At this moment, it was as if a knife was at her throat; Shen Jianian had no retreat, her trembling hands betraying her fear, causing the crimson wine in her glass to sway.
She suppressed the discomfort in her heart and sipped the entire glass of wine, one mouthful at a time. She accidentally choked on the last swallow, covered her lips with the back of her hand to cough, and when she removed her hand, her lips had been tinged with a berry-hued red, like velvet.
Even if she got drunk, there was no need to worry; her uncle would take her home.
Shen Jianian thought, her anxious heart gradually settling down.
Yin Shuyao's eyes carried a hint of a sneer; plotting against this foolish Shen Jianian did not require sinister or vicious tricks. With a glass of wine down, she would quickly be unconscious.
Blame her deceased parents for protecting her too well, turning her into a princess ignorant of the world for twenty years. Not to mention drinking, every morsel she consumed was delicacy.
Tonight, she's in for a real experience.
By ten in the evening, the banquet ended, the sky was completely dark, and the rain was heavier than before, crackling with thunder and lightning, seemingly swallowing the world whole.
Yin Shuyao supported the drunken, slumped Shen Jianian as they staggered toward Qin Zhongtian's black Mercedes-Benz.
The rear window slid down halfway, revealing a man's face filled with lust.
Though Yin Shuyao felt nauseous just looking at such a gluttonous man, she showed no hint of it. She blinked her innocent eyes and used the excuse she had prepared: "President Qin, I need to go to the hospital with my parents to take care of my grandma. Could you please take my cousin home for me?"
The driver found nothing unusual about this request and calmly got out of the car, opening the rear door on one side.
Qin Zhongtian looked over, rubbed his fingertip against the corner of his mouth, unable to suppress a sly smile: "Sure."
The night rain was cold; the unconscious Shen Jianian was pushed into the car by Yin Shuyao, softly collapsing into the man's arms.
A delicate fragrance filled the car instantaneously. Despite his age and the myriad of women he'd seen, Qin Zhongtian couldn't help but become aroused by the beauty before him and the alluring scent. Feeling the soft, smooth skin of her arm in his palm, his heart raced.
The temperature inside the car rose several degrees.
Yin Shuyao's lips curled in a satisfied arc, she stood upright and waved goodbye gracefully: "Goodbye, President Qin."
The car window slowly rose, blocking out the wind and rain, leaving behind only an intimate atmosphere within the car. Qin Zhongtian's voice was hoarse as he instructed the driver: "To the nearest residence."
The driver returned to the driver's seat, started the engine, and drove along the wet road reflecting neon lights.
As the car drove away and merged into the bustling traffic, Yin Shuyao took a step back onto the stairs, avoiding raindrops from touching the hem of her gown.
Why did it feel like everything was settled?
She had to admit, this feeling was wonderful.
Yin Shuyao gently stood on tiptoe and gracefully turned around, not far away were Yin Chengde and his wife, who came along.
"Your cousin, she..."
Yin Chengde approached, not missing the fleeting successful smile on his daughter's face, a feeling of unease suddenly arose in his heart.
However, he didn't have the chance to finish his sentence, as Yin Shuyao interrupted: "Dad, cousin left with President Qin, there's no point saying anything now. If you go after President Qin's car now, who knows what consequences there might be if you upset him."
Hu Yuzhi spent the night busy making connections with those ladies, wearing a polite smile with everyone. By the end of the banquet, her facial muscles were stiff from smiling. Now with no one around, she couldn't be bothered to pretend anymore, and she spoke coldly without any expression: "It's done; no use talking more, let's go home."
Yin Chengde wanted to say something but was pulled back by his wife, his face pale as he got into their car.
*
In a daze, Shen Jianian felt like a drawn bow string, taut and about to snap.
Her eyelids heavy as if weighed down by a thousand pounds, she used all her strength to open them, her vision blurred before gradually focusing on a completely unfamiliar ceiling, covered with intricate dark gold patterns, looking at it more made her head spin even more.
This wasn't the attic she knew.
The attic room filled with clutter could not compare to the luxury before her.
Shen Jianian tried to get up, but as soon as she moved, something held her back, making her fall heavily back onto the soft mattress. It was only then that she realized her hands were spread out and tied to the bed's headboard, in a humiliating position.
Startled, Shen Jianian's eyes widened, terror written all over her face.
The unfamiliar room, the large bed filled with a male scent, her wrists wrapped in red silk, loosely bound to the ironwork carved headboard allowed her to struggle but ensured she couldn't easily break free.
No one could stay calm upon waking to such a situation.
Shen Jianian thrashed her wrists, trying to untie the ribbons, just then, a crisp click sounded, the door lock being turned in the silent space, making the hairs on one's neck stand up.
"The beauty is awake?"
Qin Zhongtian stepped out of the bathroom, hair wet after a shower, wrapped in a deep blue bathrobe that strained around his flabby form, the belt barely holding in his bulging stomach.
Listening to that greasy male voice and the shuffling of slippers approaching the bed, Shen Jianian shook violently all over, as if she had seen hell's messengers in black and white.
"Let me go..." Shen Jianian spoke, her voice trembling even more than her body, "What... what do you want? Stay back, don't come any closer! If you... if you take another step, I'll call the police!"
Qin Zhongtian ignored her threat, stepping unhurriedly to the bedside, stopping, a shadow looming over her as a king gazes down at his subject: "You already know what I want, Miss Yin — oh, my mistake. You're Yin Chengde's niece; I should call you Miss Shen. How can I be sure of your intentions, Miss Shen, offering me a drink? Do I need to say it explicitly?"
His eyes filled with a smile, his gaze moving over her body changed in nature, from admiring a work of art to sizing up a lamb waiting for slaughter.
Qin Zhongtian wasn't in any rush, watching her struggle like a butterfly caught in a spider's web. No matter how hard she flapped her wings, her fate to be consumed was inevitable, which he found particularly delightful.
A whole night ahead, what's there to hurry for?
Qin Zhongtian took two steps back and sat on the leather sofa by the bed, lighting a cigar, smoking leisurely, his eyes never leaving the girl on the bed. Watching her defiantly tear at the ribbons, her pale wrists getting red marks yet refusing to give in, only deepened his interest.
That's why he hadn't taken advantage when she was unconscious; a lively fish flopping around was more interesting than a lifeless piece of wood.
After finishing a cigar, he brought over the glass ashtray from the coffee table, ground out the last smoldering ember, and exhaled smoke: "Let the good show begin."
The deliberately modulated sinister voice in the dim room sounded ghostly.
A sudden flash of light from outside the floor-length window, a crack of lightning followed by a thunderous roar, like a heartbeat in your eardrums.
The moment the man lunged, Shen Jianian's wrist slipped free from the loops of red ribbon, grabbing a beautiful porcelain vase on the bedside table and smashing it down.
A crash, the vase shattered into pieces on the floor.
Who would have thought she had such courage? Caught by surprise, the vase struck Qin Zhongtian's forehead, warm blood flowing down his temple.
He wiped away the sticky blood about to cover his eyes, not angry but excited, a strange, fervent light shining in his murky eyes.
Shen Jianian was paralyzed with fear by his sinister half-smile. As he lunged again, she rolled to the other side of the bed, taking the chance to free her other hand. Barefoot, she landed on the carpet and almost fell to her knees.
She couldn't fall, she absolutely couldn't!
With a survival instinct driving her, she fled the room without caution, stumbling down the spiral staircase, her body racked with various degrees of pain.
The injuries didn't matter; she had only one goal: to escape from this place.
Shen Jianian, you can do this. She gritted her teeth, repeatedly encouraging herself, just a bit more, she saw the door, open that door, no matter the storm outside, there was nothing to fear.
What was truly terrifying was the person behind her, not the foul weather.