Jiang Nanshu flatly denied, “Impossible… how could he imprison Chu Muxi.”
At first, she thought the person being held captive inside was Zhou Yanxu.
Because those Buddha beads were the ones Zhou Yanxu wore on his wrist.
Liang Ciqiu chuckled derisively, “You don’t have to believe me if you don’t want to. By now, she’s probably not at Half Mountain Villa anymore. Lu Qingyan, that guy, he may look gentle and pure as if he’s a noble gentleman on the outside, but in reality, he is nothing but a dark-hearted lunatic on the inside. You’ve never seen him go mad, have you? Quite the spectacle.”
“Don’t be fooled by his appearance, or one day, you might end up as miserable as Chu Muxi.”
Liang Ciqiu thought Lu Qingyan was concealing his dark side, but in fact, Jiang Nanshu had known about it all along.
She herself used to be an extreme lunatic, slowly cured by those around her.
She had seen Lu Qingyan hopeless and desperate, seen him cry and swear vengeance, and also seen him trying to please and get angry, his devoutness, and even that nearly uncontrollable dark side. She knew all about it.
Seeing Jiang Nanshu remain silent, Liang Ciqiu continued, “Actually, I quite admire you. You managed to train a man like that. The former Lu Qingyan was cool and gentle, an exemplar for everyone, now look at him, hanging by a thread from committing a crime. Jiang Nanshu, you dragged a perfectly good person into hell, doesn’t it feel like an accomplishment?”
“Slap.”
Jiang Nanshu slapped him across the face, looking at him coldly, “Shut up.”
Liang Ciqiu just numbly touched his left cheek with his tingling tongue, laughing brazenly, “Feel better? Why not give me a couple more slaps? I quite like the way you hit me, um, it gives me a feeling.”
Jiang Nanshu was disgusted by this lunatic.
Having got the answer she wanted, she didn’t stay any longer and turned to leave.
Just before she left the door.
Liang Ciqiu suddenly said, “Your new dress is very pretty.”
Not until she walked out of the hotel.
Did Jiang Nanshu realize the meaning behind Liang Ciqiu’s words.
Lu Qingyan’s ostentatious Bentley was parked right in the center.
He leaned against the car door, calmly smoking, and several cigarette butts lay scattered at his feet, indicating he had been there for a while.
With the cigarette in his hand finished, he threw it to the ground and stomped it out.
Looking at Jiang Nanshu he smiled, “Changed clothes?”
Originally, Jiang Nanshu was wearing jeans and a tight long-sleeve shirt, now changed to a white dress.
Lu Qingyan just quietly watched Jiang Nanshu, finding her attractive in any color: seductively red, innocently white.
He really wanted to hide her away, just for himself.
Jiang Nanshu took a deep breath and explained, “My original clothes got stained with coffee, I sent them to be dry-cleaned.”
“Where’s Xu Xi then? Where is she?”
Jiang Nanshu cursed Liang Ciqiu inside her head.
But she had told this lie only to be smilingly exposed by Lu Qingyan on the spot.
Jiang Nanshu was left feeling quite parched.
In the past, she was able to lie without even blinking an eye.
She really didn’t want to argue with him here and then said, “Lu Qingyan, let’s talk about this when we get back.”
He laughed, “Okay, I won’t ask anymore.”
Opening the car door for Jiang Nanshu, she got in.
As for her car, someone would have to drive it back later.
The two of them remained silent the whole way.
Jiang Nanshu looked at his profile and finally asked, “Lu Qingyan, is the person you’re holding captive Chu Muxi?”
Lu Qingyan didn’t even flinch, smiling as he admitted, “Yeah, did my dear brother tell you?”
Jiang Nanshu was not surprised that Lu Qingyan knew she had seen Liang Ciqiu today; he must have come here so accurately because either Liang Ciqiu gave him the address, or… he was surveilling her.
“Why do this?” Jiang Nanshu’s voice was very light.
Why?
Lu Qingyan’s handsome brows and eyes were calm, not a hint of agitation in his gaze, “Because she deserves to die. Just wait a bit longer, and I’ll be able to take revenge for you soon.”
Jiang Nanshu didn’t know what Lu Qingyan had found out to confine Chu Muxi for five years. The most terrifying part was that the Chu Family dared not report it to the police. Chu Xin had only one daughter, how could she not search for her if she disappeared? The only possibility was that Lu Qingyan had used methods to silence the masses, allowing him to torture a person so recklessly.
Even if this person was guilty, it was not right to stain his hands with such bloodshed.
“Lu Qingyan! Do you realise what you are doing?” Jiang Nanshu’s tone rose.
“I do.” Lu Qingyan continued to laugh, devoid of any fear of crime, “I’m just avenging you, my wife. What did I do wrong?”
He suddenly turned towards her, his eyes and brows gentle, just like they were years ago, but his words were filled with malice.
“I really wanted to stab Bao Yan to death yesterday, because he captured you, but I can’t scare you. I’m already enduring for your sake.”
Jiang Nanshu didn’t quite understand what vendetta he had against Chu Muxi; for her, the revenge had been taken care of, and Chu Muxi, at most, was just a clown to her, easy to deal with due to lack of intelligence.
“The revenge I sought has already been taken care of. Lu Qingyan, I have no regrets now and just want to live well,” said Jiang Nanshu, speaking sincerely.
She had gone through a lot and wanted nothing more than a light and peaceful life going forward.
No need for constant fear, no need to be all alone anymore.
“Not enough…” Lu Qingyan murmured lowly, “Not enough, not at all. I know everything now, I understand all about you. Even her death can’t quell my anger. I know why you left me, I know the life you led before. It’s all her fault; it’s all because of her. If not for her, you would have met me first, we could have been happy together, we could have been joyous…”
With the last word from Lu Qingyan, the car slowly stopped at Half Mountain Villa.
Jiang Nanshu looked at him, somewhat shocked.
Lu Qingyan’s smile didn’t change, “Your soul was switched, you had an abused childhood, she caused you to be unloved from the start, broke your perfect family, she is the root of all evil. She even arbitrarily changed your destiny. You were supposed to meet me first at your hometown’s Mingyue Mountain. You saved me. If not for her, the first person I should have seen would have been you, not Su Ran. Without these things, I would never have agreed to be with Su Ran in high school. The conduct of this pest repulses me, and now that loathsome maggot is in my hands. Her life and death are at my discretion. Whenever I get tired of tormenting her, it will be time for her to die.
By the way, you hate Zhou Yanbai, right? I helped you kill him.”
Jiang Nanshu thought that when Da Shachun said Lu Qingyan had “gone mad with murder”, it meant that he was uniquely successful in business, crushing other businesses without giving them a chance to rise, not that he had literally taken someone’s life.
Jiang Nanshu looked at him and was momentarily speechless.
He stepped out of the car, opened the door, led Jiang Nanshu out, and, wrapping his arms around her shoulders, laughed softly, coaxing her, “Don’t lie to me anymore. If you have any problems in the future, just ask me, and I’ll tell you everything, okay?”
