The car pulled up to Bayview Manor. A doorman slowly opened the door.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Qin."
Before the words had fully left his mouth, a pair of polished black dress shoes stepped onto the pavement. Qin Xiu emerged, straightened his suit collar, and strode confidently through the manor gates.
In the courtyard, several burly men in camouflage uniforms sat around a table playing cards. One of them spotted Qin Xiu and immediately shouted, "Captain Qin's here!"
At those words, the men sprang to their feet as if responding to a military command. They snatched up their rifles from the ground and quickly formed a neat line, facing Qin Xiu as he approached.
"Captain Qin!" they chorused in unison.
Qin Xiu walked over, nodded, and smiled. "How many times do I have to tell you? Our assault team was officially disbanded the moment we returned home. Just call me Qin Xiu."
"Ha! 'Captain Qin' just rolls off the tongue better," one of them laughed, and the others joined in.
Back during the war, to ensure their survival and safe return, Qin Xiu had gathered all the stranded countrymen into an impromptu assault unit, with himself as captain. These mercenaries had followed him through hellfire and chaos—and the habit of calling him "Captain" had stuck.
"Alright," Qin Xiu cut straight to the point. "Any unusual activity from inside recently?"
"Not really. We've been rotating in three shifts, 24/7 surveillance. That woman barely even goes near the windows. No idea what she's been up to."
Qin Xiu's brow furrowed slightly. Barely showing herself?
A bad feeling crept into his gut.
Could she have escaped?
No—that was impossible. These were battle-hardened veterans watching her around the clock. She couldn't have slipped out unnoticed.
"Has she been eating her meals?"
"Yeah, she finishes everything. Leaves the dishes on the table every time. The maids have to go in and wash them for her. What a lazy woman," one of the men grumbled irritably.
"I see," Qin Xiu said. "Keep watch outside. Wu Feng, Lu Qicheng—you two come with me inside."
"Yes, sir!" they replied in unison.
Qin Xiu walked to the villa's front door, unlocked it with his key, and stepped into the first-floor living room, Wu Feng and Lu Qicheng close behind.
It was just past noon, and the cleaning staff hadn't arrived yet. Sure enough, the dining table still held the used dishes—and every last grain of rice had been eaten clean.
That struck Qin Xiu as odd. His eyebrows knit together in confusion.
Tian Suqing had always been notoriously picky about food. There were maybe a handful of dishes in the entire world she'd ever finish completely—let alone scrape the bowl spotless. Why was she suddenly eating everything down to the last grain?
Just then, a voice drifted down from upstairs—distinctly different from Tian Suqing's.
"Hey! Who the hell do you think you are?"
Qin Xiu froze. He glanced again at the empty plates, and his eyes widened in sudden realization.
Had she swapped places with a maid during one of their visits? Was someone else impersonating her—and that's why the food was being finished?
"Wu Feng! Lu Qicheng! Combat ready—follow me upstairs!" Qin Xiu bolted toward the staircase, taking the steps two at a time.
Behind him, Wu Feng and Lu Qicheng drew their pistols, prepared for anything.
Following the voice, Qin Xiu raced up to the third-floor bedroom wing. The sound was coming from his own room.
"Don't come any closer! I don't want to see you—just get out!" the voice snapped.
Qin Xiu let out a cold scoff. Which maid dared speak to him like that—ordering him to "get out"?
"Whoever's in there, show yourself now," he said, voice low and dangerous, "or you won't live to regret it."
He was giving them a chance. If they didn't take it, he wouldn't hold back.
But the reply that came next was something Qin Xiu never—*in a million lifetimes*—expected to hear:
"F*** YOU! I'M YOUR DAD!"
The voice boomed with righteous fury, unwavering and fearless, as if ready to meet death head-on.
Wu Feng and Lu Qicheng exchanged horrified glances, then looked at Qin Xiu—only to see the corners of his mouth slowly curl upward.
Their blood ran cold.
Since they'd known him, no one had ever dared insult Qin Xiu like that—especially not by mocking his late father, whom he deeply respected.
And they knew Qin Xiu's terrifying quirk: the angrier he got, the wider he smiled. Every time he'd killed someone, he'd done it with a grin on his face.
They were hardened killers themselves—but a man who smiled while pulling the trigger? That was rare. And that was why they feared Qin Xiu more than anyone.
Now, seeing his pale face and that unnerving smile, they were certain: whoever was in that room wouldn't see the sunrise.
"Wu Feng—give me your gun." Qin Xiu's tone left no room for refusal.
Wu Feng handed over his pistol without hesitation. No one dared cross him now.
Gun in hand, Qin Xiu crept silently along the wall. Inside the room, the woman continued cursing loudly. When he reached the door, he kicked it open in one explosive motion, both hands gripping the weapon, finger already resting on the trigger—
—only to freeze the moment he saw who was inside.
His finger stopped just short of firing.
There, sitting cross-legged on the floor, was a girl with a high ponytail, wearing an oversized white T-shirt and sporty shorts. Her long, fair legs were tucked beneath her, surrounded by a sea of snack wrappers.
A lollipop dangled from her lips. She gripped a game controller, wore bright red over-ear headphones, and stared intently at the screen where her character battled a massive dragon.
"Fell for the trap, idiot! Try hitting me one more time, I dare you!" she yelled at the screen, completely absorbed.
Qin Xiu stood rooted in place, utterly dumbfounded. After two or three seconds of stunned silence, it finally clicked: she hadn't been talking to *him*. And from the scene before him, it was painfully clear—she'd been living like a queen for the past two weeks.
He'd intended to lock Tian Suqing in a prison of solitude for life… not let her lounge around happily hunting monsters in *Monster Hunter*. The sheer gap between his grim fantasy and this absurd reality made his facial muscles twitch in rage. For once, his ever-present smile vanished.
"TIAN SUQING!!" he roared.
Though she looked slightly different—her makeup gone, her features softer—he still recognized her as Tian Suqing.
His shout finally pierced through her headphones.
Tang Lingyi—posing as Tian Suqing—jerked as if electrocuted. Her hands froze on the controller. Slowly, stiffly, she turned her head.
And there he was: the terrifying man standing in the doorway, face dark with fury, pistol aimed directly at her.
Her lollipop dropped from her mouth onto the floor.
"AHHH! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! Please don't kill me!" she shrieked, convinced she was staring into the eyes of death itself. In pure panic, she flung the headphones and controller aside, curled into a trembling ball on the floor like a frightened hamster, arms wrapped around her head, begging for mercy.
She had no idea what she'd done to provoke him—but in her mind, Qin Xiu was already a psycho who'd considered murder over infidelity. Killing her on a whim? Entirely possible.
Watching the woman who once treated him with goddess-like arrogance now groveling in abject terror gave Qin Xiu a rare, satisfying rush of vindication. He holstered his gun and smirked. "Having fun these past few days?"
Tang Lingyi bit her lip and said nothing, eyes downcast.
"Where did all these snacks come from?" he asked, eyeing the scattered wrappers.
"I found them in that cabinet," she admitted, pointing to his office desk.
"That stuff's been sitting there for years. It's long expired. You ate it and didn't get sick?"
He remembered—he used to love snacks. But Tian Suqing had once said she preferred men with abs, so he'd painfully given up sweets and started working out.
Only now did he realize it was just an excuse. Even after he'd carved a six-pack, she'd never once looked at him with interest.
"Oh… so that's why I've been having diarrhea," Tang Lingyi muttered under her breath.
Seeing her act all cute and innocent, Qin Xiu just sneered. "And your voice—what happened to it?"
Only then did Tang Lingyi realize—she'd forgotten to mimic Tian Suqing's voice entirely! She'd been speaking in her natural tone for days.
"Uh… must be the expired snacks," she stammered. "My throat's a little sore."
It was a terrible lie—even she didn't believe it. But she had no choice.
*Lie. Just keep lying. I know I'll get caught… but I'll lie anyway!*
Qin Xiu stepped toward her. Tang Lingyi stayed perfectly still, too scared to even breathe.
He picked up the controller beside her and fiddled with the game. His character returned to base—and he whistled softly in surprise at the array of high-tier gear.
"So you got bored and started playing these violent games, huh? You've even crafted some serious equipment. Must've spent a lot of time grinding."
Before, she'd always looked down her nose at his gaming setup, calling it "trash." But then again—everything she'd ever shown him was an act. Maybe she'd always loved games and was just pretending otherwise.
The thought hit him hard: *I've been married to her all this time… and I still don't know who she really is.* How pathetic.
"Heh…" Tang Lingyi gave an awkward chuckle.
*Not just this game—I've nearly beaten half the other games in your collection too.*
But she dared not say it aloud. Too much talking might reveal she wasn't Tian Suqing at all.
Just as she tried to keep up the charade, Qin Xiu dropped a bombshell:
"Wu Feng—empty this entire room. Every single thing."
"Yes, Mr. Qin."
"Hey!!" Tang Lingyi yelped in protest.