“Clang—Crash!”
The jarring sound of shattering echoed through the luxurious private room, like a clap of thunder, pulverizing the meticulously crafted script in Lin Zhiling’s mind.
Before she could even react, there was an urgent knock on the door and a query from a waiter outside: “Sir, madam, is everything alright in there? Do you need any assistance?”
Lin Zhiling’s heart leaped into her throat.
She was held by Lu Xuan in an utterly humiliating position, with a mess of plates and wine glasses scattered on the floor beneath her. If anyone saw this, how could she, the third young lady of the Lin family, ever show her face again?
She suppressed the turbulent waves in her heart, struggling while simultaneously forcing herself to calm down as quickly as possible, and shouted towards the door: “Ah, it’s nothing, sorry, I just slipped and accidentally knocked over the glasses on the table. We’ll handle it ourselves.”
Her voice, though slightly trembling, sounded composed enough.
“Alright, please call me anytime if you need anything.” Hearing her, the waiter outside relaxed, and his footsteps gradually faded away.
Inside the private room, silence descended once more.
Lu Xuan lowered his head, bringing his lips close to her warm earlobe, and whispered in an almost inaudible voice, his warm breath tickling her: “Auntie, it seems the soundproofing at this Kunlun Hotel isn’t very good, is it?”
He paused, the smile on his lips becoming even more playful: “So, later… you must hold back and not be too loud, okay?”
The warm breath, mixed with the scent of tobacco, made her stiffen all over, her cheeks instantly burning hot.
Humiliation!
This was blatant humiliation!
But she also knew that the arrow was on the string and had to be loosed.
For her daughter, to get a hold over this beast, she would go all out!
No pain, no gain; no sacrifice, no catching a hooligan!
In an instant, the panic and shame in Lin Zhiling’s eyes completely receded, replaced by a desperate allure.
She no longer struggled; instead, she wrapped her arms around Lu Xuan’s neck, her entire body as soft as a spring puddle.
“As long as you… let Ningning go, I… I’ll listen to you…”
Her voice was so sweet it could drip water, her eyes hazy, and two intoxicating blushes adorned her cheeks, looking every bit like a woman consumed by desire, unable to control herself.
It worked!
She sneered inwardly, the miniature camera hidden nearby recording everything unfolding before her.
Since that was the case, Lu Xuan could only grant her wish.
Ten minutes later…
【Control value increased by 15 points】
However, just as she thought she had the upper hand and was about to reel in the net after a few more minutes of acting, Lu Xuan suddenly released her.
Lin Zhiling stumbled, almost falling, and quickly grabbed the dining table behind her to steady herself.
Before she could even question him, she saw Lu Xuan, as if he had lost all interest, indifferently adjust his collar.
What was this? No, the director called cut halfway through the scene?
Lin Zhiling was stunned.
Before she could figure it out, Lu Xuan had already pulled out his phone from his pocket, slowly wiping the screen. His eyes, as if seeing through everything, held a cat-and-mouse-like pity.
“Auntie, is the honey trap fun?”
Boom!
Lin Zhiling’s mind buzzed, as if struck by lightning.
He… he knew?!
Impossible! Her performance was flawless; how could he possibly know! He must be bluffing!
Right! He must be trying to be mysterious!
Thinking this, Lin Zhiling instantly regained her confidence. She straightened her back abruptly, and the soft, alluring expression on her face instantly switched back to her initial coldness and arrogance.
“Lu Xuan, you’re finished!” A triumphant sneer played on her lips, “Everything you did to me just now, I’ve already recorded!”
She took a step forward, her aura intimidating: “Now, I give you two choices. First, immediately let Ningning go and promise never to bother her again! Second, I release this video to the public and ruin your reputation! At that time, not only the police, but I wonder how the Chen family and Bai family behind you will tolerate a beast who harbors ill intentions towards his own mother-in-law!”
She thought she had already won.
However, Lu Xuan just listened quietly, his expression unchanged, even finding it a bit amusing.
“Auntie, aren’t you being too hasty?” He shook his head, his tone as calm as if discussing the weather, “What can such an unclear video prove? You want to convict me with this? That’s a bit too naive.”
“You!” Lin Zhiling’s face changed. She hadn’t expected Lu Xuan to be so shameless. “Do you think I wouldn’t dare to send it out? I’m telling you, for Ningning, I’ll risk anything! Even if it harms my reputation, I am the victim! Public opinion and the law will be on my side!”
“Is that so?” Lu Xuan finally smiled, his smile full of mockery and disdain.
He stopped talking nonsense, unlocked his phone, opened a video file, and then turned the screen towards Lin Zhiling.
“Auntie, don’t be so quick to play the victim.” His voice was cold, devoid of emotion, “Before accusing others, why don’t you take a look at this.”
“You’re just playing tricks again…” Lin Zhiling said with disdain, but her gaze uncontrollably fell on the small screen.
The next second, her pupils suddenly constricted to pinpricks!
The video quality was poor, with the grainy texture typical of old DV cameras, but the girl on the screen, wearing a white dress, with twin pigtails, and a pure face—she would recognize her even if she turned to ash!
That was her at seventeen!
In the video, a young Lin Zhiling was furtively unscrewing a bottle of mineral water, pouring a packet of white powder into it, then carefully capping it and putting it back in its original place.
The camera shifted, and another equally young girl walked over, smiling as she picked up the bottle of water…
Lin Zhiling’s breathing completely stopped at that moment.
That name, that nightmare buried deep in her memory, suppressed for over twenty years by glory and honor, surged wildly into her mind.
Zhang Liangyin!
Her hands began to tremble uncontrollably, veins bulged on her temples, and the blood in her body seemed to instantly freeze.
“No… this isn’t me… Where did you get this! This is fake!” She let out a hysterical shriek, like a cornered beast, reaching out frantically to snatch Lu Xuan’s phone.
“Slap!”
A crisp, loud slap.
Lu Xuan backhanded her, hitting her hard across the face.
The immense force sent her flying, her delicate body hitting the cold dining table, then rolling onto the messy floor covered in broken porcelain shards.
The slit of her qipao tore up to her thigh, her hair was disheveled, and her makeup was blurred by tears and terror.
There was no trace of the “Jade Girl Songstress” left; she was as pathetic as a stray dog.
Lu Xuan looked down at her, his gaze as cold as a knife, and put his phone back in his pocket.
“I thought she was some immortal fairy who didn’t eat human food, but after all that, she’s just a low-class whore.”
He stepped forward, crouched down, and pinched Lin Zhiling’s chin, forcing her to look up at his face, which was filled with contempt.
“Twenty years ago, for a lousy championship, you dared to poison your opponent and ruin her life.”
“Twenty years later, for your useless daughter, you want to use this honey trap to scheme against me.”
Lu Xuan smiled, his smile chilling.
“Lin Zhiling, you really… haven’t improved at all.”