"Cousin, where are we going? This isn't the way home, is it?"
Qin Shuang looked through the car window at the road signs which were in the completely opposite direction to the way home, her confusion evident as she turned to face her silent cousin who was driving. After a moment's thought, she tentatively asked him, "Do you have some business to take care of?"
Qin Ming didn't say a word, only continued to drive in silence.
Qin Shuang opened her mouth, wanting to ask something more, but seeing her cousin's demeanor, she vaguely sensed he had something on his mind and chose to swallow her curiosity, sitting quietly and obediently instead.
The car had been driving for a long time; they had left her school at 5 p.m., and now the sky had darkened.
Qin Shuang glanced at her phone—it was almost 8 p.m.
She couldn't help but speak up again, "Cousin..."
Suddenly, the car came to a halt. Looking out, Qin Shuang realized they had entered a villa halfway up the hill.
This location, with its architecture seen only in TV dramas, clearly indicated a place of wealth and status.
As Qin Shuang surveyed the scene outside the car, her silent cousin, Qin Ming, suddenly addressed her, "Wait here for a bit, I've got something to do."
Qin Ming opened the car door and, as if he remembered something, turned back and said, "Right, lend me your phone."
Qin Shuang took another look at the villa outside. Was her cousin visiting a friend? When had he made such wealthy acquaintances?
Though somewhat perplexed, she handed over her phone, "Cousin, come back soon."
Qin Ming nodded slightly, staring at Qin Shuang for a moment, took the phone, and entered the villa without looking back.
Qin Shuang's wait turned into over three hours.
By the time Qin Shuang had dozed off and woken up again, she was still the only person in the car.
She frowned slightly, checking the time on the car's screen—it was almost midnight.
It was well into the night—why hadn't her cousin come out yet?
She began to feel restless and anxious. Could something have happened to her cousin?
Qin Shuang waited and waited, but with no sign of movement outside, she couldn't help but leave the car, walking toward the entrance of the villa with trepidation.
The car was parked in the courtyard, and she followed the villa's exquisite street lamps towards the brightly lit building ahead.
Standing at the front door, she took a nervous breath and raised her hand to ring the doorbell.
Just then, the door was opened by a middle-aged man in butler's attire who glanced at her and spoke respectfully, "Miss Qin Shuang, you've come at the right time. The master has just finished his business. Please go to the study."
Qin Shuang looked at him curiously, puzzled as to how he knew her name.
The butler added, "Miss Qin Shuang, please come in."
Qin Shuang, "No, I'm here to find..."
The butler didn't wait for her to finish, smiling and gesturing towards the inside of the house before walking in.
Qin Shuang swallowed and had no choice but to follow.
The villa's interior was exceptionally luxurious, resembling a castle. Treading carefully, Qin Shuang followed the butler upstairs to the study.
The butler bowed slightly, knocked twice on the door, then pushed it open, inviting Qin Shuang in.
Qin Shuang looked at the butler and, seeing him signal towards the inside, stepped in.
She had just entered; a second later, the door behind her closed.
She instinctively looked back at the door and, for some reason, a wave of nervousness stirred within her.
Taking a deep breath, she turned her gaze to the interior of the study.
The study was spacious, and on a black leather sofa sat a man.
His head was slightly bowed as he seemed to be examining something. Qin Shuang couldn't see his face clearly, but just his profile alone was stunning, far more perfect than any idol or movie star she had seen on the internet.
She didn't dare to look too closely and with just a brief glance could tell that everything in the room was of great value. The man sitting on the sofa was undeniably of extraordinary status.
But the more it was like this, the more uneasy she felt.
Who was he? Where was her cousin? Was this "Mr." that the butler had spoken of him? Did he want to see her? Why?
She was nothing but an utterly ordinary sophomore...
With this in mind, she still walked over as quietly as possible and asked softly, "You were looking for me because..."
She had not finished speaking when she stopped abruptly.
Her eyes were locked tightly on a row of photos on the table, her gaze filled with horror as they widened.
All of them were pictures of her.
From her elementary school days to her current college, all lined up neatly.
Next to them, sheets of paper displayed records of her life from childhood to the present day, her family and relatives, friends she knew, classmates, teachers...
Incredulous, she turned to look at the man sitting on the sofa, and asked instinctively, "Who are you? Are you... are you investigating me? Why are you doing this? What do you want?"
Her rapid-fire and sharp questioning finally diverted He Zhiyao's attention from the documents, sparing her a moment's attention.
However, it was just a fleeting glance of minimal interest. Withdrawing his gaze as if he had merely checked a piece of merchandise, He Zhiyao responded indifferently, "I am your buyer."
Your buyer, what does that mean?
Qin Shuang was a bit slow to catch on.
He Zhiyao fell silent for a few seconds before saying again, "In other words, I am the person who bought you."
Qin Shuang found it slightly amusing and actually laughed out loud, "Mr., are you sure you haven't misspoken? You bought me? I am a person, are you in human trafficking? Besides, I don't even know you, when did you buy me, how come I don't know about it?"
Qin Shuang really suspected she had encountered a lunatic. It was getting very late, and she didn't wish to tangle unnecessarily with a strange man she didn't know. She knelt down to gather the pile of things on the table into her arms and added, "I don't care who you are or what your purpose is, I hope you will not intrude on others' private lives arbitrarily, this is illegal..."
"Also, I came looking for my cousin, his name is Qin Ming, and I think he might not be here. Since that is the case, I will take my leave now." With that, she got up and walked towards the outside.
He Zhiyao, who had been sitting all along, scoffed and swiftly stood up, grabbing Qin Shuang's wrist with an icy voice, "Did I say you could leave?"
Qin Shuang was not accustomed to being touched by men, struggling instinctively, "Let go of me."
"I said I don't know you, let go..."
He Zhiyao's expression grew darker, and the grip on her wrist didn't lessen but grew stronger instead.
Unable to break free from He Zhiyao's grasp, Qin Shuang stomped hard on the back of his foot and flung the folders she was holding haphazardly at him with force. He seemed caught off guard, and the edge of the folder sliced across the back of his hand, instantly leaving a shocking trail of blood.
He Zhiyao seemed unaffected by the pain, calmly staring at the beads of blood on his hand for a moment, then lifting his eyes to meet Qin Shuang's.
His gaze was so cold and deep it made her feel uneasy at the core.
She bit her lip, her voice lacking confidence as she spoke, "Let go of me, I..."
Before she could finish speaking, he suddenly bent down and sealed her lips with his. He kissed her violently, as if he intended to swallow her whole.
The more she dodged and resisted, the more fiercely he kissed her until her lip was bitten and her mouth filled with the taste of blood. Only then did he let her go.
He pinched her chin, looking down at her eyes with contempt, "I spent money to buy you for my pleasure. I'll assume you were unaware this time and not hold it against you, but if there's a next time, don't blame me for being unkind."
After saying so, he called out toward the doorway, "Butler."
The door was swiftly opened, and the butler who had led Qin Shuang in stood at the door respectfully, "Mr. He, may I help you with anything?"
He Zhiyao: "Is the room ready?"
Butler: "It's been prepared, and Miss Qin's luggage has also been placed inside."
He Zhiyao gave a slight nod, said nothing more, and, dragging Qin Shuang, crossed in front of the butler and walked along the corridor to a door at the end.
He lifted his foot, kicked the door open, and tossed Qin Shuang inside before turning to the butler who had followed and pointed at Qin Shuang, who had been flung to the ground, "Keep a close eye on her for me."
Butler: "Yes, Mr. He."
Without another glance at Qin Shuang, He Zhiyao turned and left. After taking a few steps, it seemed he remembered something and twisted back to tell the butler, "Teach her some manners."