Confidential
His hands were hung apart on the gantry by cold, hard iron chains. The delicate skin on his wrists was gradually rubbed red by the crisp sound of metal collisions during his struggle.
The feet barely touched the ground, and the body could only stand straight to reduce the burden on the wrists. The ankles were also firmly tied with a chain, leaving only half a meter of room for movement.
The chest rises and falls with each deep breath, and the slight itch brought by the air flowing in and out across the lips makes the tips of the teeth want to bite something hard to relieve it.
Zhou Min's eyes, which had been empty in recent days, finally showed some light again, but it was a hint of anger and unwillingness.
So this is what it feels like to lose freedom and hope.
It turned out that Zhou Yiting had seen through her escape plan long ago, but she pretended to be indifferent and waited until the moment she thought she was about to regain her freedom before dragging herself back into the cage.
Whether she was teased or restrained in the past, Zhou Min never really took it to heart, because she knew that she could still control the situation within an acceptable range, and at least she had the ability to protect herself.
But now, I can neither die nor escape, and I have to wait helplessly to be slaughtered like fish on a chopping board.
Zhou Min turned her head back angrily, and glared viciously at the man who had been standing in front of her without saying a word since the bodyguard left.
But when his eyes met the other person's gloomy expression and thin face, his anger was immediately extinguished by the sudden guilt, leaving only a little bit of anger.
Forget it, I was the one who made the mistake first, now it’s just tit for tat.
Seeing Zhou Min's eyes start to avoid him after looking at her, Zhou Qiting's gloomy gaze fell on her somewhat thin profile.
Seeing the tiny scratches on her cheek where she'd been pinned to the ground by security, some blood had seeped out, but it hadn't been wiped clean in time, and now it clung to her skin. Adding to the dust on the front of her pajamas, she looked completely dusty. It was just like the day she'd returned from the neighboring city, except that she'd come back on her own initiative, this time she'd been caught.
"How many lessons will it take for you to learn to be obedient?" His tone was gentle, a long-lost tenderness, but the actions that followed were completely the opposite.
As he spoke, Zhou Qiting raised his hand and covered the wound on Zhou Min's face. With a warning, he rubbed it with his fingertips until he heard a gasp of pain and then let go.
The blood stains on the fingertips turned into a light red after being twisted away.
Zhou Qiting stared at the blood on his fingertips, and the emotions that had been bothering him since the day Zhou Min was seriously injured came to his mind again. But when he saw her stubborn look of biting her lips and sulking in silence, the annoyance overshadowed the fear.
"You'd rather run away and be shot by the Investigation Bureau than stay here, right?" Zhou Qiting lowered his palm, his five fingers resting on her neck, but he didn't tighten his grip. He simply said coldly, "Zhou Min, I'm telling you, even if you die, it will only be in my hands."
The coolness of the knuckles on the side of her neck made Zhou Min's skin tremble slightly. She looked at Zhou Qiting deeply, then suddenly smiled and said indifferently: "Okay... Then you might as well kill me now."
After saying that, she closed her eyes, the smile on her face still fading, and her chin tilted up a little to make it easier for Zhou Qiting to strangle her throat.
"I know you're not afraid of death." Zhou Qiting's gaze fell on the corners of her upturned mouth. His fingertips gently stroked her carotid artery, and he said softly, "So, I won't let you get what you want."
"The money that the Jishi Foundation donated to the Shuguang Welfare Home was donated by you." After saying this suddenly, Zhou Qiting felt Zhou Min swallow subconsciously on his palm. He narrowed his eyes and continued, "Moreover, before this, you have been secretly providing financial support..."
“So what if I donated it?”
Zhou Min interrupted Zhou Qiting before she could finish her words. She knew that the other party must know more about the inside story, which was why he was so sure.
Worried that Zhou Yiting would involve the welfare home and the Investigation Bureau might seize the large donation again, she couldn't help but want to gain more initiative in the conversation.
"You know, for someone like me, the only joy is killing people." She opened her eyes, not letting go of her smile, and looked at Zhou Qiting intently, but her eyes were filled with indifference. "Money is of no use to me. I'm just looking for a place to spend it."
Zhou Qiting remained silent upon hearing this, but instead used words to help Zhou Min recall more details: "You made the deal with me because the money you donated to the welfare home was seized. To be so humble as to allow yourself to be manipulated, you must have been very anxious at the time, right?"
Zhou Qiting smiled coldly and said calmly, "Since you care so much about the orphanage, you probably don't want to see them become homeless because of funding cut off again, right?"
The words were filled with threats. Zhou Min subconsciously wanted to clench his palms to suppress his anger, but he was afraid that Zhou Qiting would notice. He could only slowly close his eyes, not letting his emotions show. He said sarcastically, "I am so kind in the eyes of Miss Zhou. But unfortunately, that so-called deal was just a trick I used to gain your trust."
"It can not only bring me closer to you, but also earn me the qualification to attend that party. It's like killing two birds with one stone."
When Zhou Qiting heard Zhou Min mention the party again, the smile on his face disappeared.
When she returned home, she found her bodyguard and learned everything that happened that day.
Only one person was shot dead that night, the notorious Zhang Hao.
Her decision to attend the party was completely spur of the moment, and it was difficult for Zhou Min to know about it in advance. In addition, her bodyguards were not around at the time, so luck played a big part in her success in kidnapping herself.
Considering that Zhang Hao "happened" to be trapped in another elevator on the day of the Zhenbang Group building accident, Zhou Qiting guessed that Zhou Min had previously forged his identity and lurked in the Zhenbang Group, and his real target was Zhang Hao.
But if that was true, why would Zhou Min give up such a good opportunity and save her?
So, on the day she was trapped in the elevator, Zhou Min gave up his original goal in order to save her. There must be another hidden story.
To confirm his suspicions, Zhou Qiting didn't point it out directly, but instead asked, "You attended that party just to get rid of Zhang Hao, right?"
Zhou Min was silent for a moment after hearing this. She didn't want Zhou Qiting to know her true thoughts, nor did she want Zhou Qiting to speculate further and guess her thoughts so that he could use the welfare home's matter to control her. So she sneered with a cold look in her eyes.
"Zhou Qiting, everything I've done has always been just to destroy you with my own hands. I've wanted to do this since the first time I saw you as a child."
"Why do you have everything from the moment you're born, with everyone revolving around you, while I was abandoned and excluded from birth, destined to struggle in the mud? And yet you, even though you are like that, still want to provoke me and treat me as a toy for your amusement."
"So, to achieve my goal, I've been secretly following you for a long time and even installed a tracker in your car. Until that day at the gym, when I learned that you saw the video and recognized me, I've been planning to kidnap you again."
"Entering Zhenbang and trading with you were all just attempts to get close to you. Even rescuing you from the elevator was just an attempt to further deceive your trust. And I donated money to the welfare home so I could follow this clue and find me. I wanted to make things develop as I anticipated, and achieve my true goal."
At this point, Zhou Min saw Zhou Qiting's eyes flushed and lips pursed tightly. His heart tightened, he looked away and sneered: "If I hadn't been accidentally seriously injured later, I would have used all means to torture you and make you live a life worse than death..."
"Are you done?" Zhou Yiting tried his best to control his emotions so that his voice would not tremble.
Zhou Min half-closed his eyes and hummed softly.
"Just because of my background, which I couldn't choose, should I be deceived?"
Deception not only comes from people who intentionally get close to you, but even your closest mother has been hiding things from you and deceiving you.
Zhou Min chuckled and reminded him, "You have no choice in your origins. You can easily decide someone's life or death with just one word."
Hearing Zhou Min's implication that he was breaking his promise, Zhou Qiting finally explained: "I did what I promised you back then."
"My mother did donate money, but the money was taken away by the director of the welfare home at the time. By the time we tracked him down, he had already committed suicide."
Zhou Yiting tried hard to hold back her tears, but she couldn't help sobbing, her voice trembling. "What I didn't know was... my mother later stopped all funding for the orphanage in a rage, leading to the tragedy that followed."
When Zhou Min heard Zhou Qiting's first words, he could no longer remain calm. He couldn't help but clench his suspended hands until the end, his untrimmed nails dug deep into his palms, causing him excruciating pain.
But this little pain was far from enough to suppress the overwhelming regret in her heart.
How could it be...
After leaving the organization, Zhou Min returned to City G. She learned about the welfare home's current situation and realized that Zhou not only did not donate money, but also stopped providing funding.
At that time, she was just very disappointed that Zhou Yiting not only did not keep his promise, but also repaid kindness with enmity.
Qiting's true resentment towards Zhou was sparked after she learned of the orphanage fire. She privately visited the ruins of the former orphanage and the children seriously injured in the fire. Witnessing the heartbreaking scene firsthand, she felt deeply the injustice of fate.
Why can those in power break their promises without punishment? Why should they live in fear and despair?
She decided from then on that she would teach Zhou a painful lesson even if it cost her own life.
But now she was told that she had hated the wrong person all along, and that her misunderstanding of Zhou Yiting was so deep that it had caused her to suffer many unnecessary disasters.
Her heart was filled with guilt, but also with a hint of relief. Fortunately, she realized her feelings for Zhou Yiting at the time and did not make any more mistakes.
But the damage done was irreversible, and it all turned into her deep hatred for her own meanness, cutting one bloody wound after another in her heart.
How could he face the victim who had suffered her unwarranted revenge for no reason?
Zhou Min was silent for a long time.
"I'll ask you one last time." Zhou Yiting took a deep breath to suppress the bitterness in her heart and asked a question she had no pre-set answer for. "When you said 'I've never used you' the other day, was that the truth or a lie?"
"Can't you hear it?" Zhou Min felt bitter inside, but his words were calm.
From the moment she learned the truth, she could no longer speak the truth. Even if she really hadn't used Zhou Qiting in the beginning, what would it matter? She wasn't innocent after all.
Her numerous crimes will not be mitigated by this clarification.
It would be better for her to bear all the revenge from Zhou Qiting as a pure criminal to alleviate the overwhelming guilt in her heart.
"Answer me directly." Zhou Yiting raised his hand and pinched Zhou Min's chin, forcing her to look at him. "Look into my eyes and answer me."
Her eyelids lifted slightly, and those golden eyes were now emotionless. She raised the corners of her lips and said sarcastically, "Zhou Qiting, you care so much about what I said. Could it be that you've fallen in love with someone like me?"
After hearing this, Zhou Yiting knew that he would not get the answer he wanted, so he finally gave up hope and let go of the last bit of hope in his heart.
"like?"
Zhou Qiting smiled disdainfully, and the coldness in his eyes condensed again.
"People like you are only fit to be my playthings for my amusement."
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