Chapter 37. If you love me, kiss me
Three years passed like this. Every day Xu Jiaru stared blankly at the blue sky and white clouds through the narrow window. That was the freedom she had longed for all her life.
Her eyes were gradually blurred by tears, and her mind recalled the scene of being teased three years ago. They made her think she could escape like a monkey, but the ultimate goal was just to let her know what it meant to have no way out and what it meant to be desperate and painful.
I can neither live nor die.
This kind of despair is more terrible than any torture she has endured day and night in the past three years. Each of them told Xu Jiaru again and again with numbness, sarcasm, disdain, and pity - you can't escape, you can only endure this endless torture day after day, year after year. This is a cruel punishment like purgatory on earth.
Xu Jiaru was numb. She accepted her fate and looked forward to death. The harder she was beaten and the more pain she felt, the happier she felt. Death was not a fear for her, but a relief.
At this time, due to the rapid development of the country, Zhao Village, under the planning of the government, finally installed the television that the rural people had longed for. The various novel programs on TV greatly shocked those who had never left the village. Even Zhao Tiansheng, who always had a high opinion of himself, was attracted and couldn't take his eyes away. He began to fantasize about the colorful world outside the village day and night. Finally, under the guidance of a program called "Xiaoshan Going to the City", Zhao Tiansheng resolutely embarked on the journey to the city.
Zhao Tiansheng was considered one of the best in their village. He was also deeply influenced by the TV series "Little Mountain Goes to the City". He was so arrogant that he looked down on low-paid, menial jobs and was only looking for large and reputable companies. However, there were so many talented young people in the city, and each of them was much better than him. As a result, Zhao Tiansheng was ruthlessly rejected by all the companies.
Zhao Tiansheng does have something to be proud of. Although he is not as educated and knowledgeable as the city people, he is smart, has a clear mind, and knows what he wants. Despite the successive blows, he not only did not become devastated, but instead began to observe the people and things around him, use the Internet to search for information, learn independently, and broaden his horizons.
Driven by desire, Zhao Tiansheng enriched himself day and night. He soon made up for his shortcomings. This time he submitted his resume again with full confidence. However, the academic qualification was still a defect that blocked him from entering the company. He was unwilling but had no choice but to go to the Internet cafe to drink to relieve his sorrow. Half drunk and half awake, he suddenly heard the teasing voices of a group of men behind him. Zhao Tiansheng was already in an irritable mood, and the alcohol rushed to his head. He yelled, grabbed the wine glass and threw it at the group of people.
The result was obvious. Although Zhao Tiansheng had been doing farm work for many years and was in good health, these young masters were surrounded by bodyguards. When they saw their master being bullied, they swarmed towards him and started beating him up.
People say that misfortune may be a blessing in disguise.
Zhao Tiansheng was beaten so badly that his face was bruised and swollen. He bought some medicine and was applying it at home when his cell phone rang, informing him that he would go to Gu's Enterprise for an interview the next day.
He hung up the phone half-happy and half-confused. He really couldn't understand why a large company like Gu's, which was ranked among the best in the country, would reject his resume after casting a wide net?
The next day he arrived at Gu's Enterprise and asked the administrative assistant, only then did he know that he had accidentally rescued Gu's daughter, Gu Shanshan, in the bar the night before.
After returning home, Gu Shanshan immediately asked someone to inquire about her people. After learning about Zhao Tiansheng's recent troubles, in order to thank him, she opened a back door for him and directly arranged for Zhao Tiansheng to enter her own company.
She had originally just done it casually and had not held high expectations for Zhao Tiansheng, who only had a high school education. However, she had not expected Zhao Tiansheng to be so capable. She had only given him a chance, but he relied on his outstanding abilities and vision to quickly become the general manager of the division.
Gu Shanshan would certainly not miss such a capable person who has a close relationship with her.
Gu Shanshan has a biological brother who is two years older than her, but for some reason she and her brother have never gotten along since childhood. They don't like each other and whenever they meet they either quarrel or fight.
When they grew up, they both joined their own companies. However, Gu Shanshan had poor business skills and was not valued as a woman. She also had a brother who was excellent in every aspect over her. So no matter how hard she tried, in the end she was just a nice-sounding job in the company. However, her biological brother Gu Yuanchen was the real number one under their father Gu.
The relationship between the two is so bad that Gu Yuanchen will certainly not get any benefits from Gu Shanshan when he takes over the company in the future. She has been looking for talents everywhere recently and secretly building relationships with company shareholders, distant relatives and others, but it is still far from enough. She was getting extremely anxious when Zhao Tiansheng appeared. It was like heaven's help to her.
Gu Shanshan quickly transferred Zhao Tiansheng to her side. After a detailed discussion, Zhao Tiansheng agreed to help Gu Shanshan. From then on, the two were inseparable and often went in and out together.
Zhao Tiansheng was not a good person to begin with. His methods were full of intrigue and were extremely sinister and cunning. Gu Yuanchen, who had always been upright, was of course repeatedly schemed against. He had no choice but to quickly give up nearly half of his power to Gu Shanshan.
The two of them had already developed different feelings for each other in their battle of wits and courage with Gu Yuanchen. When Gu Shanshan took over half of the power, Zhao Tiansheng expressed his love to her, and Gu Shanshan agreed without hesitation.
After dating for half a year, Gu Shanshan brought Zhao Tiansheng home and introduced him to Gu's parents. Although they knew that he was born in the countryside and his family was poor, they didn't care. Besides, Zhao Tiansheng had excellent personal abilities and he and their daughter loved each other. The sensible Gu's parents readily agreed to their marriage.
The wedding of the daughter of the Gu family must of course be very grand. In order to prevent his relatives from embarrassing him, Zhao Tiansheng brought the people over early and prepared to give them emergency training with the help of the housekeeper arranged by Gu Shanshan.
Although Gu Shanshan looked down on her fiancé's family, she still knew how to save face. So not long after Zhao Tiansheng's family arrived, she visited them with some gifts. Unexpectedly, this visit was the beginning of Xu Jiaru's nightmare.
This was all because when the Zhao family was chatting with Gu Shanshan, Zhao's mother spoke too quickly and accidentally revealed that Zhao Tiansheng had another woman and child in his hometown. Gu Shanshan was shocked but did not show any expression on her face. After returning home, she immediately arranged for someone to go and find out the news.
After receiving the photos and information of Xu Jiaru and the child sent to the mailbox by the spy, the jealous Gu Shanshan was extremely angry. She threw the phone to the ground with a "bang". Not satisfied with her anger, she grabbed the things on the table and smashed them all over the floor.
Gu Shanshan's nanny heard the noise in the room and hurried upstairs to check what was going on. She hugged Gu Shanshan and comforted her, asking her what was going on. Gu Shanshan sobbed and told her everything. The nanny picked up her cell phone and turned it on, and what she saw was a photo that almost scared her to death.
But she quickly calmed down. Looking at Gu Shanshan with red eyes from crying, the nanny made up her mind and came up with an idea.
Xu Jiaru, who was far away in the mountains, was enduring a hopeless life. One night, a group of strangers suddenly sneaked into the room where she was locked up, knocked her unconscious and took her away. While she was drowsy, she heard many people talking about a place that she would never forget - the gray area.
When she woke up, she found herself in a small but empty room, her hands and feet were tied tightly with hemp ropes as thick as pythons. Two masked men stood in front of her, with two pairs of cold and dark eyes staring at her like poisonous snakes. A bad premonition surged in her heart, and she licked her dry lips and asked where this was and who they were.
He said, welcome to the gray area, congratulations on becoming a low-level slave.
At the time, she didn't know what this meant until she was beaten, branded, bled, cut, had her hair pulled, and had her face shaved by men and women wearing various masks one after another...
Only then did she realize that the so-called slaves were merely tools for these noble people to vent their emotions.
There are all kinds of strange ways of torturing people here, and all kinds of instruments are available. Guests can play however they want, and it doesn't matter if they die, because once you enter the gray area and become a slave, it means that this person has disappeared from the world without a trace.
The gray area has only one purpose from beginning to end - those who are rich and powerful are the boss, you can choose one of the two.
Xu Jiaru was in great pain. Such a life was worse than death. She was neither human nor ghost and was manipulated by others.
She wanted to die, but these people always sent people to treat her after she was tortured; when she went on a hunger strike, they pinched her jaw hard, pried open her teeth, and fed her food bit by bit; she fought back and cried with all her might, hoping that they would be unable to bear it and kill her, but these were just ants trying to shake a tree, and they didn't take it seriously at all...
I can’t die. Why can’t I die? Xu Jiaru asked herself again and again, if death is so easy, why can’t I die?
Finally, when her spirit could no longer bear it and was about to collapse, a noble and elegant masked woman came into the house where she was imprisoned. She was wearing luxurious clothes and expensive and dazzling jewelry. She was not as angry as the previous guests, nor did she take out her anger on her with a whip like them. The woman just stood there quietly, her beautiful eyes looking down at her coldly through the mask, as if she was looking at a dirty corpse.
Xu Jiaru looked up at the noble and pure woman who was as beautiful as a god, with a lonely and self-ashamed expression. The sadness in her heart swept over her whole body in an instant. She shrank back and wanted to pull the torn clothes to cover herself, but it was just a thought. Her tightly bound hands and feet could not move at all.
After a long time, a woman's light voice came from above her head: "Xu Jiaru, meeting me is really your fate. All the pain you have suffered is caused by me."
Xu Jiaru looked at her in shock, stammering with something stuffed in her mouth.
The woman smiled and continued, "But you are my lucky star. To thank you, I came to help you get rid of it. I hope you won't meet me again in your next life. Remember, my name is Gu Shanshan, Zhao Tiansheng's wife."
She waved her hand, and a man came over from behind. With a flash of silver light between his hands, Xu Jiaru's throat was cut open...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
