Chapter 65: Falling into the Sea
The next morning, the sound of birds chirping drifted in from outside the window. The Alpha, who had just gotten out of bed and was preparing to work out, walked back into the bedroom. He sat back down on the edge of the bed, his deep, gloomy black eyes lowered as he focused intently on the ring on his finger.
He had already been staring at it for ten minutes, and he had noticed the exact same one on Ruan Zhimian’s hand.
The little glutinous rice ball, still half-asleep and unable to find someone to cuddle, groggily opened his eyes and mumbled, “Shi He, have you left?”
Shi He laid back down, wrapping his arms around Ruan Zhimian from behind. “You put a ring on me?”
The glutinous rice ball snuggled closer, pressing a kiss to Shi He’s lips, looking entirely justified. He rested against the Alpha’s broad chest, his head gradually drooping as his eyes slid shut once more. “Yeah.”
“Even if you don’t want it, you have to keep it.”
“I picked it out. It’s pretty.”
Shi He lowered his head, kissing the boy’s brow.
“I love it.”
Nearing noon, Shi He was in a meeting at the company. Ruan Zhimian left the apartment alone. The two little kittens chased after him, bumping into the door with tiny meows.
For the first time, Ruan Zhimian didn’t look back.
He stepped into the elevator and walked out of the apartment complex. Qiuqiu manifested, floating down to rest on Ruan Zhimian’s shoulder.
“Mianmian, you still haven’t completed the task.”
Ruan Zhimian simply said there was no rush.
He stood by the roadside, dressed in a simple athletic outfit, wearing a white backpack. Without a shred of defensive caution, he pulled open the door of a taxi.
He spoke calmly, “To Huajiang University.”
The driver in the front seat, wearing a face mask, glanced up, cautiously observing Ruan Zhimian through the rearview mirror. It was likely his first time doing something like this, as his movements were far from practiced.
The apartment was quite a distance from the university. Ruan Zhimian closed his eyes, leaning back against the seat, his snow-white, slender fingers lightly tapping against the armrest.
He was incredibly calm.
Qiuqiu felt an inexplicable sense of unease. This time, the task progress bar hadn’t budged an inch, save for the countdown timer.
[Mianmian, aren’t you worried?]
Ruan Zhimian didn’t answer; he merely pulled Qiuqiu into his arms and gave it a gentle rub.
He had been preparing for this very moment since he encountered Su Ning five days ago.
The taxi took a detour midway, and Ruan Zhimian was rendered unconscious inside the vehicle. When he woke up again, he was tied up inside an abandoned seaside villa.
A gust of sea breeze blew past. He opened his eyes, finding Han He’an and Su Ning standing before him.
Han He’an looked significantly worse for wear than before. Having just been bailed out two days prior, his eyes were brimming with hatred. Su Ning, on the other hand, glared at him viciously, posturing aggressively but not daring to make an actual move.
“Ruan Zhimian, marry me.”
“I will make you Mrs. Han.”
Just moments ago, Su Ning had been preparing to search Ruan Zhimian, but Han He’an had fiercely berated him.
Given Ruan Zhimian’s temper, what if he got even angrier?
“I only agreed to help you kidnap him, not to let you humiliate him.”
“Ruan Zhimian is my future wife. Get lost.”
Not long after getting into the car, Ruan Zhimian had been drugged. His smartwatch was tossed onto the road, his phone and other electronic devices discarded. He was left with nothing but the clothes he had worn out.
He scanned his surroundings. It was an uninhabited seaside villa, an empty room with bare concrete walls, and a video camera was set up right in front of them, recording everything.
Han He’an’s position within the Han family was now incredibly precarious; he had barely managed to secure bail. The Han family had spent an exorbitant amount of money paying off the victims just to get him out.
If he lost Ruan Zhimian—his final bargaining chip—he would completely lose any chance of inheriting the Han family.
He needed to threaten Ruan Zhimian while simultaneously forcing his compliance.
“Why should I marry you?”
Ruan Zhimian’s beautiful, clear eyes swept over him, his entire face radiating absolute disgust. His tone was icy. “Han He’an, do you have a new lover again? And you actually brought him right in front of me…”
“Mianmian, he’s not.”
“Han He’an, I used to like you so much, yet you lied to me and hurt me over and over again. How can I possibly believe you anymore?”
Ruan Zhimian lowered his head, tears falling pitter-patter to the ground.
He had hardly ever cried in front of Han He’an. Sounding incredibly wronged and taking the matter to heart, a sliver of genuine fear seeped through his voice. “And now you’ve even kidnapped me. I’ve given you so many chances, but you’re just getting worse and worse.”
Su Ning was furious and lunged forward. “Ruan Zhimian, stop acting!”
He had been locked up by Ruan Zhimian for so long, left entirely alone in the middle of nowhere, freezing, starving, and subjected to interrogation. He had barely managed to escape when he ran right into Han He’an’s assistant, who had come looking for him.
Su Ning swore he would exact his revenge on Ruan Zhimian.
Everything he had endured, he would make Ruan Zhimian experience all over again.
As long as the plot returned to its rightful track, Shi He would undoubtedly fall in love with him.
Han He’an tried to explain while shoving Su Ning away. He took a wide stride forward, carefully untying the ropes binding Ruan Zhimian’s feet. “Mianmian, it wasn’t my idea to tie you up.”
“I don’t want to look at him.”
Su Ning, naturally, refused to leave. He wanted to watch Ruan Zhimian and Shi He break up with his own eyes, and he intended to send the video of Ruan Zhimian getting together with Han He’an directly to Shi He.
Ruan Zhimian’s face was terrifyingly pale, making him look exceptionally fragile. His voice turned sharp, and his entire body began to tremble. His hands, hidden behind his back, slipped up his sleeve, his fingers gripping a sharp blade secured to his right arm.
“Han He’an, you leave too. Just leave me here to fend for myself.”
“Shi He would never treat me like this. I will never believe you again.”
Han He’an delivered a vicious slap to Su Ning’s face. “You don’t have the right to speak here. Shut up.”
Ruan Zhimian watched with cold detachment. The more chaotic it got, the better.
Ruan Zhimian’s emotional state was highly volatile. Once he managed to calm down, Han He’an received a phone call. The Shi and Ruan families were currently tearing the city apart searching for Ruan Zhimian.
Han He’an dragged Ruan Zhimian and Su Ning onto a boat waiting behind the villa. Arrogant as he was, he wasn’t completely brainless; he had to secure Ruan Zhimian’s agreement before he could safely take him away.
If Shi He showed up, Han He’an wouldn’t even have the chance to utter a single word.
The boat launched from the shore, only coming to a halt half an hour later. Ruan Zhimian sat on the deck, his hands bound to a nearby fixture.
Han He’an even dropped to his knees, but he held a knife pressed against Ruan Zhimian’s neck, the blade biting into the skin and drawing blood. “Mianmian, I promise you, I will never hurt you again.”
“I really have no other choice.”
“I know you don’t like Shi He. Tell him you want to break up right now, and we’ll go back together.”
This was the very plot Ruan Zhimian had orchestrated himself, set in motion the day he encountered Su Ning five days ago.
He intentionally let Su Ning escape, bought off the people around Su Ning, handed over the script, and then arranged for Yin Feng and the others to step forward, securing a massive compensation payout from the Han family.
Even this boat had been arranged by Ruan Zhimian.
He had never been some pure, simple-minded person. Survival had been the primary objective of his life, defining his entire twenty years of existence.
This time, however, he had never intended to survive.
If Shi He hated him, wouldn’t that be better?
The beautiful, pale face tilted up, a soft voice murmuring, “Okay.”
He had originally thought he wouldn’t even get the chance to say goodbye.
The call connected, and Shi He’s voice drifted through the line. “Mianmian.”
Ruan Zhimian said, “Shi He, let’s break up.”
A split second before the phone dropped, the sharp blade concealed in his sleeve severed the ropes. Due to the violent, sweeping motion, the blade sliced deep into the flesh of his own arm.
He heard Shi He say to him, “Let’s break up.”
“Ruan Zhimian, I’ve thought it through. I don’t like you that much after all.”
Blood soaked his sleeve in a rapidly spreading stain. Ruan Zhimian seemed entirely numb to the pain—or rather, it felt as though he was in agony everywhere. He answered Shi He with absolute, heartbreaking obedience, “I know.”
The very next second, Ruan Zhimian used his injured arm to knock away the hilt of Han He’an’s knife. With a backhand grip, he plunged his own blade straight into Han He’an’s abdomen.
Han He’an collapsed onto the deck. Su Ning screamed as Ruan Zhimian lunged at him, dragging them both into the churning sea below.
…
Goodbye, Shi He. I will leave you a clean world.
——[System: Congratulations Host, the task has been completed. Please claim your reward.]
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