Tang Lingyi shivered in fright. She looked up and saw Wu Feng standing right beside her.
He had completely ignored both classmates and teachers, barging in and disrupting the class without the slightest hesitation. Even the teacher on the podium was left staring in shock.
"I… I was just playing with my phone," Tang Lingyi explained guiltily.
What the heck? This Wu Feng was like a ghost! He wasn't even here a moment ago—how did he suddenly appear out of nowhere?
"Perhaps I didn't make myself clear, Miss Tian. President Qin doesn't allow you to contact anyone by phone. But since this is your first offense, I can understand. I just hope there won't be a next time."
Wu Feng's tone was utterly different from Qin Xiu's—he was a man of strict discipline and rigid seriousness.
The pressure he exuded made Tang Lingyi's heart tighten. She could only obediently hand the phone back to Peng Yuan.
When she did, she deliberately turned the phone's screen away from Wu Feng and, with swift and subtle movements, deleted the outgoing call record.
For a phantom thief, quick hands were a basic skill.
Seeing that Tang Lingyi was being cooperative, Wu Feng wisely stepped out of the classroom again, no longer disturbing the lesson.
Knowing that she was under Wu Feng's constant surveillance, Tang Lingyi gave up on making any more calls and simply chose to play games with Peng Yuan instead.
Still, one question lingered—why couldn't she get through to Sister Yang's phone?
That number was supposed to be for emergency contact only—it should never have been unreachable.
Could Sister Yang be busy with something?
Because of Wu Feng's watchful eyes, Tang Lingyi secretly typed on her handheld game console, sending Peng Yuan a message: if a call came from an unknown number later, he should tell them that Tian Suqing was studying at Qianlan University.
With that arranged, Tang Lingyi felt much more at ease. Believing her rescue was only a matter of time, she continued playing happily.
And so, the two of them played straight through until the end of the school day.
"Miss Tian, we can leave now," Wu Feng said as most of the students had already exited the classroom.
"Okay, just a sec—I'll finish this round." Tang Lingyi was still playing a puzzle co-op game with Peng Yuan and responded absent-mindedly.
"But President Qin is on his way."
Wu Feng's words froze her fingers mid-move. She immediately tossed the game console aside.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Peng Yuan—we'll play again then!"
Before Peng Yuan could reply, her figure had already vanished through the classroom door.
Qin Xiu was coming…
Just hearing that name made Tang Lingyi tense up, like spotting a tiger in the wild.
"Where is he?" she asked Wu Feng as they stepped out of the classroom.
"At the front gate of the building."
"Does your President Qin seriously have nothing better to do every day?"
Wu Feng stayed silent, walking ahead without answering.
Seeing that he wouldn't talk, Tang Lingyi didn't press the issue. They descended the stairs quietly together.
Sure enough, the black Mercedes was parked right at the entrance. Wu Feng opened the back door for her, and Tang Lingyi obediently got in.
Inside, Qin Xiu was already seated. He glanced at her with a faint smile, then looked forward and asked, "How was your day?"
Tang Lingyi thought for a moment and answered in a low tone, "Not great, I—"
"I wasn't asking you." Qin Xiu cut her off bluntly. "Answer me, Wu Feng."
A flash of panic crossed Tang Lingyi's eyes. Damn it—she hadn't expected Qin Xiu to ask Wu Feng for a report on her day.
And she had enjoyed herself quite a bit today. If Wu Feng told him that, she might lose her chance to keep going to school.
If she were locked up in that villa again for a long stretch, she would lose her mind. Maybe even try to escape—and get shot for it.
As she worried, Wu Feng began to speak from the passenger seat.
"Miss Tian was verbally abused by a male classmate the moment she arrived, called a prostitute, and almost assaulted. I intervened to protect her. Later, students from other classes came by to gawk and insult her. To avoid their stares, Miss Tian pretended to play games with her deskmate, masking her inner distress."
Tang Lingyi's brows twitched slightly.
Was he… actually taking her side?
Then again, what he said was mostly true. He'd even agreed earlier not to mention the phone incident, so his account was acceptable—though that last bit about "pretending to play games to hide her pain" was clearly his own embellishment!
She really had been playing, not pretending.
But thinking about it from Wu Feng's perspective, he only saw her as Tian Suqing—a proud, aloof girl who had just endured a humiliating day. Playing games to "pretend she was fine" wasn't an unreasonable interpretation.
Either way, Tang Lingyi was grateful for his considerate spin on things. Thanks to him, she could probably keep attending school.
She sneaked a glance at Qin Xiu. Sure enough, a faint smile curled on his lips. He turned to her.
"Is what he said true?"
Tang Lingyi opened her mouth, then looked away toward the window. "I wasn't pretending. I was actually playing games."
She said it deliberately, wanting him to think she was being stubborn—so he'd allow her to continue her routine.
"Hahaha. Fine, then keep playing tomorrow," Qin Xiu said, amused.
Yes!
Tang Lingyi cheered silently, though outwardly she kept a serious face. After a moment, she murmured, "Qin Xiu… is it impossible for you to ever forgive me?"
Qin Xiu looked her straight in the eyes. "Do you think someone could forgive what you did? Sorry, Tian Suqing. I'll make you understand that the world doesn't revolve around you."
Tang Lingyi fell silent.
Today she had learned that Tian Suqing was despised at school. Maybe she really had done something terrible—maybe that's why Qin Xiu treated her this way.
He'd even hinted earlier that morning about some of her wrongdoings, and Tang Lingyi's impression of Tian Suqing had completely flipped since then.
Seeing her quiet, Qin Xiu added, "Let's put it this way—if I cheated on you, secretly transferred your assets into my own name, and even pushed you out of an airplane while laughing with the pilot as you fell… would you forgive me?"
Tang Lingyi realized he must be referring to the things Tian Suqing had done to him. Even though she'd already heard it once that morning, it still sounded appalling.
But still—this man really must have loved her. Even after all that, he hadn't killed her, only imprisoned her.
Yet whether he loved or hated Tian Suqing was his business. None of it excused how he treated her. She wasn't Tian Suqing—she had no reason to suffer for that woman's sins.
Tang Lingyi wasn't the vengeful type, but once someone truly wronged her, she would never just forgive and forget.
For everything Qin Xiu had done—imprisoning her, starving her, even forcibly kissing her until her lip bled—she would definitely make him pay for it one day.
Just… not yet. Revenge required patience.
Before long, they arrived back at the Bay Manor.
"All right, you can go. Wu Feng, come with me," Qin Xiu said, pushing Tang Lingyi out of the car.
The moment she stepped down, several burly men from the estate escorted her back inside.
So Qin Xiu hadn't come to take her home—he'd just come to pick up Wu Feng.
Maybe the reason he hadn't killed Tian Suqing wasn't love at all—but because, for some reason, he couldn't.
As she pondered that, the men escorting her started chatting among themselves.
The four were brothers, sharing the surname Du. Qin Xiu usually referred to them simply as Du-Eldest through Du-Fourth.
"Man, look at that body," said the tall, skinny second brother, licking his lips. "Why does Boss Qin keep her locked up all day instead of enjoying her himself?"
"Does Qin need women? She's probably just one of his many pets," said the muscular eldest brother knowingly.
"What if we… had some fun with her? Think he'd be mad?" asked the short third brother. "We've been cooped up here for days without a woman. It's driving me insane."
Tang Lingyi's whole body went rigid, cold sweat breaking out along her spine. She forced herself to keep walking, not daring to turn around or speak.
Against four men like them, she didn't stand a chance.
If they really decided to act on their lust…
This would end very, very badly.
"I don't think that's wise," said the bespectacled fourth brother coolly. "Just because Qin treats us well doesn't mean we can do whatever we want."
"Yeah, you're right. It's his turf—we'd better behave and stick to guarding duty," the third brother sighed.
Hearing that, Tang Lingyi finally exhaled in relief. She had never been so eager to run straight into that villa before.
But the encounter left her uneasy. The manor no longer felt safe. If those men ever lost control one night, she'd be completely defenseless.
Still, their conversation had revealed something important:
They didn't seem to know what her real relationship with Qin Xiu was.
Apparently, Qin had never told them—and they themselves weren't the type to use the internet much.
To them, she was probably just some woman Qin Xiu kept around.
So most likely, all Qin had said was something like, "She's mine—don't let her run."
That piece of information might come in handy later.
Suddenly, a sharp pain struck Tang Lingyi's stomach. She frowned and pressed a hand over her abdomen.
Maybe she'd eaten too much at lunch.
It wasn't the first time she'd had stomachaches from overeating; a night's rest usually fixed it.
But then—she felt a warm, uncontrollable flow between her legs.
Her expression froze. In an instant, she dashed into the bathroom and yanked down her pants.
"What the—!?"