I have nothing now.

Meng Yihe quickly suppressed the dizziness of waking up and forced himself to calm down. He did not struggle or make a sound immediately. Instead, he quickly observed his surroundings, assessed his own condition, and tried to identify the figure behind him.

Just then, the man seemed to notice the change in his breathing, paused for a moment, and then slowly turned around.

The light illuminated a haggard, unshaven face, bearing an expression of near madness and resentment. His eyes were bloodshot, fixed intently on Meng Yihe.

He grinned maliciously.

"Oh, you're awake? Director Meng." The man's voice was hoarse and unpleasant, laced with obvious sarcasm. "How's this place? Compared to your luxurious office, doesn't it have a different feel?"

Meng Yihe's heart sank.

The other person knew him, and their tone was filled with intense hatred.

He quickly searched his memory for the face, but couldn't recall it at all.

He looked at the other person without showing the slightest fear, simply returning their gaze calmly with those eyes that remained cold even in the dim light, remaining silent.

His silence seemed to have angered the other party.

The man chuckled and took two steps forward, the light illuminating his face with an even clearer mix of despair and madness.

"What? Have you forgotten something important?" He tilted his head, his tone becoming even more nasty. "Take a good look at my face... Director Meng, do you even know who I am?"

Meng Yihe searched her mind for all the people she had ever met.

From competitors to project partners, and even some insignificant figures, none of them had any recollection of the resentful face before them.

His silence and his still-calm eyes were clearly interpreted by the other party as complete indifference and forgetfulness.

This indifference is like adding fuel to the fire.

The muscles in the man's face twitched violently, and the twisted smile was instantly replaced by rage.

He suddenly stepped forward, his thin but incredibly strong hand gripping Meng Yihe's neck like an iron clamp, slamming him heavily against the back of the chair.

"Can't remember?! Huh?!"

The man roared, his spittle almost splashing onto Meng Yihe's face, his eyes burning with a frenzied rage.

"You high and mighty people! You'll never see who you're trampling to death!"

A feeling of suffocation instantly overwhelmed me.

Meng Yihe was forced to tilt his head back, his neck bones making a slight cracking sound as the strain became unbearable, and veins bulging on his forehead. But he still didn't struggle; he simply stared intently at the other person with his eyes, which were slightly red from lack of oxygen, trying to glean information from this frenzied outburst.

"It's me! Chu Shen!"

The man practically screamed the name, his arms trembling violently from the effort.

"Chu Shen, who was at the peak of his career! The one you and that bitch Ji Nan pushed out to take the blame! He served half a year in jail! His future was ruined! Now Chu Shen has nothing!"

Fragments of memory suddenly struck Meng Yihe's brain.

Yes.

The junior employee who was pushed to take full responsibility after the "truck accident" was quickly cut off and dismissed by Dingsheng Capital.

Meng Yihe had only seen the name and a blurry photo in internal reports and limited news articles; she had never met the person in person.

At this moment, Chu Shen's voice seemed to take him back to that cold moment.

Dingsheng Capital, Ji Nan's office.

"Chu Shen, this matter has caused a huge uproar." Ji Nan's voice was calm but carried pressure. "The group needs someone to step forward and take responsibility for this, and you are the most suitable candidate."

Chu Shen's lips trembled: "President Ji... that compensation... I simply can't afford it... and if I go to jail, my life will be ruined..."

Ji Nan stirred her coffee gently, her tone as if discussing a deal: "The company will take care of the compensation. Not only that, once you're out, I'll give you an extra sum of money that will be enough for you to live comfortably for the rest of your life, and arrange for you to go abroad and start a new life. This is the compensation you deserve for the sacrifices you've made for the group."

Seeing the faint glimmer of hope in Chu Shen's eyes, she continued, her tone carrying a subtle, almost imperceptible seduction.

"Of course, all of this is based on the premise that you are sensible enough to know what to say and what not to say."

...

The screen changes.

Months later, Chu Shen, who had just been released from prison and looked haggard, stood once again in Ji Nan's luxurious office, his eyes filled with anticipation and unease.

Ji Nan looked at him, her face showing just the right amount of regret and helplessness.

"Chu Shen, you're out. The company has already paid off the compensation for the previous accident in accordance with the legal judgment, so you can rest assured about that."

Chu Shen stepped forward hastily: "President Ji, that...that money you promised me before...and the trip abroad..."

Ji Nan sighed softly, interrupting him, her tone turning somewhat cold: "Chu Shen, things are different now. At Xinghuan, the 'North Star Light' project has not only survived, but is growing bigger and bigger. Meng Yihe and Cui Yu are putting a lot of pressure on us, and the group's cash flow is also very tight."

Ji Nan shrugged, making a gesture of helplessness.

"The extra compensation I promised you before is probably hard to deliver. If you have to blame someone, blame Xinghuan for being too pushy and leaving us no way out."

Her words silently directed Chu Shen's resentment and despair toward Meng Yihe and Cui Yu.

Chu Shen's thoughts returned to reality.

She lied to me!

Chu Shen gripped Meng Yihe's neck even tighter with agitation, his voice hoarse and desperate, yet filled with a frantic hatred of betrayal.

"You! You all forced me into this situation! If you hadn't kept pressing me, how could I have ended up like this?! I have nothing left!"

He finally let go abruptly.

Meng Yihe coughed violently, breathing in the cold, polluted air, leaving a clear red mark around his neck. He raised his eyes and looked at the pitiful yet hateful man before him, who had been completely driven into a corner and become someone else's pawn. In an instant, he understood everything.

Ji Nan's methods, as always, were despicable yet effective.

The violent cough subsided slightly, but the pain and suffocation in my neck remained vivid.

Meng Yihe raised his eyes. Even though he was at a complete disadvantage, his gaze still carried a sharpness that pierced through the truth. He looked at Chu Shen, whose face was distorted with resentment.

Her voice was a little hoarse from being restrained, but it stated a fact with exceptional clarity: "Even without us... Ji Nan never intended to... fulfill her promise."

Meng Yihe struggled to regulate her breathing.

"She just needed a pawn that could be discarded at any time... and you... willingly jumped in."

These words pierced through the last shred of self-deception in Chu Shen's heart with absolute precision, exposing his bloody stupidity and utter hopelessness.

Chu Shen's eyes widened instantly, the blood vessels almost bursting open.

It wasn't out of shame at having one's secrets exposed, but rather out of hysterical madness after being thoroughly enraged.

"Shut up!!!"

He let out a roar, and without warning, he threw a punch with all his might, slamming it hard into Meng Yihe's unsuspecting stomach.

"Well--!"

Meng Yihe's body arched abruptly, and a muffled groan escaped from his clenched teeth. The sudden, intense pain exploded like a scorching electric current, causing his vision to go black and his breathing to be interrupted.

The blow to her vulnerable stomach sent waves of excruciating pain through her body. Cold sweat instantly soaked through Meng Yihe's hair and back, and her face turned deathly pale in the dim light.

He was tied to a chair, unable to even curl up to relieve the pain, and could only tremble violently uncontrollably, each difficult breath accompanied by a painful tremor.

Chu Shen, panting heavily, looked at Meng Yihe's unbearable pain, but a twisted sense of pleasure appeared on his face.

He pointed at Meng Yihe, his fingers trembling, his voice hoarse: "Does it hurt?"

"This is all what you owe me! It's you and Cui Yu who owe me!"

He repeated it frantically, as if doing so would allow him to stand on the moral high ground.

"If it weren't for your relentless pressure, how could I have ended up like this?! How could President Ji be unable to fulfill his promise?!"

"It's all your fault!"

The intense pain prevented Meng Yihe from speaking for a moment. He could only grit his teeth and resist the waves of nausea and cramping pain that grew stronger and stronger, with the veins on his forehead throbbing.

Just then, the mad anger on Chu Shen's face suddenly subsided somewhat, replaced by a chilling smile.

He slowly straightened up, picked up a syringe that had been prepared beforehand from the dirty table next to him, the slender needle tip reflecting a cold glint in the dim light, the transparent liquid swaying slightly inside the syringe.

"Aren't you a high and mighty Alpha? Hmm? Director Meng?" Chu Shen's voice became unusually gentle, yet full of malice. "I heard that top-tier Alphas like you are most afraid of losing control, right?"

He approached Meng Yihe step by step, who was trembling slightly from the pain but still tried to glare at him with cold eyes.

"I've prepared some good stuff for you..." Chu Shen's smile became even more distorted.

"Let you really 'enjoy'... what it feels like to be at the peak of your susceptibility... I heard the side effects are huge, it might even burn something..."

He raised the syringe, the needle aimed at Meng Yihe's arm, which was bound by ropes and unable to move.

The cold medicine was injected into the blood vessels.

At first, it was just a slight pain like a needle prick. Then, a powerful surge of heat rushed through my limbs and bones like an out-of-control flood.

Meng Yihe's body trembled violently.

It wasn't the pain, but a violent, uncontrollable feeling from the depths of his physiology. Almost instantly, a violent dizziness struck his brain like a hammer blow, his vision began to distort and spin, the grotesque outline of the abandoned factory became blurred, and a sharp buzzing sound rang in his ears.

It almost drowned out Chu Shen's nauseating voice.

Even more terrifying was that the cherry brandy pheromones belonging to a top-tier Alpha, which he had always kept firmly within his body by his powerful willpower, were now surging out uncontrollably like a flood that had been breached.

Rich and intense.

However, due to the owner's extreme discomfort and the forceful catalysis of the drugs, it also carried a destructive aura that seemed to tear everything apart, wildly permeating the small space and mixing with the musty smell to create an eerie and dangerous atmosphere.

Meng Yihe's breathing became rapid and hot, and her skin flushed an abnormal red. Fine beads of cold sweat seeped out, mixing with the cold sweat that had been seeping out earlier.

The excruciating pain in his stomach had not yet subsided, and now this burning sensation and feeling of loss of control from within added to it, causing him to groan in agony. His body uncontrollably tried to curl up, but was cruelly restrained by the ropes, and could only tremble slightly.

Chu Shen stood to the side.

With a morbid excitement, he enjoyed watching Meng Yihe quickly become disheveled and in pain.

He reached out and grabbed Meng Yihe's sweat-soaked hair, forcing him to lift his face, which was pale and red from pain and loss of physical control, and even somewhat delirious.

"How's it going, Director Meng?"

Chu Shen's voice was filled with malicious mockery. He leaned close to him and could almost feel the other's hot breath.

"The feeling of being forced into heat by a top-tier Alpha must be unpleasant, right?"

"Is it worse than death? Hmm?"

Meng Yihe's eyelashes trembled violently as he tried to focus his gaze, but all he could see was Chu Shen's distorted and swaying face. He gritted his teeth, trying to muster a sliver of his rapidly dwindling reason and strength, but could only manage a faint, hoarse gasp from deep within his throat, broken and incoherent.

...

Cui Yu stood at the makeshift search command post.

Beside a communications vehicle, his face appeared unusually cold and hard in the light from the vehicle lights and the screen.

The surrounding area was filled with busy people, the constant ringing of communications, and the roar of vehicle engines.

"Manager Cui! Fresh tire tracks have been found in Area 3 of the West District! They point towards an abandoned mine!"

"Mr. Cui! A roadside vendor said that about half an hour ago, he saw a dilapidated silver minivan hurriedly driving towards the old industrial area to the north!"

"The technical team is trying to recover the possible signal fluctuation trajectory of Director Meng's phone in the last moments!"

Information arrives in streams, and is then quickly analyzed, transmitted, and executed.

The search scope is gradually narrowing down.

Cui Yu's fingertips were icy cold. He forced himself to stand there, commanding the whole situation like a pillar of strength, but his heart felt like it was being roasted on a fire.

Every passing minute was accompanied by immense fear and anxiety.

He dared not think about what Meng Yihe was going through at that moment.

Any slip of emotion could cloud judgment and lead to utter ruin. He stared intently at the areas being marked and excluded on the map, his gaze almost piercing through the thick blueprints.

“The old industrial area to the north… abandoned mines…” He repeated the latest clue in a low voice, his mind racing, combining it with his memory of the terrain from his previous investigation.

"Focus on thoroughly investigating the area bordering these two zones! Turn over every abandoned building where people could hide, one by one! And be quick!"

The search net is tightening little by little.

But time is the greatest enemy.