Chapter 49 Lin Rui’s Secret

Jiang Zao lifted her head and met his cold, venomous gaze. “I also know why you hate me so much. The first day I went to the villa, you were there. You saw how Zhou Lichuan treated me, and the very next day, how he arranged my place. That’s why you started to take revenge on me, so madly. Shen Mushi once said, you’re indiscriminate with men and women—”

A loud slap crashed across Jiang Zao’s face. The force sent her sprawling onto the bed, her ears ringing violently, the taste of blood flooding her mouth and making her already twisted stomach spasm uncontrollably.

Suppressing her nausea with near despair, Jiang Zao fixed her eyes fiercely on Lin Rui.

Lin Rui, eyes bloodshot, lunged at her, seizing her tangled hair and forcing her to face him.

His face was so close that his furious breath washed across her cheek.

Jiang Zao frowned, the pain at her scalp so intense she could barely focus on anything else, so she listened closely to Lin Rui’s words.

“Don’t think that spending a few days by Zhou Lichuan’s side means you can march into his house as the young madam. Take a hard look at yourself. Your mother was nothing but a whore—pregnant out of wedlock and ran off, leaving her child behind. With blood from a scumbag like Jiang Jingyuan, what kind of good could come from you? You think you can provoke me? Are you even worthy?”

The pain was overwhelming.

Tears welled in her eyes—she could no longer care about anything else. Instinctively, she shoved Lin Rui away with all her strength, barely managing to push him off.

“Haven’t I succeeded? Otherwise, what are you doing right now?”

Lin Rui steadied himself, one hand in his pocket, the other holding his phone. He snapped several photos of Jiang Zao’s current state.

Blinded by the flash, she ducked her head just as Lin Rui advanced again.

“If I were to sleep with you here, do you think Zhou Lichuan would still want you?”

His lips nearly brushed her ear as he whispered, his breath sickening.

Suppressing her voice, Jiang Zao said, “Guess what? If you really do this, do you think Zhou Lichuan will let you go? You’ve seen how cold he can be—how little he cares for you, for your shared past. Isn’t that right?”

Furious, Lin Rui raised his fist, but before it could fall, the door was knocked from outside. A hoarse, unpleasant male voice called, “Mr. Lin, someone from the Meng family is here.”

Lin Rui stood up, straightening his clothes, looking at Jiang Zao as if she were trash. “Almost forgot there’s real business. Stay here, Jiang Zao. You won’t escape today.”

Lin Rui walked out, slamming the door behind him. She had no idea which hotel this was—the soundproofing was so good. Nothing from outside penetrated, only the occasional passing car from the street below.

Jiang Zao climbed up, rubbing her fevered cheek, watching the sky outside to gauge the time. The surgery should be almost over.

Shen Mushi had said the tumor wasn’t deep; it would take about three hours to remove. Counting the time to wake from anesthesia, everything should be settled before dark.

Jiang Zao was actually a bit afraid—not for herself, but for the child in her womb being discovered by Lin Rui.

Time congealed. Suddenly, the door swung open from outside. The same unpleasant voice shoved Meng Qiaoyuan into the room.

Meng Qiaoyuan’s hands were free, the tape on her mouth ripped away. Red marks stained her cheeks where something had been stuck.

“Jiang Zao! Are you all right? Are you feeling unwell? Does your stomach hurt? Is the baby—”

Jiang Zao gripped Meng Qiaoyuan’s hand, shaking her head gently to signal her not to mention the baby. As the door closed again, both women breathed a sigh of relief.

Meng Qiaoyuan climbed onto the bed, helping Jiang Zao up, looking her over carefully. “Lin Rui hit you? It’s so swollen—it must hurt terribly.”

Jiang Zao squeezed her hand. “I’m fine, it’s much better now. Doesn’t hurt anymore. What about you? Did he hurt you? Did Lin Rui do anything?”

Seeing Jiang Zao worry about her even in such weakness, Meng Qiaoyuan’s tears fell. Her voice was hoarse. “I’m fine. Lin Rui was entirely focused on you and never came to my room.”

Only then did Jiang Zao relax, thinking calmly. “Your second brother came? Why? Did he come to rescue you?”

Meng Qiaoyuan wiped her tears. “Actually, my brother has known for a while about my contact with the Zhou family. I never dared tell him the details—he always thought I was trying to marry for the sake of the Meng family.”

Jiang Zao used the back of her hand to wipe her tears. “So that’s why you were so troubled back then.”

Meng Qiaoyuan sniffed, nodding. “Yes. I argued with them, told them I wasn’t seeing Zhou Lichuan, that he had a girlfriend. My brother has been cautious ever since he was set up and fell from grace. Everyone’s talking about Zhou Kuan and Zhou Lichuan’s power struggle now, and that’s when he realized what I was doing.”

Jiang Zao hugged her shoulders. “It’s okay, don’t cry. Your brother’s already here to save you.”

Meng Qiaoyuan shook her head. “No, he can’t win against Lin Rui. Lin Rui has gone mad—he nearly locked my brother up too. If it hadn’t been for a little thug stopping him, my brother’s legs would be broken by now.”

Meng Qiaoyuan’s tears made Jiang Zao frantic, but she quickly sensed a problem. “How did your brother find this place? If he could, why couldn’t Du Bin?”

Meng Qiaoyuan froze, a shiver running through her. “That’s right, how could my brother…”

Jiang Zao grabbed her hand, excitement in her voice. “Could your brother… be working with Lin Rui?”

A flicker of doubt crossed Meng Qiaoyuan’s face—but this was her own brother. She knew his character.

She shook her head firmly. “My brother is a bit aloof, but he’s absolutely not cruel or ruthless. Jiang Zao, you have to trust me—he would never break the law with Lin Rui.”

“I know, I know. Don’t get worked up.”

Jiang Zao soothed her. She herself didn’t think so, either.

The Meng family might be in trouble, but they still had their principles. They would never risk the entire group to do something illegal.

Unintentionally, Meng Qiaoyuan tugged Jiang Zao’s hair. The scalp already wounded was pulled again, and the sharp pain made Jiang Zao clutch her head.

“It hurts!”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. Are you really in pain? I didn’t use much force… Why does it hurt so much? Let me rub it for you.”

Jiang Zao, eyes red, shook her head. “It’s fine. Lin Rui pulled it earlier. I provoked him a bit and got a lot out of him.”

Just that one light remark, and Meng Qiaoyuan understood what had just happened.

“Jiang Zao, was it worth it? What if you got hurt for a few words from him?”

Jiang Zao didn’t reply. She just held her head and grinned at Meng Qiaoyuan. “Now’s not the time to talk, Doctor Meng. I’m so tired—my back aches, my hair hurts, my face hurts. And I’m a little cold. I want to sleep for a while.”