Fire, indeed, has spread to her side! She really shouldn't have meddled and tried to help Qin Mumu!
Jian Tong regretted it so much she wanted to die.
"Hey, I'm talking to you, cleaning lady."
Jian Tong had no choice but to nod her head stiffly.
The voice, filled with irreverence, chuckled gleefully and said to Qin Mumu, "Did you hear that? Even a cleaner knows how to read the room and show some respect." He then grabbed the bottle of wine and slammed it down on the table forcefully: "Drink it up. Otherwise, I'll call Su Meng over." Su Meng was the one who had interviewed Jian Tong, the sister they referred to as "Dream".
Hearing the mention of Sister Dream, Qin Mumu became somewhat scared. Her family was poor, and she worked as a server at Dong Huang because of the high pay. If Sister Dream was called over, she would lose her job.
"Don't call Sister Dream!" Qin Mumu grabbed the bottle of wine on the crystal table, "I'll drink!" As she spoke, tears began to fall even before she could take a sip.
"Wait a second." A deep voice rose leisurely from the darkness. Jian Tong's back was to the shadowy corner, and upon hearing that voice, her body began to tremble uncontrollably.
Fear crept into her eyes, and her breathing grew heavy.
"Turn around." The voice from the darkness commanded.
Jian Tong's legs felt as though they were filled with lead, immovable. She desperately told herself: it's not meant for me.
"Let me repeat, turn around, clean-ing-la-dy."
"Heh—" Jian Tong's heart felt like it had been punched, she knew she had to comply. Her teeth chattered as she struggled to turn around in her heavy clothing.
The atmosphere was peculiar, and by this time, everyone realized that something was amiss.
The frivolous young master, his fingers to his lips, blew a pleased whistle: "Now, this is going to be an interesting show."
A man on the sofa commanded sharply, "Xi Chen, shut up, don't disturb my viewing."
"Damn, Bai Yuxing, you're truly rotten to the core."
Jian Tong's eyes filled with terror, and she felt an urge to flee!
After three years in prison, one thousand and ninety-five days and nights living in a hell where she never saw daylight, she crawled out from that abyss vowing never to harbor any improper thoughts towards Shen Xiujin again, leaving only a deep-seated fear and terror for that man etched into her bones.
Even the infatuation and love she had for this man were buried deep within the cemetery of her heart, never to see the light again.
"Lift your head." The voice commanded slowly, and Jian Tong's every movement followed his orders almost reflexively.
The light was dim, and the man, who lurked in the darkness of the corner, was a figure she dared not scrutinize closely when she entered, no wonder she hadn't noticed him.
Shen Xiujin sat in the corner of the sofa like an emperor, his elegant posture defined by his long arm resting on the armrest, his hand backing his chin, the picture of a graceful gentleman. Yet, his eyes, framed by gold-rimmed glasses, were those of a starving wolf, fixated on her, as though ready to tear her apart at any moment.
Three years had not aged him with the traces of time; instead, the passing years seemed to have polished him, making him even more dazzling.
His face, concealed beneath the dim yellow light, seemed to be coated with a layer of gold. He sat there, exuding an enchanting charm that captured the soul.
But... she dared not take another glance! She quickly buried her head deep into the thick chest in front of her.
"Tsks," Shen Xiujin let out a mocking laugh, a chilly smile in his tone, dangerously saying, "Haven't seen you in a while, won't you say hello?"
Jian Tong's complexion was deathly pale: "Mr. Shen."
Jian Tong tried her best to suppress the fear and dread inside her, her fingers pinching the flesh of her thigh tightly, striving to maintain a calm exterior.
But her every move was transparent to the man sitting across from her on the sofa.
Shen Xiujin narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Jian Tong... If it wasn't for encountering her at Dong Huang today, he would have almost forgotten she existed.
Her transformation was significant. If not for that waitress's unintentional mention of "Sister Jian Tong," he would not have recognized this woman.
The lights in the private room were dim, and all he could make out was her silhouette, but even so, Shen Xiujin had to admit that the extent of Jian Tong's change was beyond his expectations.
"When did you get out?" Shen Xiujin asked indifferently.
Startled, Jian Tong lost all color in her face and suddenly raised her head, her eyes imploring the man across from her... begging silently, Please don't mention, don't say anything about my prison time in front of all these people, please — her eyes clearly conveyed this plea!
Shen Xiujin's eyebrows quirked. Caught off guard, he lifted his finger towards the bottle of vodka in Qin Mumu's hand and smirked at Jian Tong, his lips curling into a cold smile: "I know what you want to say. Fine. If you can drink this entire bottle, I will grant your request."
Jian Tong looked at the bottle of vodka in Qin Mumu's hands, her face deathly pale.
Belvedere vodka is one of the more famous types of vodka in the world, with an alcohol content of around 40 degrees. Jian Tong's complexion was pale as she stared at the body of the vodka bottle, opened her mouth, wanting to say something.
The man on the sofa, like a hunter teasing his prey beneath his feet, watched Jian Tong with a mocking darkness in his eyes: "My patience is limited."
Hearing that familiar voice, Jian Tong turned even paler.
"I, I don't drink alcohol."
As soon as the lie was out, Jian Tong felt a numbness on her scalp, as if she was about to be scorched by that intense and palpable gaze. Her palm, hidden away where he couldn't see, slowly clenched into a fist... she felt like a death row convict waiting for her final sentence, enduring the agony.
"Mr. Shen, please, spare me." To survive, Jian Tong could abandon her pride, bow down and beg for mercy: "I'm begging you, let me off just this once. I'll do anything you ask, just don't make me drink," she pleaded. She wanted to live; only by living could she pay her debts.
Yes, she had incurred a massive debt. But the creditor was definitely not Xia Weiming.
A fleeting look of surprise crossed the man's face, dimly visible under the soft lighting, and then Shen Xiujin said expressionlessly, "It's just a bottle of alcohol. To avoid drinking it, you so readily kneel? Jian Tong, what happened to that pride you once flaunted? Where's the dignity you used to defend so fiercely?"
Dignity?
Jian Tong's face, buried deep against the floor, showed a trace of mockery and bitterness.
What is dignity? Can dignity be eaten? Can dignity help her survive?
She wasn't kneeling to avoid drinking a bottle of alcohol; she was kneeling — to live!
With painful resignation, she closed her eyes. As soon as she did, she saw in her mind's eye the faces of those who had humiliated her. There was only one person who did not belong to that torment; yet, that girl, in the end, died in the damp and gloomy prison because of her! Because of her!
The life of a young twenty-year-old, at an age full of potential, withered away in that dark and damp place.
It was all because of her, because of her, Jian Tong!
This was a sin, a debt, a sin and debt that could never be repaid!
She didn't owe Xia Weiming; she owed the brave girl in prison who had stood up to protect her but ended up dying inexplicably in jail!
Jian Tong trembled uncontrollably, as if she could once again see the girl lying bloodied in her arms, calling out "Sister Jian Tong" with her dying breath, speaking of her hometown and dreams in the sweetest voice that Jian Tong had never heard in her life and would never forget.