"If not, would he care about you so much, know about your situation in the Zhan family at all times, even know when you were imprisoned? He knows your every move in the Zhan family, doesn't he?"
Zhan Mohan abruptly seized her wrist, his dark eyes brimming with an all-consuming fury.
Wei Yumeng's face turned deathly pale, terrified by the malevolent aura radiating from him. She tried to dodge, but there was nowhere to retreat. She could only shake her head desperately, trying to explain.
"I didn't tell him anything about my situation in the Zhan family, Zhan Mohan, don't be like this..."
The way he looked now, like a demon emerging from hell, was chilling.
Zhan Mohan's mind reeled at the thought that he was still agonizing over her affairs, regretting his earlier guilt and desire to talk things through. Clearly, he had been too soft-hearted with her.
This woman was utterly undeserving!
He narrowed his eyes, a dangerous glint flashing within them.
"Isn't Xin Ran loyal to you, utterly devoted? I'd like to see if he's still willing to be a stepfather if you get pregnant with my child."
Wei Yumeng looked at him in horror, a bad premonition creeping into her heart.
"Zhan Mohan, what do you want?"
His icy fingertips pinched her chin, fixing her gaze. His voice was as cold and indifferent as his former cruel self.
"You know exactly what I want!"
Before Wei Yumeng could utter a word of refusal, she was engulfed by his fierce kiss. No matter how she struggled or pleaded, Zhan Mohan remained unmoved, like a cold, unfeeling machine, tearing off her clothes piece by piece.
Tears of despair streamed from the corners of her eyes...
Afterward, she lay on the bed like a puppet, covered only by the quilt. The disarray in the room testified to the chaos that had just transpired.
He stood up and put on his shirt, his brow furrowed with dissatisfaction at her current state.
"We are husband and wife. This is your duty as a wife. Don't make it seem like I forced myself on you."
Wei Yumeng let out a cold laugh. "What difference is there between what you just did and force, other than using the guise of marriage?"
Zhan Mohan paused his buttoning motion. The anger that had just subsided was reignited by her words. He turned, looking down at her, his voice as cold as ice.
"You're willing to sleep with other men, but when your husband sleeps with you, it's force? Wei Yumeng, are you the funny one, or am I?"
He thought the incident last time had taught her a lesson. He had tried his best not to dwell on the car accident, to help her from behind the scenes, and to minimize her suffering. In the end, it was all his wishful thinking; she had never taken it to heart.
The mention of that unrelated man made her like a hedgehog, her quills bristling, wanting to stab him.
Wei Yumeng was completely despondent by now, her words becoming reckless.
"At least Xin Ran never forced me, nor did he treat me like you do!"
The man suddenly bent down, his fingers gripping her cheek. He glared at her, the words almost gritted out through his teeth.
"He's good to you, he doesn't force you, because you like him too. Wei Yumeng, if you were given another chance, would you rather marry him!"
Wei Yumeng was trapped by Zhan Mohan, her cheeks burning with pain. It felt as if any more pressure, and her bones would shatter.
She knew she shouldn't speak to Zhan Mohan like this; she couldn't bear the consequences of angering him. But she couldn't control her overwhelming emotions. Recalling the events that had just unfolded, a wave of shame washed over her.
Her eyes welled up with tears. Though deeply wronged, she refused to yield to him, speaking words she didn't mean.
"You're right. If Wei Anguo hadn't forced me to marry you, I wouldn't have come to the Zhan family at all. I just wanted a simple life. Would my child have died if I hadn't married you? Now you want to make me pregnant again to be a sacrifice in your power struggles. Zhan Mohan, you are truly heartless."
If she hadn't married Zhan Mohan, she could have at least safely given birth to the child in her womb. No one would know whose child it was; it would belong only to her.
She could have waited for Gu Shuyi to recover from her illness, and the three of them would have lived a simple, happy life together. How did it come to this?
The child was gone. Zhan Mohan was unpredictable. A slight displeasure could foreshadow impending disaster.
Hearing her words, Zhan Mohan's eyes turned icy, and the air around him grew even colder.
"Wei Yumeng, have I been too lenient with you for you to dare speak to me like this?"
Wei Yumeng let out a self-mocking smile, as if she had decided to go all out today.
"Mr. Zhan, have you grown accustomed to the good life, thinking everyone should be subservient, humble, and try to please you?"
He had forced himself on her, and now he expected her to grovel and force a smile?
She was truly sorry, but she couldn't do it!
Veins bulged on the man's forehead, and a flame ignited in his eyes, as if he wanted to destroy everything around him. He tightened his lips and abruptly threw Wei Yumeng aside. She fell back onto the bed in disarray.
"From today onwards, you are not to go to the hospital. Apart from going to and from work, anyone you go anywhere will be reported to me by a dedicated person."
Wei Yumeng suddenly looked up, a surge of anger welling in her heart.
"Zhan Mohan, how dare you prevent me from seeing my mother? Are you planning to repeat your old tricks, like when you locked me in the attic? Do you really think your Zhan family can do as they please?"
Zhan Mohan exuded an air of arrogant defiance and scoffed disdainfully.
"I can't guarantee other places, but in this Yecheng, I, Zhan Mohan, am the law."
His tone was utterly arrogant, but he had the capital to be so.
Wei Yumeng felt like a falling leaf, her eyes devoid of light, only the tears of despair remaining.
She watched in helplessness as Zhan Mohan left. She had angered him, and even if she knelt and begged, he wouldn't agree to any of her conditions.
Her entire body ached as if it were falling apart. He had shown no gentleness at all. Even though it wasn't the first time she had felt his fierce anger, whenever he lost his temper, a inexplicable fear would well up in her heart.
Zhan Mohan was a terrifying man.
In the evening, Zhang Ma called her down for dinner. Wei Yumeng refused.
Zhang Ma could see that their relationship had not eased at all; it had only worsened. Especially after seeing the coldness on the young master's face just now, the temperature dropped to freezing point wherever he went.
She went downstairs and saw Zhan Mohan sitting at the dining table, hesitating about how to speak.
Zhan Mohan's peripheral vision caught Zhang Ma standing not far away.
"Where is she?"
"Madam... she said she didn't want to eat."
"She's learned to threaten people now." A mocking glint appeared in his eyes. He put down the computer in his hands. "Tell her, if she's not down here in five minutes, she'll never see her mother again."
Zhang Ma shivered. "Yes."
Wei Yumeng heard Zhang Ma relay Zhan Mohan's words verbatim. Her face flushed red with anger. Her once slender body trembled like a sieve. She stiffened her neck, her eyes red.
"How could he do this!"
He had already confined her freedom, forbidden her from seeing her mother, and now he was threatening her. Was this man a devil?
Zhang Ma also found herself in a difficult position. "Madam, you've been in the Zhan family for quite some time. You should understand the young master's temper. He responds to gentleness, not stubbornness. If you oppose him, you'll be the one to suffer."
How could Wei Yumeng not know this? It was just that she couldn't swallow her pride. Did she not even have the right to refuse?
But she was worried about Gu Shuyi. She knew very well that Zhan Mohan would do what he said.
In the end, she chose to compromise. However, being stubborn, she didn't give Zhan Mohan a pleasant look when she went downstairs. She was as quiet as the air. If not for the clinking of chopsticks against her bowl, Zhan Mohan would have suspected he was dining alone.
Just because he had touched her once, she was making such a fuss. He hadn't even settled the score with her about Xin Ran yet, and she still had the audacity to give him the cold shoulder.
His demeanor immediately turned cold. He threw his chopsticks onto the table. Wei Yumeng's entire body jolted, and she instinctively looked at him.