In the height of summer, the air was as scorching as in a sauna.
Yan Xia's hands were tied, her eyes covered with a cloth, and her mouth sealed with tape.
She had long known that this day would come, but she didn't expect it to arrive so soon. She wasn't sure if she could get out unscathed. All she hoped was that Lu Qianzhou would rush over quickly after receiving the news.
How ridiculous. She had schemed against him, yet now she had to rely on him to possibly escape unharmed.
She was being held by the arms and pushed forward all the way. Unable to see, she felt extremely insecure on her feet and didn't dare to take steps. Finally, those men got impatient and simply carried her forward.
Vaguely, she felt them push her into a room. She staggered a few steps before finally steadying herself. The door was closed again. Instinctively, Yan Xia used her bound hands to tear off the tape on her mouth and the cloth on her eyes.
The blinding light rushed towards her. After a moment, she finally made out the situation in the room.
At this moment, she had fled to the door and warily placed her hand on the doorknob. But when she saw the situation in the room, she stood there, stunned.
It was a huge suite with a large Western-style long table. The room's lights were a dim red, exuding an ambiguous and dangerous atmosphere. There was a spacious meeting room inside, and the window was a fully transparent floor-to-ceiling window with a large bay window extending outwards. Looking out of the window, there was a huge swimming pool below. The water was rippling, but there was no one in it.
Her gaze fell on the middle-aged man sitting at the head of the long table. Her eyes were filled with surprise and panic. Perhaps it was because this middle-aged man was so young and handsome. He looked like a mature fifty-year-old, exuding the charm of a mature man, which was far different from what she had imagined.
Although it was the first time they had met, she recognized him at a glance because she had seen his photo before and because Lu Qianzhou looked so much like him. He was the man who seemed to live only in legends, Lu Qianzhou's father, Lu Huairen, the elder brother of Master Lu San.
Most people outside respected him as Master Lu, but that was just a form of respect. Seeing him in person today, Yan Xia understood this deeply.
She also knew why she had been brought here, but she didn't expect it to happen so soon.
Some things couldn't be prevented. They were just a matter of time.
At Lu Huairen's feet lay a powerful Pit Bull. It had brown fur, with its two ears standing upright. It was very muscular. Perhaps it had smelled the scent of a stranger and was growling softly, staring sharply and menacingly in Yan Xia's direction.
Yan Xia knew that this kind of dog was extremely fierce and had a high killing power. Its fighting ability and biting force were both very strong.
She wasn't afraid of dogs, but facing such a fierce breed, she felt a little scared. She knew that it might not be so easy for her to get out unscathed today.
After all, Lu Huairen had gone to so much trouble to kidnap her to avenge the future daughter-in-law he had already set his mind on.
"Miss Cheng, don't be alarmed. I invited you here today just to clarify the truth of some things." Lu Huairen's gentle voice rang out. He stroked the head of his beloved dog beside him and shouted to his lackeys. "Hurry up and untie Miss Cheng."
Yan Xia was well aware of the current situation. She had no choice but to obey him.
It had always been rumored that Lu Qianzhou and Lu Huairen didn't have a very good relationship, and the two father and son also had very different ways of doing things. Lu Qianzhou was cautious and calculating, while Lu Huairen was a man who emphasized etiquette. He did the most ruthless things in the gentlest way.
Yan Xia stood there, stiff and motionless. The room was full of bodyguards and lackeys in black, standing with their hands behind their backs. They all looked like they were highly skilled. Without Lu Huairen's order, she didn't dare to move rashly.
"Miss Cheng, please sit down." Lu Huairen gestured with an open hand.
Yan Xia obediently sat down on the chair behind her. She took a deep breath and said, "Mr. Lu, I..."
"Miss Cheng has a very special temperament. No wonder Qianzhou has always been obsessed with you and has gone to great lengths to protect you. He even abandoned morality and righteousness for you." Lu Huairen smiled and interrupted her.
Yan Xia tried to keep calm. "The matter between Lu Qianzhou and me happened three years ago. It's already in the past. Now we're going to get engaged to others. We have nothing to do with each other and have no other relationship. I don't know where this remark of yours comes from."
"Miss Cheng, don't be nervous. As long as we can come up with a win-win solution to this matter today, it will be a happy ending for everyone."
After all, Jiang Yue had gotten into this situation because of Lu Qianzhou. He needed to give the Jiang family an explanation.
Over the years, no matter how much trouble or madness Lu Qianzhou had caused outside, he had never interfered. This time he had stepped in personally because the matter had touched his bottom line.
Seeing that his attitude was still quite gentle, Yan Xia's emotions also stabilized a little.
However, there was no air conditioner in the room. It was swelteringly hot. The sweat had wet her face, and a small patch of the back of her clothes was also damp. Perhaps because of the heat, she was having a little trouble breathing and was breathing slightly heavily.
"If it's because my actions have violated some interests that I shouldn't have, Mr. Lu can just tell me directly. I have no intention of going against you. As long as you tell me, I will definitely cooperate with you unconditionally."
Yan Xia paused for a moment and then said.
"But if you're going to talk to me about Miss Jiang's matter, then I have nothing to say. I only have one thing to say. I was also set up in that matter. I didn't have the guts or ambition to harm Miss Jiang. I hope you can investigate the truth of the matter clearly and clear my name."
"Miss Cheng has quite a big appetite. You can't produce any evidence to prove your innocence, and there are both witnesses and physical evidence. Yet you still deny it." Lu Huairen's gaze was light. He asked someone to show her a video.
It was a scene in the hospital. Jiang Yue seemed to have just woken up from the surgical anesthesia. She was almost going crazy. Everyone approaching her became the person who had violated her on the rooftop.
She kept throwing the things around her at them and smashed everything she could reach.
The water cup was shattered all over the floor. She got out of bed and tried to escape. The sharp glass shards pierced into the soft soles of her feet, and blood flowed all over the floor.
She screamed hysterically, "Get out! Stay away from me! Don't touch me!"
Jiang Yue's mother was extremely heartbroken. She ignored Jiang Yue's punches and hugged her, crying.
"Yue'er, I'm your mother. Don't be afraid. Mom is here. Those people are gone."
Jiang Yue gradually stopped crying in her mother's arms. She curled herself into a ball and shrank tightly in her mother's arms.
"Mom, Qianzhou won't want me anymore. He won't want me anymore..." Her face was as pale as paper, and there was no trace of blood on her lips.
Jiang's mother kept patting her on the back to comfort her. "No, he will want you."
Suddenly, Jiang Yue bit her own hand hard, biting it until there was dark blood. "Mom... It's all Cheng Yanxia. She's the one who made me like this. It was her doing. Don't let her go... You guys kill her for me. Kill her!"
She sobbed. "Otherwise, I won't be able to live..."