"Spend my whole life here?"
"Here? Where?"
Tang Lingyi didn't immediately grasp what he meant. She absentmindedly bit her index finger, and after a brief moment of thought, she let out a startled cry:
"Huh!? Wait—do you mean to lock me up here for the rest of my life?"
"Yes. And don't even think about running away. I've already signed a share agreement with your father. I, Qin Xiu, will soon become the largest shareholder of Tianye Group. If you try to escape, I can immediately withdraw all investment and transfer the funds back to the Qin Corporation, instantly bankrupting you and your father, leaving you both penniless."
Qin Xiu felt confident he had Tian Suqing exactly where he wanted her. A pampered heiress like her, raised in luxury her whole life, would surely choose comfortable confinement in a gilded cage over the hardships of life on the run.
But living out her days in solitude wouldn't be particularly pleasant either.
Qin Xiu wanted Tian Suqing to spend the rest of her life here, tormented by guilt and regret over her past misdeeds—so that even on her deathbed, her final thoughts would be filled with remorse.
To him, this was a personal life sentence—his own form of eternal punishment, second only to death in its cruelty.
"I…" Tang Lingyi nearly blurted out, "I'm not afraid! After all, I'm not really Tian Suqing!" But she caught herself just in time and swallowed the words.
She wondered if Qin Xiu was just acting out of anger. Maybe if she kept pretending to be Tian Suqing and sweet-talked him for a few days, they could reconcile. Once she regained his trust, she'd surely find a chance to escape.
With this clever little plan forming in her mind, Tang Lingyi quickly changed tactics. She blinked her big eyes and adopted a pitiful tone: "I don't mind. It's all my fault anyway. If locking me up forever will make you feel better, then I'm willing to stay here for the rest of my life."
She didn't need a mirror to know she looked utterly heart-wrenching right now—after all, she was quite skilled at acting cute and coaxing people.
Surely even Qin Xiu couldn't remain unmoved.
Unfortunately, although Tang Lingyi almost convinced herself with her own performance, Qin Xiu remained completely unmoved—or rather, his emotions shifted in an even darker direction.
"So you're trying to play the submissive, pitiful woman again, hoping to trick me once more?" Qin Xiu gritted his teeth, his voice seething with anger.
"Huh?" Tang Lingyi was dumbfounded.
How did he see through her?
But honestly, she couldn't blame him for being furious. The real Tian Suqing had tried to kill him without so much as a word—and now, caught in his grasp, she suddenly put on this pathetic, tearful act begging for forgiveness. Anyone would only grow angrier hearing that.
Qin Xiu clenched his fists, raising one high in the air.
Tang Lingyi flinched instinctively, jerking backward and raising both fists defensively, ready to fight back.
Back in her childhood, when she and Li Tianlong were bored, they'd occasionally pick up some basic martial arts from the older guys in their organization—so she did know a few clumsy moves.
Seeing her defensive stance, Qin Xiu paused, recalling how she'd thrown him to the ground with that surprise takedown earlier. "Did you learn these moves just to defend yourself against me?" he asked coldly.
"No, no! Go ahead and hit me if you want—I'm just trying to protect my head," Tang Lingyi whimpered, wrapping her arms around her head in a pitiful gesture.
She absolutely couldn't fight back. Not only was Qin Xiu far stronger than her, but those two black-clad men behind him were also clearly trained professionals. If they ganged up on her, she'd be in serious trouble—and she hadn't bought any accident insurance, so getting beaten up wouldn't earn her a single cent.
"Hmph." Seeing through her slippery act, Qin Xiu sneered, lowered his fist, and turned to leave with his men.
"Meals will be delivered to you three times a day. Live out your lonely days here. Don't even think about escaping—I've stationed guards all around. If they catch you trying to run, they'll break one of your legs each time."
So after my third escape attempt, can I run freely? By then, both my legs would already be broken anyway.
The thought popped into Tang Lingyi's head unbidden.
Of course, she only dared to think it—not say it aloud.
After Qin Xiu and his men left, the enormous villa was left eerily silent, with Tang Lingyi as its sole occupant—not even a maid remained.
Whenever she found herself in an unfamiliar place, her first priority was always reconnaissance.
She headed to the ground-floor balcony. The sliding door was firmly locked, and just as Qin Xiu had claimed, several men in camouflage uniforms—looking like soldiers—patrolled the perimeter. Even more alarming, they carried what appeared to be assault rifles.
Tang Lingyi broke into a cold sweat. Qin Xiu had already shown her a real handgun before—so these rifles were likely genuine too. If she tried to escape on her own, the outcome might be far worse than just broken legs; she could easily become their live target practice.
This realization completely crushed any hope of a stealthy escape. Though she was desperate to return to her organization, report her mission, and get back to school, for now, she had no choice but to bide her time and wait for an opportunity.
Besides, she trusted that if she remained missing too long, her organization would surely investigate and come to rescue her.
She began systematically exploring the villa. What she discovered left her utterly stunned.
The mansion had four floors in total. The first floor housed a dining area, living room, kitchen, and bathrooms. The second floor was a fully equipped mini-gym. The third floor contained four spacious bedrooms, each furnished like a presidential suite. The top floor resembled a small library, packed floor-to-ceiling with books.
When she reached the third floor, one room stood out—it was decorated like a princess's dream chamber. Seeing the foreign-labeled cosmetics on the vanity and the countless designer clothes and accessories spilling from the walk-in closet, Tang Lingyi instantly recognized it as Tian Suqing's room.
However, Tang Lingyi wasn't particularly fond of such girly spaces. She opened the door to the room directly opposite—and froze in awe.
Aside from a bed and a computer desk, the entire room was filled with transparent display cases containing an astonishing collection of figurines of all shapes and sizes.
There were towering mecha models, anime protagonists she recognized—basically every anime character she'd ever watched seemed to have a figure here. Beside the bed even stood a life-sized, incredibly handsome Gundam robot.
She turned her head and noticed a massive TV mounted on the wall, with the latest gaming console and a stack of brand-new games clearly visible beneath it. The whole room practically reeked of money.
Is this really a place I can stay in for free?
After taking it all in, Tang Lingyi couldn't help but marvel inwardly. Although she adored everything in this room, after some hesitation, she ultimately decided to stay in Tian Suqing's room instead.
She couldn't risk Qin Xiu doing a surprise room check and growing suspicious if he found her not sleeping in "her" room.
This was the first time Tang Lingyi had ever stayed in such a luxurious villa. Honestly, aside from her underlying anxiety, she also felt a flicker of excitement. But her spirits sank when she realized all the phone lines had been cut, and the computer on the desk had no internet—clearly disabled on purpose by Qin Xiu.
Moreover, every window and balcony door throughout the villa was securely locked from the outside; she couldn't open any of them from within.
She tapped on the glass—it was bulletproof. Shattering it was out of the question, and even if she somehow managed it, those armed guards outside would surely gun her down instantly.
Gazing out at the sunlight beyond the window, Tang Lingyi sighed softly.
It seemed she truly was imprisoned within this villa.
But then again…
The TV screen in Qin Xiu's room flickered to life, and the game menu popped up. Tang Lingyi, now dressed in an oversized, cozy loungewear set she'd found in Tian Suqing's closet, sat cross-legged in front of the TV, controller in hand.
This kind of life… doesn't seem so bad after all?