Chapter 8: Trying to Escape? Dream On

Qiu Yurou was utterly stunned, standing there in a daze, completely at a loss. That had been her first kiss—even her husband and lover had never touched her lips—yet it was stolen by a filthy brute who then scorned her with venomous disdain. She could not accept this humiliation.

It was a long while before she came to her senses. Lying on the ground, she shouted in rage, her voice trembling, “You… you’re bold beyond belief… I’ll tell my father…”

Cao Mang put on a simple, honest smile. “Go ahead. Let’s see if he believes you, or me.”

He finished his words and stepped on her face, staring down with a chilling voice. “Show me disrespect again, and I’ll kill Ye Bufan.”

When he finally lifted his foot, Qiu Yurou, thinking her nightmare was over, found herself being dragged by her hair into the room.

“You… what are you doing… If you dare lay a hand on me, my father and Bufan will make you pay… Help…”

But the room was soundproofed; her cries could not escape.

Cao Mang looked at her with utter disgust. “Don’t flatter yourself. I wouldn’t touch your filthy flesh, nor your tainted soul.”

Only then did Qiu Yurou realize what it meant to suffer the consequences of her own actions. She bitterly regretted provoking Cao Mang, powerless to resist.

Cao Mang took over a hundred photos before leaving, finally satisfied.

Qiu Yurou wept for a long time. Because she had resisted at first, several parts of her body ached terribly. She ran to the rooftop, wanting to complain to Qiu Zhentu.

But Qiu Zhentu was not there; he had gone to discuss the wedding. The only person she saw was her former best friend, now her stepmother—Su Meiqi.

Their friendship had long since fractured, and now they couldn’t stand the sight of each other. Qiu Yurou could never bring herself to confide in her.

She thought of calling Ye Bufan, but feared he would despise her if he knew, and besides, he was no match for Cao Mang.

Cao Mang had only taken a small payment in advance—he aimed to quickly appease Duan Xingyu’s resentment, so as not to be further disturbed.

But this was not enough; the time would come to finish the task. For now, he went straight to Qiu Tianyi’s room.

As Qiu Tianyi’s personal bodyguard, until new orders came, he had the right to come and go as he pleased.

At that moment, two maids were coaxing Qiu Tianyi to eat, but the spoiled young master refused to listen.

“You two, leave,” Cao Mang said. He would not coddle a child, instead employing the methods he’d learned at the training camp.

Refuse to obey? Then you’ll be forced to. And he knew how to strike without leaving a mark—no trace to be found.

That evening, Qiu Zhentu came home. Seeing his son quietly playing with building blocks, he sighed.

He harbored secrets too bitter to confess. After causing his brother’s death, he had sought to violate his sister-in-law, but was crippled in the act. Marrying Su Meiqi had been a convenient cover.

Otherwise, given his philandering ways, he would have had a brood of children by now, and would not be troubled by his son’s disability.

Seeing Cao Mang diligently guarding his son, Qiu Zhentu was greatly reassured.

“Hang in there a few more days. After the wedding, I have important work for you.”

Cao Mang nodded with honest simplicity, and as Qiu Zhentu turned away, he did not see his son’s tears—nor did Qiu Tianyi dare utter a word.

Qiu Tianyi was not suffering pure torment. With Duan Xingyu’s memories, Cao Mang used other methods through the night—a blend of carrot and stick, training him like a dog, making him ever more obedient.

For three days, he did not leave the Qiu household, remaining inseparable from Qiu Tianyi, eating and living together.

Qiu Zhentu, unwilling to see his son in his feeble state, paid no attention to their affairs.

One day, Qiu Tianyi clamored to go to the amusement park. Qiu Zhentu, hearing this, agreed.

As the Hummer drove out the gates, they spotted Ye Bufan standing outside, holding a bouquet of flowers in his single good arm.

His arm hadn’t healed yet. Though Qiu Yurou had been grounded, forbidden from seeing him, he still brought a bouquet every morning, noon, and night.

Noticing the heap of flowers by the wall, Cao Mang couldn’t help but scoff, “Is someone dead? What’s the point?”

His words drifted out the window. Ye Bufan shot him a fierce glare.

Cao Mang sneered and ignored him, driving straight to a secondhand market. He locked Qiu Tianyi—who was engrossed in his video games—in the car, bought several phones registered with fake IDs, and returned.

They drove to the amusement park, though Qiu Tianyi had no real intention of going; he simply obeyed Cao Mang’s arrangements.

Now hopelessly addicted to online games, he spent heavily and reveled in the thrill of defeating weaker players.

Cao Mang picked up a newly bought phone, transferred all the photos of Qiu Yurou onto it, and deleted the files from his own device.

He then used the new phone to add Ye Bufan as a friend, informing him he had a little secret about Qiu Yurou.

Ye Bufan immediately accepted the request. Seeing the photos, he was dumbfounded.

The pictures were carefully selected by Cao Mang, making it impossible to tell if she had been coerced; they were almost artistic.

Ye Bufan’s first reaction was disbelief—he had absolute faith in Qiu Yurou’s purity.

He replied with a cold sneer, “What do you want?”

Cao Mang replied in text, “Money, of course. Five million, delivered to the main gate of Happy Amusement Park.”

Ye Bufan didn’t have any money. His retirement bonus had all been given to the widows of his fallen comrades, whom he had also comforted frequently. Eventually bored, he returned to his hometown.

His purpose in coming back was to investigate his mother’s death and reclaim what was rightfully his.

Since his family did not acknowledge him, he could not return directly.

He had no choice but to find other means to gain a foothold. To get close to Qiu Yurou, he’d become a security guard.

With his wages, he’d hired some thugs to harass Qiu Yurou, creating opportunities to approach her, gradually earning her trust.

From security guard, he became her personal bodyguard, and eventually, they became secret lovers.

This was the perfect opportunity to deepen her trust in him. Moreover, even if the photos were fake, they could not be allowed to circulate.

He drove his secondhand van to the recycling station, bought a stack of old newspapers and a battered suitcase, and headed straight for the amusement park.

Arriving, he got out and tossed the heavy suitcase on the ground, pulling out his phone to send a message.

“I’m here. Where are you?”

“Open the suitcase. I want to see the money.”

Seeing the reply, Ye Bufan dared not open the case; inside were only newspapers.

“Cut the nonsense. Those fake photos won’t fool anyone. If you don’t want the money, forget it.”

Realizing the other party must be nearby, just as he was about to look around, a filthy vagrant approached, brandishing a knife.

Ye Bufan immediately hurled his phone at him and kicked the suitcase.

The knife tore open the suitcase, exposing the newspapers inside. Ye Bufan spun and delivered a kick straight at the case.

Bang!

The vagrant stumbled and fell with the suitcase. As he tried to get up, Ye Bufan was already upon him, aiming a kick at his head.

The blade slashed toward Ye Bufan’s ankle, so he withdrew his foot. The vagrant rolled nimbly and attacked his groin.

Ye Bufan dodged deftly and drove his knee into the vagrant’s abdomen. The man spat blood and was flung away, but scrambled up and bolted without hesitation.

“Trying to run? In your dreams!”

Ye Bufan gave chase. As the vagrant was about to leap into the moat, Ye Bufan planted a foot on a power pole and launched himself forward, kicking the vagrant square in the back.

Crack!

A sickening snap of bone, and the vagrant spewed blood as he plunged into the river, flailing desperately before sinking below the surface.