Chapter 3

Seeing that I had upset his precious darling, Qi Ruochen immediately snapped with a fierce look, “Make her shut up.”

“Let me go, both of you! Otherwise, I’ll haunt you even as a ghost!”

“Do it, now!”

“Qi Ruochen, you monumentally stupid idiot! Your head is filled with nothing but manure! Ji Xiaochu is lying to you, she isn’t sick at all…”

A sudden sharp sting pierced my arm. My tongue began to fail me, and then my vision went black as I lost consciousness.

Chapter 11: Passionate Murder

“Xia, wake up.”

Such a pleasant female voice… could it be an angel? Maybe it’s better if I’m dead. Every single one of these 2D characters in this book has their own brand of treachery.

“Wake up.”

I opened my eyes and saw Ji Xiaochu’s face magnified right in front of mine. I slammed them shut again, muttering under my breath.

“This must be a nightmare.”

“Sister, you’re finally awake. That sedative was really strong; you’ve been out for nearly half an hour.”

It seemed there was no escape. Resigned to my fate, I opened my eyes and first checked my chest. Fortunately, I hadn’t been cut open yet.

“Don’t worry, it was just a physical exam. The surgery isn’t for a few more days.”

Relieved, I tried to move, only to find my limbs were still bound. I rolled my eyes.

“Please, if you’re going to pretend to be my ‘dear little sister,’ could you untie me first?”

Ji Xiaochu’s voice, which had been so tender a moment ago, suddenly turned cold, like a bucket of ice water being poured over my head.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

I looked around. I was still lying on the sofa, but we were the only two left in the living room.

“Ji Xiaochu, I know you want me dead. Can’t I just disappear? If you let me go, I’ll immediately sign an agreement waiving all my property rights and then get the hell out of your sight forever.”

A murderous glint appeared in Ji Xiaochu’s eyes. For some reason, she felt even more terrifying than Qi Ruochen. I decided that a wise person knows when to retreat, so I tried to placate her first.

Ji Xiaochu let out a cold, witch-like cackle. “It’s too late, Ji Xiaoxia. If only you’d had this realization sooner, I wouldn’t have had to go to all this trouble!”

I didn’t quite follow her logic, so I tried to reason with her. “It’s not too late! I’m a woman of my word. Since we can resolve this peacefully, why turn it into a bloodbath?”

The moment the words left my mouth, I felt a cold sensation on my face. Glancing sideways, I realized Ji Xiaochu was holding a knife against my cheek.

“Whoa, whoa, take it easy! If your hand slips, your sister is going to be disfigured!”

She actually started crying—and quite heart-wrenchingly at that. “Don’t talk to me about sisterly love! If you really saw me as your sister, you wouldn’t have treated me that way!”

I was too terrified to think straight, but I racked my brain trying to remember if I’d missed some detail when I read the book. The female lead never actually screwed over this manipulative bitch.

“Xiaochu, calm down. Put the knife away first.”

Ji Xiaochu’s face twisted with grief. “I hate you!”

Did I dig up her ancestral graves? No, that can’t be right; we share the same ancestors, and I don’t have that kind of hobby anyway.

“Heaven be my witness, I’ve never done anything to hurt you.”

“Shut up! You seduced Ruochen. You two have already slept together, haven’t you?”

Hearing her shrill, desperate scream felt like a thunderclap overhead. This “green tea” bitch must have had a double serving of melodrama for breakfast.

Technically, he and I are husband and wife. Isn’t it normal to sleep together? Why is she, the mistress, wailing like the world is ending?

“Well…”

“Don’t even try to lie. When the doctor wanted to unbutton your clothes earlier, Qi Ruochen got angry.”

If I hadn’t heard it from her own mouth, I wouldn’t have believed it. Qi Ruochen actually protected me?

“What does that have to do with whether we slept together or not?”

Ji Xiaochu flew into a rage, her face hideously distorted. “He beat the doctor so badly he had to be hospitalized!”

“Well, that’s convenient. Saved him the commute.”

“You still have the nerve to make snide remarks!”

Ji Xiaochu swung the knife. I instinctively tried to dodge, but I couldn’t move. A sharp pain shot through my ear, and I screamed at the top of my lungs.

“Aaaah!”

Chapter 12: Not Human

I thought I was smart enough to talk my way out of anything, but it turned out Ji Xiaochu wasn’t buying any of it.

When her knife came down, I howled like a stuck pig. She wanted to disfigure me. Since I couldn’t move anything but my head, I was just a lamb to the slaughter.

“Help! Qi Ruochen, save me!”

I don’t know why—maybe because Qi Ruochen is the male lead of this book—but in my moment of utter despair, I started screaming his name. It felt more practical than praying to the gods.

“Stop screaming. He went out.”

I closed my eyes, resigned to the next blow, but Ji Xiaochu simply sliced through the ropes on my hands and looked at me with a cold smirk.

I quickly untied the restraints on my other hand and my feet and bolted for the door. Ji Xiaochu stayed where she was, her smile making her look a bit like the Slit-Mouthed Woman.

With a clatter, Ji Xiaochu dropped the knife. I touched my ear; my hand came away covered in thick, bright red blood.

“You’re finished! I’m going to sue you!”

I turned to run but slammed into a chest as hard as iron. I looked up to see Qi Ruochen’s grim face.

Unable to tell if he was friend or foe, I tried to duck around him, but his long arm shot out and grabbed me.

“Qi Ruochen, I know you’re cold and overbearing, but you’re not a psychopath! You wouldn’t actually commit murder, would you? Ji Xiaochu has lost her mind! Get a grip on reality!”

Behind us, Ji Xiaochu’s smile had vanished, replaced by an expression of pure panic and helplessness.

“Ruochen, what should I do? Sister was taunting me about what happened between you two… and my hand slipped! *Sob, sob!*”

Crying again. I was so sick of it. I was bleeding out and couldn’t focus enough to compete with her acting skills.

Qi Ruochen dragged me over by the wrist. My blood got on his hands too. I felt like I was about to be silenced for good; my heart was pounding louder than a drum.

“No, please! I promise I won’t say a word! Just let me go!”

Qi Ruochen stood before Ji Xiaochu, his voice as tender as ever. “Xiaochu, don’t be afraid. Nothing’s going to happen. I’ll have the driver take you home first.”

Ji Xiaochu nodded. Before she left, she shot me a vicious, secret smile.

Qi Ruochen carried me upstairs in his arms. The blood dripping from me looked like a trail of exotic, blooming flowers.

I sat on the bed in our bridal suite, huddled in a corner, looking timidly at Qi Ruochen. My blood stained my newly bought pink sheets.

“Qi Ruochen, it hurts so much.”

I used to think they were just 2D characters, so I played with them lightheartedly. But now, the threat to my life was real, and the pain was deep and visceral.

Seeing my gruesome wound, he seemed to snap out of it. He hurriedly pulled out some gauze, clumsily wrapped it around, and pressed down on the wound.

I was actually moved. At least he was helping me. Since I’d met him, this was the first time I felt any shred of kindness from him.

“The doctor will be here soon.”

I had been scared to death by him, but hearing his promise, I burst into loud sobs.

“Waaaaah! I’ve lost so much blood! I’m definitely going to die!”

I was terrified. The fear of death made my hands and feet go cold, and Qi Ruochen’s slight warmth wasn’t enough to thaw me.

“You won’t. If you die, what will happen to Xiaochu?”

My crying stopped instantly. I thought to myself: *Qi Ruochen, try being a decent human being for once!*

Chapter 13: Revenge

The family doctor arrived quickly. He told me to take a deep breath as he prepared the anesthetic.

I made the mistake of looking. The needle was incredibly long, glinting with a cold, metallic light.

“Qi Ruochen!”

Qi Ruochen, who was watching from the side with a cold expression, glared at me when I called his name, telling me to behave.

“I’m scared. Come over here.”

I’ve been terrified of needles since I was a kid. Even though Qi Ruochen and I were bitter enemies, in this moment of crisis, I had no choice but to lean on him.

Qi Ruochen clearly had no intention of indulging my drama. He turned to leave. Fearing I couldn’t coax him back, I resorted to insults.

“If you walk out that door, I hope your bloodline ends with you!”

Qi Ruochen turned around and strode back. He clearly wanted to hit me, but looking at my blood-stained, pathetic face, he seemed to be debating where he could even land a blow.

I seized the opportunity to grab his trousers, enthusiastically inviting him to sit. “Sit here. Keep me company.”

Seeing as I nearly pulled his pants down, he had no choice but to sit.

I grabbed his hand. My hand was much smaller, so I could only manage to grip three of his fingers. His large, well-defined hand was squeezed by me into something resembling a chicken claw.

“Aaaah!”

As the anesthetic was injected, a piercing pain shot through me, and I screamed.

“You’re very noisy.”

Even now, he had the nerve to be annoyed with me. Whose fault was it that I was injured? It was his damn mistress!

Once the anesthetic kicked in, I became stoic during the stitching. All I could think about was how I was going to poke several holes in Ji Xiaochu.

The wound was deep but luckily not very long. The stitching was over in about ten minutes, and the bandaging was even faster.

When it was over, Qi Ruochen’s hand was covered in my sweat. He shook it off in disgust, wiped it with a handkerchief, and then threw the handkerchief away.

“Remember this: stay away from Ji Xiaochu from now on.”

I regretted it. If I’d known they were actually out for blood, I wouldn’t have played the victim. I should have fought them to the death.

“How about you have Xiaochu come over tomorrow? I want to apologize to her in person.”

Perhaps sensing my penchant for schemes, Qi Ruochen looked wary. “That won’t be necessary. Just recover. The sooner you’re fit for surgery, the sooner you’ll be free.”

Qi Ruochen was back to talking like a monster. Since I was going to die anyway, I decided to go for broke.

“Fine, I accept my fate. But I’m afraid Xiaochu is unhappy, and my remaining days will be miserable. I just want to make amends.”

A cold glint flickered in the depths of Qi Ruochen’s eyes. He gave me a suspicious look and left without a word.

In the middle of the night, the anesthetic wore off. I was in so much pain that tears kept falling. I’m not the type to take things lying down. Even if it costs me my life, I am absolutely going to get my revenge.

The next evening, while I was plotting, Qi Ruochen arrived with Ji Xiaochu. She still wore that innocent “the whole world is out to get me” face.

“Sister, did you want to apologize to me?”

The moment I saw her, I practically ground my teeth to dust. I got up from the sofa, struggling to keep my expression neutral, trying to look remorseful.

“Yes. I regret everything.”

I walked toward her barefoot, ignoring the cold floor. I felt her condescending gaze on me. When I reached her, I stopped.

“I regret… not killing you!”

Right in front of Qi Ruochen, before they could react, I grabbed Ji Xiaochu’s hair with my left hand and delivered a massive slap with my right.

Chapter 14: Freedom

Ji Xiaochu took the hit, and her scream was as piercing as a cat in heat.

Qi Ruochen grabbed me and hauled me back. My feet left the ground. He looked like he was about to strike me, so I bit down on his arm as hard as I could.

I put every ounce of strength into it, and the taste of blood immediately filled my mouth.

“She’s crazy! Ruochen, be careful! Ji Xiaoxia has lost it again!”

Ji Xiaochu hid behind Qi Ruochen, clutching her swollen cheek and screaming hysterically, looking as excited as if she’d discovered a new continent.

Qi Ruochen seemed immune to pain. Even though I bit him so hard, he didn’t even flinch. He simply threw me aside.

I slid across the floor and landed face-first. Trying to protect my wound, I accidentally knocked over the trash can, spilling garbage everywhere.

“Ruochen, she hit me! It hurts so much! You have to protect me!”

Clearly, she wasn’t satisfied with the fact that I’d slapped her while Qi Ruochen had been relatively gentle with me. She stood there, fanning the flames of his anger with her grievances.

I was consumed by rage. Looking at Ji Xiaochu’s manipulative mouth, only one thought remained: make her shut up.

As I tried to stand, my hand brushed against something. I looked down; it was the empty syringe used on me yesterday, which had fallen out of the trash can.

I quietly palmed the syringe. While Qi Ruochen was busy comforting Ji Xiaochu, I quickly circled around them and lunged, stabbing the needle straight into Ji Xiaochu’s shoulder before ripping it out.

“Aaaah!”

Blood seemed to spray out. Ji Xiaochu’s entire face contorted as she screamed in agony.

“Ji Xiaochu, you listen to me! If you ever dare mess with me again, I will kill you!”

Perhaps because I was holding a bloody needle and my face was twisted with a murderous intensity, Qi Ruochen actually stared at me, stunned, for several seconds.

I was fully prepared for him to kill me for the sake of the woman he loved, but he didn’t move.

“Blood! I’m bleeding!”

Ji Xiaochu touched her wound, saw the blood, and promptly fainted. Qi Ruochen scooped her up and hurried out.

I gasped for air, the resentment that had been stifled in my heart finally dissipating. As a smirk touched my lips, tears began to stream down my face.

Qi Ruochen didn’t return until after dinner. I made sure to eat well and sleep well. A torrential rainstorm broke out in the middle of the night, and Qi Ruochen didn’t come back until the early hours of the morning.

When I woke up, I thought I was hugging a Hello Kitty plushie. But when I opened my eyes, I found myself clutching Qi Ruochen’s muscular arm. The air was filled with his unique scent.

“What are you doing?”

He’d only slept for a few hours. When he opened his eyes, his double eyelids were more pronounced, making his eyes look larger than usual. With his hair messy and soft, he actually looked almost cute compared to his usual cold self.

“This is my bedroom.”

Right, I remember now. This is my bedroom too.

This is our bridal chamber, except I remodeled it to be filled with girly pinks.

Wait, that’s not right. I just seriously injured Ji Xiaochu. He should have taken advantage of me sleeping to kill me. Why on earth did he crawl into bed to sleep with me?

“You’re not trying to play nice with me, are you? In your dreams.”

When things are this weird, there’s bound to be a catch. I immediately sat up, grabbed a plushie nearby, hugged it to my chest, and quickly retreated to the far corner of the bed, trying to stay as far away from him as possible.

Qi Ruochen rolled over, seemingly about to go back to sleep, and tossed a lazy, cold remark my way.

“Ji Xiaoxia, you’re free.”

Chapter 15: The Big Shot

My crazy behavior must have terrified Qi Ruochen. Between my hunger strike and my violent tendencies, Ji Xiaochu’s plan to harvest my heart has been put on indefinite hold.

So he’s giving me temporary freedom to make me let my guard down. He wants me to be in a good mood so my body recovers, and then he’ll push me onto the operating table.

I knew all too well that time was of the essence, so I immediately contacted Yan Rufeng to ask how his search for evidence was going.

Yan Rufeng was still traumatized from the beating Qi Ruochen gave him last time. He refused to show his face no matter what, but he did give me an address and told me to go find his brother.

“Allure Club.”

I read the name on the address aloud. It didn’t sound like the kind of place respectable people frequented, but for the sake of survival, I had to bite the bullet and go.

It was almost dark by the time I arrived. Who in their right mind builds a club in the middle of nowhere? The place looked downright creepy.

Once inside, a gorgeous woman with a model’s figure walked up to me. “Miss Ji, I presume? Follow me, please.”

“Yes.”

Dressed in a white T-shirt, jeans, and a backpack, walking behind her made me look like a total beggar.

After twisting and turning through several corridors, she finally led me into a private room. Sitting before me was a man in a suit and gold-rimmed glasses, looking every bit the refined scoundrel.

“Are you a student?”

“No.”

I looked around, took two steps over to the wall, found the switch, and flicked the lights on with a loud *click*.

“It’s way too dark in here. My eyes are hurting.”

Caught off guard, he raised a hand to shield his eyes as the bright light flooded over his face.

When he lowered his hand, I gasped. What a gorgeous pretty boy! He had large, puppy-dog eyes, ruby-red lips, and pearly white teeth. He was so ridiculously handsome that I wanted to swear.

“Miss Ji, I’ve found what you asked me to look into.”

Even more than his stunning looks, I loved his incredible efficiency. Once I had the evidence, I could finally get my happy ending.

“Thanks, bro.”

I didn’t know his name, nor did I plan to ask. He was never mentioned in the novel, so he was probably just a plot device to get things done.

It would be a total buzzkill if a guy this handsome turned out to be named something like ‘Daqiang.’ I’d just call him ‘bro’ like Yan Rufeng did. It sounded friendlier anyway.

“However, it cost me a million. You’ll need to reimburse me.”

Holy crap. Was the author of this novel brain-dead? Why was everything a million dollars in this world? The author must have been a primary schooler.

But after cursing the author in my head, it suddenly hit me: the guy standing in front of me might just be a scammer.

“Bro, Rufeng never mentioned you before. What do you do for a living?”

“I’m a psychiatrist.”

What a load of bull. Since when were psychiatrists this powerful? Even if he scammed his patients out of every penny, there was no way he could just throw around a million dollars like that. Did he really take me for an idiot?