Evening, Jiangdong University.
Zhou Jie, heavily made-up, was chatting and laughing with a female classmate as they walked out of the campus and waited for a taxi by the roadside.
"I'm telling you, not having experience isn't a big deal. Once we get to the private room, I'll teach you everything. As long as you can entertain the guests, you'll make a fortune. You only get a thousand yuan a month for living expenses—how can that be enough? Do you know how much my bag costs? It's over a hundred thousand! Don't worry, the club won't let things get out of hand. The guests are well-behaved. At most, they'll just touch your thigh... Don't worry about what your classmates think of you. We're not in the flesh trade. We're above board. After graduation, everyone will go their separate ways. Who will remember who? They'll only envy you for making money..."
Despite the concerns still visible on her face, the female classmate was convinced by Zhou Jie's smooth talk. She replied with anticipation, "Zhou Jie, wait for me. I'll go buy some chewing gum. I had scallion oil noodles tonight, and my breath might smell."
"Go ahead!" Zhou Jie smiled and said, "You're so considerate. The guests will definitely like you. Hee hee hee…"
As soon as the classmate walked into the store, Zhou Jie took out her phone and sent a WeChat message to her boyfriend: "It's done. Meet me at the usual place."
Before she could react, a military green jeep suddenly stopped in front of her, and she was pulled into the car.
When the female classmate returned after buying the gum, she found Zhou Jie was nowhere to be seen. Feeling a bit disappointed, she wondered if Zhou Jie thought her looks and figure were average and decided not to take her along. Little did she know, someone had just saved her from the brink of a dark abyss.
Seeing Lao Wu and Lao San in the car, Zhou Jie felt as if she had been doused with cold water from head to toe. Trembling, she asked, "Wh-what do you want?"
Lao Wu, driving the car, glared at Zhou Jie through the rearview mirror and said coldly, "Tell me about Jin Shuhan."
"Wh-what Jin Shuhan? I-I don't know her..."
Before she could finish, Lao San grabbed her by the neck and squeezed until she was nearly unconscious before letting go with a growl, "Be honest. Speak!"
"I-I... c-cough... My boyfriend won't let you get away with this! Cough cough…"
Without saying a word, Lao San grabbed her by the hair and slammed her head against the car window twice, shattering it. Zhou Jie, now trembling violently, hugged her head and said, "I'll tell you everything! I'll tell you!"
After Zhou Jie recounted Jin Shuhan's ordeal from start to finish, Lao Wu's knuckles whitened as he gripped the steering wheel. "Where's your boyfriend now?"
"I-I'll take you to him... please, don't hurt me!"
Lao San, who normally avoided violence against women, made an exception in this case. Strictly speaking, Zhou Jie didn't count as a human in his eyes.
At the Nanfan Wharf, two Hummers parked one after the other by the roadside. On a shabby fishing boat, Chu Yuxuan, smoking, gazed at the vast sea. Yao Long, sitting at the bow, held Yao Liang's urn with a gloomy expression.
Chu Yuxuan glanced at him and said apologetically, "Consider my compensation again, and let me put your mind at ease."
Yao Long forced a bitter smile. "My brother lived and died for this, and I don't want him to die and still be exploited!"
Chu Yuxuan sighed and checked the time—it was almost eleven o'clock.
At that moment, Lao Wu drove the jeep towards them. He chose this vehicle from Tianji Club to avoid leaving traces. Even if the female classmate saw Zhou Jie being dragged into the car, the police would have no leads.
Lao San got out of the car and dragged Zhou Jie's boyfriend and another man out of the car. The three of them looked disfigured, evidently having been beaten nearly to death by Lao San on the way.
"Big Brother, I asked around. Xue Can's family is at the place Chu Haoran mentioned... The director Wang is also involved, but he's unreachable. He's not at home, and neither is his wife or children."
Chu Yuxuan nodded and looked at Lao Wu. "Handle it as you see fit. There's still time; no rush."
Regarding Lao Wu and Jin Shuhan, Chu Yuxuan hadn't anticipated this situation. However, now wasn't the time to address this matter.
Lao Wu took a towing rope from the car, expression cold, and tied Zhou Jie's boyfriend and the other man together. He then attached one end of the rope to the car's tow hook.
"What... what are you doing?" Zhou Jie's boyfriend, terrified, begged, "I-I'll give you any amount of money you want, just let me go! It was Zhou Jie! She's the one who coerced me into deceiving girls for their entertainment! If you want revenge, go after her!"
Zhou Jie realized what Lao Wu was about to do and was paralyzed with fear. "He forced me! He made me deceive girls for them to have fun! It was all him!"
Ignoring their pleas, Lao Wu returned to the car, started it, and drove off, dragging the two men behind him.
After more than ten minutes, the jeep returned to the wharf. The two men, now bloodied and mangled, left long streaks of blood on the road.
This scene nearly made Zhou Jie faint. She alternated between vomiting and screaming.
Lao Wu dragged her by the hair onto the fishing boat and asked Yao Long, "Can you help me with something?"
Yao Long, having witnessed Lao Wu's brutality, swallowed hard. "What is it?"
"The boat you contacted will arrive at midnight. Take this woman to Malaysia as well."
Yao Long was puzzled.
Lao Wu looked down at the nearly insane Zhou Jie and grinned, "God... you like going to clubs, don't you? I have a friend in Malaysia who owns an underground club. The patrons are all perverts, very thrilling. I'm sure you'll like it!"
"No, no! Please, I'll change my ways! Give me another chance!" Zhou Jie wept and begged.
Chu Yuxuan's lips curled into a sinister smile. "You should be going to hell to repent. We're just responsible for sending you there."
An hour later, after sending off Yao Long and Zhou Jie, the brothers pushed the jeep into the sea and drove off in the two Hummers towards the Han Hai Mansion.
East District, Mansion D08.
Xue Can lay on the bed with a distorted face. The painkiller had worn off, and the intense pain was unbearable. In fact, he had intended to enrage Chu Yuxuan to start a conflict between the Xue family and Chu Zhiqing. However, he hadn't anticipated that Chu Yuxuan would make him pay such a heavy price!
That spoiled brat was incredibly reckless! Not only did he dare to act in the Red Mansion, but he did it right in front of his brother!
The more Xue Can thought about it, the angrier he became. Hearing his mother incessantly scolding the two doctors in the living room only made him more irritated. He shouted, "Shut up! How annoying!"
His shout did quiet his mother, but it also caused a sharp pain in his groin. Gritting his teeth and moaning in pain, Xue Can grabbed a small packet of white powder from the bedside table and sniffed a few lines.
The old woman in the living room, still crying, walked toward Xue Can's bedroom and said, "Can-can, don't be angry. Mom has already told your brother. He's on his way to Chu Yuxuan's place with some people. Soon…"
She stopped mid-sentence.
Xue Can, already impatient, grew suspicious when his mother's voice suddenly stopped.
The next moment, the bedroom door was pushed open, and his mother collapsed inside, blood pouring from her throat.
Immediately after, Chu Yuxuan and his group entered the bedroom.
Xue Can, his mind clouded from the drugs, stared blankly and laughed maniacally. "Hahaha... Chu Yuxuan, you... you actually dare to come here? Hahaha..."
Calmly, Chu Yuxuan took a surgical knife from his pocket and said with a sinister grin, "Don't be foolish. Didn't you notice that your house has had no signal for the past five minutes? Haha... Twelve bodyguards, two doctors, and your mother—everyone left peacefully."
"Chu Yuxuan, hahaha... I'll kill you... hahaha... Do you know who my father is? Hahaha... Try touching me, and you'll see!"
"Don't worry. Your brother won't be back for at least two hours. Let's play a game first... Have you heard of the Prince's Arithmetic?"
Chu Yuxuan took a bag of salt from Lao San and said with a smile, "Given how twisted you are, I believe you'll enjoy this game."
As night fell and silence enveloped the mansion, the sounds of heart-wrenching screams echoed through the grand house.
It seemed that the pain of salt being poured into the wound was too much to bear