"Aaaargh!" Zuo Qingyan shot upright in bed.
Cold water streamed down his collar, creeping across his skin like a relentless tide, soaking him to the bone. Within the icy chill of the air-conditioned room, he felt what it truly meant to be cold to the core. His gaze was unfocused as he stared at the neat line of a dozen or so people standing before him.
Murmuring faintly, he said, "Did the dam break…?"
In unison, the crowd shouted, "Boss!""Something's wrong!""Third Miss has been taken!"
Zuo Qingyan's dazed eyes sharpened at once. He staggered to his feet."Then what are you standing around for? Go find her—now!"
He rushed toward the door, but before he could reach it, his vision darkened. With a loud thud, he collapsed.
4 a.m.Zuo Qingyan had summoned all his hidden allies scattered across the city to search for Su Wanwan.
What he thought would be resolved within minutes turned out to be as futile as fishing for a needle in the vast ocean.
"Boss, don't worry. Third Miss is blessed. She'll be alright."
Zuo Qingyan snapped, "How can I not worry?!"
"But Boss, she's clever—"
He gritted his teeth. "That brat cost me a bottle of good liquor!"
"I've got to find him before he leaves the country so we can settle the score once and for all! Otherwise, that money's as good as gone!"
Someone hesitantly asked, "Sir… you're not looking for Third Miss? You're after that man?"
Zuo Qingyan nodded, puzzled. "What's the point of looking for that girl? She's shrewd as a fox."
A subordinate timidly added, "But… that man seemed to have… improper intentions toward Third Miss. I think he's got a wandering eye…"
Zuo Qingyan adjusted the silver-rimmed glasses on his nose, fished out a cigarette, and clamped it between his lips.
With a restrained yet dangerously alluring aura, he spoke:
"The way you say it—if a man has no feelings for my sister, doesn't that mean he's got something wrong with him?"
"I've been worried she lacked a pretty boy at her side. If that guy's even half as handsome as me, he's welcome to stay."
A wicked smile tugged at the corner of Zuo Qingyan's lips. Beneath the gleam of his glasses, his phoenix eyes narrowed to deadly slits, a fleeting glint of menace flashing within.
Su Wanwan jolted awake with a shudder.
She gasped, drenched in sweat, her back soaked through. Realizing it was just a dream, she exhaled slowly and sat up, gently rubbing the scarred leg beneath her fingers.
When her gaze landed on the clock, her brows immediately furrowed.
It was already 1 p.m.
She had slept right through the morning. Last night, she had waited until the sky began to lighten before finally succumbing to exhaustion.
"If I delay any longer, I'll miss the bid completely."
She got up and walked to the window. Staring at the three-story drop, she made a bold decision.
Ripping the bedsheets from the bed, she used scissors to cut them into strips, knotting them together tightly and fastening one end to the leg of the desk.
She tossed the other end out the window. It was just long enough.
"Anyone who sees this would think I'm a thief…" she muttered, then, without hesitation, grabbed the makeshift rope and began her descent.
She moved cautiously, using anything she could step on for support.
As the ground drew nearer, she began to relax. But just then, a sharp rip echoed above her.
Before she could react, the sheet tore cleanly in half.
Thud!
She landed hard, a jolt shooting up both legs, sending a sharp pain through her ankle.
With a cry, she collapsed, cold sweat beading instantly on her forehead.
Gritting her teeth, she inhaled deeply, sitting on the ground for nearly ten minutes before she managed to prop herself up. Supporting herself against the wall, she hobbled forward, step by painful step.
The villa's front door had been left open.
Looking around, she saw no one in the vicinity—perhaps not even within a kilometer.
Inside the living room, she spotted a charger plugged into the outlet beside the sofa.
She immediately connected her phone and turned it on.
Her first move was to call her personal phone—the one Zuo Qingyan was holding.
But no one answered, not after ten tries.
Frowning, Su Wanwan dialed another number from memory.
At that moment, Fu Liangmu and Xie Cheng were en route to the bidding venue.
The car was silent, broken only by the soft rustle of pages turning.
Xie Cheng took a sip of water, then teased, "Liangmu, it's almost afternoon. Aren't you going back to bring your girl something to eat?"
"There's not a single restaurant within a two- or three-kilometer radius. You planning to starve her?"
Unbothered, Fu Liangmu replied evenly, "I stopped by this morning and left food on the table."
"She'll see it when she wakes up. Just needs to heat it up in the microwave."
Xie Cheng gave a knowing sigh. "Wow… spoiling her like a treasure, aren't you?"
Fu Liangmu simply smiled.
But then Xie Cheng remembered something.
Last night… he had locked Su Wanwan's room door from the outside.
"Bro, I—"
Before he could finish, Fu Liangmu's phone rang.
He glanced at the unknown number and promptly hung up.
It rang again.
And again.
After the third or fourth time, Xie Cheng grumbled, "Who the hell is that? So annoying. Just block 'em already."
Just as he said it, a message notification chimed.
[It's me. Su Wanwan.]
Fu Liangmu's expression shifted instantly. He snatched up the phone and dialed back without hesitation.
"Wanwan?"
Her voice was weak, pained. "You're in the U.S. too?"
"Could you… help me? Please?"
He motioned sharply to the driver. "Pull over!"
Alarmed by her frail voice, he asked anxiously, "What happened? Are you hurt?"
"Everywhere hurts… Can you come get me?"
"My location's on."
Fu Liangmu's tone turned ice-cold. "Head to the villa. Now."
Xie Cheng's heart lurched. He grabbed Fu Liangmu's arm.
"Liangmu, don't panic. Su Wanwan's been in her room the whole time—she can't be in trouble."
"Maybe… maybe she's just hungry?"
"How about I go check on her? You head to the bidding site. If we go back and forth like this, we won't make it in time."
Fu Liangmu's brows knit tightly. His clenched fists betrayed his rising anxiety.
"How could she be hungry?"
"I bought loads of food!"
Xie Cheng chuckled awkwardly. "Maybe… maybe her room was locked. And then…"
Fu Liangmu's gaze turned razor-sharp.
Realizing the danger, Xie Cheng raised both hands defensively. "It's a misunderstanding! Totally a misunderstanding! I just didn't want her running off…"
Rage erupted from Fu Liangmu's eyes like wildfire.
"Stop the car!" he roared.
The next moment, the door flew open—
—and Fu Liangmu grabbed Xie Cheng by the collar and threw him out without a second thought.