The moment the lamppost hit the ground, the room was plunged into complete darkness; not a single ray of light remained.

A short, dull thud followed, as a blunt object struck flesh and bone.

The entire space fell into a deathly silence.

Chu Wuyang was still lying on the sofa, her hand still clutching the crooked lamppost, trembling uncontrollably.

My throat was heaving violently, my legs felt weak, my mind went blank, and my ears were ringing.

At this moment,

She even forgot where she was and what she had just done.

Until a clear, rapid breathing sound broke the silence.

Very abrupt,

Chu Wuyang seemed to be awakened from her daze; she suddenly sat up.

Did she just injure Jing Min again?

His trembling hand silently tightened its grip on the lamppost; the metallic texture stung his hand.

She didn't know how much force she used to smash it; she only knew it was a final act of retaliation amidst boundless humiliation.

Is it all-out effort?

I just hit him with all my might.

She abruptly threw away the lamppost, which felt like it was burning hot.

"Thump...!"

The sound of metal hitting the ground was a warning that an accident had occurred.

The bodyguards, who had already heard the commotion and were halfway upstairs, were immediately alerted by the clanging of metal, triggering a security alarm in their minds.

The hurried sound of people climbing the stairs immediately created a tense atmosphere.

"Mr. Jing? Is that you?"

"What happened?"

"We've made it up?"

The bodyguards are already at the stairwell.

However, out of professional ethics and as Jingmin had instructed, they were not allowed to go upstairs regardless of any unusual sounds they heard.

Based on their professional experience, they could clearly hear sounds of fighting just now.

If anything were to happen to Mr. Jing, they would all lose their lives; if they disobeyed orders, they would face dismissal.

Due to threats to their jobs and lives, the bodyguards hesitated.

Just as they were about to go upstairs, a suppressed but stern voice rang out.

"Get off the plane!!!"

The tone was a hoarse growl, the voice almost trembling uncontrollably.

It was as if he was using all his strength to suppress some terrible emotion bursting from his throat.

The sound of the bodyguards going downstairs gradually faded into the distance.

The air returned to a deathly stillness.

Chu Wuyang stiffly released her fingers. She couldn't see in the darkness, but the sticky, damp sensation on her fingers was definitely not sweat.

Is it blood? Jing Min's blood. He was seriously injured?

In an instant, in the quiet space, she could hear her own heart pounding loudly.

She couldn't help but cover her chest—no, not hers, but Jing Min's.

He was badly injured and was groaning and panting.

"...Jingmin?"

Her voice was very soft, as if she were testing the waters.

No one answered her.

In the darkness, there were no angry shouts, no rising of the head, no retaliation.

Only the faint, deathly breathing grew fainter and fainter…

A sense of panic welled up in Chu Wuyang's heart.

"Jingmin! Jingmin..."

Her voice was already trembling with tears, her tone carrying a hint of uncertain pleading.

There was still no response, and the breathing was becoming weaker.

The surroundings were as dark as a coffin. She held her breath, relying on her heartbeat to sense the man's location.

But I can't feel anything.

No, it seemed even her heartbeat had stopped. A wave of immense fear washed over her, and she began frantically searching for her phone on the table.

Fortunately, the phone was right in front of me.

She didn't dare delay and quickly turned it on—the screen lit up.

That instant of light seemed to pierce the mouth of hell, illuminating the dark figure in the corner, trembling slightly.

Like the wings of a startled bird skimming across the water, light yet filled with fear.

At that moment, she fell silent.

Jingmin huddled in the corner, like a sculpture that had lost its warmth after being soaked by the rain.

The shirt was torn in half, the buttons were crooked, and the collar was wrinkled and hanging on the body. A thin line of blood seeped from the back of the head and meandered down the neck.

He crouched in the corner, his arms wrapped around his head, his back pressed against the wall.

It was as if he was struggling to hold back the vomit and fear that were about to erupt from deep in his throat.

He was trembling.

It was a real trembling—a fear that rose from the very marrow of one's bones.

She groped her way over, slowly squatted down, and the light from her phone fell on his knuckles.

Those hands, which were originally slender and elegant with distinct joints, were now gripping so tightly that they were turning slightly white.

"Jingmin?"

She spoke up.

Those eyes suddenly lifted and stared intently at her.

His pupils contracted, and it seemed like it took him a moment to recognize who she was.

Immediately afterwards, his voice became so hoarse that he could no longer utter a sound.

He suddenly lunged towards her.

She thought he was about to go berserk again, and instinctively shrank back.

But unexpectedly, he was just—

He gripped her wrist tightly.

It's like grasping at a straw.

"Don't turn off the lights..."

His voice finally escaped his throat, hoarse and low, like a knife scraping against a saw.

"Don't go...don't...don't leave me."

He pressed his forehead against her shoulder, his whole body covered in cold sweat, and even his breathing sounded like sobs.

Chu Wuyang was completely stunned.

Is this still the Jingmin she knows?

That aloof, all-powerful man who treated humiliating her as a game...

In the darkness, he knelt on the ground like a distraught child, begging her not to leave.

Chu Wuyang instinctively hugged him tighter.

Is he like this?

It's not hard to imagine that it was a traumatic experience that left behind.

Chu Wuyang's heart tightened suddenly, overwhelmed with mixed feelings.

How could someone as powerful and omnipotent as him be so easily defeated and left with a shadow?

She forgot that he was human, not a god; a being of flesh and blood, he was naturally capable of fear.

Was it something he mentioned?

That understated remark she had once ignored—

He was locked in a dark icehouse and spent the night with a pile of corpses with their eyes open.

She now understands that it wasn't just a simple sentence, but the rest of her life as a nightmare.

The phone screen remained lit, its dim light becoming his only refuge.

His fingertips gripped her tightly, tighter and tighter, as if afraid she would disappear in the next second.

"Jingmin," she murmured, "are you afraid of the dark?"

He did not answer.

He just pressed his whole body closer, as if he wanted to hide himself in her arms.

At that moment, Chu Wuyang couldn't push him away no matter what she did.