The man looked at her, his brow furrowed in apparent annoyance, and coldly called out, "Zhao Ming, is the money not enough?"
Zhao Ming flinched and looked at Zhang Xiaoya.
He walked over and lowered his voice, saying, "Your payment has been settled. You'd best not cause trouble here, or even I won't be able to protect you."
Buzz!
Zhang Xiaoya's heart constricted. She glared at the man with resentment and unwillingness.
That night, he had forced himself on her without listening to her explanation, and now he was slandering her like this. Was being rich everything? Was it all that mattered?
"You rapist!"
She spat out the words through gritted teeth, wanting to flee the place as quickly as possible.
But no matter how fast she was, she couldn't outrun the man's hand. He grabbed her wrist, yanked her forcefully towards him, and said menacingly, "What did you say?"
Zhang Xiaoya couldn't see the man's face clearly, but hearing his icy voice sent shivers down her spine.
She felt as if her throat was being choked by a demon, unable to breathe.
"Let go of me…"
She squeezed out the words from her trembling lips, trying to pull away.
The man frowned in displeasure and warned, "Woman, do not try to pique my interest. You cannot bear the consequences. Scram."
With that, he released his grip on Zhang Xiaoya.
Zhang Xiaoya dared not utter another word and fled as if her life depended on it. If she didn't leave now, she might never be able to leave at all.
Watching Zhang Xiaoya leave with a deathly pale face, the man turned his attention back to his subordinate, Zhao Ming.
"Zhao Ming, I do not want to see such things happen again."
Cold sweat broke out on Zhao Ming's back. He nodded vigorously, "Yes!"
He had chosen Zhang Xiaoya from among so many girls not just because she was beautiful, but also because she was like a woman.
As someone skilled at discerning people's thoughts, he had keenly perceived his master's interest in that person.
However, the timing was not yet right, and his master could not have his way.
Therefore, he had chosen this girl as a substitute, especially since she was a virgin. His master had been very satisfied last night, so he had directly given the introducer five hundred thousand.
It was just that he hadn't expected such an incident to occur today. Alas!
...
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Shao Jun was dragged into a bar alley by men in black and beaten up, finally escaping with a bruised and swollen face.
The men in black had attacked with fierce blows; they were clearly skilled fighters.
"Young Master Jun, who are those people?" one of them asked, groaning in pain while clutching his stomach.
Shao Jun had been beaten so badly that he almost vomited his gall. The alcohol had mostly worn off, and he bared his teeth, saying, "How the hell should I know! Anyone who looks like Shao Xu is a damned tough character!"
"Ouch, it hurts so much. Young Master Jun, shouldn't we go to the hospital first?"
Hearing his companions' piteous cries, Shao Jun became even more furious. "Get lost, all of you! Damn it!"
Seeing Shao Jun's anger, the remaining few dared not stay any longer and fled in a sorry state.
"A bunch of useless cowards… hiss…"
Shao Jun's wound was pulled, causing him to gasp in pain. Muttering curses, he headed to the parking lot.
As he entered, he discovered that his companions' cars were already gone.
This made him even angrier.
"Idiots, running so fast, are they trying to reincarnate!"
Shao Jun hadn't expected them to leave just because he told them to, without any regard for him. He felt a chill run down his spine.
Just as he was about to drive himself to the hospital, his grandmother's call came again.
He impatiently hung up!
The phone rang again!
She was definitely calling to ask about the progress of his attempts to reconcile with Su Ding.
"How should I explain this to Grandma?"
Shao Jun frowned, troubled. After thinking for a moment, his eyes suddenly lit up!
He had thought of a strategy.
He was no longer in a hurry to go to the hospital and drove directly towards the Shao family's main residence.
The car drove slowly.
Shao Jun's mind raced with thoughts all the way, especially about everything that had happened at the bar.
He had always been a bit slow to process things.
He hadn't thought much when he was being beaten, but now that he had recovered, his mind was clearer.
"That girl looked so much like Shao Xu. Could that man possibly be Jin Ye?"
Shao Jun squinted, trying hard to recall.
The girl in the bar looked very similar to Shao Xu from the past, especially her demeanor; she was incredibly alike. He had originally intended to vent his anger while drunk.
Unexpectedly, someone had intervened and beaten him up.
At the time, the man had said, "You dare to touch my person," indicating an unusual relationship between them!
"Ah! So that's how it is!"
Suddenly, Shao Jun figured something out and slammed on the brakes, hitting the steering wheel with his hand.
A very plausible guess surfaced in his mind!
Shao Xu had betrayed Jin Ye at their wedding. Any man would find such humiliation unbearable, so Shao Xu and Jin Ye had never reconciled.
As for why the bracelet Shao Xu had bought appeared in Madam Jin's hand?
There were too many real-life examples. Even if a marital relationship had broken down, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship could remain good. Perhaps Shao Xu had won Madam Jin's favor, which was why the Jin family had not taken revenge on Shao Xu.
And today, what he had accidentally seen at the bar.
It was Jin Ye and his new girlfriend. Why did that girl look so much like Shao Xu? It was because he couldn't accept Shao Xu's filth, so he found a substitute!
"It must be like this!"
Shao Jun felt as if he had uncovered a shocking secret and couldn't wait to return and tell his grandmother.
Half an hour later.
Shao Jun ran into the living room of the Shao family's main residence. Madam Shao and his father, Shao Zhengchang, and his third uncle, Shao Zhengkang, were chatting about something.
The three of them were stunned to see Shao Jun's bruised and swollen appearance.
Shao Zhengkang quickly pulled his son over and asked anxiously, "Xiao Jun, what happened to you?"
Even Madam Shao frowned in confusion. "Xiao Jun, didn't I ask you to reconcile with Shao Xu? What happened to you, what exactly happened?"
Shao Zhengkang also listened with ears perked up, full of gossip. Of course, what he most wanted to know was about Shao Xu.
If Shao Xu truly had a connection with the Jin family, he could also benefit from it.
Shao Jun, however, hadn't forgotten the strategy he had devised. Facing his concerned family members, he burst into tears, ignoring the fact that he was nearly thirty.
"Grandma, Dad, Third Uncle, you must help me!"
He wiped away his tears and cried aggrievedly, his bruised face with bloodshot wounds making him appear even more pitiful and deserving of sympathy.
"These injuries, Su Ding hired someone to beat me!"