Liu Ruyan didn’t mince words. “Yes. I’ll have someone arrange the incident. It won’t be a fake—this will be a real attack.”
“He’s just been appointed, and there are definitely people in the system who were close to the former top leader and aren’t happy about it.”
“So even if something goes wrong, no one will suspect us.”
“I want to stress again—this is not a performance. We must genuinely save him. Only something real will avoid suspicion.”
Lin Fan frowned, clearly uncomfortable. His instincts resisted such schemes.
He was a man who valued principles, and he despised underhanded tricks. “Isn’t there another way? I’m not someone who uses deception. I want to be honest and upright,” he said.
Liu Ruyan was both speechless and frustrated.
This man… even if he had potential, he still lacked the courage to truly rise. Compared to Shen Wuxiao, the gap was enormous.
She didn’t bother sugarcoating her reply. “Don’t talk to me about morality and integrity. Do you even understand who we’re up against?”
“This is a life-and-death game. We only have one card that can change the outcome. We must play it.”“You think fighting Shen Wuxiao is like sparring with a street thug? Lose once and try again?”
“I’m telling you—this is our one shot. One mistake, and we’re dead. We have to strike with a fatal blow before he reacts.”
Lin Fan stayed silent for a while.
Eventually, he muttered three words, slowly but firmly: “I understand.”
Liu Ruyan’s tone grew colder. “Good. You don’t need to like it. I just need results.”
“I’ll send you the information. Read it carefully.”
“Everything starts tomorrow. Wait for my signal and arrive by car from a distance.”
With that, she hung up.
But her anger still hadn’t subsided.
She began to doubt whether Lin Fan was even worthy of being her partner. He claimed he wanted revenge—but even now, he hesitated over his conscience.
Did he really think Shen Wuxiao would show mercy?
How naïve.
Righteousness wasn’t justice—not now.
She sent Lin Fan the detailed profile of Gao Yulang, the new top official in Zhonghai. Although the Liu family had fallen, she still had plenty of resources.
During her years in Chicago, she had made over ten figures in wealth.
She firmly believed: even in a world dominated by warriors, money ruled all. It was still the foundation of survival.
But tonight, she felt exhausted.
Once this road was chosen, there was no turning back.
From her brief encounters with Shen Wuxiao, she already understood one thing—his personality was unpredictable. He could be charming one moment and murderous the next.
Even though he had once held her in his arms and slept beside her night after night, if he ever decided she was a threat, he’d kill her without hesitation.
If she had given in from the beginning—if she had been content being his toy—perhaps she would’ve been safe.
But the moment she bared her fangs at him, her ending was sealed.
Death would be her only escape.
That’s why resistance was the only option.
Liu Ruyan soaked in the bath for a while before returning to her room in a sheer nightgown. She lay down but couldn’t sleep.
Eventually, she reached for her phone and opened the photo album.
There were many photos—awards, recognitions, victories.
But she skipped past them and tapped a hidden folder.
A photo popped up.
It was Shen Wuxiao, hugging her in bed.
He had taken it playfully, on a whim. Now, as she stared at it, she couldn’t look away.
After a long pause, she walked to her closet.
Inside, hung neatly, was a man’s shirt.
It had been Shen Wuxiao’s—left behind after he had spilled alcohol on it.
She had kept it.
She picked it up, brought it to her face, and inhaled deeply. The scent still lingered.
Oddly, it calmed her.
Clutching the shirt to her chest, she returned to bed.
Only by holding onto his scent could she fall asleep.
She hated this—truly hated it.
She was going mad.
Two contradictory thoughts tore her apart.
On one side, she wanted to kill Shen Wuxiao, to avenge her family’s destruction.
On the other, she craved his touch, longed to lie in his arms and be loved.
The last time she had gone to the hospital, she’d been diagnosed with Stockholm syndrome—a rare psychological condition.
And there was no known cure.
She had even started self-harming. But aside from temporary suppression, there was nothing she could do.
Ever since that day in the villa, the trauma had only deepened.
She had already decided.
Once she took revenge and killed Shen Wuxiao, she would have nothing left.
When the time came, she’d go meet her father, mother, and sister.
She loathed this cruel and filthy world.
With Shen Wuxiao’s shirt in her arms, his scent surrounding her, Liu Ruyan slowly fell into a fragile sleep. Her lashes trembled, her breathing quieted…
She was trying to adjust her broken heart.
While Lin Fan was slipping deeper into mental collapse…
Shen Wuxiao, on the other hand, appeared completely unbothered.
That night, he finally opened a room in the villa that had been sealed off for a long time.
But only one section.
It looked like a medieval prison.
Not a fake background—but a real iron-barred cell.
Everything was authentic—charcoal braziers, branding irons, wooden crosses, straw bedding, tiger benches…
The entire space had been styled after an ancient prison chamber.
Truthfully, Shen Wuxiao hadn’t intended to use it yet.
But when Jiang Huaiyue returned to his room, fuming and eager to beat him up, he got an idea.
To satisfy her little desire to “punish” him, he brought her here.
Jiang Huaiyue was stunned.
When she saw the room, she wanted to hit him even more.
What kind of lunatic would spend this much money building such a place?
She pinched him hard. “What exactly is going on in your head?”
Shen Wuxiao raised his eyebrows and grinned.
Then, with a deadly serious expression, he walked to the cross. “I’m playing a secret agent who refuses to break under torture.”
“I will never surrender!”
Jiang Huaiyue burst into laughter.
She couldn’t help it. He was acting too seriously.
But she still played along.
She walked over, grabbed his collar, and stared into his eyes. “Speak! What secret are you hiding?”
“Hah! Give up. I never planned to walk out of here alive!” Shen Wuxiao turned his head away with exaggerated resolve.
Jiang Huaiyue fought the urge to laugh. She gently turned his face back and pinched his chin with her delicate fingers.
Her phoenix eyes shimmered as she stared into his.
Shen Wuxiao was momentarily dazed.
Was she… really going to skip straight to seduction?
Jiang Huaiyue leaned closer and whispered in his ear, “How much pain do you think you can handle?”
With mock seriousness, Shen Wuxiao replied, “Life has no joy. Death holds no fear. At the very least, I can survive your honey trap!”
“Oh? Really?” Jiang Huaiyue smiled, her face mere inches from his.
Her sweet breath brushed against his skin.
The next moment, she gave him a playful peck on the lips.
“Is that all it takes?” she teased.
Shen Wuxiao snorted. “You underestimate me. I’ve been trained! That little tease is nothing!”
Jiang Huaiyue smirked, leaned even closer, and whispered, “Then… should I arrange a queue for you?”
“…?”
Shen Wuxiao froze.
“…Through fire and water, I follow you, Sister Yue!”