Xu Rouluan arrived at the Huo mansion like a queen claiming her territory. She was dressed in a sharp red suit that clung perfectly to her body, her heels clicking arrogantly against the marble floor as she walked in without invitation. Her chin was lifted, her eyes sweeping across the living room with ownership, as if the house already belonged to her.
She dropped her handbag on the sofa and turned to the stunned housekeeper. Her voice was calm but commanding.
"Remove these. I do not like them".
The housekeeper hesitated. "Madam Xu, these are Madam Jiaxuan's things. I cannot just...."
Rouluan's eyes sharpened. "Do you want me to call Shenzhi and have every one of you fired. This house will soon have a new madam, and I do not tolerate incompetence".
Fear flickered across the housekeeper's face. With trembling hands, she began taking down portraits from the wall. One by one, Jiaxuan's pictures were removed. Her wedding portrait. Her family photo with Yichen. Her presence erased piece by piece.
At that moment, footsteps echoed from the entrance.
Jiaxuan walked in.
She froze when she saw the scene before her. The portraits in the housekeeper's hands. The empty spaces on the wall. Rouluan standing proudly in the center of it all, like a victor.
"What is going on here?." Jiaxuan asked quietly.
Rouluan turned, lips curling into a smug smile." Oh. You are back. Perfect timing. I am just redecorating. After all, I will soon be the madam of this house. Auntie has already chosen me. I will be Yichen's mother from now on".
The room fell silent.
Jiaxuan slowly looked at the housekeeper. Her eyes were cold, sharp, terrifying.
"Put that down. Now!"
The housekeeper froze.
Jiaxuan's voice dropped lower," If anyone removes even one more of my portraits, I will personally drag that person to hell".
No one dared move.
Then Jiaxuan turned back to Rouluan.
She walked toward her slowly. Every step was deliberate. Dangerous. The air seemed to tighten around them.
"It seems you really do not know how to behave in someone else's house" Jiaxuan said softly.
Before Rouluan could react, Jiaxuan grabbed her by the hair and yanked her down.
" Ahhh"
Rouluan screamed as her body hit the floor.
"You dare"
Rouluan shrieked, scrambling up and pushing Jiaxuan with all her strength.
Jiaxuan stumbled and hit her head against the wall. A sharp pain exploded in her skull. For a split second, the room spun.
Then her eyes turned feral.
She did not retreat.
She lunged forward and slammed Rouluan to the ground, pinning her there with brutal force. Jiaxuan ripped off her belt in one swift motion.
The first strike landed hard.
Rouluan screamed.
The second strike came faster. Then the third. Then the fourth.
Jiaxuan did not stop.
The sound of the belt slicing through the air filled the room, each strike fueled by rage, humiliation, and months of suppressed pain.
Rouluan cried, screamed, begged, but Jiaxuan's hand never slowed.
"Enough".
Jiaxuan finally said coldly, throwing the belt aside.
She stood up and looked at the trembling housekeepers, her eyes burning.
"Anyone who dares disobey my orders in this house will end up exactly like her,Remember that".
Rouluan struggled to her feet, her body shaking, her face twisted in humiliation. She had never been beaten like this before. Never treated like a helpless child.
She grabbed her bag, tears streaming down her face, and stumbled toward the door.
"Take your portrait out of my house". Jiaxuan said calmly. "And never try this stunt again".
Rouluan paused at the entrance, her hands trembling as she pulled out her phone. She dialed quickly, sobbing the moment the call connected.
"Auntie".
She cried bitterly.
"She beat me. She humiliated me".
She ran out of the mansion, her sobs echoing down the driveway.
Jiaxuan stood still in the middle of the living room, her chest rising and falling. The house was silent. Every servant kept their head bowed, afraid to breathe too loudly.
Jiaxuan slowly looked at the wall where her portraits had been removed.
She clenched her fists.
She knew what was coming next.
And all she could do now was wait.
Meanwhile Chen Yuze barged into Huo Shenzhi's office without knocking, the door slamming violently against the wall. Anger was written all over his face, his chest rising and falling as if he had run there.
"Release Jiaxuan".
Chen Yuze snapped, his voice sharp and accusing, "She is suffering in your house, suffering as a wife, suffering as a mother. She wants to be free".
Shenzhi did not even look up at first. He calmly closed the document he was reading and placed it neatly on the table before lifting his eyes.
"She is free. He said evenly. "She is free by my side".
That single sentence ignited Chen Yuze completely.
"You bastard. Chen Yuze roared, grabbing the files on the desk and flinging them across the office. Papers scattered everywhere, floating to the floor like snow.
" You cage her and call it freedom. "She belongs with me".
Shenzhi stood up slowly. Too slowly. His calm was terrifying.
"I have not settled scores with you yet.
He said quietly. For trying to take my wife away.
" For poisoning her mind, For touching what was never yours. Tell me, Chen Yuze, why would you go after something that belongs to me?".
Chen Yuze laughed loudly, arrogantly.
" Jiaxuan belongs to me. She always has. She always will. You were just—"
He did not finish the sentence.
Shenzhi's fist slammed into his face with brutal force.
The impact sent Chen Yuze crashing into the desk, pain exploding across his skull. Before he could recover, another punch followed. Then another. Shenzhi moved like a storm finally unleashed, every blow precise, merciless.
He grabbed Chen Yuze by the collar and slammed him against the wall.
These hands. Shenzhi growled through clenched teeth, raining punches down. These hands dared to touch her.
Chen Yuze tried to fight back, but it was useless. Shenzhi was fueled by fury he had buried for too long. He struck him again and again, fists connecting with bone and flesh until blood stained the floor.
He pinned Chen Yuze down, his knuckles red, his breathing heavy.
"These eyes". Shenzhi said coldly, punching him hard. "These eyes dared to look at her with filth".
No one outside the office realized what was happening inside. The thick walls swallowed the sounds. It would have been easy. So easy. To end him right there.
Shenzhi did not stop until Chen Yuze's body went limp, until he lay unconscious on the floor, bruised and broken.
Only then did Shenzhi step back.
He adjusted his cuffs calmly, his expression returning to cold indifference. He looked down at Chen Yuze one last time.
"If you ever appear before her again. He said quietly. I will not stop next time."
He turned back to his desk, leaving Chen Yuze unconscious on the floor of his office.