Chapter 4: The Fear of Qin Mu

Hearing Jiang Li’s question, Chen Shaojie’s lips curled into a mocking sneer.

"Is the name 'Qin Mu' something you can just call out? That is the head of the Jinchen Group, known to all as Master Qin, the wealthiest man in Cloud City. Put on your clothes and come with me right now!"

Chen Shaojie’s words made Jiang Li’s stomach churn violently. The name "Qin Mu" felt like a blade in the dead of winter, cutting into her flesh with every mention, each slice agonizing. A wave of terror washed over her.

Before Jiang Li could even think, she was shoved into a bathhouse. Inside, psychiatric patients were babbling as they bathed, while the caregivers stood by with cold, indifferent expressions. It turned out this facility did have doctors and staff after all.

Jiang Li rushed over. "Caregiver, I need to borrow a phone to make a call."

Before she could finish, the cold-faced caregiver began shouting at the top of her lungs, "Manager Chen! Your wife is asking for a phone to make a call!"

Before Jiang Li could cover the woman’s mouth, two large, heavyset women charged in. They each grabbed an arm, pinned Jiang Li down, and turned on the faucet to wash her hair and body. Their movements were brutal. After a few rough rinses, they hauled her up, dried her off, blew-dried her hair, changed her into a dress, and applied powder—all in one swift, mechanical process.

Finally, dressed in a white sundress, Jiang Li was shoved into Chen Shaojie’s car.

Chen Shaojie looked at her with a grin. "Beautiful. No wonder even the big boss craves your body. The doctor was willing to treat Youyou for free just to get a look at you. That is the power of capital."

Jiang Li rolled her eyes at him, disgustedly wiping the cheap powder from her face. Was she really going to see Qin Mu? She had worked so hard to escape—no, she couldn't walk back into the lion's den. She felt completely frayed.

"You... please let my mother and Youyou go. If you want money, I can earn it for you. I’m a fashion designer. Chen Shaojie, can we not see Qin Mu? Can you just let us go?"

"Let you go? Sure! Today is a perfect opportunity, how could we not see President Qin? If you cozy up to him and get me a promotion, who knows? I might just be happy enough to let you go."

Jiang Li glared at the man in front of her with fury. Even though he had been back in the country for over three months, this unfamiliar, ugly side of him made her want to vomit. She didn't know how to calm herself down; her mind was completely consumed by the name Qin Mu. She could not be recognized by him—absolutely not!

Jiang Li glanced out the car window, desperate to jump out. But if something happened to her, what would become of her mother and Youyou?

***

Jiang Li struggled to contain herself until Chen Shaojie brought her to the "Night Colors" bar. At nine o'clock in the evening, the venue was immersed in a haze of neon lights and alcohol, with men and women swaying rhythmically on the dance floor.

"Chen Shaojie, how can this be the annual meeting venue? This is a bar!"

Jiang Li was anxious, her eyes darting around cautiously. She wanted to find someone to save her—even if it meant someone just calling the police for her.

"You’ve got a good eye. The formal meeting is over, and President Qin and the others are relaxing here. My colleague said no one is prettier than my wife, and I agree. So, Jiang Li, serve the boss in the private room well. Once I’m promoted to Deputy CEO, I’ll grant you one request."

Jiang Li grabbed Chen Shaojie. "Wait, Chen Shaojie, I have a history with President Qin. Are you sure you want me to toast him? If they recognize me as their enemy, you might even lose your job. I suggest you weigh the pros and cons."

Chen Shaojie, thinking Jiang Li was just being clever, patted her delicate features and her flushed, nervous face. With a look of disdain, he pushed her directly into the private room.

Jiang Li stumbled into the room, and a wave of cigarette smoke hit her head-on. The noisy chatter died down instantly upon her arrival.

With just one glance at the man on the sofa, she knew it was him: Qin Mu.

After all these years, seeing him again, her heart still raced. Was this love buried deep in her bones? But compared to her love for him, there was so much more hatred. After all, the wealthiest man in Cloud City, the President of the Qin Group, was a man who lacked a sense of right and wrong and possessed a ruthless heart—at least, that was how he treated her.

The colorful lights were turned off, and a blinding incandescent light made it hard to open one’s eyes. She saw Qin Mu slowly bring a lit cigarette to his lips, his eyes burning with fury as they locked onto her. He still possessed that cold, aloof elegance; his face was as refined as jade, and he carried an aura of noble, icy, and domineering power.

White smoke swirled around him, blurring the sharp, handsome contours of his face. She couldn't read his expression or guess what he was thinking. He hadn't said a word, yet the wisps of smoke wove through the already heavy silence, making it deeper and more suffocating. The smoke completely obscured his pale-colored eyes.

But Jiang Li, trembling all over, knew that Qin Mu had recognized her. She was done for.

In the silence that made her scalp tingle, she felt several pairs of eyes—both strange and familiar—fixed on her.

"Oh, everyone, this is my wife, Jiang Li. I brought her here today to toast you all and get acquainted."

The room grew even quieter. A chill swept through, and Jiang Li shuddered. He, Qin Mu, was still looking at her. "Jiang Li? Interesting. Manager Chen, is that 'Jiang' as in the river, and 'Li' as in the dawn?"

The voice sent a cold sweat down Jiang Li’s back. It was a voice that had startled her awake from countless nightmares. It reminded her of that year, that month, that night—the moment she fled from Qin Mu’s private villa.

***

Chen Shaojie, oblivious, nodded. "Yes, President Qin is right. My wife, she..."

"Jiang Li... actually got married?"

Qin Mu’s sudden, sharp question startled Chen Shaojie. He offered a fawning smile and said awkwardly, "Pr-President Qin, do you know my wife?"

Chen Shaojie stood beside Qin Mu, cowering like a dog begging for scraps. But the name "Jiang Li" caused everyone in the room to gasp.

"It really is Secretary Jiang. She actually got married? She went to such lengths to escape; how could she dare to appear before President Qin again?"

"It's over. I have a feeling President Qin is going to explode. After all, even if they were once so in love, it can't outweigh the irreconcilable grudge of a father’s murder!"

Chen Shaojie also sensed the unusual atmosphere in the room, especially the way Qin Mu was staring fixedly at Jiang Li, as if he wanted to tear her apart, his eyes filled with seething rage.

Swallowing his nervousness, Chen Shaojie shoved Jiang Li. "What are you standing there for? Toast President Qin!"

Jiang Li trembled, her body shaking. She lowered her head and took the bottle, not knowing how to face this demon. Past memories flickered in her mind like a movie, and she wondered if she could survive the night.

In her sophomore year of college, a fire broke out at her home, and her mother, Xie Yun, was trapped inside before the firefighters could arrive. Jiang Li had frantically grabbed Qin Mu, kneeling and begging him to save her. Xie Yun was rescued by Qin Mu, and from that moment on, Jiang Li fell in love with the benefactor who had carried her mother out of the flames.

To thank him, Jiang Li spent her weekends working as a secretary at the Qin household and her summer vacations learning design at the Qin Group. Over time, they grew close, and by the age of twenty, Jiang Li was head-over-heels in love with Qin Mu, who was six years her senior.

After graduation, Qin Mu arranged for Jiang Li to work in the company’s design department, which immediately invited jealousy and envy. Her cousin, Jiang Xue, was one of them. Jiang Zhenting was Qin Mu’s mentor, and Jiang Li would never forget that her cousin Jiang Xue was a daughter of a branch of the Jiang family. Her aunt had made her give up a high-level executive position at the Jiang family firm just to become Qin Mu’s secretary, all to set up a match between Qin Mu and Jiang Xue.

And that was exactly how Jiang Li…