Chu Beize also had a contorted face. Looking at He Man on the ground, who stared straight at him with hatred as if she wanted to kill him, he suddenly strode over and roughly grabbed her hair with one hand.
With her hair grabbed, He Man frowned in pain but still stared at Chu Beize without flinching. She struggled to support her body with both hands so that the pain on her scalp wouldn't be unbearable.
"He Man, you're right. I'm not a human. And it's your retribution that you've fallen into my hands! But..."
Chu Beize reached out and took a mirror from the table. He viciously pointed it at He Man's face and sneered, "Take a look at yourself. Are you... even a human?"
There used to be a large mirror on the wardrobe in the room. But He Man was afraid of seeing her current appearance, so in a fit of anger, she smashed it. She had paid great attention to her maintenance for the past sixteen years and cared most about her face. She almost went to the beauty salon on time every week. But since she was locked in the room and lost her freedom, she hadn't dared to look at herself in the mirror for a long time.
Having not seen her own appearance for a long time, He Man's first instinct was to close her eyes. However, the image reflected in the mirror at that moment still deeply shocked her. She saw that the face in the mirror was deformed and distorted, and the dark circles under her eyes were clearly visible. She looked like a dead person. He Man stared at the mirror with wide eyes in horror and kept shrinking back while shouting, "No, no. This isn't me. I don't want to look. It's not me!"
Chu Beize sneered and pulled away her hands, then grabbed her hair and forced her face towards the mirror.
"Look clearly. This is you... He Man. Do you have the right to criticize me? You're even less like a human than I am. Haha..."
How could this ugly person, who seemed like a beggar on the street, be her? No, she must be seeing things wrong. That couldn't be her!
"It's not me. Get away! Get away!" He Man frantically tried to grab the mirror. When she couldn't get it, she tried to push Chu Beize's arm.
But after all, she was a woman. How could she resist the strength of Chu Beize, a strong man? Chu Beize firmly restrained her. His eyes were full of malice. Then, seeing her crazy appearance, he couldn't help but grin and said, "You still dare not admit it? Let me tell you, this is you. Don't you look like a dead person? Haha. Who would recognize you in this state?"
"No... Take it away!" Despair welled up in He Man's eyes. She struggled futilely against Chu Beize's strength, and two lines of clear tears suddenly welled up in her eyes. "No, I don't want to look. This isn't me..."
"He Man, you're still living in a dream. You look so ugly now that you're even worse than a beggar on the street."
"No, it's not!" He Man suddenly stopped crying and stared at Chu Beize with hatred. "It's all your fault. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have become like this."
After saying that, He Man didn't know where she got the strength all of a sudden. She slapped at Chu Beize's face. Chu Beize dodged neatly, but her long and sharp fingernails left several scratches on his face. Chu Beize immediately felt a burning pain.
"You crazy woman. How dare you hit me!"
Chu Beize was also enraged. He roughly pushed He Man away and threw her to the ground.
The broken glass on the ground hadn't been cleaned up yet. He Man happened to put her hand on the glass shards. In pain, she instinctively wanted to pull her hand back.
But at this moment, a malicious look flashed across Chu Beize's eyes. He suddenly lifted his leg and stepped on He Man's back of the hand. With this, He Man pressed down hard, and the broken glass pierced into her palm. She let out a cry of pain, and blood gushed out immediately.
"Ah... It hurts..."
He Man let out a heart - rending scream.
But Chu Beize still felt it wasn't enough. His polished leather shoes mercilessly ground on He Man's hand for a few more times. He Man felt the glass piercing deeper into her skin.
Her body went numb. Due to the long - term imprisonment, He Man had already had a poor appetite. After this ordeal, finally, her eyes rolled back and she fainted.
Seeing He Man go limp, Chu Beize finally lifted his foot. He frowned and kicked her a few times.
"Hey..."
But He Man still didn't move. Chu Beize bent down and felt her breath. After confirming that she was still alive, he spat and then got up and walked out of the door.
Standing at the door, Chu Beize instructed the bodyguard, "Go in and help her up. Remember, without my permission, no one is allowed to approach this room. Keep a good watch, got it?"
"Yes, Young Master!"
At the Xiao Family Mansion.
At around six o'clock in the afternoon, the members of the Xiao family gradually arrived. Only Xiao Yu was missing. Finally, Huo Lin couldn't help but call to urge him. Xiao Yu only said that he was almost there and then hung up the phone.
Huo Lin didn't urge him anymore. As long as he came, things would be okay.
The Xiao family was quite large. Many people came, and many of them brought their families. The children were playing around in the courtyard.
Xiao Zhenwei didn't have many sisters. He had two sons and one daughter. This time, it was the family of Xiao Zhenqu, Xiao Zhenwei's younger brother, who came. Among the playing children, there were the son and daughter of his eldest son.
Du Yu, the eldest daughter - in - law of the Xiao Zhenqu family, was a well - known host on a local TV station. Her figure and appearance were amazing. As a woman who often appeared under the spotlight, she had a kind of dignity and elegance in her every move.
On this side, Xiao Shuran also came. She was wearing a dress embroidered with peonies and a heavy makeup, looking noble. Compared with Du Yu's elegance, she thought she was the real socialite.
Du Yu would give a gentle smile whenever she saw someone. The dimples on her face made her look even more fresh and refined. But Xiao Shuran was unaware of this. She thought she had the upper hand, but in fact, she looked more vulgar.
It was Chu Yan who couldn't stand it anymore. Seeing his wife smugly walking around Du Yu, he couldn't help but pull Xiao Shuran aside and reminded her not to always stand beside Du Yu. But how could Xiao Shuran listen to him?
Everyone was chatting and laughing merrily, raising their glasses and talking. At this time, Jin Yan was also wheeled to the door of the Xiao Mansion by her assistant. Today, Jin Yan was also dressed in full regalia. Although the dress was cumbersome, it didn't reduce her elegance.
Seeing Jin Yan coming, Huo Lin immediately welcomed her.
"Auntie Xiao." Jin Yan greeted her sweetly. "I recently got two boxes of rare ginseng slices. I know you like them, so I came here specially to give them to you."
Huo Lin's eyes crinkled with laughter. "Oh, Yanzi, you're so thoughtful. You're not very mobile now. You could just have someone send them over. Why did you come here in person?"
"This is my little token of appreciation. How could I let someone else do it for me? Besides, I've almost recovered. I could actually walk on my own. It's just that my assistant is afraid that I might accidentally bump into something, so she insists on using the wheelchair."
"I'm glad to hear that you've almost recovered." Huo Lin invited her warmly, "Since you're here, come in quickly. It's still so hot outside at this time. Come in quickly so you don't get heatstroke."
Jin Yan glanced in the direction of the mansion and hesitated. "It seems quite lively at your place today, Auntie. If you have guests, I'd better not go in."
"What guests? You're such an outsider, girl. You're not a stranger. " Huo Lin laughed and pulled her. "It's just a family dinner. There are no outsiders. Since you're already here, how can I let you go back the same way?"
"So it's a family dinner." Jin Yan still said hesitantly, "I really came at a bad time. I should have come another day if I had known."
"It's okay." Huo Lin insisted on pulling her and wouldn't let her go. "Coincidentally, there are also some guests here today. Xiao Yu will come back later. You can help Auntie check them out."
"Could it be..." Jin Yan frowned.
"Yes." Huo Lin sighed and then continued, "Since you and Xiao Yu called off the engagement, I've been very worried. He's getting older, and he still hasn't found someone he likes. Your Uncle Xiao and I are very anxious."
"In that case, I'd better follow your wishes." Jin Yan forced a stiff smile and seemed a bit absent - minded.
"Good. Then come in quickly."
At Jin Yan's signal, the assistant behind her wheeled her into the Xiao Mansion.
The mansion was filled with laughter and the noise of children. It seemed very lively.
She didn't come at a good time by chance. In fact, she had known for a long time that today was the Xiao family's dinner, so she came at this time.
Whenever there was a family dinner at the Xiao family, almost all the members of the Xiao family would gather here. If she announced in public at this time that she wanted to cancel the previous engagement with Xiao Yu, the Xiao family members probably wouldn't object. Instead, they might even be happy about it.
But she didn't expect that Huo Lin had arranged for other women to be introduced to Xiao Yu.
This wouldn't do. How could she allow this to happen...
After entering the hall, Jin Yan immediately saw a beautiful and high - spirited woman sitting in the Xiao family's living room.
The woman seemed to be happily chatting with others. Her smile was bright, and her words made the old and the young around her burst into laughter. She must be a smart woman.
Perhaps it was a woman's intuition, but Jin Yan felt that she was the one.
The woman also saw Jin Yan coming in from the door and greeted her with a smile.
"Hey, isn't this Miss Jin? I've always seen you on TV before. I've heard so much about you. I finally get to see you in person today. My name is Su Mei." As she said this, she reached out her hand to Jin Yan, looking a bit excited.
Jin Yan maintained an elegant smile on her face and also shook her hand with a smile. "Hello, Miss Su."
"I really didn't expect to see you here. Come and sit here!" After saying that, Su Mei pointed to the sofa.
The smile on Jin Yan's face froze for a moment, and her eyes darkened slightly.
This Su Mei was clearly doing it on purpose. Seeing that she had a problem with her legs, she still asked her to sit on the sofa. A truly smart woman wouldn't do this on purpose.
Suddenly, Su Mei slapped her head in annoyance and looked at Jin Yan apologetically. "Miss Jin, I'm really sorry. I said the wrong thing just now. I forgot that you're not very mobile now. Please don't mind my thoughtlessness."
"Miss Su is young and inexperienced. I won't mind. I won't take it to heart." Jin Yan said gently, with a proper smile on her face.