop and looks in the direction of the kitchen. After he finds that the bottle of mineral water has disappeared, the corners of his mouths form a perfect curve.


    In fact, Zhong Shaoting had intended to ignore her and force himself to focus on the files. But as his ears were out of control, he couldn¡¯t help but listen to the sound in the kitchen.


    When he ¡°unconsciously¡± saw her fail to open the bottle with her clumsy hands, he decided not to do anything! But the next second he found himself in the kitchen, getting a cup of coffee he didn''t need at all. Besides, he even helped her open the cap of a bottle of mineral water.


    This decision was just as spontaneous as the one to sit in the sofa instead of going back directly to the study as he originally intended when seeing her coming downstairs.


    The reasons are that he hates mineral water and at that time compared with going back to the study room, he just preferred to sit here. So it is absolutely not because he cares about her. After thinking for a while, Zhong persuades himself in such a self-deceptive way.


    But when thinking of the bottle of mineral water taken away by Ding, Zhong Shaoting can¡¯t help curving up the corners of his mouth. She is such a clumsy girl that she can¡¯t even open a bottle of water.


    The next day, Ding is lying in bed watching the news on TV. The news says that recently many companies have been closed down under the impact of the financial crisis. In particular, some small companies have suffered the most, and many of them have gone bankrupt directly. Only a small number of big companies still run on with their operation.


    Seeing this, Ding remembers that Zhong seems very busy lately. Is his company also affected by the financial crisis?

 C26. Misunderstandings are Dissolved

    Proofread by  Zhou Zhijie


    Just then Sun Ling¡¯er comes in and finds her watching the news. She thinks Ding Manman is worried about Zhong Shaoting¡¯s company, then she says carelessly.


    "You are also watching this. Don''t worry. Other companies may be unable to survive the crisis, but you can set your heart at rest since my brother is fully capable of coping with the crisis confronted by our group.¡±


    However, hearing Sun Ling¡¯er¡¯s words, Ding Manman gets less spirited. She is not worried. On the contrary, she hopes Zhong''s company is in trouble, so she might have more chance to escape. The fact is that Zhong Shaoting is surely busy recently.


    "Isn''t your brother very busy these days? I thought your group was affected by the crisis.¡± Ding Manman asks the tentative question with a little hope, while Sun Ling¡¯er answers directly.


    "You can stay at ease then. Our group can successfully pull through with my brother in management, but many companies cooperating with us do not have such a manager as my brother and have consequently been affected by the financial storm. Therefore, my brother is busy solving problems of such companies recently. There are so many of them that he is kept incredibly busy."


    There is a sense of tenderness in Sun Ling¡¯er¡¯s tone. He is her brother after all. Seeing her brother working so hard, Sun can¡¯t help showing her pity for him. Ding nods her head with understanding, but


    "By the way, I thought you were indifferent to my brother. But seeing you care about him so much today, it''s easy for me to misunderstand the relationship between you two." Sun Ling''er looks very funny and cute when she is grinning and winking at Ding. Ding doesn''t answer for she doesn''t want to talk about Zhong.


    "You thought too much. I had no particular intention in my question." She goes on watching TV after saying that, without much enthusiasm in her eyes any more.


    Seeing this, Sun Ling''er doesn¡¯t say anything, either. When she is turning towards the TV, she keenly finds a necklace placed on Ding''s nightstand. Sun looks at it intently and recognizes that it is the right one that she gave her brother to please Sister Manman!


    "Sister Manman, that necklace was presented to you by my brother, wasn''t it?" Sun Ling''er unfolds an expression that you two have an affair, which makes Ding rather confused. Turning back, she finds that the necklace ¡°Eternal¡± hasn''t been put back in place. She puts it away immediately. The more she tries to hide, the more is exposed. Seeing this, Sun Ling¡¯er tries to make fun of her.


    "You said that you don''t love each other. If you don''t, why did you accept the necklace from him?" Sun laughs complacently like a sneaky cat who has stolen some fish. But her words arouse Ding''s doubts.


    "This necklace belonged to me originally. It was just found by your brother and returned to me. How do you know about it?" This necklace is known only by Fang Hao and her. And she is not surprised that Zhong knows for she wore this necklace next to her skin before. But how does Sun Ling''er know about it?Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    "Because I bought this necklace from the mall and gave it to my brother." Sun Ling''er says definitely.


    "I noticed that you stared at this necklace for so long that day so I thought that it must be special to you. Then I bought it before I left and gave it to my brother when I got back to the hotel. I intended to let him give it to you to make you happy. But I didn''t see you wearing it during this period, which made me think that you didn¡¯t accept it."


    Ding is stunned by Sun''s words instantly. She has been believing that Zhong picked up the necklace somewhere which Fang Hao gave her. That''s why she still picked it up where she had thrown it before


    After all, it''s the necklace that Fang Hao gave her. If it''s lost, there''s really nothing left between Fang Hao and her. She has always regarded this necklace as a good memory between them. But after being humiliated by Zhong with such words, she has always hated him for that.


    But now Sun Ling''er tells her that this necklace is not her original one, instead it was given by Zhong Shaoting to please her. Moreover, Zhong still has no idea about the story behind the necklace. It is like that you have been hating someone for destroying your thing. But it turns out that the person you hate didn''t destroy it, instead he only wanted to make you happy--- you just hated the wrong person.


    Ding Manman has a kind of unspeakable feeling---she has been blaming someone wrongly for this period of time and she feels a little sorry for it.


    Before she comes to herself, Sun Ling''er proceeds to say, "As for my brother¡¯s personality, I didn¡¯t expect that he would give it to you. You know, he¡¯s never given a gift to a girl. It must be the first time he had done it. Was he particularly awkward at that time, or was he too nervous to speak?" Sun''s big eyes are full of curiosity.


    When Ding Manman hears that it was the first time that Zhong had given a gift to a girl, she is shocked and comes to have an unspeakable feeling, which isn¡¯t bad. But Sun''s words remind her of what Zhong said that night after throwing her the necklace. The feeling disappears instantly.


    "He didn''t say anything. He just gave me the necklace and left." In Ding Manman¡¯s subconsciousness, she doesn''t want Sun Ling''er to hear those words concerning sex. After all, she is still very pure. Sun Ling''er gives an I-know-it-is-like-that look after hearing that.


    "As I just said, he''s such an arrogant guy. It''s amazing that he can deliver a gift to a girl successfully for the first time. You can¡¯t expect him to say any sweet words anymore." Sun Ling¡¯er shows no mercy in listing her brother¡¯s shortcomings, which makes Ding raise the corners of her mouth.


    On hearing Sun¡¯s words, Ding recalls the occasion that night. When Zhong threw the necklace to her, it seemed that he did look a little awkward. But she was too surprised at that time to  notice this.


    "Well, Sister Manman, in fact, I came to ask you for a favor today. Can you draw?" Sun Ling''er suddenly remembers something important. She jumps to Ding¡¯s side and asks curiously. Ding has no idea why Sun suddenly asks this question. She still answers it truthfully.


    "Yes, I learned painting before, but I haven''t painted for a long time. I''m afraid I am a bit out of practice." In fact, Ding Manman used to draw so well that she even once won the championship of the national competition. But when she was in relationship with Fang Hao, she heard that Fang Hao liked the girls who could play the piano, so she gave up painting and began practicing the piano. She has not touched the paint brushes for a long time and she thinks she may not know how to draw.


    But when Sun Ling¡¯er hears that Ding is able to draw, her eyes twinkle with excitement. She stares at Ding with passion, which makes Ding uneasy all over.

 C27. Sun Ling’er’s Request

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Sister Manman, could you do me a favor? Whether I will be able to see the sun next week totally relies on you!¡± Sun Ling¡¯er holds Ding Manman¡¯s arm in her hands with great tenderness and says in a tactful and exaggerated tone. In the meanwhile, she acts coquettishly, which gives Ding goose bumps in an instant.


    ¡°You have to make it clear what favor I can do for you. Don¡¯t make it sound so serious. What¡¯s the relationship between your being unable to see the sun next week and my ability to paint?¡± Ding is unable to figure out the relationship between the two. Looking at Sun like this, Ding feels that this request seems not that simple.


    ¡°It¡¯s actually not a big favor. One of my acquaintances whose paintings are of great popularity is going to hold an art exhibition recently. I don¡¯t get along well with her. When I met her a few days ago, we fell out and I told her boldly that I would present her a painting which is better and more popular than hers...¡±


    While Sun Ling¡¯er speaks, her voice gets lower and lower. She realized that she had got herself into trouble afterwards. She is not good at painting and has very few friends active in the art world, not to mention that she majored in finance while studying in the U.S., with no relation to art at all. Therefore, Sun Ling¡¯er has no choice but to seize anyone she can find for salvation as the last straw.


    ¡°Ling¡¯er, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to help you. On the one hand, I¡¯m afraid I am unable to compete with her. The one who can hold an exhibition and draw the most attention from the viewers with her works must have had a lot of training in basic skills in painting. On the other hand, you were indeed too impulsive in this incident.¡±


    Ding Manman cannot see eye to eye on what Sun has done. People shouldn¡¯t flaunt their superiority before others about what they are unable to accomplish. It is the most important thing to accomplish what they are able to.


    ¡°I also know about that, but that woman has really gone too far. She regarded herself as Vincent Van Gogh just because of a few prizes she has won for her paintings. Not to mention her arrogance, she kept degrading me by saying that without my brother, I was just an useless and unlettered woman.¡± Sun is also clear that she was too impulsive, but that woman has done far worse.


    ¡°She said in front of many celebrities that Zhong¡¯s family tainted with money-stink has no interest in arts except for profits, which really irritated me right then. Therefore, I instantly fired back at her that there are brilliant painters in my family, too. To my surprise, she said,


    ¡®Oh, really? Then bring over the paintings from the brilliant painter from your family and let us appreciate it. Next week I will hold an art exhibition in a gallery in the city center in which many famous artists will bring in their works. I believe Miss Sun will definitely come with your family¡¯s works. Make sure not to bring child¡¯s graffiti then.¡¯¡±


    Even now Sun Ling¡¯er can still remember the woman¡¯s arrogant look with her nose pointing skyward. She was so furious that she immediately said that she would bring better works than hers. She asked all her friends for help, but none turned out to be capable of drawing. She had no way out but to turn to Ding Manman.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    ¡°Why not turn to your brother? He is well-connected and must know some professional artists.¡± At Ding¡¯s words, Sun Ling¡¯er instantly shakes her heads like a drum-shaped rattle, exerting all her strength to express her reluctance to inform her brother of this matter.


    Sun rejects her suggestion with no hesitation. ¡°Rather than let my brother find out my conceited behavior, I prefer to be ridiculed by that woman and those of her so-called artists directly. My Brother hates the one most who has no competence but is fond of flaunting.¡±


    You know that being mocked by that woman she would just lose her face once, but letting her brother know what she has done, she would get into a ¡°life-threatening¡± condition. She doesn¡¯t dare to ask her brother for help, even though she can find no way out.


    ¡°All right, I¡¯ll try as much as possible. But first of all, I have to mention that I haven¡¯t painted for a long time. Thus, my works may not even reach one third of others¡¯ levels.¡± Ding Manman is quite clear that although she is interested in painting, her basic skills are not good enough to compete with those of professional painters.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay! One third is enough. It¡¯s better than nothing.¡± Sun Ling¡¯er doesn¡¯t expect too much now. She might be satisfied with just one decent painting.


    Sun Ling¡¯er takes Ding to the studio where all the necessary items for painting have been readily prepared. Ding notices an unfinished draft discarded in the corner which arouses her curiosity. She picks it up, takes a look, and falls into silence immediately .


    ¡°Haw-haw, this is a draft I tried myself. It turned out to be dissatisfying. To be exact, it is so ugly that I myself even can¡¯t bear to look at it.¡± Sun Ling¡¯er scratches her head sheepishly. Originally, she really intended to try painting on her own.


    She has seen some so-called great paintings that were auctioned for ten or even one hundred million dollars, which are just like spilled paint or child¡¯s graffiti, or nonsensical paintings in her eyes. Some of them were even regarded as milestones for the art world!


    Hence, she thought that she could also paint like that. Later, she realized that no matter how hard she painted, her paintings did look like a child¡¯s graffiti, not only ugly but also ridiculous. Ding Manman doesn¡¯t reply to her immediately. She hesitates for quite a while before she speaks.


    ¡°May I ask who has given you the courage to make such a bold offer?¡± Ding Manman doesn¡¯t deliberately degrade her painting. It is really very bad. Even a 5-year-old child who has just started learning to paint may do as well as Sun has.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s Liang Jingru¡± (a Chinese singer who has sung a song named ¡°Courage¡±.) Sun Ling¡¯er is like a stooge and takes over the words jokingly. They look at each other and cannot help bursting into laughter. Ding likes Sun¡¯s personality because Sun won¡¯t take any misfortune to heart, at least she won¡¯t mind that much.


    Picking up the paintbrushes after a long time injects new vitality into Ding¡¯s broken heart. Creation requires inspiration. Although Sun Ling¡¯er is not clear about the essence of painting, she knows that one shouldn¡¯t be disturbed for the sake of inspiration while painting. Therefore, she retreats silently from the room so that Ding will be able to concentrate.


    With no disturbance, Ding starts her creation. Since she hasn¡¯t used the paint brushes for too long, she is not satisfied with the first few paintings and goes on with  some others. It¡¯s been a long time since she got in touch with something that interests her. It¡¯s also rare that she looks so excited. She lets her inspiration sparkle out on the white canvas freely to her heart¡¯s content.


    Ding stays in the studio for a whole day until night falls. If it were not because of the sore feeling from her wounded palm, she might not want to come out. She is surprised to find that painting can change her emotions and clear the worries and concerns from her mind, while she devotes herself to painting heart and soul.


    Seldom can she do what she likes wholeheartedly. In the next few days, Ding stays in the studio the whole time except for sleeping in the bedroom. Sun Ling¡¯er guesses that if there were a bed in the studio, Sister Manman would not leave the studio at all.

 C28. I Love You!

    Seeing Ding Manman working so hard for her, Sun Ling''er is deeply moved. She thinks that even if Sister Manman''s works are not that nice, she will also have them framed and hung them in her room. She will appreciate those paintings every day like appreciating treasures. And she won''t care whether those so-called artists can understand them or not. It¡¯s enough as long as she believes they are excellent.


    Since Ding Manman started to paint in the studio, Sun Ling''er hasn¡¯t entered the room because she is afraid to disturb Ding¡¯s creation. It''s said that the painters are very strict with the creating environment and especially hate interruptions from other people, therefore she dare not approach the studio at all.


    A few days later, there is only one day left before the exhibition, but Ding is still planting in the studio. Sun Ling''er has almost given up. She has prepared for the worst----she will lose face this time, which is not a big deal for her. But as Sister Manman has not fully recovered yet, it''s not good to her health if she keeps working so hard.


    When Sun Ling¡¯er is worried about Ding, planning to go into the studio to remind her to take a rest, the door to the studio suddenly opens. Surprisingly, Ding¡¯s face is not as pale as Sun has imagined. On the contrary, she looks even radiant while walking to Sun with a painting in her hands.


    ¡°Sister Manman, your health is the most important. ¡®Man proposes, God disposes.¡¯ If you can¡¯t get an ideal painting, don¡¯t push yourself too hard. I won¡¯t care being ridiculed once more.¡± Sun Ling¡¯er says guiltily.


    Hearing Sun¡¯s words, Ding feels warm in her heart. Thinking that her recent efforts did not go in vain, Ding hands over the painting and says to Sun who is standing stunned, ¡°I didn¡¯t push myself too hard. I love painting very much anyway. But not until today have I managed to paint one I am satisfied with. Here you are.¡±


    What Ding says makes Sun pleasantly surprised as she has decided to give up, but now Ding gives her a ray of hope. Filled with joy, Sun says, ¡°Thank you, Sister Manman. I promise that no matter what you have drawn, it will be the best work in my heart. Definitely!¡± In order to convince Ding, Sun says in all sincerity and seriousness; she is almost about to hold up her hand to swear.


    But what Sun has said sounds a little strange to Ding Manman. It seems that she has prepared to see some terribly bad works. Seeing Sun¡¯s sincere expression, Ding has no choice but say to her with a smile, ¡°You can take a look first before jumping to the final conclusion. It might go beyond your expectations. I¡¯m going to take a nap.¡±


    With these words, Ding yawns and taps Sun on the shoulder before she goes upstairs. After all, in the past few days she has concentrated on producing a perfect painting; and before the work is finished, she has been too excited to fall asleep and consequently hasn''t had a good rest up to now. Since the job has been finished, she feels so sleepy that she can¡¯t even keep standing up anymore.


    Watching Ding Manman going upstairs with an exhausted body, Sun Ling¡¯er feels very sorry in her heart. It is her desire to excel over others that stirs up the trouble. It doesn''t matter if she is mocked by others on the exhibition of painting, but if Sister Manman¡¯s work on which she has spent so much energy is laughed at by those so-called artists, Sun Ling¡¯er will absolutely feel guilty.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    With some sense of guilt, Sun Ling¡¯er turns over the painting in her hands. Actually she has decided not to show her surprise no matter how terrible the painting is. The instant she sees the painting, her eyes widen with amazement.


    Standing still for a long time, Sun carefully appreciates the details of the painting. At this moment she is too excited to control her facial expressions. At last she shouts into the direction of the second floor, ¡°Sister Manman, I love you! You are my goddess!¡±


    Lying in bed, Ding Manman is about to fall asleep when she hears Sun''s shout from the first floor. With a satisfied smile on her face, Ding closes her eyes and drifts off.


    Hardly has Zhong Shaoting entered the gate when he hears Sun Ling''er''s ringing declaration of love, after which his face turns dark immediately. Then he sees his excited sister, whose loud declaration still echoes in his ears, standing in the hall with a picture in her arms.


    ¡°It seems that you are quite free recently. Since you have finished finance, how about learning something else?¡± Suddenly a low voice comes from behind, which makes Sun¡¯s body stiffen at once. Turning back like slow motion in the movies, Sun Ling¡¯er finds her brother standing by the gate with a gloomy face.


    Her excitement disappears into nowhere instantly. Like getting drenched by icy water, Sun feels cold from head to toe. Oh no! Is what she said just now heard by her brother? Looking at her brother¡¯s unfriendly eyes, Sun¡¯s heart beats get faster. It seems that he has definitely heard that. ¡°No¡­No indeed. Finance is so extensive and profound that I still need to explore it further. Brother, I¡¯ll go to study now. See you.¡±


    Sun Ling¡¯er quickly returns to her room like an arrow in fear that all her leisure time might be jammed with numerous courses.


    Only when she has calmed down does she finally realize what she has done just now. Did she happen to declare love to her future sister-in-law in face of her brother? It is such a feat of great daring if you know how terribly possessive her brother is!


    Actually Sun Ling''er has regarded Ding Manman as her future sister-in-law ever since Ding started to devote herself to helping her paint. Although this is only Sun¡¯s personal feeling, she believes that it will come true in the near future.


    Zhong Shaoting has intended to go to the study. But when passing by the studio, he catches a glance of something different. Opening the door, he is amazed by more than a dozen paintings on the easels. The paintings are rich in content and diversified in style, each of which looks so perfect and can bring different sensations to people. Although the skills of the painter are kind of immature, it won¡¯t affect the aesthetic sense of the paintings in whole.


    However, the paintings in the corner, like children''s scribble, are extraordinarily ugly in sharp contrast to the other perfect paintings in this room. If Ding Manman knew what Zhong Shaoting is thinking at this moment, she would be surprised to find that these two siblings are dramatically alike even in the way they criticize each other, which is both harsh and vicious .


    These paintings in the studio make Zhong confused as he doesn''t have the habit of drawing, and his sister Sun Ling¡¯er can¡¯t draw at all. So there is only one person who dares to draw in his villa. Looking at these delicate works, Zhong can¡¯t believe that they are created by Ding Manman.


    Not until the next day at the exhibition does Zhong Shaoting make sure that those works are really produced by Ding, as he goes to the opening ceremony of the exhibition with an important client. After encountering his sister and a series of events that happened there later, Zhong Shaoting is thoroughly amazed by Ding Manman, although she doesn¡¯t intend to.

 C29. She has No Freedom at All

    "Sister Manman, you do need to go. You know that this painting is created by you. If you don''t go, it doesn¡¯t make sense."


    Tomorrow is the date of the exhibition. Sun Ling¡¯er has thought that Ding Manman would be willing to go. However, out of her expectation, Ding refuses her invitation directly. How could Sun be satisfied with such a result?


    Ding Manman switches the channels with the remote control, utterly bored. But recently all the news on TV is either about the financial storm or the art exhibition to be held the next day.


    Due to Sun¡¯s various persuading tactics, Ding¡¯s mind gets a little wavered. But considering her situation, she lowers her eyes with a lost expression.


    "You know my situation. I¡¯ve no freedom at all." So even if she wants to go to the exhibition, it''s impossible.


    That¡¯s the reason why she refused Sun¡¯s proposal directly from the very beginning. She did it  to force herself to drop the idea forever. Although she is really into painting and the things alike, now she has no freedom at all.


    ¡°¡­¡± Sun Ling''er is momentarily lost for words. She is crystal clear about what Ding Manman has gone through. In the past, she believed her brother and tried to find excuses for him.


    After seeing Ding¡¯s sufferings, Sun feels powerless to defend her brother.


    Sun remains silent for a long while. So long that Ding thinks she has given up when Sun suddenly stands up and resolutely walks out of the room, leaving Ding in confusion.


    "Brother, I wanna have a talk with you." Sun Ling''er opens the door to the study boldly, ignoring Zhong''s displeased look and says honestly and directly.


    "Knock before entering. Even this simple manner has been forgotten?" Zhong''s sullen tone makes Sun shudder uncontrollably. But thinking of the exhibition, she gets a little more courage.


    "I didn¡¯t forget about that. But I have something urgent. Is it OK for Sister Manman to accompany me to the exhibition tomorrow?" Sun''s voice is very low but enough for Zhong to hear.


    Subconsciously, he wants to say no. But the scene of the wall-to-wall paintings in the studio that day comes to his mind, which touches him and makes him think that she must want to go herself.


    Sun Ling¡¯er thought she would hear the rejection and she is already prepared to try to convince her brother with a good argument. But while awaiting the imagined rejection from her brother, she shoots a curious look at her brother and is surprised to find him lost in a daze.


    "Brother, I think it''s not good for Sister Manman to stay at home all the time. You can also see that she is not so well recently. It''s easy for her to get depression, autism and even commit suicide if she goes on like this!"Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Zhong doesn¡¯t refuse her directly, which gives Sun a little hope. So she spares no effort to convince him. But then a look from Zhong¡¯s eyes renders her obedient instantly.


    Well, she admits that what she just said is a bit exaggerated. However, it is the last straw that she could turn to.


    The grievance on Sun¡¯s face is just like that she couldn¡¯t get her desired toy, which doesn¡¯t move Zhong at all, but it is her words that touch him.


    "What is it?" Zhong doesn¡¯t refuse directly, but he doesn¡¯t give his permission, either. Sun''s face is brightened up instantly. There is hope!


    "Tomorrow, a person I know will hold a large art exhibition. Sister Manman likes painting, so I wanna take her there. Just to relieve the boredom. OK?"


    Sun Ling''er puts on a proud expression of her being so considerate and sweet, but Zhong Shaoting doesn¡¯t think so at all.


    Although Zhong thinks what Sun has said is reasonable, the experience at the shopping mall last time makes it hard for him to believe his careless sister.


    Sun feels a little awkward when she notices her brother''s sight of distrust. After all, it hasn¡¯t been long since the last robbery accident.


    "Brother, don''t worry. I know Sister Manman is very important to you. I will never leave her side at tomorrow''s exhibition.  I will never let anything happen to her!"


    Sun Ling''er is afraid that her brother won¡¯t believe her, so she says it in a very serious tone. She almost wants to swear to him.


    "Who said she is important? If something happens to her, she deserves it." Zhong is very dissatisfied with Sun''s words. For him, Ding Manman is nothing but a sinner.  How can she be important to him?


    As for Zhong''s words, Sun silently rolls her eyes in her heart, thinking of how nervous he has been when Ding fainted several days ago.


    "She''s only a woman of no significance. You can take her out if you like. You''d better bring back a corpse." Zhong doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s on Sun''s mind. He pretends to be indifferent and the words he utters are rather vicious.


    But Sun Ling''er doesn''t care so much. What she cares is that Zhong agrees!


    "Thank you, brother. I will bring Sister Manman back safe and sound." Sun Ling''er pretends not to see his anger and leaves the study cheerfully to share the good news with Ding Manman.


    Zhong Shaoting also has some information about the exhibition mentioned by Sun Ling¡¯er.


    City H will usher in a well-known art exhibition recently, which is held by a young artist with some reputation in the world. Famous artists from all over the world will flock here.


    The news about this exhibition sweeps through the upper social class in City H, Zhong Shaoting being one of them. Although he has heard of the exhibition, he has never been very interested in it.


    But finally, Zhong still makes it to the exhibition unexpectedly  with a man from the United States beside him. Zhong¡¯s appearance is typically oriental and elegant. He looks evil yet attractive, sexy as well as noble and elegant.


    The American man next to him is as handsome as he is. He has a long and straight nose, fair skin, blonde hair and blue eyes, which are the most attractive. This man is radiating with the noble temperament of UK. His tall and straight figure dressed in elegant suit makes him exceedingly charming.


    The second they appear, they attract all people¡¯s attention. They just look like figures walking out from the paintings, which are unbelievably beautiful.


    Their appearance causes some intense sensation, but at the front of the exhibition, there is also quite a turmoil.


    "An Manrou! You are too arrogant. Why don''t you let me go to the exhibition? " Sun Ling''er angrily questions the woman standing in front of her at the gate of the exhibition.


    An Manrou is the organizer of this exhibition and also the one who challenged and laughed at Sun Ling''er before. Although her behavior seems too arrogant in Sun¡¯s eyes,  it is normal for an artist to have a bad temper in the eyes of the outsiders.

 C30. Disputes at the Art Exhibition

    Moreover, An Manrou has a very delicate face with a hint of sweetness as well as tenderness, which makes others unable to avoid giving their care and support to her. Even though Sun Ling¡¯er is also good-looking, her slightly indifferent temperament makes others have more pity for An Manrou.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t forbid you to come in. I just think that such vulgar people like you wouldn¡¯t be able to understand what these paintings mean but stare at them blankly even if you attend the exhibition.¡±


    Irony can be sensed clearly in An¡¯s remarks. However, those so-called artists by An¡¯s side nod plausibly and cast a contemptuous eye at Sun Ling¡¯er.


    Even though Sun has been educated to handle things in a prudent and steady manner from a young age, she feels it unnecessary to behave like the well-cultured in front of An Manrou.


    ¡°An Manrou, listen to me! Who ever said that I was unable to appreciate the artworks? You know, I have brought the works as we have agreed upon. And today I will show you what real art is!¡±


    Sun Ling¡¯er speaks, unconvinced. With a wave of her hand, someone brings a well packaged painting whose content is covered up by the gorgeous wrapper.


    Looking at this sealed painting, Sun Ling¡¯er feels so delighted like the cat who has got some fish stealthily. Today, she is going to make An dumbfounded with this painting.


    Unexpectedly, after seeing Sun taking out her painting, An Manrou doesn¡¯t look panicked, but smiles lightly. That group of artists, though unable to figure out why their goddess smiles, follow suit with snigger.


    ¡°An Manrou, why are you laughing?¡± Considering An¡¯s inexplicable smile, Sun Ling¡¯er frowns subconsciously, wondering what dirty tricks An is going to play.


    ¡°How can you have the effrontery to present the painting? I am very clear of your artistic talents, which are next to zero, furthermore, your brother takes no interest in painting. Hence, this painting was probably drawn by a maid working at Zhong¡¯s house.¡±


    An¡¯s words are full of contempt. At her words, those people nearby burst into laughter together, which renders Sun so irritated that her face flushes.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Just then, an old man comes over. At the sight of his appearance, all the people present immediately restrain themselves from laughing. Even An Manrou retrieves her arrogance, pretending to be obedient and kind.


    Sun Ling¡¯er knows that the old man who suddenly shows up is An¡¯s teacher. Yet, she remains calm. However, it is Ding Manman behind her who gets extremely excited.


    Actually Ding Manman never expected that she could really come to visit this exhibition. When Sun Ling¡¯ er told her that Zhong Shaoting had agreed to give her a day free at this exhibition, she was too excited to utter a word.


    The old man standing in front of her, despite his simple clothes and gray hair, is radiant with energy. His identity can be said to have a thundering effect in the arts circle.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Jens Johnson, a world-renowned artist, started painting at the age of 15 and is 60 years old now. He has created numerous famous classic paintings, which have earned him the nickname, ¡°the modern Van Gogh¡±.


    From this we can see how famous Jens Johnson is, and he is the very artist Ding Manman has always been admiring. She never expected that she could see her idol face to face. For a split second, she is speechless with surprise and excitement .


    ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong, Sir. One of my friends, unfamiliar with art, pretends to know everything about art. I can¡¯t stand it so I just addressed her a few words. While she is unconvinced and insists that her works are the real art.¡±


    An Manrou explains what happened in a few words, in which she has been discrediting Sun Ling¡¯er until Sun loses her temper right then.


    ¡°An Manrou, you had better speak cautiously. What do you mean by saying that I am not convinced? Obviously, it is you who first mocked me, saying that I didn¡¯t understand art.¡±


    We have to say that An Manrou is very good at taking advantage of the frailty of Sun¡¯s character. Knowing clearly that Sun can¡¯t stand stigmatization, she deliberately discredits her so that Sun will become the one who keeps making unreasonable troubles in others¡¯ eyes.


    Sun Ling¡¯er is so straightforward that she won¡¯t speak sweet words to please others at all. As a result, Sun is more likely to be misunderstood by others compared with An Manrou.


    As expected, Jens Johnson frowns slightly, revealing his dissatisfaction with this noisy little girl. After all, most artists have a very strict requirement of the environment. Rather than noisiness, they prefer quietness, which is favorable for their creation.


    Jens Johnson just frowns and says nothing. Although Ding Manman has no idea of An¡¯s intention, she feels uncomfortable about her words and her sarcasm towards Sun.


    After all, she has subconsciously regarded Sun as her friend. Since they are friends, she cannot let anyone bully her.


    ¡°Miss An, I cannot agree with you on this.¡± Ding Manman pulls the offended girl behind her and speaks with a solemn expression, which draws the attention from all present.


    Ding Manman looks very attractive, but she has kept silent behind Sun. Even though some people intended to strike up a conversation with her, they gave up because of the suppressing atmosphere.


    The presence of Ding Manman gives An Manrou a sense of crisis. The unknown woman easily attracts the attention she has always desired, which makes An furious. For the sake of courtesy, she listens to Ding¡¯s questioning with a smile.


    ¡°No one is born knowing everything. They have to acquire knowledge through learning. Although Miss Sun is not very familiar with art, she does quite well in some other respects, at least better than you.¡±


    Although Ding Manman performs aggressively, she is able to control her temper well. As for her strong attitude, no one feels inappropriate, instead they think her words are rather reasonable.


    ¡°What¡¯s more, even if Miss Sun is lacking in art talents, she still has the right to learn. It is a good learning opportunity for her to participate in the exhibition. But Miss An refuses to let us in on the ground that Miss Sun does not understand art. It is you who not only deprived us of an opportunity to learn arts, but also said sarcastically that we didn¡¯t know art sarcastically. What you have said and done is really refreshing!¡±


    At Ding¡¯s words, An Manrou¡¯s face becomes clouded because she notices the blame revealed in her teacher¡¯s eyes which are resting on her straightly.


    As a famous painter like Jens Johnson, countless people want to be his students, even apprentices. However, Jens Johnson has strict requirements in selecting students.


    He failed in finding a student over the last few years. An Manrou has been viewed by outsiders as his student, which makes her gain public attention and reputation.


    Even so, An Manrou is very clear of the fact---her father once did Jens Johnson a favor. In order to return the favor, Jens agreed to teach her some knowledge on artistic creation. Actually, the relationship between them is not like teacher and student .


    With an intention to get popularity, An Manrou showed off to everyone that she has become the student of Jens Johnson. Jens Johnson just overlooks this for the sake of the favor from An¡¯s father.

 C31. An Manrou’s Petty Calculation

    In this way An Manrou has made many people, even including herself, believe that she is the only student of Jens Johnson and accordingly she has gained much public attention. As time goes by, An Manrou gradually forgets who she is and becomes more and more arrogant.


    However, without Jens Johnson¡¯s reputation, which plays a decisive role, this exhibition would not have been held so smoothly. Therefore, deep in her heart, An Manrou has a feeling of awe towards Jens, as if she were a child who had done something wrong and would be caught and scolded anytime.


    ¡°An, you¡¯ve heard what this lady said. Is it true?¡± So when Jens Johnson questions her, An even doesn''t have the courage to lie, as she is afraid that the master might get angry and her real identity would be consequently exposed.


    ¡°Yeah, it is true. The only reason is that this Miss Sun¡¯s manners are so rough that I am afraid the artistic atmosphere inside might be spoiled by her. As there are many seniors who are looking forward to a careful appreciation of those wonderful works on exhibition, I had to say so.¡±


    ¡°What? How can you talk like this?¡± Even now, An Manrou still keeps throwing mud at Sun, which makes her not able to bear it anymore. She is about to go around Ding Manman to fire back at An. Her manners are rough? If An Manrou hadn''t been mocking the Zhong Family in a sarcastic tone, who would like to find troubles as if she had nothing meaningful to do?


    Before Sun¡¯s outburst, Ding stops her as she sees clearly that this is actually the very effect An wants to achieve. ¡°People will not be rough in manners for no reasons. Miss An, before slandering others, please firstly reflect on your own.¡± What Ding says is like a slap on An¡¯s face because it is she who has been aggressive and irritating and who has made Sun so irascible.


    The feeling of being slapped before the public shames An Manrou a lot. She has never had such an experience as she has been used to being surrounded and flattered by people since she was a child. An Manrou bears the grudges against Ding Manman in her mind silently.


    And then, Jens Johnson seems not able to stand by without offering help. As An Manrou¡¯s father has entrusted him with her, no matter what she has done, he can¡¯t watch her being bullied like this. He then steps forward and offers voluntarily, ¡°OK, it¡¯s all An¡¯s fault. Here I¡¯d like to apologize to you two beautiful ladies. I hope it won''t spoil your visit here.¡±


    It is a shock to everyone that Jens Johnson, a great master, can be so humble as to apologize to the younger generation on his own initiative. Hearing this, Ding Manman and Sun Ling¡¯er are at a loss concerning what to do, as they simply cannot tolerate An¡¯s behavior but didn¡¯t expect him to apologize for her. Fortunately, Ding comes to herself in time. ¡°Mr. Johnson, you don¡¯t need to take it so seriously. Actually this is just a misunderstanding between us, so please don''t bother.¡±


    Ding Manman who is temperate in advancing and retreating makes Jens Johnson very satisfied. Then, invited by him, Sun Ling¡¯er and Ding Manman walk into the exhibition cheerfully.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Just as An Manrou thinks that the whole thing is over, Sun ling¡¯er runs back to her and puts a painting in her hands with a splendid smile on the face. ¡°Well, this is the painting I promised to bring. Although I don''t know much about art, I am sure Sister Manman¡¯s artwork is much better than those of yours. If you don''t believe, you can open it and take a look.¡±


    After saying this, Sun Ling¡¯er turns and leaves gracefully without casting a glance at An Manrou¡¯s gloomy face. Actually Sun is extremely pleasant to see An Manrou getting so embarrassed. But how can An Manrou admit that her works are worse than those of a woman who comes from nowhere and makes her disgraced before the public?


    Humph! Better than hers? An Manrou is contemptuous of Sun¡¯s words. Although she is not as good as Jens Johnson, she is at least among the top list of painters in recent years. It is impossible that a layman coming from nowhere can do better than she does. Is she dreaming?


    ¡°Open it.¡± says Jens Johnson suddenly, who hasn''t left yet and sees that An Manrou is about to throw the painting away. ¡°Sir, this is just from a layman and not worth taking a look at. I am going to throw it away right now.¡± At these words, An Manrou goes to look for a trash can.


    To An¡¯s surprise, Jens Johnson snatches the painting from her hands and says seriously, ¡°An, the reason why I look after you is to keep my promise to your father since he asked me to tutor you. But you are not supposed to act in an arbitrary and reckless manner.¡±


    ¡°I see, Mr. Johnson.¡± At this moment, An Manrou even dares not to answer back. She still looks quite haughty when Jens Johnson starts to tear open the wrapping of the painting Sun gave her. But Jens Johnson is stunned the instant he sees the painting, which looks strange to An Manrou. It¡¯s just a painting by a layman, isn''t it? Is it too ugly to see?


    An Manrou hopes that she is right. But when she looks at the painting out of curiosity, she is stunned, too. ¡°Impossible! It¡¯s impossible!¡± An Manrou murmurs and tries to deny what she has seen, despite the fact shown before her. However, her denial is totally ignored by Jens Johnson who excitedly walks into the exhibition to look for Ding Manman and Sun Ling¡¯er obviously.


    An Manrou has to follow her teacher though she is not reconciled to her defeat. The onlookers all wander off into the exhibition. At this time, Zhong Shaoting and the American man, who have been standing in the crowd without being noticed, start to talk. ¡°That lady is really unique.¡± The American man says. She is not only beautiful, but also acted with ease even when facing the world-famous art master, Jens Johnson, which deeply attracts this American man.


    In fact, this man, whose name is Willis Ward, is an important client of the Zhong¡¯s Group. And the family behind him is a major channel to help the Zhong¡¯s Group open up foreign markets. Zhong Shaoting attaches much importance to this partner, so when Willis says that he is interested in the art exhibition, Zhong immediately takes him here. It is obvious that Willis is quite content with this exhibition.


    However, when Willis comments on Ding Manman favorably, Zhong Shaoting suddenly feels a little unhappy as if his possession had been coveted by someone else, but he doesn''t let his unhappiness show.


    ¡°She is a special woman indeed.¡± It is true that he didn''t know Ding Manman could be so courageous. After all, she seemed so weak and obedient before him formerly. But he has to admit that when Ding Manman takes things seriously, she looks really attractive.


    ¡°I¡¯m wondering what the painting looks like. But judging from Jens Johnson¡¯s reaction, I think it will not be as ugly as An Manrou has said. On the contrary, it must be a great surprise.¡±


    Because of the angle, they didn¡¯t see Ding Manman¡¯s painting. But after seeing Jens Johnson¡¯s facial expression, they judge that the painting must be extraordinary. Willis becomes more and more curious while Zhong Shaoting still looks calm. ¡°Just follow them if you want to take a look.¡±

 C32. An Amazing Painting

    Proofread by Zhou Zhijie


    As soon as Ding Manman enters the exhibition, she wanders around like a free butterfly in a garden full of flowers. The exhibition is laid out elegantly. Leaving An Manrou¡¯s unfriendly personality aside, her capacity in painting can¡¯t be underestimated indeed.


    "Sister Manman, in my opinion, few of these paintings are better than the one you painted." Says Sun Ling''er, finding Ding staring at those works with her shining eyes. But Sun still thinks that Ding¡¯s painting is the best.


    Sun Ling¡¯er wonders about An Manrou¡¯s facial expressions when seeing the painting --- she must be very ashamed. After all, Sister Manman¡¯s painting is the best of the best.


    For Sun¡¯s compliment, Ding just responds with a smile and proceeds to appreciate the colorful and abundant works in various styles. So does Sun Ling¡¯er.


    But Sun gives up in less than five minutes. She has to admit that she really has no talent for such profound things as art.


    Just then, Jens Johnson suddenly appears in front of them, followed by the panting An Manrou. Jens has been looking for the painter excitedly, even frantically  in the exhibition zone since he saw that painting.


    Though  a little unwilling, An Manrou cannot say anything but follows Jens to look into every corner of the exhibition zone.


    "What¡¯s up, Mr. Johnson?" Ding Manman asks politely for she finds that Jens Johnson is staring intensely at her, which renders her a kind of bewilderment and can¡¯t help wondering whether she has done something wrong.


    Jens doesn¡¯t answer her directly. Instead, he hands her the painting in his hands and asks her in a slightly excited voice.


    "Was this painted by you?" The  predominant background color of the whole painting is black.  From the infinite pitch-darkness a person in white, with enormous pain on her face, is struggling to get free. Yet her legs have been eroded by the blackness.


    A trace of despair mingles with the painful expression. Although she is desperately clear that she will be devoured by the darkness sooner or later, it can be seen from her struggle that she won¡¯t reconcile with Fate and will keep fighting in order to escape from the darkness.


    In fact, Jens has seen a lot of paintings on the similar theme, but Ding is very bold in the use of colors in this painting. A striking contrast is formed with the use of white and black, giving people a strong visual impact at first sight.


    Then a careful observation unveils even more amazing striking points of the painting--- the painful look of the struggling person in white is absolutely lifelike.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    After a long observation, viewers will even feel like they¡¯re on the scene personally. Although the painting skill still need practising, the overall colors match perfectly. As for the painting skill, practice makes perfect.


    To Jens Johnson¡¯s surprise, he feels Ding¡¯s infinite potentials from this painting. Ding is still young just like a piece of raw diamond, and with proper carving and polishing,  she will surely amaze the whole world.


    "Yes, it was. Anything needs improving?" Ding Manman says with a little embarrassment and nervousness, seeing her painting held by her idol.


    It feels like that a pupil¡¯s doodle appears in her art teacher¡¯s hand and she''s afraid that the teacher will laugh at it for her poor drawing.


    Although she thinks the painting is OK herself, she doesn¡¯t dare to be a little arrogant in front of the real master.


    She thought the painting must need some improvement, but Jens Johnson''s words stun everyone.


    "Would you like to learn from me?" Jens says directly. He is so straightforward that he totally neglects the feelings of the person who is listening.


    "Wha¡­t? To be¡­ your student?¡± It is totally beyond Ding¡¯s imagination that Jens has come for this. Well, the person standing in front of her is the world-famous painter, Jens Johnson, who has won the Queen Medal.


    Such an prestigious person said that he wants  to be her teacher. It is too much for Ding Manman for the moment. And it is out of her expectation that such a lucky thing will happen to her out of the blue.


    "Yes, I appreciate your painting very much. Although you are still green in skill, you will make great progress as long as you are carefully and properly instructed."


    People who are familiar with Jens Johnson know that he is unbelievably strict with painting and he never praises others on his own initiative. When he sees a painting he appreciates, he will only nod his head but rarely expresses his praise aloud.


    It is said that a painting once created by An Manrou won a famous international award as well as praise from many people, but it only received two simple words from Jens.


    "Not bad." Even these two words are enough for An Manrou to be complacent for a long time in front of others. However, Jens Johnson¡¯s generous praise for Ding''s painting astonishes Ding Manman as well as all the onlookers present.


    Hearing Jens Johnson¡¯s words, An Manrou who stands behind Jens turns livid with anger and clenches her fists.


    This woman is really an eyesore who has not only stolen attention which should have been paid to her but also gained Jens¡¯s favor. An Manrou¡¯s eyes become more and more malicious.


    It''s such a glory to be chosen by Jens that the people present dare not even think about it. Thinking of learning together with this unknown woman from Jens in the future, An Manrou feels quite displeased immediately.


    Wait, learn together? An idea flashes through An Manrou¡¯s mind suddenly. Looking at Ding¡¯s stupefied appearance, An puts on a smile with an obscure intention.


    Then she abruptly steps forward and  takes hold of Ding''s hand in a rather intimate way. In Sun Ling''er''s shocked stare, she says in a well-behaved way, "Although I don''t know who you are, since the master likes your painting, I will be your senior then. Let''s get along well then."


    An Manrou¡¯s genial behavior makes Sun drop her jaw. Is this the insufferably arrogant woman just now? How can she put on such a face so fast?


    Ding Manman is also stunned, but An¡¯s words wake her up. If she becomes Jens¡¯s student, it means that she will have to go study abroad. But thinking of her current situation, Ding lowers her head subconsciously.


    "I''m sorry." The sudden apology takes everyone aback, including Jens Johnson and An Manrou. An¡¯s hands on Ding Manman¡¯s freeze, together with her decent smile.


    "For what do you apologize?" Jens didn''t expect such an answer from Ding. Normally speaking, shouldn¡¯t she have said ¡°yes¡± excitedly?

 C33. Turning down Jens Johnson

    Proofread by Zhou Zhijie


    ¡°Thank you for your invitation, but I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t be your student in view of my current situation.¡± Saying this apologetically, Ding Manman takes back her hand held by An Manrou.


    ¡°If you are worried about the financial problem, please just set your heart at rest, because I will get everything ready for you,¡± says Jens Johnson graciously, thinking Ding was concerned about the paycheck. Money is never lacking for artists, especially for such a world-famous painting master like Jens Johnson.


    He is rich enough to cultivate even a hundred students like Ding Manman. However, Ding shakes her head once again, which makes Jens Johnson frown unconsciously. It¡¯s the first time that he has offered to take someone as his student anyway, but to be rejected like this doesn¡¯t make him feel good at all.


    ¡°It¡¯s a great honor for me to receive your invitation, but I¡¯m in a tricky situation beyond my control. I¡¯m really sorry.¡± Ding Manman says somehow sorrowfully.


    After all, it is her idol who has offered her an olive branch that she cannot accept. She can only see the opportunity slip away, which makes her feel terrible.


    Since Ding has expressed her attitude, Jens Johnson thinks it embarrassing to try to persuade her, no matter how regretful he feels. He still feels pity for her refusal because it is rather difficult to find someone with unlimited potentials in the art field.


    ¡°All right.¡± He shouldn¡¯t force her any more since she has declined his offer. Jens Johnson looks a little upset. Then he takes out a business card from his pocket on which he writes a series of numbers and gives it to Ding.


    ¡°Since you put it that way, I won¡¯t push you. But my words will be valid for ever.  This is my business card with my phone number on it. If you change your mind, call me anytime.¡±


    An Manrou stares at the number on that card, with jealousy in her eyes fully revealed. You know whenever she wants to see Jens Johnson, she needs to make an appointment through his assistant first.


    Jens Johnson¡¯s attitude reveals that he really appreciates Ding¡¯s talents. After an instant¡¯s hesitation, Ding eventually accepts the card. It will definitely make Jens Johnson lose face if she refuses this.


    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Johnson. If you don¡¯t mind, may I present this painting to you as a gift for our first meeting so as to express my gratitude to you?¡±


    Ding Manman is a little embarrassed while uttering these words. While Jens Johnson is very pleased and satisfied with Ding¡¯s modesty. What a pity!


    ¡°Thank you. By the way, may I have your name?¡± Jens Johnson looks at Ding with regret. He regrets that Ding Manman, so talented in arts, loses the opportunity to be cultivated.


    ¡°My name is Ding Manman.¡±The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Ding Manman, a name full of charm. I hope the next time we meet, your passion for painting is still the same as it is now.¡± Jens Johnson leaves after saying these words. He was quite occupied actually. He postponed his own affairs just to see Ding in person. Now, he can¡¯t delay any more.


    An Manrou follows Jens Johnson to leave. Yet, all of a sudden she turns back and takes a few steps to Ding.


    ¡°Ding Manman, right? I¡¯ve borne you in my mind!¡± An¡¯s words are so aggressive that they are so unpleasant for others to hear. With these words, she walks away directly.


    Ding feels somehow puzzled about An¡¯s hostility. Before she replies, Sun Ling¡¯ er has stepped forwards to fire back at her.


    ¡°No problem! Think you scared us?¡±


    Sun Ling¡¯er originally intended to persuade Ding to accept Jens Johnson¡¯s proposal. On second thoughts, she changed her mind. If her brother got to know it is with her that Sister Manman was taken away, instead of being punished ruthlessly by him she had better take her own life somewhere.


    ¡°Sister Manman, are you unhappy?¡± Looking at Ding who is down in spirits, Sun Ling¡¯er feels sorry for her. Although her brother always claims that Ding has done something malicious, she still feels that such a girl like Sister Manman must be very kind-hearted.


    Ding Manman gives no answer to her but stares at the business card in her hand with fascination. The number with an enormous magic power seems to have attracted all her attention. She is clear that Jens Johnson is able to help her solve the financial problem, but he is not able to deal with Zhong Shaoting¡¯s influence. She doesn¡¯t want to get the innocent man into trouble.


    ¡°It''s okay, I have got used to it.¡± Putting the business card away carefully, Ding Manman says in a light voice, as if she has become accustomed to this kind of situation where she never gets what she loves and desires.


    ¡°I need to use to the restroom.¡± After this incident, Ding Manman loses her interest in painting appreciation and walks towards the restroom under Sun¡¯s pitying eyes.


    ¡°That painting is really interesting. This is the first time that I¡¯ve seen such an impressive painting and that Miss Ding is really talented.¡± Willis and Zhong Shaoting  have witnessed the whole story.


    When Ding Manman departs, Willis cannot help complimenting on her painting which has evoked his intense sensations that he has never experienced before.


    Hearing the favorable comments from Willis, Zhong doesn¡¯t say a word. His eyes, as dark as gems, narrow slightly. Those who are familiar with him are very clear that it is the prelude to the explosion of his anger.


    ¡°Will you excuse me, please? I need to go to the restroom.¡± Zhong says lightly and then turns to leave. Willis, unaware of Zhong¡¯s mood, continues to appreciate the paintings on display, which turn out to be boring, now compared with Ding¡¯s.


    Ding Manman looks at her reflection in the mirror. Her face used to be wreathed with smiles. While now she finds between her eyebrows lingers the endless sadness which cannot be dispersed.


    Her big bright eyes look dull now. At present, she just looks like a puppet with no soul.


    Seeing herself like this, she feels some unspeakable feelings flooding into her mind. Fang Hao used to love pinching her soft cheeks. He would never stop until her cheeks reddened. He said he couldn¡¯t resist the temptation for she looked so lovely that way.


    Ding Manman reaches out to touch her own face, but to find that her cheeks have sunken slightly. The whole face looks much thinner and her jaw pointed. Even these changes are unable to overshadow her beauty.


    Fang Hao definitely will not adore her like this anymore, which Ding Manman cannot help but wonder. After all, Fang Hao used to be so fond of her cute and chubby face...


    ¡°Fang Hao...¡±


    Ding Manman stares at herself in the mirror, lost in thought. Suddenly the restroom door is opened and in comes a man who closes the door behind him.


    At first Ding Manman didn¡¯t pay attention to the entering person, but the sound of the door being locked catches her attention. On turning around, she is so scared that she can hardly stand stable.


    ¡°This is the lady¡¯s room...¡± Watching Zhong Shaoting approaching her step by step, Ding cannot help shouting out a warning.

 C34. Intruding into the Ladies’ Room

    Proofread by Zhou Zhijie


    ¡°I know.¡± Instead of being nervous like anyone else who intrudes into the ladies¡¯ room, Zhong Shaoting sounds very calm. If it got known by Song Chen that his boss intruded into the ladies¡¯ room just because of a woman, he would absolutely explode with astonishment.


    At this moment, Ding Manman has no idea as what to say to Zhong who is not a bit ashamed about what he has done, as she has never seen a man purposely walk into the ladies¡¯ room and take it as a matter of course.


    Actually right now Ding Manman cares more about the distance between Zhong and her as he is shortening the space step by step. Having sensed the danger released by him, she wants to escape as quickly as possible.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll leave first then.¡± Ding Manman is about to leave, but the next second her whole body is yanked back by a powerful hand and then she is face-to-face with Zhong Shaoting again. Leaning against the hand washing sink, Ding is tightly confined by Zhong who is extremely close to her. But this intimate distance only makes her feel the danger emitting from his body.


    ¡°Are you dying to escape from me?¡± Looking straight into Ding¡¯s eyes, Zhong Shaoting questions her.


    The instant he saw that painting, he did admit that it was very beautiful, even much more beautiful than those he had seen in the studio. But the content of the painting didn''t allow him to appreciate it calmly. It is quite obvious that the person in white is Ding Manman, and accordingly the endless darkness which takes up most of the space in the painting and what represents evilness and terror should symbolize him.


    This painting is exactly the portrayal of her and him in reality. When realizing this, Zhong Shaoting thought that he would not be irritated, as at the very beginning what he extremely wanted was to watch Ding Manman struggle in pain. But things went beyond his control. The idea that Ding has always been thinking about escaping from him goes wild in his mind. If Willis and Jens Johnson hadn¡¯t been standing aside, he would have probably dragged her out of the exhibition right at the moment.


    This is the maximum extent that he could hold himself for so long. But when hearing Ding Manman call Fang Hao¡¯s name in the ladies¡¯ room, Zhong thought it was great of him that he was able to control his impulse of rushing inside and strangling her to death.


    ¡°I have said that I wouldn¡¯t let go of any chance to escape from you.¡± When it comes to this question, Ding Manman is determined not to give in. No matter what she will suffer, even if she is overwhelmed by the darkness, she still won¡¯t give up the hope to run away.


    Looking at Ding who is talking to him with great resolution, Zhong feels it extremely ironic for her to be so devoted to Fang Hao. If she is really such a loyal woman, why was she that cruel to his brother?


    ¡°So what will you do after your escape? Go to meet your Fang Hao? Don¡¯t forget that you have been mine, just a loose woman. Do you think he will accept you like this?¡±


    Zhong¡¯s humiliating words are just like sharp swords piercing into Ding¡¯s heart. Actually this is the right thing that she doesn''t want to be faced with. However, in her subconsciousness, she chooses to trust Fang Hao who is the sunshine in her mind.    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°Compared with you, I know more clearly about the relationship between Fang Hao and me. He will trust me and that¡¯s the only thing I mind. Only if he trusts me, I won''t care about anything else.¡±


    Only when Fang Hao is mentioned, does Ding¡¯s voice sound very gentle. Yet this rare tenderness only triggers Zhong¡¯s desire to destroy it entirely.


    ¡°Do you know? Do you know what He needed was just a little of your trust and patience? Now that you would like to wait for Fang Hao for so long, why wouldn¡¯t you spare any patience for him? If you had treated him this harshly at the very beginning, he would not have died!¡±


    Pinching her chin tightly, Zhong feels his strength in the hand increases little by little out of rage. Although Ding looks very painful, Zhong still doesn¡¯t let her go. His brother had sacrificed so much, nearly his everything for this ungrateful and treacherous woman. It turned out at last this woman abandoned him without hesitation as soon as he was put in prison. What¡¯s worse, she is strongly attached to another man even now.


    At the thought of his brother¡¯s expression in despair, Zhong cannot control the impulse to kill in his heart anymore. His hand, pinching Ding¡¯s chin, now moves to her neck, after which the familiar feeling of suffocation comes to Ding again. Although it is not as terrifying as the first time, Ding still feels terrible. Later she feels her body dangling in the air pinched hard by Zhong, who is now out of control like a demon from the hell.


    ¡°Knock, knock.¡± Suddenly, the door is knocked by someone who probably wants to use the ladies¡¯ room as it was locked by Zhong. Thanks to the knock, Zhong finally comes to himself and he immediately lets go of Ding as the latter¡¯s face has turned blue for lack of air. With a narrow escape from death Ding can¡¯t wait to gulp into some air without caring that she is in the ladies¡¯ room. Looking at his hand which has gone out of control, Zhong frowns silently.


    ¡°Remember, what you are going through now is all that you deserve.¡±


    In a blank and dizzy state, Ding Manman doesn''t know how she leaves the ladies¡¯ room. Walking aimlessly in the exhibition, she keeps hearing again and again in her mind what Zhong has said to her. Zhong has always been saying that she killed his brother, but she can¡¯t remember anything concerning his brother. Does it have anything to do with her memory?


    When Ding is thinking about the relationship between Zhong¡¯s brother and her, she happens to bump into somebody to whom she instantly apologizes.


    ¡°Miss, are you OK?¡± From afar Willis has seen Ding Manman walking randomly in the exhibition. For no reasons, he feels kind of worried. Therefore, he comes over to Ding who accidentally bumps into his arms.


    In a clear and comforting voice, Willis expresses his concern to Ding who looks quite out of her mind. Raising her head, she feels a man¡¯s delicate face appearing in her sight. She is amazed to find such a handsome man in this world.


    In fact, she thinks that Zhong Shaoting is already extremely handsome, but after seeing this man, she has to admit that there is indeed such a person who can rival Zhong Shaoting. Ding Manman can¡¯t help looking straight into the man¡¯s blue eyes which sparkle like blue sapphires, as if she were gazing at someone extraordinarily important to her.


    ¡°Miss, are you OK?¡± Finding Ding Manman stunned still, Willis asks her again and even waves his hand in front of her eyes. He wonders what has happened to her in such a short time as she was apparently eloquent and quite at ease while talking to Jens Johnson just now.


    Willis¡¯ voice brings Ding back to her senses. She is surprised to find herself in the arms of a male stranger. What¡¯s more, she has been staring right into his eyes, the realization of which makes her feel very embarrassed.


    ¡°Excuse me. My mind was occupied by something else so I didn¡¯t see you. I¡¯m really sorry.¡± After coming back to herself, Ding apologizes immediately to the stranger and retreats from his arms. The feeling of emptiness in his arms suddenly makes Willis feel kind of lost, but he doesn''t let it show on his face, on the contrary, he gives Ding a charming smile. At that instant, Ding Manman nearly believes that she has seen an angel from the ancient Greek myth.

 C35. An Angel-like Smile

    Proofread by Zhou Zhijie


    "It''s OK. It seemed you weren¡¯t in a good spirit just now. Anything I can do for you?" Facing Ding Manman, Willis has a sense of inexplicable familiarity, as if they had met somewhere before.


    Usually Willis is a little against physical contact. He doesn''t like it, even with very intimate people.


    But when Ding ran into his arms, he didn''t push her away subconsciously, instead took the initiative to embrace her.


    This kind of thing has never happened before. Willis unconsciously casts  a few more glances at Ding, which makes her, who used to be shy, embarrassed and her face blushes.


    "I¡¯m OK. Thank you." Ding Manman says shyly and then walks away quickly. After all, it is a disgrace for her to stare at a strange man in public for so long. What¡¯s more, she has been cuddling up in his arms, which is really a humiliation.


    "Hi, Miss..." Looking at Ding Manman running away in a hurry, Willis is puzzled. Does he look horrible? Usually those girls coming across him would try to strike up a conversation with him voluntarily. But why has it changed when it comes to Ding Manman? What an interesting person!


    Zhong Shaoting standing in the corner witnessed the whole thing. Especially when he saw Ding bump into Willis'' arms, his whole body emitted something so chilling that nobody dared to approach him then.


    Ironical! A second ago she hated his touch so much and claimed her trust in Fang Hao, but the next second she went to seduce another man. What the hell did his younger brother see in this shameless woman?


    After a while, Zhong adjusts his emotions and walks slowly back to Willis. They chat on with each other as if nothing happened. During the conversation, Willis feels somehow that Zhong¡¯s tone is much sharper than before. Did anything unhappy happen to him when he went to the bathroom?


    The exhibition is open all day long. There will be an auction in the evening. Some famous artists will come up with their masterpieces for auction. The higher the price, the better the artist proves to be.


    Jens Johnson should have been seated with An Manrou in the auction. In order to support An, Jens brought several of his favorite works for auction, therefore most of the people in this auction are here for his works.


    But at the beginning of the auction, Jens Johnson, holding Ding Manman''s painting, says to An Manrou, "I''ve already contacted the man in charge of the auction. I won''t participate in it. You can go there directly. I''ll leave first." Then he leaves without turning back, which triggers the anger of An, who almost breaks her high heels to blow off steam.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    But she can say nothing about it. Jens is a typical art fanatic, and his enthusiasm for art leaves others in the dust. After his offer being declined by Ding, he has kept staring at the painting, as if studying something.


    At this time, the reason why Jens Johnson goes back in a hurry must be that he can¡¯t wait to study the painting. An can make no comment on that.


    It''s just a random painting by a layman. She doesn''t think it''s worth studying and she can¡¯t see anything extraordinary about it. But Jens Johnson keeps praising how good the colors are used and how beautiful the artistic conception is, which makes An desire to tear it up. You know, her paintings have never been praised by him!


    Fortunately, Ding Manman didn''t promise to be Jens Johnson¡¯s student. Otherwise, she will never go easy with that serpent-like woman!


    But Ding doesn''t know these at all because she has left with Sun Ling''er before the auction. Ding didn''t want to leave, but groundlessly Sun was determined to, as if she had something urgent to do.


    "What on earth is the matter?" asks Ding in doubt, looking at Sun, who has been urging the driver to hurry up. She intended to see more, but seeing Sun¡¯s anxious look, she could do nothing but follow her to leave.


    "My brother suddenly asked me to go back and said that if I didn¡¯t, he would send me to Paris to learn art." Sun Ling''er is also helpless. She has just come back from studying business management in England. What¡¯s more, she hates art the most. She would rather go back to England than study art.


    "Did you do anything to make him angry?" Hearing the name of Zhong, Ding''s expression becomes dim gradually. She is still thinking of the scene in the bathroom. But she wonders if Sun Linger has not done anything wrong, why would he suddenly send her to Paris?


    Sun shrugs her shoulders, revealing her confusion, too. His brother usually doesn''t care about her daily whereabouts. Why did he do this suddenly today, which scared her so much that she didn''t even have chance to show off to and humiliate An Manrou before she left.


    Ding Manman falls into silence. Since Sun didn''t do anything wrong, it was because of her, then? Ding thought with horror. It must be that he didn''t torture her enough in the ladies¡¯ room, so he wanted to go on torturing her when they are back at home. This thought makes Ding shiver uncontrollably. She even feels it is difficult for her to breathe. The scene in the bathroom appears clearly in front of her eyes.


    Zhong Shaoting''s hateful eyes have been imprinted deeply in her mind. Just then Sun¡¯s sudden utterance makes her jump.


    "Damn! Did my brother get to know about my bet with An Manrou?!¡± Sun Ling''er suddenly feels it is possible. Because she didn''t know what happened between Ding and her brother, she can only find this probable reason for her brother¡¯s sudden calling her back.


    "It''s not impossible. I met your brother on the way to the bathroom." Ding chimes in with her. She conceals what happened in the bathroom though. At first, neither she nor Sun expected to meet Zhong at the exhibition. If he hadn''t appeared in the bathroom suddenly, she wouldn''t even have known that he was also at the exhibition.


    "My brother went to the exhibition, too?!" Sun was shocked. Why didn''t she know about that? But she didn''t expect her brother would go to the art exhibition because she has never heard that he is interested in art. Moreover, he has been busy with the company recently and he won¡¯t waste his time on things like these .


    "I¡¯m finished. It''s one thing to be known by my brother, but it''s another story to be seen with his own eyes. My brother must be about to explode with rage because of this. What should I do, Sister Manman!" Sun is so anxious that she is about to shed tears.

 C36. Nightmare

    Proofread by Zhou Zhijie


    Since she was a child, her brother has been teaching her to behave prudently and not to do things she is not sure of coping with. Her brother said that what one did in a fit of pique would destroy something more significant.


    If her bet with An Manrou is found out by her brother, it is really possible that she might be thrown to Paris to learn dull art!


    ¡°After all, he is your brother. As long as you promise that you won¡¯t do like this next time, maybe he won¡¯t be that angry.¡±


    Seeing Sun¡¯s eyes seeking for help, Ding feels sympathetic and willing to help but powerless to do so. She does hope that things will turn out this way though, but she can¡¯t help feeling that things are not that simple.


    With a bad foreboding respectively all the way, the two girls return to the villa.


    Walking through the door, they finds Zhong Shaoting sitting in the sofa with his face clouded. They two stand at the door, noticing the fear in their respective eyes.


    Unable to handle her nervousness, Sun Ling¡¯er takes the lead to rush straight to Zhong, and confesses her mistake honestly.


    ¡°Brother, actually I didn¡¯t mean to bet with An Manrou. But she kept provoking me by discrediting our family. You know I can¡¯t stand being discredited by others.¡±


    As the old saying goes, ¡°Leniency to confessors, severity to resisters¡±. Since she has voluntarily admitted her mistake, her brother would forgive her. Sun Linger thinks to herself expectantly.


    However, it turns out that she has worried too much. Actually Zhong didn¡¯t take Sun¡¯s brashness seriously in the first place. What he cared was that Ding would take advantage of the crowded exhibition to sneak away. According to his sister¡¯s speed of reaction, she wouldn¡¯t be able to figure out Ding¡¯s disappearance until Ding had arrived home.


    ¡°Then you must know in what aspect I don¡¯t like you.¡± Zhong says indifferently and casts a glance at the door inadvertently where Ding stands, quietly uttering no sound. Only then does Zhong¡¯s face turn a little mild.


    ¡°You don¡¯t like me acting on impulse...¡± Sun Ling¡¯er says reluctantly.


    She hasn¡¯t been in conflict with anyone for a long time. An Manrou¡¯s personality is so bad that she couldn¡¯t hold her temper. Sun Ling¡¯er doesn¡¯t spit it out because she knows she would ¡°die¡± more tragically if she does so.


    ¡°Go back to your room and reflect on your errors. What¡¯s more, you will be grounded for a whole week.¡± Zhong says irrevocably. Sun Ling¡¯er, who has done something wrong, obediently goes back to her room to introspect.


    Seeing Sun leaving for her room, Ding in the corner intends to follow suit.


    But noticing Zhong¡¯s somber expression, she halts her steps. Now only Zhong and Ding are left in the living room.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    After a long while, Ding has already felt sore in her feet but dare not speak.


    She is afraid that her words may provoke the guy with a volatile temper, who will vent his anger by pinching her throat if he¡¯s unhappy.


    After a while, when Ding thinks that Zhong has fallen asleep, he suddenly stands up. Ding, originally a bit sleepy, spices up her brain instantly and looks at him in a horrified look.


    ¡°Restrain your libertine nature, otherwise next time I won¡¯t mind suffocating you directly, which can be regarded as revenge for my brother.¡± Zhong says coldly.


    Zhong¡¯s murderous words make Ding shiver. Ding doesn¡¯t know what he means and she supposes that Zhong still cares about their talk in the ladies¡¯ room. Now she is afraid that he will go crazy and abuse her again...


    She is guessing that she is doomed to be tortured once again, but beyond her expectation, Zhong walks directly back to his bedroom. Ding feels overjoyed to have been freed from the disaster. It seems that it is Sun¡¯s affairs instead of hers that have caused him to be in a such bad mood.


    With a sigh of relief, Ding runs back to her room immediately and locks the room from inside, which may make her feel somehow protected and secure, though she herself knows that it makes no difference. Back in her room, Ding finds her back wet with cold sweat.


    As a girl who is sensitive to cleanness, she feels uncomfortably damp with sweat on her back. Therefore, she runs into the bathroom for a shower.


    After showering, Ding leaves the bathroom and looks at herself in the mirror. Finding a noticeable red mark around her neck, she reaches out and touches it slightly, which causes a burning pain.


    It must have been caused by Zhong in the ladies¡¯ room. The red mark, unpleasant to her eyes, makes her feel quite upset. Ding gets directly into bed regardless of her wet hair. Looking up at the night sky through the window, the thought, which haunted her mind for numerous times, pops up again.


    When will such days come to an end? If the situation continues like this, she is afraid she will surely get crazy. She really hopes that when she wakes up the next morning, her Mom and Dad would have found out about her and would come to her rescue with a group of helpers, though the hope is dim.


    When she is thinking of her parents, tears drip down Ding¡¯s cheeks uncontrollably. She wonders how her parents are doing. How worried they should be when finding her disappearance! How sad they will feel when getting to know that she has been defiled by Zhong Shaoting...


    Ding Manman doesn¡¯t know what she imagines will happen soon, much sooner than she is expecting. But at present she is just overwhelmed with fear and worry.


    With fear and worry mingled together, Ding realizes how homesick she is.


    Homesickness goes hand in hand with tears bursting out and dampening half of the pillow. In the end, Ding becomes so exhausted from crying that she falls into a sleep in which she has a dream, a wonderful dream.


    In the dream, she is having the wedding ceremony with Fang Hao as expected. After the priest reads out the wedding vows, she clearly hears Fang Hao utter gently ¡°I Do¡± which she has been long dreaming of. Finally, in the presence of their relatives, Fang Hao and she are about to exchange the wedding rings when the lobby door suddenly bursts open.


    A group of men dressed in black rush in and drag her from Fang Hao. She struggles desperately, yet unable to free herself. She screams and asks Fang Hao to save her.


    However, Fang Hao, who used to be very gentle to her, looks at her indifferently and says to her coldly.


    ¡°You¡¯re already defiled. You make me feel sick now.¡± With those words, he throws away the diamond ring that is supposed to be put on her finger and goes away without looking back. No matter how hard she cries, he just allows those men in black to drag her away. Just then, Fang Hao¡¯s mother comes up and looks at her scornfully.


    ¡°Did you hear that? My son doesn¡¯t want you any more. Don¡¯t you know what kind of person you are? You¡¯re a woman who has been defiled by unknown men and not qualified to step into the threshold of Fang¡¯s house. I will find a pure girl who matches my boy Fang Hao for marriage. You get out of here quickly!¡±

 C37. Found by Parents

    Proofread by  Zhou Zhijie


    The words are so bitterly sarcastic that Ding Manman can only cry in despair. Although she wants to talk back, she can''t open her mouth as if it were sealed.


    Then a pair of shiny black leather shoes appears before her. Raising her head, Ding finds Zhong Shaoting''s devil-like face. A strange sense of suffocation and intense fear build up within her chest, which almost chokes her.


    ¡°Why do you treat me like this¡­?¡± Actually this is the question she has asked many times.  Everything would have been very beautiful in her life if she and Fang Hao had got married and been happily together. But Zhong Shaoting has ruined it all!


    ¡°Because it''s all your fault and you should pay for it!¡± This is like a curse that keeps echoing in Ding''s mind, though she didn''t do anything wrong at all. No matter how she explains, Zhong Shaoting still treats her cruelly as if he did not hear anything she says.


    Then the scenes get messed up. Zhong Shaoting''s cruel smile, his taking her by force, Fang Hao''s disappointed expression as well as his mother¡¯s angry abuses, all get mingled up together. All kinds of emotions build up rapidly until they finally explode within her, after which Ding is waken up with a start from her dreadful dream.


    Ding can''t remember how many times she has had such a dream. Being absent-minded, she stares at the ceiling in a daze, ignoring the servant who asks her to go for breakfast. However, Ding has no idea that she has caused a sensation in the outside world while she feels lost in the villa.


    Today''s major networks have all been covered with the news reports of yesterday''s art exhibition held by An Manrou, in which the news that Ding Manman turned down Jens Johnson''s invitation is frantically highlighted.


    Many people who have read the news express their pity on her refusal of such a precious opportunity. Ding Manman was a person unknown to the public, but with this piece of news she hits the headlines of all the major microblogs and websites. Although no one knows who she is, thanks to the reputation of Jens Johnson, it won¡¯t be long before everything about Ding Manman is found out with the thorough research and investigation of the paparazzi.


    If Ding turns on the TV, she will easily find herself on the screen, which is beyond her expectation. But these two days, she has been in such bad spirits that she just sits or lies in a trance absentmindedly, without even a mood to turn on the TV. On the other side, although Sun Ling''er has already seen the report, she was banned by Zhong from approaching Ding , in which case she can only restrain the impulse to gossip.


    Two days after the news spread all over the country and even abroad, Ding still knows nothing about what has happened. Only until the third day when a couple of guests come to Zhong''s villa does Ding finally get to know to such an extent that things have developed.


    ¡°Dad? Mom?¡± Ding Manman calls in disbelief. As she can¡¯t believe what she sees, she rubs her eyes subconsciously for fear that what she sees is just an illusion. Only when her eyes get red after being rubbed hard does she really believe that the two middle-aged couple sitting in the sofa in the living room are indeed her parents!Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    "My dear daughter, why didn¡¯t you give mom a message after such a long disappearance? You almost scared me and your dad to death!¡± Ding Manman¡¯s mother rises and embraces Ding Manman gently in a voice full of common parents'' worries. After seeing his daughter, Ding''s father also looks much more relieved.


    Ding Manman is stunned by his mother''s sudden hug. Although she feels a little strange, in her mother''s arms, Ding, who has been in a state of anxiety, feels much more relaxed now.


    ¡°Dad, mom, I¡¯m sorry to have worried you.¡± Ding Manman has thought about a lot of bad endings for herself, say, she would be confined here for years until she dies of old age, or she would be tortured to death by Zhong, who is totally insane. But she has never expected to see her parents so quickly! The feeling of ecstasy makes Ding Manman choke with sobs. The arrival of her parents means that she has got the hope to escape from Zhong Shaoting, in which case she certainly can¡¯t restrain her happiness.


    But right now Ding¡¯s father doesn''t have much time to enjoy the reunion with his daughter; instead he has been focusing his attention on Zhong Shaoting ever since he came into this villa. At the thought that this man in front of him is the President of the famous Zhong¡¯s Group, Ding¡¯s father can''t help but be in an agitated state. Despite his attempt to suppress the fury in his heart, Ding¡¯s father still looks very angry.


    "Mr. Zhong, although there were a few conflicts between the Ding Family the Zhong¡¯s Group, you could come directly to me if you were discontented. Manman is our beloved daughter. You kidnapped her and have imprisoned her for such a long time, which could already be regarded as a criminal offense. Now I hope you can give us a reasonable explanation.¡±


    Ding¡¯s father, who looks quite dignified, gives her some courage as well. But what her father said astonishes her: why didn''t she know that there were conflicts between the two families? Recently Zhong has been saying that she should pay with her life. This is real then? Did her family really do something bad to the Zhong Family and owes them an apology?


    All kinds of guesses almost drive Ding Manman to the edge of mental breakdown. She is now experiencing the complex feelings which are hard to explain. It¡¯s just like that she has been hating a person for ¡°having wronged¡± her from the very beginning, but suddenly finds out that the person is finally proved to be right as she has really done something terrible to him.


    ¡°It¡¯s OK, Manman. Dad and mum are here to take you back home. Don''t worry." Thinking that her daughter is still worried, Ding¡¯s mother speaks gently to comfort her. But Ding Manman, who is immersed in a brainstorm, doesn''t notice what her mother is saying. She just considers what wrong she has done to the Zhong Family.


    And Zhong Shaoting, who has been watching the reunion of this family coldly, feels it really ironic. If he didn¡¯t try to suppress the impulse to kill, today the floor would have already been splashed with blood.


    ¡°A few conflicts? To be exact, the conflicts are not just ¡®a few¡¯. If I really want to look into it further, I am afraid that your family would have already disappeared from the earth.¡± Despite Zhong''s light tone, his words are heavily pressed on the three listeners'' hearts, making them nearly suffocate.


    No one will doubt what Zhong has said, because he has the ability to turn it into reality. But Ding¡¯s father, who is still in his senses, estimates that Zhong won''t go out of line too much. It has been some many years since Zhong raised into power and fame. If he really wanted to do something with the Ding family, it should have already vanished from the earth for long.


    The atmosphere becomes somber in a moment. Hoping to ease it, Ding¡¯s mother walks up to Zhongbring, pulls her daughter with her and says, ¡°Let bygones be bygones. I believe that President Zhong is generous enough to forgive us. After all, it was not all our fault.¡±


    Ding¡¯s mother thinks her words will ease the atmosphere, instead on hearing her words Zhong shoots his eyes straight at her like a demon, which makes her, a middle-aged woman, too scared to take a breath.


    How can the eyes of a human be so terrifying! In a second Ding¡¯s mother feels herself in the hell and she can''t help but keep trembling after regaining her consciousness.

 C38. Zhong Shaoting’s Hatred

    Proofread by Zhou Zhijie


    "Leave the past in the past? Then when your daughter was missing, just let her be. Anyway, she will die sooner or later. Don''t bear her in your mind when she was gone!"


    Then Zhong casts his relentless eyes on Ding Manman, as if he were looking at a corpse.


    His words make everyone in the room take a deep breath. Ding¡¯s father glares at his wife, scolding her in his mind, ¡°Idiot! Why did you touch his soft spot? I will surely be ruined by you.¡±


    Finally, Zhong allows Ding Manman and her parents to leave. Now Ding, standing outside the villa gate, with her parents standing nearby, is breathing fresh air freely.


    All of these give her a kind of surreal feeling. She has never expected that she will regain her freedom in such a simple way. After all, Zhong Shaoting''s bloodthirsty eyes that she saw in the villa just now are still lingering in her mind.


    She thought she could never leave the villa. Unexpectedly, Zhong Shaoting restored to himself to his original temper. He behaves as elegantly and leisurely as a king, approving of their leaving mercifully.


    This should have been a cheerful thing, but Ding keeps having a sense of insecurity, especially when she was pulled to leave by her mother.


    Zhong Shaoting remains in his original seat, holding a glass of red wine handed by the servant. The dark red liquid twirls around in the goblet, showing a weird red in the light from the floor lamp.


    Seeing Zhong''s must-win expression through the goblet, Ding comes to have an ominous feeling that her leaving now doesn''t mean she has really regained her freedom.


    "Dad, did our family really offend the Zhong Family before?" Ding Manman can''t help asking for the fact.


    The hand of Ding''s father suddenly freezes on the handle of the car door. And Ding''s mother also seems to be in a dilemma, which makes Ding confirm that some things she doesn''t know have happened between her family and Zhong Shaoting¡¯s family.


    "As a girl, what¡¯s the point of knowing so much? Get in the car quickly. I haven''t questioned you about your disappearance yet!" Ding''s father turns rather grumpy. Ding Manman can only seal up her mouth and get into the car obediently.


    When she leaves, Ding doesn¡¯t take a second look at the villa. If she can, she doesn¡¯t want to have anything to do with Zhong Shaoting and the villa in the rest of her life.


    When Ding gets in and leaves in the car, Zhong is standing in front of the French window on the second floor. Seeing the car disappear in the distance, he looks  very complicated.


    Just then, Gu Shaoling appears quietly beside him, and he just sees Ding''s car disappear from their sight.


    "I didn''t expect that you could bear it. I thought you would be unable to help killing them when you saw her parents." Gu Shaoling says with interest.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    He is quite clear about what the Ding Family has done to the Zhong family. If he were Zhong Shaoting, the Ding family wouldn''t be able to leave here alive. Unexpectedly, Zhong can bear it to such an extent.


    "Death is comparatively too easy for them. I want them to live in a living hell." The cold words make people shudder, but Gu Shaoling raises his eyebrows in excitement.


    "I underestimated you. Speaking like this, you must have been prepared then. I''m really looking forward to it now. The future life of the Ding Family must be very ¡®wonderful¡¯."


    Different from Zhong¡¯s temperament, if someone really dares to do something wrong to him, Gu Shaoling will just end his life with a shot of his pistol with no more words. But it''s obvious that the Ding family owes the Zhong family too much to be repaid by a few bullets.


    Zhong doesn¡¯t reply to Gu. Instead a cruel smile crawls onto his face, which is reflected on the window glass.


    The Ding Family, are you ready to face his revenge?


    "By the way, Ding Manman, that woman''s name is Ding Manman, right?" Gu Shaoling suddenly mentions it and his words catch Zhong¡¯s eyes.


    "That woman, what are you going to do with her? I know, not only your sister but also this woman was in the mall that day. This is too much of a coincidence."


    Gu Shaoling scans Zhong with his inquisitive eyes. That day, he left as soon as his team broke into the shopping mall, killed some robbers and subdued the rest.


    But he still spotted Sun Ling''er in a hurried glance, for he knew her as Zhong Shaoting¡¯s sister.


    Gu Shaoling has a photographic memory. Therefore, when he caught a glimpse of another beautiful woman standing beside Sun Ling¡¯er, he bore her in his mind, although he has no interest in women.


    Today, when he came to have a business talk with Zhong, he finally saw the daughter of the Ding family, who was right the woman in the mall.


    This woman has been within Zhong''s territory for so long. Generally, even if any of her arms or legs were not missing, she should have been covered in bruises.


    But today, apart from her pale face, she still looks good. It''s not Zhong¡¯s style.


    "She still has some value in use. I can''t hurt her for the time being." Zhong just leaves such a sentence behind and turns and leaves.


    Gu Shaoling displays a charming smile, like an evil fox who has succeeded in stealing some meat. He doesn''t see eye to eye with Zhong¡¯s words.


    Ding Manman has no idea of it at all. She is dragged into the study room by his father before she takes a good rest. Her mother stands by and looks unhappy, either.


    "What¡¯s wrong with you? Why didn¡¯t you marry Fang Hao who has such a good family background, but got involved with Zhong Shaoting, such a fiend? What the hell are you thinking about?"


    Ding''s father begins to scold Ding with no other comments. His attitude is totally different from that he showed in the villa. Before Ding answers, her mother can¡¯t restrain her blaming words, either.


    "Absolutely! Your mother-in-law told me several times that you had run away with another unknown man and had slept with him. I didn''t believe it at first, but she showed me the video. I was so humiliated! "


    When Ding¡¯s mother was conditioning her face skin in a beauty salon, Fang¡¯s mother rushed in like a female tiger for several times, shouting publicly that Ding Manman had had an affair with some unknown man, which made her so angry. She feels so disgraceful that she has never been to that beauty salon again since then.


    "Dad and mom, listen to me. I was kidnapped by him. All the things were against my wills. I didn''t disappear at the wedding ceremony on purpose."


    Ding Manman says while sobbing. Now everyone thinks that she and Zhong have been together. But the fact is that she was forced. She was even imprisoned by him for several months. Why does nobody believe her?


    The sad appearance of their daughter arouses some pity. But Zhong Shaoting''s video has produced an extremely great effect. Even though they believe their daughter, it makes no difference.


    However, when Ding¡¯s father sees her unceasing crying, he bursts into anger.


    "Crying! What¡¯s the use for crying? He has even got a video tape for the scene. How can you still prove that you were forced?! If you had married Fang Hao, nothing would have happened. Now just because of you, our company is on the verge of bankruptcy!"

 C39. Leaving Zhong Shaoting

    Proofread by Zhou Zhijie


    The angry words uttered by Ding¡¯s father strike Ding¡¯s ears like a thunder. Before being overwhelmed with misery, she is shocked by the following words.


    ¡°Dad, what did you say? What on earth has happened to our company?¡± She is astonished by the news. Before her kidnapping, the company of her family was running quite well.


    Especially since she was engaged to Fang Hao, the Fang¡¯s company has gradually begun to cooperate with the Ding¡¯s company. How could the Ding¡¯s company with a good development prospect suddenly go out of business?


    At this time, Ding¡¯s dad was too angry to reply to her daughter. Ding¡¯s mother aside can¡¯t restrain herself anymore and starts complaining.


    ¡°Recently due to the financial crisis, many companies are unable to survive, and countless companies have gone bankrupt.¡±


    Ding Manman heard news like this a few days ago, but the company of her family shouldn¡¯t have been impacted.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t our company cooperate with the Fang¡¯s Group before? Being backed by the Fang¡¯s Group, even if the company suffered a great loss, it wouldn¡¯t go bankrupt.¡±


    Ding Manman can¡¯t figure out this. The Group that Fang Hao¡¯s father is in charge of, though unable to compete with Zhong¡¯s Group, still has the ability to support Ding¡¯s company.


    ¡°How dare you say this? Owing to your escape from the wedding and your affair with Zhong Shaoting, the Fang¡¯s group has withdrawn all cooperative projects with our company. The other partners have also withdrawn their capital in order to save themselves. In such a situation, how can the company survive?¡±


    While Mrs. Ding says so, she is unable to hold back her tears. These days, she was quite obsessed with the company¡¯s trouble. However, the Fang Group was extremely resolute. No matter how they begged for help, they refused to lend them a hand.


    All these were incurred by Ding Manman. If she hadn¡¯t been imprisoned by Zhong Shaoting in the past days, Ding¡¯s father would have slapped her and forced her to apologize to the Fang¡¯s.


    ¡°It¡¯s impossible. Fang Hao won¡¯t do this. He won¡¯t do this...¡± Ding Manman cannot help denying it. Even though Fang Hao didn¡¯t believe her, he wouldn¡¯t be so hardhearted in terms of their being in love for so many years.


    ¡°Hum, you dare to stay with another man, why can¡¯t the Fangs stand by?¡± Ding¡¯s father, angry at Ding¡¯s continuous denial, says indignantly .


    ¡°Now, you must go to Fang¡¯s home immediately to apologize to them in whatever ways you can, even kneeling down to persuade them to support our company. If you fail, don¡¯t come back then.¡±


    Ding¡¯s father says resolutely. Ding¡¯s mother aside doesn¡¯t say anything to stop him. She even believes that this problem is supposed to be solved by Ding Manman.


    They have never thought for Ding Manman. Even though she is their daughter, they do not believe her, to make the matter worse, they even blamed her because of a few words from others.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Ding Manman has been accustomed to the wat her parents treat her. Now what makes her unable to believe is the decision made by the Fang¡¯s. Instead of thinking about it much, it¡¯ll be better to ask Fang Hao personally at the Fang¡¯s.


    As soon as this occurs to her, Ding Manman starts to ready herself for going out. Seeing her actions, Mr. Ding turns mild. If she remains to be unrepentant, he may sever the relationship with his daughter!


    At the gate of the Fang¡¯s. Fang Hao is summoned back to the house from his own apartment by his mother¡¯s series of continual calls.


    Considering that he hasn¡¯t been back home for a long time and his parents must be worried, he decides to go back to reassure his parents. As soon as he enters the house, he sees the last person he wants to see.


    ¡°Fang Hao, how silly of you to stand at the door! Come over and I¡¯ll introduce someone to you. This is An Ya. Thanks to An Ya today, otherwise you may never see your mother again.¡±


    Fang¡¯s mother says with a smiling face, not like a person who has just gone through an accident at all. Her eyes that fix on An Ya are full of amiability.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Fang Hao stares at An Ya who is sitting beside his mother tamely, with his eyebrows frowning tightly. Since she left the bar that day, she hasn¡¯t showed up. He thought she had abandoned her improper and troublesome thoughts. But he didn¡¯t expect that she fails to restrain herself and turns up finally.


    Before An Ya responds, Fang¡¯s words catch his mother¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Fang Hao, do you know An Ya?¡± Noticing her son¡¯s apparently changed expressions, in addition to An Ya¡¯s hesitant look, she roughly knows what¡¯s the relationship like between them.


    ¡°Auntie, Fang Hao and I graduated from the same school, but we hardly know each other. We are just alumni from the same school. Fang Hao was so outstanding in the school that quite few people didn¡¯t know him.¡±


    An Ya says in a gentle voice. What she said not only distances her from Fang Hao in case of being suspected by Fang¡¯s mother, but also offers some compliments to Fang Hao.


    Fang Hao is actually his mother¡¯s biggest pride. Hearing someone¡¯s compliment, she is overjoyed and feels more satisfied with this girl.


    Fang Hao doesn¡¯t bother to expose her lies and he wants to see what tricks she is playing.


    ¡°You are alumni from the same school! That can be regarded as a kind of connection between you two. It seems that, An Ya, you are predestined to have some relationship with our family.¡± Mrs. Fang is grinning from ear to ear, which really puzzles Fang Hao.


    Then, Fang¡¯s mother tells him about what happened in the day. She went shopping in the mall. After shopping, she walked out of the mall, only to find that her driver had parked the car across the street. She called the driver, but his phone was dead.


    Fang¡¯s mother had no way but to walk across the street. Suddenly a car rushed out regardless of the red lights.


    Being no longer young, she was unable to move quickly. In the split second she was almost hit by the car, and it was An Ya who pulled her out of danger.


    Therefore, An Ya is now a life-saving benefactor in Mrs. Fang¡¯s eyes. In addition, An¡¯s graceful and decent behavior reveals that she is from a wealthy family, which makes Mrs. Fang more satisfied and thus she brought An home.


    ¡°Why did the driver go to the opposite side of the street?¡± After hearing the incident, Fang Hao also feels fearful, and a little grateful to An Ya as well. But he noticed the weird part of the incident: why did the driver go to the opposite side of the street?


    ¡°I asked him the same question. He said that he suddenly wanted to smoke and found himself running out of cigarettes. Considering that I had not finished shopping, he just drove to the convenience store on the opposite side to buy cigarettes. Rest assured, I have fired that irresponsible driver. Things like this won¡¯t happen again.¡±


    When mentioning the driver, Fang¡¯s Mother grits her teeth. If it were not for An Ya who turned up in time, she might have already been in another world being separated her family now. Thus, she feels fortunate to meet An Ya and becomes more affectionate towards her.


    ¡°Anyway, I still have to thank An Ya. If you had not saved me in time, I might have lost my life. I really don¡¯t know how to repay you.¡± Holding An¡¯s hands kindly, Mrs. Fang says, with her eyes fixing on Fang Hao, conveying her intention clearly.

 C40. What If I Want You to Be My Boyfriend?

    Proofread by Zhou Zhijie


    Standing aside, Fang Hao doesn''t feel good, especially when his mother looks at him in that way, which makes him feel more and more uncomfortable. He speaks voluntarily, "An Ya, come out with me."


    With these words, Fang Hao goes outside. Though rather complacent inside, An Ya still behaves politely on the surface. She excuses herself from Mrs. Fang and follows him out of the house.


    ¡°Is it real that you saved my mother?¡±


    Standing at the gate of the Fangs, Fang Hao asks An Ya directly, not because he doesn¡¯t trust others, but because this person is An Ya, of whom he has to be more suspicious.


    ¡°Perhaps you don¡¯t believe me, but many other people witnessed the accident. Even though I can cheat you, I couldn¡¯t cheat the majority of the people on the scene.¡±


    Slightly lowering her head, An Ya sounds a little aggrieved like a little wife who has been wronged, which makes Fang Hao kind of ill at ease.


    Reflecting on what he said to An Ya just now, Fang admits that he was indeed a little too suspicious. An Ya has shown up a little more frequently before him recently, which has aroused his suspicion.


    ¡°Sorry, I was a little too suspicious.¡± Realizing his mistake, Fang Hao apologizes frankly. ¡°Thank you for saving my mother. Fang family owes you a favor. If you have any request, please tell us and we will try our best to fulfill it.¡±


    Hearing Fang Hao''s words, An Ya raises her head slowly, her eyes sparkling with tears. For an instant, Fang Hao honestly feels that An Ya looks fairly pretty, provided that she is still innocent.


    ¡°Any request, it that real?¡± A voice full of anticipation and An Ya¡¯s shining eyes greatly cater to Fang Hao''s male pride and he agrees without hesitation.


    ¡°Yes, anything, if it were not against law or morality.¡± Fang Hao promises An Ya with overconfidence. But he doesn¡¯t remember that this woman, standing in front of him, once tried to steal her best friend¡¯s boyfriend when she was in college. As it¡¯s hard to change one¡¯s nature, what An Ya says next makes Fang Hao stunned.


    ¡°Then¡­ what if I want you to be my boyfriend?¡± An Ya sounds very careful lest she might irritate Fang Hao, making the latter hesitant to turn her down. After all, he slept with her one month ago without a conscious mind and just now she saved his mother.


    Fang Hao doesn''t want to hurt her with a brutal refusal. ¡°I am sorry, I¡­¡± When Fang Hao is trying to turn down her request in a mild way, An Ya, who keeps being meek, interrupts him suddenly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t speak it out. I understand. At least let me keep some fantasy. Don¡¯t speak it out¡­¡± The way An Ya repeats her words sounds very pitiable and heart-broken. After seeing this, nobody can not spare their sympathy, including Fang Hao, who finally decides to swallow his words.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back. Auntie would get worried. I will go to get my handbag and leave.¡± An Ya gives Fang Hao a smile as if nothing had happened between them, but Fang Hao is sure that he sees sorrow in her eyes, which makes him feel guiltier.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    Before he finds something to say, An Ya has turned and entered the gate. Fang Hao has no choice but to go back into the house after her.


    ¡°Auntie, I¡¯m afraid I have to go for some errands. You must still be in a state of shock. Make sure to have a good rest. I¡¯ll see you later.¡± An Ya considerately shows her concern, which greatly pleases Mrs. Fang who looks at her with increasing fondness and tries to persuade her to stay with her for a longer time.


    ¡°Please stay a little longer. It¡¯s almost lunch time and I have arranged the servants to prepare meal for us. I won¡¯t let you go until you¡¯ve finished lunch.¡± Seeing his mother urging An Ya to stay hospitably, Fang Hao, entering the house later, slightly compresses his lips but says nothing.


    ¡°Thank you, Auntie. But I¡¯ve bothered you for so long.¡± With an appropriate and decent manner, An Ya takes herself as an out-group from the Fang¡¯s, which makes her image better in the heart of Mrs. Fang, who becomes more enthusiastic in keeping An for lunch. She even keeps winking at her son to make him say something.


    Fang Hao knows what his mother is thinking about. In the past, he would walk away directly, but due to today¡¯s special situation, he has no option but to suit his mother¡¯s intention.


    ¡°You may leave after lunch.¡± Fang Hao sounds a little harsh but his mother already feels satisfied and looks at An Ya with anticipation. An Ya is not surprised at Fang Hao¡¯s offer. Suppressing the delight in her heart, she firstly pretends to be shy but finally, at the warm invitation of Mrs. Fang, she sits down reluctantly.


    Achieving her aim, Mrs. Fang puts on a big smile. Telling An Ya that she¡¯s going to get her some snacks from the kitchen, Mrs. Fang asks her son to go with her as well.


    ¡°Mom, what are you doing this for?¡± Fang Hao¡¯s eyebrows are knitted tightly as he extremely hates his mother doing things this way. His mother is rather upset for her son¡¯s attitude.


    ¡°What else am I looking forward to except for your marriage? I have got some information about this girl, An Ya. She is still single and her family runs a construction company, which enjoys enough fame and prestige. So you two match perfectly.¡±


    What Mrs. Fang values most in her son¡¯s marriage is the equal status of the two families. The reason why she opposed her son¡¯s marriage to Ding Manman is that the Dings only own a small company while the Fangs run a big group, in which case Ding¡¯s family can¡¯t bring them any benefits, instead her family will demand the support from theirs. She is sure that the Dings are bound to take an advantage of their relationship later, so she strongly objects to their marriage.


    Hence, when getting to know about An¡¯s family background which is much better than the Dings¡¯, Mrs. Fang feels it a better match.


    ¡°Mom, Manman is still missing and I¡¯m not in the mood for this. Just forget about it.¡± Fang Hao complains with impatience.


    He will not be at ease until Manman is found. How can he date another girl under such circumstances? No matter what happened, he still hopes Manman would turn up and give him an explanation.


    But Mrs. Fang extremely hates Ding Manman, a shameless woman her son should have already forgotten about after such a long time. To her surprise, however, he is still so persistent.


    ¡°Don''t mention that shameless woman!¡± She will fly into a rage every time she hears the name of Ding Manman. She has always believed that her son is so excellent that girls will line up, expecting to marry him. Ding Manman, who should have cherished her fortune to marry Fang Hao, brought everybody a shock on the wedding day by eloping with another man! Whenever this matter is mentioned, she will be outraged.


    ¡°I won¡¯t mind what you have done these days. Now you must listen to me. Try to win over An Ya¡¯s heart, otherwise I will arrange you other blind dates. You may choose yourself!¡± Mrs. Fang, looking very annoyed but resolute, walks away with a box of cookies, leaving Fang Hao in his distress.


    Although he doesn''t want to choose either of them, Fang Hao knows clearly of his mother¡¯s temper. If he keeps being disobedient, she may really fall ill because of anger.