“If I said I was letting you have your way, would you believe me?”


  The man’s words suddenly rang in her ears.

  He had been caught off guard when she first entered but that did not explain his lack of resistance while she tied him up.

  The dagger in her hand did not fall.

  She gritted her teeth. Why couldn’t she do it?

  He was clearly the enemy. Why couldn’t she plunge the dagger in his throat and be done with it?

  As if struck by an epiphany, she realized why she couldn’t do it.

  His subordinates would discover his death sooner rather than later, by which time, escape would be virtually impossible, let alone escaping with Gu Yan in tow.

  Qin Shu stared at the man wrapped in gauze. She had no choice but to let him go free for the moment. If an opportunity arose in the future, she would not hesitate a second time. She would not show mercy. Death would come on swift wings.

  She put away the dagger and returned to bed. She lay down, pulled up the blanket, and covered herself with it. She closed her eyes and attempted to drift off to sleep.

  Her sleep was short-lived, reminded as she was of Ye Xing who was waiting for her beyond the villa’s walls. It was a disaster in the making. If Ye Xing barged in without so much as a ‘by-your-leave’, the man would take her hostage and use her as a bargaining chip.

  Qin Shu pulled out her phone and sent a message to Ye Xing, assuring her that all was well.

  Two hundred meters away from the villa, a sports car was parked by the roadside.

  Ye Xing was anxious. Every now and then, she would check her phone and curse at the sight of the blank screen that greeted her. Qin Shu and President Ba had been gone for some time now and worry gnawed at her nerves.

  Just as she was about to step out of the car, she received a message. In a smooth practised motion, she pulled her phone out of her pocket and opened the message. It was from Qin Shu.

  [ Qin Shu: I’m not in danger. Head back without me. Pick me up at the intersection of the villa in three days. ]

  Ye Xing read the message and did a double-take, doubt flashing in her eyes. Why was not she returning with her?

  Why did she have to wait for three days before picking her up?

  No one answered her questions.

  She spent some time thinking of a suitable response, driving back to the hotel after crafting her reply.

  The room was silent.

  The man on the sofa was still sleeping soundly.

  Qin Shu closed her eyes. Although she was a little tired, she could not fall asleep.

  She wondered how the next three days were going to pan out.

  Morning, the next day……

  Qin Shu spent the wee hours of the morning awake in bed. Sleep eluded her. How could she sleep in an unfamiliar environment and with a man whose dubious intentions were all but clear?

  Hearing movement on the sofa, she opened her eyes and looked in the man’s direction.

  Although the sky was bright, the curtains blocked much of it leaving the room in dim darkness.

  Nonetheless, she could still see the slender figure of the man walking into the bathroom. The fact that he could not see did not hinder him in the least.

  By this time, President Ba had also awoken. He blinked his forest-green eyes and arched his back into a crescent stretch. It seemed like he had slept well.

  Despite not having slept long, President Ba woke to good spirits. It made her green with envy.

  “Meow” President Ba greeted Qin Shu happily.

  Qin Shu shot him a stink eyed look.

  President Ba shrunk in on himself, his eyes flickering in a way that seemed to express how wronged he felt.

  She lowered her voice and said, “Don’t give me that look. Who was it who brought me to this room, hmm?”


  “Meow” President Ba called out ingratiatingly.

  Qin Shu flicked President Ba’s forehead.

  President Ba used the force of her flick to flip over and roll down the other side of the bed, landing paws first on the ground.

  Amused by President Ba’s antics, Qin Shu felt her mood improve – if just a little. She mimicked her cat and got out of bed except without his dramatic flourish. Two dark circles ringed her eyes, making her look like a panda. Padding her way to the wardrobe, she opened it and gasped.

  With the faint light of day trickling through the wall of curtains, she found herself mesmerized by the clothes she could see.

  The wardrobe was full of women’s clothes. Moreover, they were clothes that were trending this season. From the condition they were in, they had to be brand new!

  Could it be his girlfriend’s clothes?

  What if the women walked in and saw them together? Wouldn’t she think Qin Shu was trying to seduce her man?

  Qin Shu did not care. If in a jealous fit, the woman decided to take it out on the man, she would simply sit by the side and watch the show.

  She sifted through the clothes with a critical eye, looking for something she would like to wear.

  Soon, she found a set of casual home-style clothes that she liked. When she turned around, she saw the man whose head was wrapped in gauze walking out of the bathroom. He had already changed into casual clothes for home use.

  The man walked with an even gait, stopping in front of her. “Go and wash up. In the meantime, I’ll have someone prepare breakfast.”


  The man walked out the door as soon as he was done speaking.

  Qin Shu tilted her head and looked at the man’s back as he left. It was remarkable how well he moved despite being blind. She could not help but wonder if he had trained to do so since young. Conversely, he would be able to accomplish the same feat if he had already reached the summit of some martial art.

  Either way, it should not have mattered to her at all. He wasn’t a good person.

  Qin Shu shook her head and strode into the bathroom. There, she changed her clothes, brushed her teeth and washed her face.

  President Ba had already slipped out of the room by the time she had finished washing up. His ability to adapt was even greater than hers.

  She shook her head helplessly and walked out of the room.

  Having walked back and forth twice the previous night, Qin Shu was quite familiar with her surroundings and knew exactly where the dining hall was.

  As she walked, she sized up the villa. Last night, she had not been able to appreciate its decor or layout properly in the gloom of night. Now that it was day, she could see the villa’s opulent halls in all its stunning beauty.

  The villa itself was definitely worth a fortune with it being so large. The decorations served as icing on the cake, transforming and emphasizing its extravagance. Many of the materials used in the villa’s construction and decor were precious. Few would have been able to afford or make use of such an eclectic mix of materials.

  The Crimson Sand Organization certainly was not short on money.

  Contracting them even once was enough to bankrupt the poorest of millionaires.

  Just as she reached the stairs, Qin Shu heard the voice of a man calling her.

  “Who are you? How did you get in?”


  She turned around and saw a handsome man walking towards her from the side. He had silver hair and a pair of long, narrow eyes. His tall figure was draped in an air of viciousness.

  She had seen this man the previous night. Gu Yan had crippled one of his hands before he could purge the toxins ravaging it.

  Qin Shu raised her eyebrows. “Who I am has nothing to do with you. As for how I got in, I don’t feel like telling you.”


  Qin Shu ignored the man and walked downstairs.

  “Do you think this is your home?” The silver-haired man shouted angrily and attacked whilst her back was turned towards him.

  Qin Shu dodged to the side, holding the bannister with one hand. Leveraging her weight against it, she lashed out at the silver-haired man with a powerful kick that sent him flying. He crashed into the wall behind him, reeling from the incredible strength packed into the blow.

  It was then that the silver-haired man realized she was not just some frail woman to be manhandled. A moment of carelessness had left him open to her vicious counter.

  Just as he was about to continue his assault, a hoarse voice rang from somewhere below.

  “Yin Xie, stop.”


  The fist that the silver-haired man had just swung was accompanied by a strong wind. He had forcefully pulled his fist back upon hearing his master’s instructions – the force of which caused his arm to quiver painfully.

  Qin Shu had put all her weight into that previous kick. She was quite happy to see how effective it had been, judging from the way Yin Xie’s arm was still shaking.

  Satisfied that she had paid him back in kind, Qin Shu turned her attention towards the foot of the stairs.

  Yin Xie could not understand why his master was protecting this woman. She was obviously an intruder whose very presence in the villa was a provocation against the Crimson Sand Organization.

  He too looked down in search of an answer.

  By then, Qin Shu had already made her way to the dining table. She sat in the seat furthest away from the man. She stared at the sumptuous breakfast laid out on the table and then at the man sitting on the opposite end from her. His eyes were still covered in gauze as he helped himself to the food with a pair of chopsticks.

  The air around him screamed elegance and nobility.

  He was no different from a normal young master.