Song Xinya looked at the man on the sofa, not particularly surprised.
What’s meant to happen will happen. You can’t outrun fate.
Sheng Tianjun looked down at Song Xinya, who was sprawled on the cold floor. His face was bright with smug triumph, radiating the air of a victorious man in power.
He waved at one of the hired thugs nearby.
The thug bent down and ripped the black tape from Song Xinya’s mouth.
Looking down at her arrogantly, Sheng Tianjun asked, “Teacher Song, why don’t you seem surprised to see me?”
The corners of Song Xinya’s lips lifted in a cold, beautiful smile. “What’s there to be surprised about? There aren’t many people in this world who could do something as inhuman as you.”
The burly man beside them let out an impressed “Yo.” He had never seen anyone remain this defiant after being kidnapped.
The victim was cursing out her kidnapper. Wasn’t she afraid of dying?
Sheng Tianjun’s face twisted into a damp, sinister, mocking smile as he listened to Song Xinya.
Song Xinya said, “You have such a lovely smile. Just like the village idiot next door.”
Sheng Tianjun froze.
The hulking thug beside him couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing.
Humiliated and furious, Sheng Tianjun’s face flushed red. He turned around and glared at them. “What’s so funny? Is it really that funny?”
It really was.
Watching a kidnapper get cursed out until he was covered in verbal filth was genuinely hilarious.
But Sheng Tianjun had paid them, so the thugs forced themselves to stop laughing.
Sheng Tianjun turned back to Song Xinya. “Do you still not understand the situation? You’ve been kidnapped. Your freedom is entirely in my hands. Whether you can walk out of here is also up to me. Understand?”
Song Xinya asked, “If I treated you politely, would you let me go?”
“Of course not.”
“Then why should I be polite to a piece of garbage like you? Bah!”
Anyone would be upset at being insulted. At that moment, Sheng Tianjun felt a ball of anger burning inside him.
Yet Teacher Song was simply too beautiful. As he gazed at her flushed face, reddened by anger, his eyes filled with obsession.
Sheng Tianjun’s greedy gaze traveled over Song Xinya’s body again and again.
She had undergone a full-body beauty treatment. Her skin, already smooth and delicate, now looked even fairer and more radiant. Just looking at it, one could imagine how intoxicating it would feel beneath one’s hands.
Why should Qin Yuhe be allowed to touch her while Sheng Tianjun couldn’t?
His sickening, sticky gaze slowly slid over Song Xinya’s slender legs and rounded, pert hips before stopping at her chest.
The beauty salon’s rooms weren’t soundproof. He had heard the conversation in the room next door from beginning to end.
A pair of atomic bombs?
That was certainly one way to put it.
Even through her clothes, they looked soft and fragrant.
He couldn’t imagine how tempting they would be uncovered.
Would they melt in his mouth like cream?
Why should a woman this perfect belong in Qin Yuhe’s bed alone?
Sheng Tianjun said, “You know, that night when I called you and told you I was sick and dying, I really hoped you would put everything else aside and come see me.”
“You called too early. If you’d called later, I would have gone.”
A gleam lit up in Sheng Tianjun’s eyes. He knew it—she didn’t feel absolutely nothing for him. She cared about him.
He hurriedly asked, “When should I have called for you to come see me?”
“When you were dead. I’d go see what a joke you were.”
The light in Sheng Tianjun’s eyes vanished in an instant.
He scoffed. “If I were dead, how would I tell you?”
“Haunt me in a dream.”
“Are you not afraid?”
“I’m afraid you won’t die soon enough.”
The light in Sheng Tianjun’s eyes disappeared completely.
“I was going to be gentle with you, but it seems there’s no need now.”
The corners of Song Xinya’s lips curved into a mocking smile. As if anything he did to her would somehow be her fault. What a bastard—always looking for excuses to justify himself!
A victim did not have to be perfect. The perpetrator was the one who was guilty.
Victims didn’t need to be perfect. They had already been harmed—why should they have to be perfect, too?
The person who deserved the most condemnation was the one who had committed the harm.
Sheng Tianjun looked at Song Xinya’s cold, mocking smile. “I gave you a chance. Since you refused it, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”
Ridiculous.
What chance had he given her?
The chance to submit, stop resisting, obey him, and let him do whatever he wanted to her.
What kind of rotten “chance” was that?
He could save it for when he was being raped by another man!
Sheng Tianjun waved to the thugs in the room. “Get out.”
“I’ve rented the room next door, too. Go in there and wait. Don’t let anyone see you.”
When the door opened, Song Xinya seized the opportunity. She opened her mouth and shouted for help.
Her voice shot out of the room and traveled toward the end of the hallway.
Before she could shout a second time, Sheng Tianjun slapped the black tape back over her mouth.
The thugs left, and the door shut tightly behind them.
After Tiantianquan finished performing double-eyelid surgery for a VIP client, she went looking for Song Xinya.
Chen Siyan accompanied her. “It’s been quite a while. Teacher Song should be finished with her full-body beauty treatment by now, right?”
As an industry professional, Tiantianquan understood the process of full-body beauty treatments. “Not necessarily. It depends on which procedures she chose.”
“Isn’t full-body beauty just beautifying the whole body? Why are there different procedures? How do they divide it up—cut the body in half?”
“We’re beauticians, not executioners.”
“Beauty salons are always so complicated. Give me a lesson. What procedures are included in a full-body beauty treatment?”
“Going by the literal meaning, it means beautifying the entire body. But there are also breast massages and intimate-area treatments.”
Chen Siyan understood breast massages, but asked, “How do you beautify the intimate area?”
“That includes tightening treatments for the inside, as well as whitening treatments for the outside.”
Chen Siyan’s eyes widened. “You can even whiten that area?”
“You can even have it powdered.”
Chen Siyan suddenly felt an urge to lick his lips.
His gaze drifted down from her slender waist as he asked, “Then you…”
Tiantianquan slapped him across the face, sending his head snapping to the side. “Get lost! I was born with naturally pink-and-white skin. I don’t need that procedure.”
Chen Siyan’s urge to lick his lips grew even stronger.
The two of them reached the end of the hallway when they suddenly heard a woman’s voice.
Tiantianquan’s expression froze. “Why is some woman shouting?”
Chen Siyan’s roguish expression vanished, replaced by solemnity. “It sounds like she’s calling for help.”
“This is a reputable beauty salon. There’s always a security guard stationed downstairs, and it’s daytime. Calling for help? That can’t be right, can it? What kind of bad thing could happen here?”
Chen Siyan was the kind of man who always drew his sword when he saw injustice. Even if he saw a strange young woman being bullied, he would bravely step forward to help.
His tall, agile figure sprinted ahead, stirring up a brisk, vigorous breeze.
“Let’s go take a look. Better to be safe than sorry. Someone might really be in trouble, and if I can help, I will.”
Perhaps the lights overhead were simply too bright, but at that moment, Tiantianquan felt that Chen Siyan seemed exceptionally dazzling.
She ran after him. “I’m going too. Even if I can only help a little, I should still do what I can.”
Chen Siyan glanced back at her with a smile. His black hair fluttered lightly over his forehead, and the crystal chandelier above cast a soft glow over his brows and eyes. His handsome, refined face looked almost dazzling in the shifting light.
Tiantianquan looked up and met his eyes. Her heart gave a heavy thump.
Chen Siyan reached out, enclosed her small hand in his palm, and led her forward at a run.
The two of them soon reached the room where Song Xinya had been receiving her beauty treatment.
The door was locked. Tiantianquan pounded on it with all her strength and shouted, “Guigui? Xinxin? Yaya? Song Xinya? Are you in there?”
In another room less than a meter away, Sheng Tianjun had Song Xinya pinned to the floor and was reaching to pull off her clothes.
The arrival of Tiantianquan and Chen Siyan made Song Xinya’s eyes light up, and hope surged through her heart.
They were standing right outside the door!
If only they kicked it open, they would see her lying on the floor directly in front of it!
Tiantianquan pounded on the door several more times and shouted Song Xinya’s name. “Song Xinya! Song Xinya! Have you left?”
There was no answer.
Tiantianquan said, “Maybe Yaya has already left.”
Chen Siyan shifted his gaze and glanced at the room next door. Its door was tightly shut.
“Are there any other women in these rooms?”
“I’ll call the beautician. She’ll know better than anyone.”
Tiantianquan had just taken out her phone when the beautician came over.
“Dr. Tian, are you here looking for your friend, Miss Song? She’s already left.”
“Are you sure she’s gone?”
“I’m sure. I personally saw Miss Song leave.”
Chen Siyan said in a low voice, “Looks like that cry for help didn’t come from Ms. Song.”
Then it had come from another woman.
Even if it was another woman, they still had to find out what was going on. They couldn’t simply ignore it.
Chen Siyan asked, “Are there any other female clients receiving beauty treatments here?”
“This afternoon, Miss Song was the only one.”
“That’s not right.” Chen Siyan pointed to the room next door, where Song Xinya had been receiving her treatment. “I remember there was a client in this room.”
The beautician suddenly remembered. “Oh, right. There is a client in that room—a handsome young man with delicate features.”
Chen Siyan sensed that something was wrong. “Are you sure? I personally saw several heavily built men go in.”
“You’re mistaken. I’m absolutely certain it was a handsome young man with delicate features. I personally received him when he arrived.”
Chen Siyan grew even more suspicious. “I know for a fact that I saw several burly men who looked like bodyguards go inside.”
“The young man was extremely generous. He was obviously from a wealthy family. Those large, muscular men must have been his bodyguards.”
Tiantianquan said, “So there isn’t any woman in there at all?”
“That’s right. I’m in charge here, so I know exactly what’s going on. There definitely isn’t.”
Chen Siyan stared directly at the beautician. “A moment ago, Tiantianquan and I heard a woman cry for help.”
The beautician was shocked. “That’s impossible.”
After thinking for a moment, she smiled and said, “Maybe a woman was walking down the hall with a friend and jokingly shouted for help.”
“What you’re saying is possible, but…” Chen Siyan pointed at the room next door, his tone firm. “We should open the door and check, just to be sure.”
The beautician said, “If the client isn’t inside, then of course we can inspect the room. But if the client is there, we have to respect their privacy and ask for permission first. We can only go in if they agree. If they refuse, we can’t enter.”
Chen Siyan knocked on the door. “Is anyone in there?”
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang—
He pounded on it several more times.
A man’s voice came from inside. “Someone’s here.”
The door opened, revealing a boy with an innocent, soft-looking face, fair and tender skin, and rosy, full lips.
Sheng Tianjun looked at them and gave them a gentle, polite, utterly well-behaved smile.
“Brothers and sisters, what happened?”
Chen Siyan said in surprise, “Aren’t you Sheng Tianjun, the student Song Xinya tutors?”
“That’s right. I’m Sheng Tianjun.”
He looked past Chen Siyan and Tiantianquan. “Where’s Teacher Song? Didn’t she come with you?”
“No,” Tiantianquan replied.
“Did you come here alone?”
“I came with several strong bodyguards.”
Everything he said matched Chen Siyan’s observations perfectly. There wasn’t a single flaw in his story.
Tiantianquan stared at Sheng Tianjun’s face. He looked exactly like a model student.
“There’s really no need to search his room, is there?”
Chen Siyan remained resolute. “We have to search it.”
He looked at Sheng Tianjun, who was blocking the center of the doorway. “Can you move aside and let us take a look?”
He added, “Kid, I won’t pretend with you. I’ll be honest: if you don’t agree, I’ll call the police.”
“Whether you agree or not, I’m going in to search the room.”
Sheng Tianjun’s eyes curved as he smiled, revealing two faint canine teeth. “Sure. You can come in and search.”
Chen Siyan froze, not expecting things to go so smoothly.
He walked into the room and inspected every corner, but found nothing unusual. There was no woman anywhere in sight.
Chen Siyan even entered the bathroom and lifted the toilet lid to check inside.
“Are you finished?” Sheng Tianjun asked.
“I’m finished.”
“Did you find anything?”
“No.”
“Manager Chen, allow me to see you out.”
“No need. I have legs. I can leave on my own.”
He walked out. Sheng Tianjun stood at the doorway, smiling innocently as he waved at the three people outside.
“Goodbye, brothers and sisters.”
The beautician watched his gentle, obedient smile, her maternal instincts overflowing. She waved back with a smile. “Goodbye, Little Master. Go on, get back inside.”
Sheng Tianjun closed the door. The instant it shut, his kind smile vanished, replaced by a dark and vicious expression.
Outside, the beautician said to Tiantianquan and Chen Siyan, “Look at what a good child he is. He’s handsome and so polite. I hope I have a child like him someday.”
Chen Siyan said, “Don’t let appearances fool you. Some people look obedient on the outside, but their hearts are as venomous as snakes and scorpions.”
“You’re just prejudiced against that child. You searched his room and found nothing, so stop talking about him like that. He’s perfectly fine.”
The beautician shooed Tiantianquan and Chen Siyan away. “Hurry up and leave. Don’t linger here. You two startled me so badly that my heart was hanging in suspense the whole time.”
Tiantianquan and Chen Siyan headed outside.
Inside the room, Sheng Tianjun pulled Song Xinya out from beneath the bed.
She heard the footsteps outside the door growing fainter and fainter. The hope of being rescued inside her faded little by little, while despair surged toward her like a rising tide, swallowing her whole.
A layer of dust had gathered beneath the bed, clinging to her skin after her beauty treatment.
Her fair, delicate skin was covered in filthy dust, like a fine porcelain piece veiled in grime, leaving her looking mottled and disheveled.
Looking at the dust on her body, Sheng Tianjun said, “You need to take a shower first. Otherwise, how am I supposed to do anything? You’re covered in dust—I can’t put my mouth anywhere near you.”
With a lecherous, obscene grin, he said, “Teacher Song, how about I help you take a shower? My hands have touched every inch of your body. I guarantee I’ll wash that delicate skin of yours until it’s completely clean.”
At the end of the corridor, Tiantianquan suddenly received a phone call.
“Mr. Qin!”
Qin Yuhe’s voice was unusually deep. “Do you know where Song Xinya is?”
Tiantianquan replied, “She came to the beauty salon this afternoon for a full-body treatment, but she’s already left.”
Qin Yuhe asked, “Are you sure she’s already gone?”
“Of course.”
Chen Siyan reached out and snatched the phone from her hand. “Actually, we’re not completely sure, because we didn’t see Song Xinya leave with our own eyes.”
Qin Yuhe instantly sensed the implication in Chen Siyan’s words. “What do you mean?”
Chen Siyan said, “I don’t know why—maybe it’s a man’s sixth sense—but I keep feeling that something is strange about the person in the room next to where Song Xinya was having her treatment.”
Tiantianquan said, “You went in and checked yourself. There was nothing wrong. Saying this to Mr. Qin will only mislead him.”
In a flash, Chen Siyan realized what had seemed strange. “Did you notice that Sheng Tianjun specifically reserved a room for a full-body treatment, but never actually had any treatment done?”
“Then what did he come here for?”
Tiantianquan suddenly froze. “That’s right. If he came to a beauty salon without getting a beauty treatment, what was he here for?”
The two exchanged a glance. Then, as if summoning a dragon from the heavens, they suddenly shouted into the phone in unison, “Mr. Qin! Come quickly!”
“I’m coming!”
A tall, imposing figure came running toward them. His long legs carried him forward in swift, steady strides, the hem of his black suit jacket fluttering in the wind. His icy aura swept through the corridor, while the bouquet of roses in his arms trembled in the breeze, scattering delicate crimson petals across the white floor behind him.
Qin Yuhe asked, “Which room?”
Tiantianquan and Chen Siyan pointed to the room next to the one where Song Xinya had been receiving her treatment.
“That one, that one!”
Bang!
Qin Yuhe kicked the heavy wooden door open. It slammed against the wall with a thunderous crash.
