Sun Xiuying and Manager Li headed toward Song Meiqi's room after noticing she still had not arrived at the lobby as planned.
But the moment they reached the door, both frowned.
The room door stood wide open.
Scattered pastries littered the floor, mixed with shards of broken glass and the sharp scent of spilled alcohol seeping into the carpet. The once tidy room had been left in complete disarray.
A flicker of unease crossed Sun Xiuying's face.
"Meiqi?" she called cautiously as she stepped inside.
Beside her, Manager Li quickly pushed open the bathroom door, hoping to find her there. But it was empty.
No answer. No sign of Song Meiqi.
Then Xiuying's eyes caught something beneath the counter table.
She bent down and picked it up slowly— It was Song Meiqi's phone.
The two exchanged a glance, their expressions tightening as the same thought struck them at once.
Something had happened.
…
Inside a dimly lit hotel room lay an unconscious Song Meiqi on the bed, her hands bound tightly behind her back, thick cloth sealed across her mouth.
Not far away sat a man, silently watching her. Moonlight spilled through the glass window, casting jagged shadows across his face as delight glimmered in his eyes.
"Xiao Zhu… like this… will she really be mine?" he asked, lifting his head toward the figure concealed within the shadows.
"Big Brother, she will," Xiao Zhu replied calmly. "I'll give you some time."
Without another word, he turned and left, the door clicking shut behind him.
Unbeknownst to them, Song Meiqi had heard every word.
Her eyelashes trembled faintly as consciousness slowly crept back in. A dull ache pulsed through her head while panic tightened around her chest.
Bound, gagged, and trapped inside an unfamiliar room, she struggled to make sense of what was happening—forcing herself to remain still, afraid to let the man know she was awake.
"Xiao Qi… Xiao Qi…"
His voice drifted through the darkness like a haunting murmur as he moved closer… and closer… until she could feel his presence looming beside the bed.
Then came the touch.
His hand gently brushed against her shoulder.
A chill shot violently through Song Meiqi's spine. Unable to keep pretending, she forced her eyes open—only to find herself staring directly into the man's face.
Fear exploded inside her.
A muffled cry tore from her throat as she recognized him instantly.
He was the man from the fan signing earlier. The same unsettling eyes. The same rose-colored jacket.
Seeing the terror on her face, the man quickly raised his hands, his voice trembling with urgency as he tried to reassure her.
"It's okay… it's okay… I won't hurt you."
Song Meiqi immediately curled into herself, pressing her body against the corner of the bed to keep as much distance from him as possible. But her racing heart refused to calm down. Tears welled in her eyes before one slipped silently down her cheek.
"No…No…please don't cry."
Afraid she might break down completely, the man cautiously stepped closer once more. Before she could react, he removed the cloth covering her mouth and hastily untied the zip tie binding her wrists.
Now free, Song Meiqi's eyes darted around the room, searching desperately for an escape route while forcing herself to keep him talking.
"W–where are we?" her voice trembled.
The man immediately took a step back, as though afraid of frightening her further. "Little Qi… don't be scared… We're at the Next Hotel."
Next Hotel? It was only five blocks away from where she had been staying earlier. If she could just reach that door—her gaze flickered toward the exit before returning cautiously to him.
"Why did you bring me here?... What do you want?"
A gentle smile curved his lips, but something unsettling gleamed beneath his gaze.
"Little Qi… for a very long time, I could only watch you from afar." His voice softened with eerie affection. "I watched you laugh… perform… smile for everyone." His expression darkened. "I watched as you dated that bastard, Si Haoran—"
The words sent a chill racing down Song Meiqi's spine as memories of the anonymous messages that had flooded her phone over the past few months resurfaced in her mind.
A sasaeng.
Could it be him?
"—But he doesn't deserve you… your kindness… your love." His gaze once again softened with tenderness. "I'm different. I would never hurt you the way he did."
He took another step toward her.
"You'll understand someday that I'm the only one who truly loves you…And we'll always be together." A faint smile spread across his lips.
Song Meiqi frowned, her throat turning painfully dry as her hand shook against the bedsheet.
…
Meanwhile, back at GL Holdings headquarters, Wang Zi Rui stood before Wang Jing Feng inside the silent office as the atmosphere turned suffocating cold.
"I gave you a task to handle things before it escalated." Wang Jing Feng's expression remained stern, his words edged with sarcasm. "Clearly, you misunderstood what I meant."
Then his gaze sharpened. "Tell me, why didn't you report the possibility of substandard materials or Green Corporation's embezzlement sooner?"
"I did not have clear evidence to support my suspicions," Wang Zi Rui replied.
"No evidence?" Wang Jing Feng let out a humorless smirk. "And while you waited for evidence, the news spread like wildfire." He held his gaze. "Do you think you made the right decision?"
For a short moment, Wang Zi Rui's stoic expression faltered, his gaze dropping to the ground.
If only he had acted sooner… perhaps this could have been avoided.
The thought lingered briefly before he slowly lifted his eyes back to Wang Jing Feng.
However, the subtle change did not escape Wang Jing Feng's notice. Rising from his seat, he approached him with calm, measured steps.
"We cannot let the reputation built through the hard work of countless employees be ruined by mere scum." He stopped before him. "So, you'll handle tomorrow's press conference."
At the mention of the press conference, something flickered in Wang Zi Rui's eyes before vanishing just as quickly.
Wang Jing Feng did not fail to catch it, yet his expression remained unreadable as he closed the remaining distance between them.
"Consider this another opportunity. Don't disappoint me again—" he murmured, leaning closer until the distance between them nearly vanished.
"Or are you still…" His voice lowered into a cold, haunting whisper. "…afraid of the crowd?"
Wang Zi Rui's hand tightened into a fist, but his face remained expressionless. Slowly lifting his gaze to meet Wang Jing Feng's, he answered in a calm, steady voice.
"Don't worry, President Wang. I'll do it."