Xia Yanxin ran wildly down the corridor, draped in an oversized suit jacket, without a single thought of chasing after news stories—she just wanted to escape this filthy den of debauchery as quickly as possible. Being fired was the least of her worries! Above all, she didn't want to lose her innocence here or contract any sort of sordid disease.
"Well, isn't that Xia Yanxin..."
An unexpected figure emerged from the back of the cabin, blocking Xia Yanxin's path.
It was a tall, beautiful woman wearing a black bikini, her wine-red hair curled into loose waves resting on her shoulders, her face heavily made up. Perhaps she had recently indulged herself excessively, her body still bore ambiguous marks and reeked of decay, none other than the Jin Family's third daughter, Jin Meiqi.
Xia Yanxin's mother was a servant of the Jin Family, so from a young age, she had suffered Jin Meiqi's disdain and mockery.
"Do I know you? Move aside, don't block my way!"
Jin Meiqi exhaled a thick puff of smoke onto Xia Yanxin's face, "From childhood, you've never condescended to eat my leftovers, wear my hand-me-downs, or play with the toys I discarded... I thought you were so principled, so ambitious. Who would have guessed you'd sink to being a kept woman! It's laughable!"
Jin Meiqi laughed so hard she bent over. Born into wealth, she enjoyed every privilege, yet she was always academically outperformed by Xia Yanxin, from primary school to high school. It frustrated her to the extreme until after Xia Yanxin graduated and started working, whereas she entered a prestigious university, which finally balanced her feelings a bit. Seeing Xia Yanxin here, she was filled with glee over witnessing her downfall.
Xia Yanxin wasn't angry, instead she raised an eyebrow and said, "Indeed! But it seems you are not much better than me!"
"You, you, you're sick in the head! I'm here as a guest invited by a friend, not like you, here to sell your body," Jin Meiqi retorted furiously.
"What difference does it make?" Xia Yanxin scoffed.
"Catch her, don't let her get away..."
Xia Yanxin turned her head to see the black-clad Mary with two bodyguards hurrying in her direction.
In panic, Xia Yanxin turned and ran...
A vicious gleam flickered in Jin Meiqi's eyes as she suddenly stuck her foot out, causing Xia Yanxin, caught off guard, to trip and fall, sliding a long way on the floor. Her head struck the railing with a heavy thud, her mind buzzing and unresponsive for quite some time.
"Mary, I've caught this woman for you; what's the reason for detaining her?"
"Thank you, Miss Jin, Young Master Huan said this woman hurt one of our guests and now we need to take her back for questioning," Mary explained.
"Oh... This woman is tough; you need to handle her firmly!"
"Yes, of course!"
The voices around her began to blur, and then she felt herself being dragged... After a while, cold water was thrown on her face. Xia Yanxin shivered and slowly came back to consciousness.
Both her hands and feet were bound to a chair, leaving her unable to move.
A man in a white shirt stood in front of her expressionlessly... Moreover, Mary and two ferocious-looking bodyguards stood at her sides.
"You little slut, you dared to defy our rules. Spit it out now, or I'll rip your mouth apart..."
Swearing, Mary brandished the whip she held, and Xia Yanxin shut her eyes in terror, remembering the young girl who had been beaten to death and then thrown into the sea as fish food so casually by them. She was terrified; had she known the task would cost her life, she never would have taken it.
Ye Huan held out a hand to stop Mary and said indifferently, "Step aside, I'll handle this!"
"Yes, boss!" Mary stepped back, bowing her head.
Ye Huan gently touched Xia Yanxin's slightly swollen cheek, "Does it hurt?" His voice was gentle, laced with a tinge of sympathy. Xia Yanxin watched him warily, without making a sound.
"I'm a man who knows how to appreciate and honor beauty; such a pretty face would be a pity to ruin. Let me think, that Russian man, and Young Master Long, now that you've offended two of my important guests, even death won't appease their anger. I'll give you one way out: just tell me, who sent you? Where is the camera you used hidden? You see, it's that simple. Just tell me these things, and I'll send you to the shore on a small boat..." Ye Huan spoke with a smile, his voice filled with temptation.
Xia Yanxin struggled internally for a moment, then just as she was about to speak, she immediately shut her mouth again. She wasn't foolish enough to spill everything; such a confession would only lead her down a path to certain death.
"Boss, for a bitch like her, a whipping will suffice; we are out of time!" Mary was impatient.
After staring at Xia Yanxin for a few minutes, although reluctant, Ye Huan realized he could no longer afford hesitation with the pressing time. If the woman before him belonged to the police, it would be the end of him. He added one last time, "Are you sure you won't speak?"
Xia Yanxin turned her head away defiantly.
Mary swung the whip, and it crashed heavily onto Xia Yanxin's body, the searing pain like knives slicing through flesh. Xia Yanxin cried out in agony, "Ah..."
Suddenly, the door was kicked open, and the towering figure of Long Yutian appeared in the doorway. He snatched the whip from Mary's hand and lashed it across her face twice, his voice stern.
"Who gave you permission to touch my woman?"