Mr. Tycoon's Daring Wife

Suddenly, a thought dawned on Zhao Lifei: the car key was not in her hand. The door was previously locked. A bloodcurdling chill passed through her at the terrifying realization. There was a familiar chill in the air, the silence of the empty parking lot bothered her more than she anticipated.

"You’ve let your guard down." A man breathed into her ear, the same voice as the mysterious bidder from the banquet.

Zhao Lifei reached for her waist pants only for a pair of rough, calloused hand to grip her wrists, holding her in place. She screamed, struggling to fight back. Where were her bodyguards?! And why was this man so strong?

"Calm down, it’s me." Jiang Zihui gently cooed, worried that she might hit her back against the car window and hurt herself.

Zhao Lifei’s eyes became unbelievably wide. Because it was him, she panicked even more. "Let me go! Please!" She shrieked, kicking and yanking her wrists back, tears filling up her eyes. She could feel prickling pain in her chest with fear weighing her down like a heavy and soaked blanket. She was so overwhelmed with fear, she could not breathe.

"I will let you go, but you have to relax, little butterfly." Jiang Zihui was perplexed by her fear towards him. All he did was track her down and corner her so that she could not run. Was this why she was violently reacting?

Zhao Lifei had no choice but to oblige. She was visibly shaken, her eyes jumping anywhere but him. She was beyond terrified, with her heart beating a million beats per second, and she greedily gasped for air, choking on her own breath at times.

"Why are you doing this?! Why can’t you accept the fact that I want nothing to do with you!" She shrieked, yanking her wrists back, begging, pleading that someone could come and rescue her. She could not move her legs which felt numb and weak. The very sight of his face caused a flash of memories to resurface, all of which was dragging her into the pits of despair.

"I—"

"Haven’t you done enough damage already?! Tracking me down to this extent, sending boxes of snacks, do you realize how insane you seem? Why can’t you leave me alone?! Do you want to see me beg and grovel before you become the bane of my existence?!"

It came out. All the frustration she felt because of him, left her mouth like a waterfall after a heavy day of rain. It resembled the rivers of her eyes, where tears were freely falling.

Jiang Zihui was speechless. He had never seen her cry like this. She was always composed in front of him with those indifferent pair of eyes that never looked at him. All he wanted to do was see her smile the same way she used to do when he was her student. He missed her laughter which tickled his heart and could put him in cardiac arrest.

"I just wanted to see you again." He slowly said, torn by her teary face. She rapidly shook her head, shaking and weeping like an injured and frightened bunny. The more pained she looked, the more agony he felt in his heart.

"Well, I don’t want to see you. Let me go. Leave me alone. Don’t ever show up in front of me again." She snarled, her free hand reaching for the door. She found it locked. Her eyes widened in surprise as she glanced out the windows. There were men outside, but none of them were hers.

"Leave you alone?" He let out a burst of dark and harsh laughter. She flinched, her feeble body shrinking into her seat.

"Never." He hissed, grabbing her by her shoulders. "Do you understand how much you have tormented me? Do you understand how much I’ve longed to see you day and night? You plague my damn mind from sunrise to sunset. You’re the very source of my nightmares, yet the heroine of my blissful dreams. Do you really think I’m going to let you go just like that?!" He gave her body a gentle shake, his eyes burning with devotion.

If she commanded him to, he would kill for her. Any obstacle that stood in her way would disappear in a blink of an eye. He was willing to commit the most atrocious sins in this world if it meant she would be by his side, a ring on her finger, and their names on a certificate.

Zhao Lifei shook her head like a rabid dog. She refused to believe his words, refused to believe he cares for her to such an extent.

"Why do you hate me so much?" His voice cracked towards the end, like his broken heart. He combed through every corner of the country for her, leaping in glee when he finally found her in Shenbei. Even though it was in the arms of another man, but that could easily change.

"Why do I hate you so much?! Are you stupid or perhaps you have lost your damn mind!" Her voice raised an octave, her eyes going wide with anger.

She continued her rant, "After what you did to me, you still dare to say such a thing?! Did that night completely fly over your pea-sized brain? You’re a piece of shit, you know that? I wish I had never met you, wished I never stumbled across that pitiful soldier!" She pushed his arms away, her petrified tears turning into pure resentment.

Her voice lowered into a hushed whisper, "Do you understand how many sleepless nights I’ve had because of you? Do you understand how many hours I had to spend in therapy?"

He was confused by her statement. That night? What night? The last time he saw her was when she stormed off to her sleeping quarters after he ordered her not to tie her hair up. He shook his head. "What are you talking about?"

"Screw you." She snarled, disgusted at him. Of course, he would forget that night. He must’ve done it to so many other women that the thought flew past his head. Nothing in this world could match the pure acrimony she felt for this trash in front of her.

Jiang Zihui would’ve violently reacted to her insults. No one had ever spoken to him that way in a long time, no one. Especially not after he was crowned with the reputable title of General. But she was Zhao Lifei and he could never bring himself to lift his hand to her. She was too precious. To leave a mark on that porcelain skin of hers was the greatest sin anyone could commit.

"My little butterfly, I truly do not understand what you’re talking about."

Zhao Lifei saw red.

PAK!

The sound echoed in the car, the sound of skin against skin, palm against face.

Jiang Zihui’s face whiplashed to the side, his eyes filled with disbelief. It’s been ages since he was ever hit that hard. Not even his parents had hit him like that. "You’re lucky I love you so damn much." He snarled, suppressing his rage. His fingers curled into fists, the skin turning white. He clenched and unclenched his jaw, the sharp line becoming very prominent. If it was anyone else that slapped him like this, he would’ve broken their fingers or hand or both.

"Just because you were drunk, it does not excuse the fact that you nearly...nearly..." She dared not say the word. Even when she tried to, her throat would constrict itself, like a tube being tied into a knot.

"Drunk? I do not drink." He concluded for her, not understanding what she was referring to. In an entire year, he never drank more than a shot glass. It was something his friends and comrades always complained about when they went out to clubs and parties.

Zhao Lifei opened her mouth, ready to argue again. However, she saw that he was extremely serious and stoic. He was not lying. As the realization sunk in, her face morphed from anger to confusion, to pure horror.

This entire time, she was so terrified of him, having nightmares of his face implanted on the man who nearly raped her that night. The entire time, she painted him as the most villainous man in her life. If he did not drink, then who exactly was in her room?

Jiang Zihui’s face grew more frigid. What was it? Why did she look so petrified...was that remorse? What happened to her? "What are you thinking of?"

He would pay a good amount of money just to read what’s inside that pretty little head of hers. Her fair skin was sickly pale. She looked like she had encountered a ghost or went through hell and back. Her lovely, doey eyes were wide and her body was shaking like a brittle leaf on an autumn night.

"T-that man...H-he was not you?" She whispered to no one in particular. She spoke as if she was voicing broken bits of her thoughts. Her brain was in a jumble right now, too much to fathom the people approaching the underground parking lot.

There was a commotion outside of her car which caused her to come back to consciousness. The sound of thundering footsteps could be heard when people entered the spacious parking lot. It was a swarm of black and white, armed men pointing their loaded weapons towards each other.

The King of the Underworld had arrived and he was out for wretched souls, beginning with Jiang Zihui who was holding his Queen hostage.