Tang Ze's heart harbored not even the faintest shred of mercy. His hands rested on those smooth, slender legs, his voice commanding as he said, "Look at me."
When Ye Qingyi failed to respond, Tang Ze spoke again, his tone chillingly indifferent. "I don't repeat myself."
Her tear-swollen eyes, red-rimmed and glistening, slowly lifted to meet his gaze. Tang Ze noticed that beneath their glassy surface lurked defiance—and hatred.
Suddenly, a familiar ringtone shattered the silence—a voice call.
Sun Ting picked up Ye Qingyi's phone, glancing at the screen before smirking. "It's your fiancé calling."
Those words alone sent Ye Qingyi into a frenzy. "Don't answer it!" she pleaded, panic rising in her voice.
"How can I not? Your fiancé is worried sick about you. I'll answer for you, and you can explain yourself," Sun Ting said coolly. Before Ye Qingyi could stop her, the call was answered, and her fiancé's face appeared on the screen.
The concerned voice of Jiang Zihui immediately filled the room. "Yiyi, why haven't you replied to my messages? I thought something terrible had happened to you. I've been so worried. Why are you crying? Is everything alright?"
Hearing her fiancé's anxious tone, a surge of guilt and unease washed over Ye Qingyi.
"It's nothing. I'm just… scared," Ye Qingyi forced herself to choke back her tears, plastering a sincere smile across her face to reassure him.
Jiang Zihui's heart ached. As a man, he felt powerless to protect his beloved fiancée. "I'm sorry. I hate myself for being unable to bring you here, for letting you live in fear every day."
Ye Qingyi's expression remained flawless, her voice soft and soothing. "Silly, don't blame yourself. We'll be fine."
"Okay, don't cry anymore."
"I'm not crying."
Suddenly, Jiang Zihui paused. "Yiyi, why are you wearing makeup all of a sudden?"
"I didn't reply to your messages, so I thought you might be upset. I put on a little makeup to show you my best self."
A faint smirk tugged at the corner of Tang Ze's lips. This woman—when it came to deceiving her man, her cunning knew no bounds.
"You're the most beautiful woman in existence," Jiang Zihui declared earnestly.
Sun Ting rolled her eyes, leaning toward An Bai and whispering sarcastically, "Classic lines from a spineless fool."
"Yeah, I've heard them before," An Bai replied dryly.
Jiang Zihui's words stung Ye Qingyi with shame. She had betrayed the man who loved her deeply.
"Zihui, you should get some rest. I need to rest too," Ye Qingyi said quickly, fearing any slip of emotion might arouse suspicion. She didn't want to say more.
Jiang Zihui blew a kiss toward the camera, prompting the others to mock him loudly for his sentimentality.
Tang Ze chuckled softly. "What a devoted couple. Truly nauseating. I like your body, but I despise the look in your eyes."
"I don't need your approval," Ye Qingyi shot back coldly.
Tang Ze suddenly laughed. "You seem more afraid of them than of me. Why is that?"
Ye Qingyi remained silent, her face draining of color as the pain intensified.
Tang Ze reached out, gripping her chin firmly. His voice was calm but laced with menace. "They might threaten you, tell your fiancé about your situation. I won't bother with that. Instead, I'll find your fiancé and slaughter his entire family. You've already seen what I'm capable of."
"You're a monster!" Ye Qingyi grabbed Tang Ze's clothes, her voice trembling with terror.
"When did I ever claim to be anything else? I'm the devil incarnate—and a particularly lustful one at that."
Ye Qingyi couldn't bear to imagine what would happen if her fiancé found out. Tang Ze's threat to kill Zihui's entire family wasn't empty; recalling the bloodlust in his eyes, she knew he meant every word.
"From now on, you'll eat their leftovers. If you behave well, you might earn the privilege of living like them. Now, you know what to do, don't you?"
...
The next morning, Ye Qingyi woke in a daze, her first thought wondering if she was dead. When she saw the familiar surroundings, she realized she was still alive—but trapped in a living hell. The memory of the previous night's humiliation brought fresh despair, but when she tried to cry, no tears came.
Her sister and brother-in-law had been brutally murdered, and now she was ensnared in this nightmare. Spotting the door not far away, a fleeting thought of escape crossed her mind.
But as soon as she moved, a searing pain shot through her abdomen. If only she had given herself to her fiancé sooner.
Gritting her teeth against the agony, Ye Qingyi inched forward. The harsh clang of metal chains jolted the two sleeping women nearby awake.
Sun Ting yawned lazily, her voice dripping with disdain. "Looks like you still haven't learned your lesson."
Ye Qingyi had risen to the position of vice president partly due to her fiancé's support, but also because of her sharp intellect. In this dire situation, her only option was to endure and bide her time. She would never bow her head...
"No, I'm just a little hungry," Ye Qingyi quickly explained.
An Bai chuckled softly. "It's not mealtime yet. The master hasn't even woken up."
Ye Qingyi observed that An Bai was different from Sun Ting. While Sun Ting was Tang Ze's most loyal follower, An Bai seemed subdued, almost oppressed like herself.
Perhaps there was a way to exploit this difference.