Kneeling...
Du Yue's eyelashes quivered violently as the overpowering stench of alcohol clouded her senses, leaving her dizzy and disoriented. The menacing stares from the crowd seemed to sear into the wounds on her back, making them throb with renewed intensity.
Anxiety gripped her heart. Fear coursed through her veins.
"If I were to kneel... would you spare me?" she murmured, her voice trembling with submission. Her head hung lower still, every word dripping with desperation and terror.
Wang Siwei pressed the record button, a cruel smirk twisting his lips. "I can't promise anything," he sneered, "but if you refuse to kneel right now, I swear I'll make you wish you'd never crossed paths with me."
His final words dripped with venom, sending shivers down Du Yue's spine.
As the sole heir to the Wang family—one of the most powerful enterprises, second only to Chen Ze and the Gu clan—Wang Siwei wielded immense influence. For a woman like her, without connections or protection, offending someone like him meant certain death...
But she couldn't die. She could forsake her dignity, abandon her principles, but survival was non-negotiable. One day, she vowed to leave this city behind and escape to a place where no one knew her name.
Anything, as long as she lived...
Her chest tightened painfully, yet oddly, she felt nothing beyond the difficulty of drawing breath. Numbness had taken hold, both physically and emotionally.
Bracing herself against the wall, she lowered herself onto her knees under the watchful eyes of the spectators. The sharp pain that shot through her knees forced her brows to furrow deeply, while her lips turned an ashen white.
"Oh!"
"She actually went through with it! Our young master Wang truly knows how to command respect!"
"Incredible, absolutely incredible. Even the once-renowned socialite Du Yue is groveling on the floor today. This show was worth the trip!"
A voice cut through the mockery, laced with disdain. "Stop calling her a socialite. Does she even deserve that title? The old Du Yue might have had some pride, but this—this is pure disgrace. If I hadn't seen it myself, I wouldn't believe anyone could stoop so low. Not even the cheapest prostitute would act like this."
"What's all the noise about?"
At that moment, the door to the private room's restroom swung open. A deep, gravelly voice tinged with irritation filled the air, its magnetic timbre impossible to ignore.
Du Yue froze, her body rigid as she slowly turned toward the source of the sound.
Chen Ze emerged from the doorway, his broad shoulders draped casually in a jacket slung over one arm. His chiseled features were marred by a scowl, faint anger simmering beneath the surface. A large stain of red wine smeared across his shirt, prompting him to leave it unbuttoned, revealing taut muscles and defined collarbones. His presence exuded raw masculinity.
He didn't glance at the figure crouched near the door—or perhaps, more accurately, Chen Ze always carried himself with an air of detached superiority. His attention rarely strayed from Shen Ya, much less anyone else.
Realizing who had entered, Du Yue bowed her head further, overwhelmed by a wave of mortification. She wished the ground would swallow her whole, sparing her from his gaze.
"Chen Ze, perfect timing. Come take a look at this wretched excuse for a human being—a woman utterly devoid of shame!"
The group lounging on the sofa greeted him with raucous laughter.
"Do you recognize her? Remember Miss Du from university—the one who used to chase after you relentlessly? We're not sure when she returned, but here she is in our private room. What do you think we should do to teach her a lesson? Perhaps force her to crawl on the streets begging for mercy?"
"Given how shameless she's become, begging might not faze her. Why not send her straight to the red-light district instead? Despite her gaunt frame, traces of her former beauty remain. Customers would line up, and we might even turn a profit."
Everyone present understood the depth of Chen Ze's hatred for Du Yue. For two years, the mere mention of her name ignited his fury. After all, Chen Ze had once loved Shen Ya with every fiber of his being. Had it not been for Du Yue's interference, what claim did she have to intrude upon their lives?