‘Big sisters, tell me what have I done to you?’ Yuan Gun Gun asked. ‘Why must you always gossip about me behind my back?’


  It didn’t matter if the distance between Yuan Gun Gun and Hao Yan Che was vast. Other people didn’t have the right to insult her unprovoked.

  The three women were speechless.

  ‘It doesn’t matter if I’m ugly and dumb,’ Yuan Gun Gun said. ‘I’m the woman Hao Yan Che chose to marry. Big sisters, you can look down on me. But none of you have any right to bad mouth me behind my back unprovoked.’


  Yuan Gun Gun’s tears contradicted the conviction in her voice.

  The three women laughed coldly at the weakling Yuan Gun Gun.

  ‘Do you really think CEO Hao chose to marry you?’ the first woman asked. ‘If you won’t the only one who can touch CEO Hao freely, CEO Hao would have chosen one of us to marry, not you.’


  Yuan Gun Gun stumbled back a step.

  ‘You’re only born lucky,’ the second woman said. ‘Think about it. If he couldn’t stand your touch, do you think he would even take one glance at you? Don’t make us laugh. Look at yourself in the mirror. There is nothing appealing about you. You’re ugly, fat and dumb. Do you think CEO Hao married you because he loves you? Who knows what schemes you used to force CEO Hao to marry you?’


  The women cornered Yuan Gun Gun to a wall.

  ‘Do you want to know why we insult you behind your back?’ the third woman asked. ‘Because we hate you. We have the right to talk about anyone we want to. What are you going to do? Find someone to sew our lips?’


  Yuan Gun Gun looked at the three women’s scornful faces.

  ‘Yuan Gun Gun, wake up,’ the first woman. ‘Do you know how many people hate you? Do you know how many people think you don’t deserve to be CEO Hao’s wife? If you have anything inside your dumb brain, you should leave CEO Hao so he can be with someone worthy.’


  Yuan Gun Gun didn’t know what to do. She could only swallow the women’s insults.

  The three women left the bathroom like nothing happened.

  Yuan Gun Gun sat against the bathroom wall and cried.

  At three in the afternoon Hao Yan Che couldn’t wait for Yuan Gun Gun to come back to his office on her own. He didn’t know why he couldn’t shake off a bad feeling.

  Hao Yan Che called Yuan Gun Gun’s phone, but she didn’t pick up.

  ‘Yi Tu, go to Feng Ting’s office and bring Gun Gun back here,’ Hao Yan Che ordered.

  ‘Yes young master,’ Yi Tu said.

  Yi Tu bowed and went to Feng Ting’s office.

  A while later, Yi Tu returned alone to Hao Yan Che’s office.

  ‘Young master, Feng Ting said Gun Gun didn’t come to her office,’ Yi Tu reported.

  ‘Where is Gun Gun?’ Hao Yan Che asked.

  ‘No one knows,’ Yi Tu said.

  ‘Go find her,’ Hao Yan Che said.

  Hao Yan Che put on his jacket, and went to look for Yuan Gun Gun.

  Yi Tu was worried Yuan Gun Gun ran away again.

  Later at the Long Mansion, Hao Yan Che rang the doorbell. The Long brothers opened the door, and he walked past them to confront Long Liu Bao.

  Long Liu Bao thought in that moment Hao Yan Che looked the scariest she had ever seen him.

  ‘Long Liu Bao, where is Yuan Gun Gun?’ Hao Yan Che asked.

  ‘Gun Gun?’ Long Liu Bao asked. ‘Isn’t she at home?’


  Hao Yan Che gripped Long Liu Bao’s neck, and lifted her feet off the floor.

  The Long brothers saw Long Liu Bao choking, they ran toward her and fought with Hao Yan Che.

  After Hao Yan Che released Long Liu Bao’s neck, she fell onto the floor and gasped for air. If the Long brothers weren’t home, she would have died.

  Long Wu Mac rushed to Long Liu Bao.

  ‘Bao Bao, are you OK?’ Long Wu Mac asked.

  Long Liu Bao shook her head.

  Long Wu Mac thought Hao Yan Che was too cruel. How could he choke someone he grew up with? Long Wu Mac could see Long Liu Bao’s reddened neck, and she didn’t doubt Long Liu Bao’s neck would bruise for days.

  ‘Hao Yan Che, are you crazy?’ Long Liu Bo asked.

  Long Liu Bo punched Hao Yan Che’s stomach, but Hao Yan Che deflected his punch.

  Long Liu Lang wanted to kill Hao Yan Che for almost killing Long Liu Bao.

  ‘Hao Yan Che, why are you this crazy?’ Long Liu Lang asked.

  Hao Yan Che took no notice of the Long brothers.

  ‘Long Liu Bao, where are you hiding Yuan Gun Gun?’ Hao Yan Che asked.

  Yuan Gun Gun didn’t tell Long Liu Bao that Yuan Gun Gun planned to escape again. But Long Liu Bao believed Yuan Gun Gun must have had enough of Hao Yan Che’s bullying, and chose to leave.

  ‘Even if I die, I wouldn’t tell you,’ Long Liu Bao said.

  Hao Yan Che was prepared to kill Long Liu Bao if she didn’t tell him where she hid Yuan Gun Gun.

  ‘Bao Bao!’ Long Liu Lang called. ‘Why are you lying? You haven’t been in contact with Gun Gun.’


  ‘Hao Yan Che, go ahead and kill me,’ Long Liu Bo said.

  ‘Do you think I wouldn’t dare kill you?’ Hao Yan Che asked.

  Long Liu Bo pulled Long Liu Bao behind him.

  ‘Che, don’t believe Bao Bao,’ Long Liu Lang said. ‘I promise you Bao Bao hasn’t been in contact with Gun Gun.’


  ‘I’m not lying,’ Long Liu Bao lied. ‘I hate how you bully Gun Gun. I know where Gun Gun is. But I’ll never tell you where she is.’


  Long Liu Bao couldn’t escape Long Liu Bo’s hold.

  ‘Long Liu Bao, be quiet!’ Long Liu Bo said. ‘Don’t make me use force.’


  Long Liu Bo held onto Long Liu Bao. Couldn’t she see Hao Yan Che would kill her the moment she was unprotected?

  ‘Did you say I bully my wife?’ Hao Yan Che asked.

  Long Liu Bao cried because she was worried how scared Yuan Gun Gun would be running away alone.

  ‘Am I wrong?’ Long Liu Bao asked.

  Hao Yan Che knew Long Liu Bao was lying. Long Liu Bao wouldn’t look worried about Yuan Gun Gun if she knew where Yuan Gun Gun was. If Yuan Gun Gun contacted Long Liu Bao then Long Liu Bao would have known that he hadn’t bullied Yuan Gun Gun for a long time.

  Hao Yan Che turned around, and walked outside the Long Mansion. He asked himself if it was too late for him to change. After he slapped Yuan Gun Gun’s cheek in Las Vegas, he didn’t hit her again. Because he didn’t want her to be scared of him again. He gave her freedom to choose when she wanted to be intimate with him, what she wanted to eat and where she wanted to go. Yet she ran away again. Should he stop being stubborn, let her go and let her be happy without him?

  ***