《Forbidden.Desire》3《Will You Come Home Tonight?》
Chapter 14: Ransom and Plaything
1、Glimmer in the Abyss
In the old residence, the air was filled with a pungent musty smell and dust.
Time passed minute by minute. Pei Xiuyu was in the dark room, even his breathing suppressed to the lowest. He was tightly bound to a wooden chair, but he paid no attention to the blood marks from the coarse hemp rope on his hands.
The skin on his wrists had been rubbed raw and bloody by the rough rope, blood dripping from his fingertips onto the floor, yet he gritted his teeth, not making a sound, using all his strength to frantically rub the knot repeatedly.
He must break free.
The nauseating impact sounds from the next room, He Qiang's arrogant laughter, and the vulgar teasing of his underlings had finally quieted down completely at some point.
Pei Xiuyu's forehead was covered in cold sweat. With one final fierce pull, the knot on his hands finally loosened. Ignoring the blood on his hands, he slowly untied the bindings on his feet, enduring the severe pain throughout his body and the dizziness in his head, bent over, and moved extremely lightly to the door, observing the situation outside through the gap in the door panel.
At this moment in the next room, after a round of inhumane gang abuse, Shen Ruian lay on the messy bed like a broken doll, already exhausted and fallen into a deep sleep. The scars and dried fluids on her body all testified to the hell she had just endured.
"Bang!"
The agreed time was approaching. He Qiang, full of hostility, pushed the door open again. Seeing Shen Ruian asleep on the bed, a trace of impatience flashed in his eyes, and he raised his hand to slap her hard!
Shen Ruian woke up instantly from the pain, her whole body shrinking back.
He Qiang grabbed her hair, forcefully yanking her head up to make her look at him, his tone merciless and mocking: "Will your man come to save you? Or... just to save his brother? One hundred million to bring two people back, quite a bargain, right?"
Shen Ruian's scalp was numb from pain, tears swirling in her eyes, but her heart was filled with desperate worry. She didn't know how Pei Xiuyu was now, whether he was okay after such serious injuries. She was even more worried about Jiang Yuhe.
She knew He Qiang's underlings had long been ambushed in this old residence. If Jiang Yuhe came alone, even he might get hurt.
At this moment, on the way, Jiang Yuhe's phone vibrated again.
Opening it, there was an attached photo. The screen showed Shen Ruian tied to a chair in a dark room, looking disheveled and covered in wounds.
Following it was He Qiang's arrogant message: [Bring one hundred million into this room and put it on the bed, take your woman away, your brother is in the next room, then leave quietly. If I find out the one hundred million is fake, I'll kill you all directly. Oh! And! If I know there are your people at the door, this deal will be canceled.]
Looking at Shen Ruian's broken appearance in the photo, Jiang Yuhe's already suppressed anger instantly burned to the top of his head. His face turned iron blue, and he punched the desk. Although he and the team he brought had urgently discussed countless rescue and ambush plans, to ensure the lives of those two, Jiang Yuhe finally hardened his eyes and made a decision.
"Team retreat, stand by outside. I'll go in alone."
2、Mantis Catching Cicada
The night deepened, the rain outside the old residence gradually lessened, the air so sticky it was hard to breathe.
Jiang Yuhe carried a heavy suitcase, avoiding everyone's eyes and ears, walking alone into this dead-silent building. He didn't follow the route He Qiang specified, but relying on intuition and keen observation, first pushed open the door of the adjacent room with a seal on it.
However, as soon as the door opened, a black shadow with a fierce wind slashed toward him!
Jiang Yuhe dodged sideways, his eyes turning cold. Just as he was about to act, he saw the opponent's face in the dim moonlight.
Pei Xiuyu had already broken free from the ropes, holding a wooden stick in his hand. He had been crouching behind the door waiting for a chance to rush out, not expecting the one entering to be Jiang Yuhe. The two suddenly withdrew their moves in the darkness, almost fighting directly.
Jiang Yuhe glanced at Pei Xiuyu's miserable state, head covered in blood, shoulder still bleeding, though his heart ached, his mouth couldn't help but coldly laugh in mockery: "Even Pei the boss gets tied up one day? Needing me to personally rescue you, this is something I can laugh at you about for a lifetime."
Pei Xiuyu, having lost too much blood, his face pale, had no energy to banter with Jiang Yuhe. He grabbed Jiang Yuhe's arm, his eyes full of anxiety, lowering his voice to ask: "Where's Ruian? Is she next door? I've been hearing cries for help... but I couldn't save her just now... Did you go save her?"
Jiang Yuhe looked at his brother's condition, patted his shoulder, suppressed his emotions, and softly commanded: "Calm down! I'm here to save you first. Let's discuss what to do. Since He Qiang that bastard dared to name a price, there must be an ambush inside, he won't let me take the people away easily. But you still have injuries..."
Pei Xiuyu took a deep breath, his eyes revealing a ruthlessness unique to the underworld, gritting his teeth: "You go first, I'll follow. I'll cover you!"
Seeing this was the most direct method that could also catch the opponent off guard, Jiang Yuhe nodded. The two lightened their steps, walking out of the room with murderous intent, heading toward the dimly lit room next door.
"Bang!"
Jiang Yuhe kicked the door open with one foot. Shen Ruian suddenly looked up, and upon seeing Jiang Yuhe and Pei Xiuyu appear at the same time, tears streamed down her face frantically, her mouth making anxious "mmph mmph" struggling sounds, frantically signaling them with her eyes to be careful.
Jiang Yuhe, with a stern face, silently threw the suitcase containing one hundred million in cash heavily onto the dirty bed.
Almost at the same second, two underlings ambushed in the dark behind the door, holding daggers, roared and stabbed fiercely toward Jiang Yuhe's back!
"Courting death!"
Pei Xiuyu at the back reacted quickly, enduring the tearing pain in his shoulder, delivered a sudden side kick, precisely kicking away the dagger from the leading underling's hand.
Then he spun and landed a heavy punch on the other person's face, knocking the opponent to the ground with a muffled groan.
Jiang Yuhe quickly rushed to the bedside, using a short knife he carried to cut the hemp ropes on Shen Ruian. Looking at the slap mark on Shen Ruian's face and her torn clothes, his tone was serious with a trace of imperceptible heartache: "Can you walk?"
Shen Ruian looked into his deep black eyes, tears blurring her vision, and nodded with effort.
At this time, several more underlings with sticks rushed in from the corridor. Jiang Yuhe and Pei Xiuyu protected Shen Ruian tightly behind them, fighting with ruthless ferocity, every punch landing solidly.
Even with Pei Xiuyu injured, with their tacit cooperation, those underlings were knocked down one after another, wailing continuously.
Jiang Yuhe stepped on an underling's chest, looking at Pei Xiuyu with a cold smile, mocking: "Just this little trash? How did you get taken down by them last night?"
Pei Xiuyu, panting heavily, shook his head, his expression grave: "No, those people last night were definitely professionally trained, not these low-level gangsters."
Jiang Yuhe frowned, preparing to pick up the suitcase on the bed to leave with Shen Ruian.
However, just as his hand touched the bag, a sinister evil laugh from He Qiang suddenly came from the speaker in the corner of the room:
"President Jiang, Young Master Pei, don't rush to leave. Look at yourselves."
The three subconsciously looked down.
On Jiang Yuhe's chest, Pei Xiuyu's back, and even Shen Ruian's forehead, glaring red laser dots were now silently resting.
Snipers were ambushed. If they dared to move, they could be shot on the spot at any time.
He Qiang laughed triumphantly behind the monitor, issuing an undeniable command: "Hand over the money you're holding to my underling."
As soon as he finished speaking, a man in black wearing night vision goggles and fully armed walked in from outside the door. Holding a gun, he walked forward coldly and snatched the suitcase from Jiang Yuhe's hand.
In front of Jiang Yuhe, he unzipped it, casually flipped through a few bundles, and after confirming that the consecutive serial number bills inside were all real, he made a gesture to the monitor.
The red laser dots instantly disappeared. The man picked up the bag and coldly dropped a sentence: "Let's go."
3、Broken Soul and Secret
When they returned to the overseas villa, it was already bright daylight.
Jiang Yuhe had long arranged for a trusted private doctor to wait in the villa. To avoid leaving any police records or medical records that could be used by rival companies at the hospital, all treatment and wound care were carried out in a private room.
More importantly, Jiang Yuhe sternly instructed the private doctor that all residual fluids that could be used as evidence must be collected from Shen Ruian.
Shen Ruian had torn clothes all the way, looking like an empty shell that had lost its soul. While letting the female doctor gently wipe her body, tears kept falling, her voice hoarse beyond recognition, constantly crying and apologizing:
"President Jiang... I'm sorry... I've caused you so much trouble... I... he filmed a video, he will definitely use the video to threaten you and blackmail you again..."
Pei Xiuyu, sitting aside while the doctor bandaged his head and shoulder, had been gritting his teeth to endure. Hearing the word "video," his mind instantly exploded with the lascivious sounds he heard from next door last night.
He could no longer hold back, suddenly standing up, ignoring the wound tearing, rushing to the bedside in a few steps, excitedly grabbing Shen Ruian's arm, his eyes bloodshot, his voice trembling violently: "What... what dirty and disgusting things did they do to you last night?!"
Shen Ruian was startled by his intense reaction, those scenes of gang rape and being drugged pulling at her mind like nightmares. She didn't dare to say it out, burying her head in her knees, crying so hard her whole body trembled.
Jiang Yuhe stood by the window, smoke swirling from his fingertips. He and Pei Xiuyu didn't press her, just waited quietly.
Only after the doctor finished treating all the wounds and left, leaving only the three of them in the room, did Shen Ruian slowly raise her head.
Those black eyes now had no light at all, empty and frightening. She spoke slowly in a tone that was almost numb, without any emotional fluctuation:
"He Qiang... filmed videos of every underling raping me. But in the videos... he had made me drink alcohol containing aphrodisiacs. My wanton appearance at that time was clearly captured... If this kind of video is released, who would think I was forced? Ha... who would believe I was gang-raped..."
Shen Ruian laughed self-mockingly, tears sliding down her swollen cheeks:
"President Jiang, you really don't need to spend so much money to save me... I'm really so tired..."
Hearing the words "gang rape" and "aphrodisiac," the anger in Jiang Yuhe and Pei Xiuyu exploded instantly, a violence that wished to tear He Qiang to pieces right now.
Jiang Yuhe clenched his fists tightly, veins bulging on the back of his hand. Suppressing his overwhelming anger, his voice was as cold as ice in hell:
"In my life, I hate men who bully women the most. He Qiang... if I don't kill you today, my surname isn't Jiang!"
But when he turned his head and looked at the woman on the bed who seemed ready to disappear at any moment, the boss's cold eyes softened a bit. He walked over, his tone still carrying his usual dominance and arrogance, trying to use debt to stir her will to live:
"Shen Ruian, I've spent so much money on you, bought out your contract, and today added another hundred million. Are you planning not to repay, just leave like this, or die? Did I allow you to die?"
Shen Ruian tilted her head to look at him, her eyes empty, unable to cry, her voice light and without any vitality: "In this lifetime... I can't repay it either. And now I'm so dirty... I, really live so tired..."
Pei Xiuyu, sitting aside, who hadn't said a word from beginning to end, just silently watched her. Hearing her say those self-abandoning words, feeling the endless despair in her soul.
The next second, Pei Xiuyu ignored the wound on his shoulder that had just been bandaged and was still faintly bleeding. Without a word, he walked over, bent down, and gave Shen Ruian a very deep, very deep hug that was extremely gentle yet incredibly forceful.
He pressed her head tightly against his uninjured half of his chest, as if to give her all his warmth.
Jiang Yuhe, standing aside, seeing Pei Xiuyu's reaction, suddenly felt an indescribable feeling in his heart. It wasn't exactly displeasure, just a subtle strange feeling.
Because he knew better than anyone that his brother Pei Xiuyu had always been extremely principled and would never touch his, Jiang Yuhe's, woman. In the past, when he casually joked, "This woman is quite obedient, if you feel bored, you can use her to relieve boredom," Pei Xiuyu never even glanced at her.
But now, the way Pei Xiuyu looked at Shen Ruian was too wrong.
Pei Xiuyu completely ignored Jiang Yuhe's gaze. He tightly hugged the cold, trembling woman in his arms, leaning close to her ear, using an extremely gentle and considerate voice that only the two of them could hear to softly comfort her:
"You did nothing wrong. Don't feel like you did anything wrong, you're not dirty at all, the dirty ones are those beasts! I'm sorry... it was me who didn't protect you yesterday, causing you to suffer this grievance."
Shen Ruian's originally cold and dead heart suddenly stirred with a long-lost warmth upon hearing these words. The feeling of being unconditionally cared for and respected made her rationality suddenly return at this moment.
She anxiously pushed him away, looking at Pei Xiuyu in front of her, her black eyes full of self-blame and panic: "You... your wound is bleeding again! Are you okay? I should be the one apologizing, it's all my problem, I dragged you into this... I'm sorry... I harmed you..."
Before she finished speaking, the accumulated repression, self-blame, and fear from the whole night finally completely collapsed at this moment. Shen Ruian grabbed his clothes, buried herself in Pei Xiuyu's arms, and burst into loud sobs.
"I don't blame you, it's okay, cry if you want to." Pei Xiuyu tightened his arms again, his eyes full of deep affection and restraint, gently patting her back, "I'm fine, you're the most seriously injured victim, don't be afraid, I'll always be with you from now on."
At this moment, Jiang Yuhe's phone in his pocket suddenly rang frantically.
Answering the call, the domestic secretary's voice was extremely anxious: "President Jiang! Bad news! The rival company somehow gathered a large amount of overseas funds, taking advantage of your absence last night, filled our one hundred million cash gap, and forcibly occupied several of our overseas core holding positions through illegal means! The board is in chaos now!"
Jiang Yuhe's face turned extremely gloomy in a second. The business world is like a battlefield, those old foxes indeed arranged a chain of schemes.
He hung up the phone, glanced deeply at the two people on the bed, took a deep breath, forcefully suppressed his anger, and instructed Pei Xiuyu: "Xiuyu, there's a big problem at the company, I must return to headquarters immediately to handle it. You stay here and take care of her."
Pei Xiuyu looked up, seriously looking at Jiang Yuhe, and said earnestly: "Regarding domestic and overseas equity matters, I'll help with whatever I can. After all, this matter also has something to do with me, Pei Xiuyu. If you need anything, you must tell me anytime!"
"Thanks." Jiang Yuhe didn't waste any more words, left the villa with a large group of bodyguards like a gust of wind, rushing back to the company to deal with this sudden commercial storm.
In the luxurious bedroom, only Pei Xiuyu and Shen Ruian were left in an instant.
Pei Xiuyu looked at Shen Ruian's eyes swollen from crying, his heart aching terribly. He gently lifted the quilt, lay down beside her, and with one long arm around her neck, gently pulled her into his embrace.
In such an embrace full of security and no sense of oppression, Shen Ruian's crying gradually subsided, and under Pei Xiuyu's occasional gentle pats, she finally fell into a deep sleep on the bed, exhausted both physically and mentally.
4、Secret Outside the Play
"Cut! Perfect! Everyone's state today is great, wrap up and rest! Continue tomorrow!" Director Zhang's excited shout broke the quiet in the bedroom.
The set's incandescent lights brightened in a second.
Sun (Shen Ruian) was still lazily lying in Xu Mu'an's (Pei Xiuyu) arms. She rubbed her slightly sore eye corners, raised her delicate pretty face, looked at Xu Mu'an's broad shoulders and faintly exposed chest muscle lines, and couldn't help but tease with a smile:
"Hey, Xu Mu'an, have you been secretly working out lately? Your figure is really good! Broad and big, quite comfortable to lie on."
Xu Mu'an was originally preparing to pull his arm out, hearing this, he poked her forehead amusedly, saying with a helpless laugh: "You only realize it now? Suddenly feeling a bit regretful, didn't maintain your ladylike image in front of me before?"
Sun thought seriously for a moment, then nodded, sighing with a joking tone: "Hmm~~ It is indeed a bit regrettable. Such a high-quality, understanding and gentle man, turned out to be my male best friend! Simply too wasteful~~"
Hearing Sun's half-joking sigh, Xu Mu'an's eyes suddenly showed a subtle change at this moment.
Filming so many high-intensity erotic scenes and bathroom scenes with her during this period, and just now holding her on the bed feeling her breathing, Xu Mu'an had discovered several times that his heart uncontrollably stirred with inexplicable palpitations.
But... how could it be? He had known Sun for over ten years, how could he have feelings for his own close female best friend? Impossible, absolutely impossible.
He frantically denied it in his heart, while Sun, being carefree, didn't feel anything wrong at all, just felt exhausted after filming crying scenes all day.
Xu Mu'an took a deep breath, quickly withdrew his hand and stood up, turning his head to cover up: "Alright alright, stop being sarcastic here. Hurry up and change clothes! I'll take you to eat at that specialty roadside stall later."
"Got it." Sun lazily stretched, walking into her exclusive dressing room in slippers.
She changed into simple casual clothes, just as she pushed open the dressing room door, before she could greet Xu Mu'an outside, a hot, well-defined large hand suddenly reached out from the side, precisely and dominantly grabbing her wrist.
"Going to eat with him again? No, tonight, I have no intention of letting you go."
Qin Che stood at the door, not knowing when he had changed clothes. Wearing a refined black shirt with two buttons open at the collar, his black eyes surging with undisguised strong possessiveness and jealousy.
Sun turned to look at his terribly stinky handsome face, amusedly raising her eyebrows, deliberately blinking at him, smiling: "What, President Qin. Jealous? Then do you want to come along?"
Qin Che sneered, his large hand slightly forceful, directly pulling her whole body in another direction: "No need. I'm taking you somewhere, tonight, I'm making you stand him up."
"Hey! Qin Che wait, let go of me first, at least let me say something to Xu Mu'an! Let go of me!" Along the way, Sun was helplessly pulled forward by him, but the boss's irresistible dominance came up, forcibly dragging her through the quiet corridor, directly into a hidden props room that hadn't been used for filming all day.
"Click."
The door was locked from behind by Qin Che.
In the center of the room, on the large bed, there was neatly laid out an extremely hot, sexy black leather erotic lingerie set, with black lace edges and a leather collar.
Qin Che stood behind her, enclosing her whole body in his arms, his slender fingertips somewhat fiercely pinching her chin, speaking in a low voice:
"Originally the crew designed this outfit for the later erotic scenes, but I directly blocked it this afternoon. This kind of clothing, in this lifetime, you can only wear it in front of me, Qin Che."
Sun was thoroughly amused by his jealousy-driven, childishly strong possessiveness. She turned around, somewhat helplessly yet indulgently wrapping her arms around his neck, laughing and teasing: "Yes yes yes~~ Our President Qin is right, whatever the big boss says goes~~"
After saying this, her seductive thoughts came up. She turned and boldly changed into that tight-fitting leather erotic outfit that accentuated her curvaceous figure even more sexily in front of him. The black leather wrapped around her delicate skin, emitting extreme sensuality under the dim light.
Sun deliberately walked in front of him, twisting her slim waist and swaying in front of him.
Qin Che looked at this creature that belonged only to him, the fire and beastly desire in his black eyes exploding in this second. He satisfiedly smirked evilly, one large hand with burning temperature, suddenly pulling her into his embrace.
Then, he pulled a black lace cloth from the side, somewhat roughly but skillfully blindfolding Sun's watery eyes tightly.