A_Ray_of_Light

Years later, the people of Yucheng still regard the bygone scandal of the aristocratic family as an after-dinner topic.
A cunning woman of the streets ascended to the summit of society, becoming the esteemed lady of a high-priced aristocratic family. 
She was addicted to gambling, once accumulating millions in debts.
Her demeanor was worldly and vulgar, known as a prominent socialite.
Yet, Gu Hansheng still favored her.
Until, this femme fatale of the century dug her own grave, causing the demise of Mr. Gu's beloved, the White Moonlight.
Henceforth, she vanished from Yucheng without a trace.
People say: "Blood debts must be repaid with blood, and death settles it all."
No one knew that night became a thorn in Gu Hansheng's heart.
On the snowy streets, a woman wrapped in a coat stood trembling beneath neon lights, delicately reaching for the car door.
The window lowered, a man gazed at her, softly laughing: "Madam Gu, there is no one in this world more cold-hearted and ruthless than you."
She grasped the door handle, lips pallid, face filled with grievance, "Hansheng, I'm cold."

The dead are colder than you.

The black silhouette departed into the night.

In the rearview mirror, snowflakes fluttered like tattered fragments, nearly engulfing the woman's shoulders.

In later recollections, in the midnight reveries, Mr. Gu could always hear her saying, "Hansheng, I'm cold."

The most missed when departing

Liang Shu's eyelashes fluttered slightly, causing her lungs to almost explode with anger in just one glance.

The protagonist of the scandalous photos was Aunt Mei.

She gritted her teeth and shredded all the photos to pieces. The fragments fell before the man like pure, untouched snowflakes.

The lean man raised his hand to adjust his glasses and looked at her. "I have plenty more negatives. If Miss Liang can't repay the debt, we have the ability to distribute these photos to everyone."

Liang Shu was infuriated, her fingers clutching the cup turning a pale shade of blue and white. In a moment, she swept everything on the table onto the floor, causing a cacophony of crashing sounds. All eyes turned in their direction.

She glared fiercely at him, wishing she could flay him alive. All she managed was one answer, "I have no money."

The man opposite remained unchanged, his lips even carrying a smile. "Miss Liang, with your own conditions, you should be able to please men well. There must be valuable things on you. It just depends on whether you are willing."

"So, is this your purpose? Forcing someone into prostitution?"

"Heh," the man sneered slightly, "Forcing someone into prostitution? What does that have to do with you and your living environment?"

Liang Shu grabbed her bag and left, saying before she left, "You forced me to destroy these things, I won't compensate you."

Naturally, she couldn't let Aunt Mei's photos leak out. With the debt she carried and Aunt Mei still in that line of work, Jiang Jiucheng had to take part of the "credit."

Not mentioning it was better. As soon as it was mentioned, Liang Shu only thought, why hadn't that man died yet?

She might as well just go and kill him.

Jiang Jiucheng was at the Royal Club. Without money on him, he could only hang out in the lobby, mingling with the gamblers and smokers.

Liang Shu's head throbbed with pain, and she strode toward him, boldly grabbing a bottle of liquor and smashing it on the low table in front of him without hesitation.

Instantly, the bottle shattered into pieces, glass shards and spilled alcohol burst out, cutting the woman in Jiang Jiucheng's arms. She screamed in fear and crawled away.

But Liang Shu was not relieved. Holding the sharp and menacing bottleneck toward Jiang Jiucheng's eyes, she smiled like poison. "Jiang Jiucheng, are you afraid of death?"

Jiang Jiucheng was startled into sobriety, stepping back. "Y-you... What does your debt have to do with me?"

The sharp glass came a step closer to him.

He nervously watched Liang Shu, raising his voice, "Isn't it? That money was borrowed by you willingly..."

Liang Shu fiercely threw the broken bottle at him, slapped him hard, and when she felt it wasn't enough, she smashed another one on the table, still not satisfied, she smashed the neatly arranged pile of items on the table.

This behavior caused a huge uproar.

Some shouted, some caused trouble, calling for the police.

"Jiang Jiucheng, I will find a benefactor and sell myself for a good price. Next time you gamble, I will kill you for sure!"

Thinking of those photos... Liang Shu couldn't bear it.

She picked up a piece of broken glass at random and lightly scratched the woman who had been with Jiang Jiucheng, leaving a blood mark on her face.

"Ah... she's killing someone, she's killing someone..."

Liang Shu's lips curled coldly, ignoring the chaos around her, only staring at him. "If it weren't for Aunt Mei, you would have died in my hands a thousand times over."

Her actions were disgusting, and Jiang Jiucheng stood up, daring to confront her. "You dare!"

Chapter 13: Imperial City