“Don’t ask me anymore. I’m absolutely disgusted this time. I used to think he was good to me, so I put up with it. But this time, when I found out he stole the design drafts, he beat me and locked me up so I wouldn’t tell anyone. I’m lucky you could even see me. He’s so heartless, how can I possibly care about him?” Man Aihong sighed.
It turns out that Gao Daxiong and his friends initially wanted to design their own fashion items for the competition, and they had even approached Jie Wei privately. Jie Wei, however, was quite stubborn; he told Qin Xiaoyu that no one else could approach him, no matter how much money was offered.
This really angered Gao Daxiong. Zhu Xu was still hoping that if no suitable design came along, he could be put in charge, and he was eager to try.
In the end, Gao Daxiong directly refuted him, saying that even if there was no one else in the world, his services couldn't be used.
Zhu Xu got drunk when he got home that day and poured out his troubles to Man Aihong for half the night.
Man Aihong comforted him, saying that Gao Daxiong was no good and he shouldn't associate with him.
Unexpectedly, the next day, after Zhu Xu sobered up, he went to Gao Daxiong for advice, suggesting that he steal Qin Xiaoyu's competition design drawings.
Gao Daxiong hadn't really paid much attention to it at first, but when Zhu Xu got his hands on the map, he realized what he had stolen—something that was sure to win a prize.
Winning a gold medal is like having a brand. And with Gao Daxiong's status as a foreign investor, that's something else entirely.
That's why I felt at ease and made three sets of high-quality replicas.
At this point, Man Aihong still had no idea what they were going to do. She had only heard that Zhu Xu was going to participate in a competition and was curious about what kind of fashion they were making.
Out of curiosity, she rummaged through Zhu Xu's briefcase after he got drunk. Upon seeing the design sketches, Man Aihong immediately recognized them as Qin Xiaoyu's; they couldn't possibly have come from anywhere else.
Under her persistent questioning, Zhu Xu finally admitted it.
Man Aihong flew into a rage; she simply couldn't tolerate her man doing such a despicable thing. She immediately dragged Zhu Xu away to call Qin Xiaoyu.
"Zhu Xu, you should act with a conscience. Qin Xiaoyu doesn't owe you anything; she's been helping you all along!"
"You've forgotten so quickly? She's the one who caused us to lose our child!" Zhu Xu still held Qin Xiaoyu responsible for this.
"Wake up! You're the one who killed our child! You locked me in the house, and I couldn't go out to ask for help, which is why I miscarried!" Man Aihong had kept these words in her heart, but now she was finally able to say them.
"So that's what you've always thought." Zhu Xu's expression changed instantly. He was taken aback. He stepped forward, grabbed Man Aihong by the collar, and shook her violently. "Say that again, you bitch!"
"It's you!" Man Aihong was enraged by his last sentence.
Zhu Xu slapped her without hesitation, and Man Aihong's ears rang. She couldn't believe that the man who usually doted on her and spoiled her would hit her.
Before she could even understand what was happening, Zhu Xu's fists and feet were already raining down on her, and as he cursed, his mask fell off layer by layer.
"You filthy bitch who's been slept with by a thousand men and ridden by ten thousand! You really think you're the school beauty?! If I hadn't picked you up, you'd be dead on the street! I only did this because I pitied you, and you've gotten so arrogant, acting like you're someone important. You look down on me? I'll show you what it's like to look down on me! You know what? It's nothing that they look down on me, but you can't look down on me!"
Zhu Xu used all his strength to kick the battered and bruised Man Aihong one last time before leaving, locking the door behind him.
Man Aihong had always held onto hope for him, thinking he was just a talented person who hadn't found his place and had a bad temper. Now it seems he was just a person of bad character; how could she have been so blind?
They lived in an old house belonging to Gao Daxiong, which was actually the upper floor of a warehouse. There weren't many other houses nearby; most of the buildings were warehouses.
Few people come to this warehouse; aside from picking up goods, no one remembers it. When Man Aihong, her face covered in blood, got up from the ground, she found she couldn't get out.
The door was locked from the inside. From Zhu Xu's words, it was clear that he was going to the capital to participate in a competition, and he would be gone for more than ten days. Was he trying to kill her?
There was only a small amount of food in the house, not enough to last two meals. There was water, but could it last for more than ten days?
A chill ran through her body; the person beside her had turned against her, a sight more terrifying than a complete stranger. But she was Man Aihong; she wouldn't wait to die.
She's like an unkillable cockroach; as long as there's a glimmer of hope, she can rise again. Also, we can't let Gao Daxiong succeed.
Because of Zhu Xu last time, she didn't dare to associate with Qin Xiaoyu anymore and always felt guilty. This time, she couldn't just sit idly by; she had to do everything she could to protect Qin Xiaoyu's work.
This is why she can wait; two days later it might be too late. She needs to escape and inform Qin Xiaoyu.
Man Aihong looked at the window. Because it was a warehouse and needed to be burglarproof, the windows were reinforced with iron bars as thick as a finger, which even a man couldn't bend, let alone her.
She searched the house for a long time, and found a small saw blade. After sawing it a few times, sparks flew, and she couldn't even see a small gap in the saw.
Man Aihong spent the whole day fiddling around by the window, only to find in despair that it was all for naught.
She had no choice but to find another way.
The door was an iron door. She slammed it against it with all her might, making several loud bangs. Her whole body ached, but the door didn't budge. Needless to say, it couldn't be opened.
She looked up at the ceiling. There were water stains on the ceiling, and it would leak when it rained, so she dared not store goods on the top floor.
In one corner of the room, there is a small iron door.
When she moved in, Man Aihong had been curious about what the little door was for, but she had never been up there. She found a pair of pliers, propped up the table and chairs, climbed up, and removed the lock. Suddenly, the iron door flipped down, almost hitting her on the head.
Once the dust had settled, she peered up and saw some things on it, like ledgers or something similar.
It turned out to be a hiding place. Man Aihong went back and got a knife, put it in the ceiling first, and then used all her strength to climb up.
Zhu Xu used deadly force; she not only had external injuries, but also experienced tearing pain in her ribs with the slightest movement, suggesting that her soft ribs might be fractured.
Man Ai's head was covered in sweat, half from exhaustion and half from pain.
But nothing could be stronger than her desire to escape.
The exterior roof is made of asbestos tiles, which are laid layer by layer.
Man Aihong fiddled around for a long time and finally managed to get a tile off. When she shakily climbed back up, she found that her situation hadn't improved at all.
The building has four floors. She was on the roof of the fourth floor. If she jumped, she would be seriously injured.
Just when she was in despair, she suddenly saw a raised platform built on the second floor in a corner of the room. There was a pile of broken cardboard boxes on it. She didn't know how long they had been piled up, but they had changed color from being exposed to the wind and sun.
With a heavy heart, Man Aihong jumped down. The boxes cushioned the impact, preventing any bone damage, but she suffered several scrapes. Not daring to linger, she grabbed a few boxes and threw them down, then jumped again with her eyes closed, securing her safety.
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