Chapter 4

In the back alley of Junyue Hotel, Lin Xiaoyu turned off the car engine and got out. The night wind stung her cheeks painfully. Her phone showed 1:27 AM, and there were still over eight hours until her meeting with reporter Li Yan. She touched the room card in her pocket—Zhou Ziyu’s assistant’s room, now her only hope.

The security guard in the hotel staff passageway was dozing off. Lin Xiaoyu lowered her hat’s brim and swiped the card to slip inside. As the elevator ascended, her brain worked furiously: Where was Zhou Ziyu now? Had Chu Feier already met her fate? How damaging was the evidence Xu Ya had left behind?

The door to room 2806 slid open silently. The room was unexpectedly tidy, with a photo frame on the bedside table—Zhou Ziyu and a short-haired girl smiling together. The girl was wearing a simple white T-shirt, grinning brightly. The back of the photo was inscribed, “For Xue’er, forever sunshine.”

“You really came.”

Lin Xiaoyu almost screamed in shock. The bathroom door opened, and the short-haired girl from the photo stepped out, her eyes swollen from crying, holding a pair of scissors in her hand.

“Yang Xue? Zhou Ziyu’s assistant?” Lin Xiaoyu took half a step back. “He sent me here…”

“I know.” Yang Xue put the scissors down and pulled a brown paper bag from under the pillow. “Ziyu-ge said that if you came, I should give this to you.” Her voice was hoarse. “He’s been taken to the top-floor presidential suite, and Chu Feier is there too.”

Lin Xiaoyu opened the paper bag, inside were a stack of medical records and several memory cards. The name on the top medical record made her stop breathing—Yang Xue, with the diagnosis listed as “Propofol dependence” and “Post-traumatic stress disorder,” dated two years ago.

“Xu Shichang’s ‘VIP party,’” Yang Xue sneered, rolling up her sleeves to reveal needle marks on the inner side of her arm. “I was lucky. I was only treated as ‘a gift,’ not as his ‘collectible.’”

Lin Xiaoyu felt a sharp pain in her stomach. “Zhou Ziyu…”

“He saved me.” Yang Xue’s gaze softened for a moment. “That day, he deliberately spilled wine on me, so the bodyguards would take me home. Later, he asked Xu Shichang to let me be his assistant, saying it was to ‘keep an eye on me from close range.’” She handed Lin Xiaoyu a USB drive. “This is the complete backup Xu Ya-jie hid in Ziyu-ge’s dressing room. It has three times as much content as the one I gave you.”

On the computer screen, the folders were organized by year, and the earliest ones could be traced back to ten years ago. Lin Xiaoyu clicked on the most recent video thumbnail, immediately regretting it—on the screen, a dazed girl was being helped into a room, followed by several overweight middle-aged men. She recognized one as a famous director, and another as a real estate tycoon often featured in financial magazines.

“These memory cards…” Yang Xue’s voice seemed distant. “They’re the surveillance videos Xu Ya-jie secretly copied over the years. Every room in Xu Shichang’s villa has hidden cameras. They were originally meant to control those ‘guests,’ but it turned out they became his own evidence.”

Lin Xiaoyu closed the video with great difficulty, trying to suppress her disgust. “Who exactly is Xu Ya? Why did Zhou Ziyu say she’s not his cousin?”

“Xu Ya’s real name is Lin Ya. She’s the only daughter of Xu Shichang’s former business partner.” Yang Xue brought up an old photo. “Fifteen years ago, her father’s partnership with Xu Shichang failed, and he jumped off a building to his death. She changed her name and entered the entertainment industry just to get close to Xu Shichang.”

In the photo, a younger Xu Shichang was embracing a middle-aged man wearing glasses, both of them raising their glasses in celebration. In the corner, a girl about ten years old was coldly watching them. Though still young, Lin Xiaoyu could never mistake those eyes—they belonged to Xu Ya.

“So she and Zhou Ziyu…”

“A partnership.” Yang Xue opened the wardrobe and took out two hotel staff uniforms. “Xu Ya-jie needed internal assistance, and Ziyu-ge wanted to break free from Xu Shichang’s control. They had been planning for more than a year, until…” Her voice broke, “…until Xu Shichang found out Xu Ya-jie’s pregnancy was a lie. It was just a cover, meant to smuggle out the drug test report from the villa.”

Lin Xiaoyu changed into the uniform, her mind a whirlwind. All the clues suddenly connected—Xu Ya approaching her wasn’t by chance, Zhou Ziyu’s rage was an act, and even her “discovery” of the photo might have been part of the plan.

“What should we do now?”

Yang Xue handed her a walkie-talkie. “There are four bodyguards on the top floor, and Xu Shichang brought two personal bodyguards inside. Ziyu-ge was injected with a tranquilizer, and Chu Feier…” She bit her lip. “They’re planning to act on her tonight.”

“We have to call the police!”

“It’s useless.” Yang Xue shook her head. “Do you know why the deputy mayor suddenly resigned last week? He’s also one of the ‘VIPs.’” She pulled up a photo on her phone. “But if we can get this…”

In the photo, Xu Shichang was kissing a boy on the forehead. The boy was about sixteen or seventeen, and his features were seven points similar to Xu Shichang’s.

“His illegitimate son, his biggest weakness.” Yang Xue sneered. “Xu Ya-jie spent three years finding this child. He lives in a boarding school in Switzerland, and Xu Shichang visits him every month.”

Lin Xiaoyu suddenly understood the ruthless part of Xu Ya’s plan—this wasn’t just simple revenge, but a way for Xu Shichang to experience the pain of having the most important people in his life harmed.

“Blueprint of the top-floor suite.” Yang Xue spread a piece of paper on the coffee table. “The staff delivers drinks every half hour. The next delivery is at two o’clock, we can…”

The walkie-talkie suddenly crackled: “Miss Yang, the boss is asking where you are.” A male voice came through. “He says the ‘gift’ is ready.”

Yang Xue’s expression changed drastically. She grabbed the walkie-talkie: “Tell the boss, I’ll bring the ‘surprise’ up right away.” She turned to Lin Xiaoyu, her gaze complex. “The plan has changed. Xu Shichang found out that Ziyu-ge gave the stuff to me. He thinks… I’m one of his people.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means I have to hand you over.” Yang Xue’s voice suddenly turned cold. “I’m sorry, Xiaoyu, but I have to save Ziyu-ge.”

Before Lin Xiaoyu could react, a heavy blow struck the back of her neck. In her blur, she felt someone dragging her into the elevator, and heard Yang Xue’s apologetic voice through sobs: “… He’ll kill Ziyu-ge… the USB drive is fake… the real one is…”

Before her consciousness completely faded, Lin Xiaoyu heard the elevator “ding,” followed by Xu Shichang’s amused voice: “Ah, our little reporter has finally arrived.”

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Blinding lights. Lin Xiaoyu opened her eyes to find herself bound to a chair. In front of her was a luxurious presidential suite, with the city skyline outside the floor-to-ceiling windows. On the large bed in the center of the room, Chu Feier lay unconscious, wearing only a white shirt, her legs marked with needle punctures.

“Awake?” Xu Shichang sat on the opposite sofa, toying with her USB drive. “Yang Xue has always been my most capable assistant, since she was fifteen.” He smiled at Yang Xue, standing by the side. “Tell Miss Lin how you earned Zhou Ziyu’s trust.”

Yang Xue’s face was expressionless. “I made him believe I was the victim, let him ‘rescue’ me.”

Lin Xiaoyu’s gaze scanned the room—Zhou Ziyu slumped in the corner, his face ashen, with binding marks on his wrists; two bodyguards stood at the door; Chen Ming was mixing drinks; and Xu Shichang… he looked like an ordinary, kindly elder, if you ignored the syringe next to his feet.

“Xu Ya is a clever girl, but unfortunately, too emotional.” Xu Shichang sighed. “Is it worth it, for someone like Zhou Ziyu, to sacrifice yourself?” He walked toward Chu Feier and stroked her cheek. “This one’s clean, hasn’t been touched by anyone yet. I was going to save her for Director Wang, but now, it seems…”

“Let her go!” Zhou Ziyu suddenly struggled to stand up, only to be slammed back to the ground by the bodyguards.

Xu Shichang laughed. “Look at our big star, still trying to be the hero and save the beauty.” He walked over to Zhou Ziyu and stepped on his fingers. “Everything you have is because of me. Without me, you’d still be that poor kid singing in a bar!”

Lin Xiaoyu seized the moment to observe the room layout—her backpack was thrown on the right-side coffee table, her phone half-visible. If she could…

“Don’t bother, Miss Lin.” Xu Shichang didn’t even look up. “Your phone has already been handled by my people. As for that reporter, I’m afraid he’s busy handling a sudden family crisis right now.”

He walked back to the sofa and took out a contract from his briefcase. “Actually, I admire your courage. Sign this confidentiality agreement, take five million, and leave the country tomorrow. How does that sound?” His smile grew dangerous. “Or… you can join Miss Chu and experience my ‘VIP service’?”

Lin Xiaoyu’s mouth went dry. “Where is Xu Ya?”

The room suddenly fell silent. For the first time, Xu Shichang’s expression cracked. “That traitor? She’s probably feeding fish at the bottom of the river now.” He turned to Yang Xue. “Show her the video and let her give up.”

Yang Xue tremblingly turned on the TV. In the video, Xu Ya was bound to a chair, the background resembling a warehouse. A masked figure was holding a gun…

Lin Xiaoyu closed her eyes, but the gunshot still pierced her eardrums.

“Now, make your decision.” Xu Shichang’s voice seemed to come from far away. “Sign, or become the next Xu Ya.”

Lin Xiaoyu lifted her head, suddenly noticing Zhou Ziyu’s eyes—he was staring at her pocket, subtly nodding. She remembered hearing that sentence before she was knocked out… “… the USB drive is fake…”

Taking a deep breath, she stared directly into Xu Shichang’s eyes. “I need a pen.”

Xu Shichang smiled triumphantly and signaled Chen Ming to hand over a pen. Just as Lin Xiaoyu pretended to browse through the contract, Zhou Ziyu suddenly lunged at the nearest bodyguard. In the chaos, Lin Xiaoyu pulled out the old mobile phone—the one Xu Ya had left her, hidden in the pocket of her uniform.

She pressed the only saved number and yelled into the phone: “Top-floor presidential suite of Junyue Hotel! Xu Shichang is going to kill someone! The evidence is in the air conditioning vent!”

Xu Shichang’s face changed drastically. He grabbed the phone and smashed it. “Search her body!” he screamed. “Find all the electronics!”

The bodyguards violently searched Lin Xiaoyu, while Yang Xue walked over to the air conditioning vent. When she turned around, she held a small camera—one that was actively recording.

“Sorry, boss.” Yang Xue’s voice was eerily calm. “But Xu Ya-jie saved my life.” She raised her phone, and the screen displayed “Live Streaming”—the viewership had already exceeded one million.

Xu Shichang’s face contorted with rage. “You… bitch!” He lunged at Yang Xue, but was suddenly knocked to the ground by security guards rushing in.

Outside, the wail of police sirens echoed through the night.

Lin Xiaoyu broke free from the ropes and stumbled over to Zhou Ziyu. His breathing was faint, but he was still conscious. “Vent…,” he struggled to say. “Xu Ya’s… insurance…”

Yang Xue knelt beside him, tears streaming down her face. “Ziyu-ge, the drug is too strong! You have to stay awake!”

Zhou Ziyu grabbed Lin Xiaoyu’s hand. “Xu Ya… didn’t die… the plan… she… hospital…” His eyes closed, and the shouts of medical staff echoed from the hallway.

Lin Xiaoyu turned to the vent and reached out. Behind the metal grate, her fingers touched a cold object—Xu Ya’s final insurance, a small silver USB drive.