Chapter 5: Torment

The lights in the hallway were harsh and white. A woman stopped across from her and spoke softly, "The 16th is my birthday. Ji Shen wants to go public with our relationship because he knows I lack a sense of security. It's our fault for keeping you in the dark, Miss He."

He Sang stood there, a gust of wind blowing through the skylight, making her eyes misty and blurry. Song He smiled, "Ji Shen is unsure what extreme actions his mother might take. You're my shield. If she makes a move, you'll be the first to get hurt. If you're safe, Ji Shen will have no more worries." She was flamboyant and arrogant. "As for the order of love, the one who is not loved is the one who doesn't belong."

He Sang felt weak in her legs, trembling uncontrollably. She steadied herself and asked, "Why are you telling me all this?"

Song He glanced at the door that had just been pulled open. A man's shadow was close by. She feigned innocence and emotion, "I don't want you to hate Ji Shen. If you must seek revenge, come after me, okay? I'm willing to sacrifice everything for him. Weren't you with him for the money?"

It was like being submerged in a quagmire, her bones trembling, unable to utter a word. He Sang barely maintained her balance and stumbled away.

Song He watched her retreating figure, the cold smile fading from her lips. She turned around and pretended to be surprised, "Ji Shen, why are you out of bed?" She feigned confusion, "Were you at the door the whole time?"

The elevator numbers ticked down one by one, as if giant waves were churning inside his chest. Liang Ji Shen leaned against the wall, feeling suffocated. "What did you say to her?"

Song He lowered her head submissively, her voice choking, "I begged her for forgiveness. I told her that if she leaves, I would give her anything she wants."

Liang Ji Shen's face was inscrutable, "And then?"

"Miss He values fame and fortune. Such a tempting offer—she agreed."

He glanced at Song He coldly, "She didn't even want the breakup fee."

"Maybe she has bigger plans," Song He adjusted his collar. "Miss He is a smart woman. If she doesn't want ten million, what about a hundred million?"

The man was like a lifeless deep sea, sinking into silence as he walked back to his room.

Song He stood in place, stifling a laugh.

Bitches have no loyalty, and actresses have no feelings.

Liang Ji Shen was naturally suspicious. Once suspicion took root, it created a chasm.

He Sang stopped by a pharmacy to buy some anti-inflammatory medication. Just as she was about to get into her car, a man jumped over the fence, "Xiao Sang! Did Da Yong tell you too?"

The sky was dim, and she recognized Zhou Chen by the faint light.

Behind him was an open-air seafood restaurant with a group of about ten men and women, all former classmates she hadn't seen since graduation.

"A gathering?"

"Da Yong is getting married and treating us today," Zhou Chen said, rubbing his hands for warmth. "His wife is our class advisor's assistant, Jiang Yuanyuan."

He Sang wasn't too interested in her classmates' private lives. "So it's Teacher Jiang."

Zhou Chen noticed her thin clothing and offered her his scarf. He Sang tilted her head, refusing it, "It's not cold in the car."

His hand froze mid-air before he let it fall, "Have your injuries healed?"

He Sang kicked at a pile of dead leaves by the tree, "They have."

"You..." Zhou Chen hesitated, "Have you completely broken up with him? I'm really worried about you."

Her shoe tip sunk into the soft pile of leaves, reminiscent of the feel of Liang Ji Shen's hair after it had been dried. She smiled, "What are you worried about?"

His gaze was intense, "Someone with Liang's background is not something you can handle."

In their year, the campus beauty had recognized a godfather in her sophomore year and was placed in the Shanghai Theatre to play a supporting role. She found it exhausting and emigrated to Australia, where she gave birth to a son and daughter. Later, her godfather shifted his attention to a new goddaughter and ignored her. Greedy for more, she demanded three hundred million in alimony. Eventually, she drowned in a yacht accident.

The scandal rocked the entire school. Wealthy, powerful men were too dangerous, and Zhou Chen feared He Sang might follow the same path.

She shook her head, "He's not like that."

Zhou Chen's hands in his pockets clenched unconsciously, "Do you still have feelings for him?"

He Sang didn't answer, her breath misting in the cold air, "Didn't the Central Drama Academy invite you to be a teacher?"

"Xiao Sang..." Zhou Chen's tone was resolute, "I don't want to go back."

He Sang opened her car door, "I've said what I needed to say. Whether you

The garden, with locked front and rear windows, finally stirred at nine o'clock.

A dark figure darted out from the bushes, furtively scraping against the corridor door.

He Sang's eyes widened in panic—it was her stepfather.

The incorrigible man had come back again.

She held her breath, motionless on the seat, afraid to move.

The shadow hesitated for a while, pacing back and forth, then avoiding the surveillance and disappearing into the bushes.

He Sang rushed upstairs, packing her clothes in the dark, marking the doors and windows with anti-theft signs. Suddenly, she heard the sound of footsteps climbing up the ladder at the door.

Startled, she instinctively grabbed the clothesline pole on the balcony, footsteps just outside the door.

Surrounded by darkness, He Sang was gripped with extreme fear, feeling the doorknob turn.

Summoning her courage, she unlocked the door and swung it open with force.

"He Sang—" The man, bewildered, held the pole. "It's me!"

She was like a startled deer, her lips devoid of color. "Zhou Chen?"

The man switched on a flashlight. "What happened?"

Exhausted of all strength, He Sang collapsed on the ground. "How did you know I live here?"

"I followed your car." Zhou Chen admitted. "Cui Manli's benefactor was imprisoned, for some reason sought refuge with the second young master of the Liang family. I'm afraid she resents you and might come after you."

He Sang hugged her knees, trembling uncontrollably.

"Come inside first," Zhou Chen tried to reassure her. "I'm here."

Supporting herself against the wall, she stood up. "I'm going to stay in a hotel. He'll come again."

Zhou Chen asked, "Did Cui Manli really send someone?"

He Sang didn't reply.

If money wasn't involved, her stepfather wouldn't stop.

If calling the police angered him, her mother's life would be in danger.

He Sang temporarily stayed in a hotel room, then entrusted an agent to find accommodations near the theater. Zhou Chen suggested she move into the same neighborhood for safety with him, but she politely declined.

Since she didn't like it, she couldn't fish for his lingering illusions.

During her final visit to the hospital to change her medication, He Sang encountered Li Zhen undergoing a prenatal check. She was conceived through artificial insemination, with sperm from a mixed-race male model, boasting genuine high-white handsome genes.

Li Zhen's husband had azoospermia and couldn't father a child. Wealthy bosses needed offspring to avoid gossip, so she endured hardships. Fortunately, it paid off. After successfully becoming pregnant, her husband forgave her for lingering with her ex.

He Sang accompanied her to collect medicine on the first floor. A group of people emerged from the special passage opposite.

The man in the middle walked briskly, closely guarded by several bodyguards, maintaining a low profile due to his status, prompting He Sang to steal a few glances.

He was in his early thirties, with clear eyebrows and a composed demeanor, porcelain-white skin, neatly groomed stubble and beard.

Such refined elegance was rarely seen.

Noticing He Sang's distraction, Li Zhen nudged her with her elbow. "What are you looking at?"

She hesitated. "That man looks somewhat familiar."

"Is it the man in the champagne-colored suit?" Li Zhen glanced around. "Quite tall, went to the men's clinic... or was it the gynecologist?"

High society was naturally chaotic, involving paternity tests, abortions, and treating venereal diseases.

She dragged Li Zhen away, pretending she hadn't noticed.

"I'm so glad my husband isn't able." Li Zhen was remarkably relaxed. "As long as he holds the fort, my marriage is worry-free."

The elevator doors opened, and a nurse ran to catch up with the man. "Mr. Liang! Your wallet is at the nurse's station."

Mr. Liang.

No wonder he looked familiar—it was Liang Chihui.

This was He Sang's first encounter with him. On the day of Liang Yanzhang's birthday celebration, he was away signing projects in another city. Liang Chihui was known for his philandering ways, openly having four or five mistresses. However, his reputation was decent—he didn't double-deal, handling affairs efficiently before moving on to the next, making him a rare figure in the circles of power and wealth.

It was said that the one least involved in romantic affairs was the eldest son born to the original wife, Liang Jing.

In the Liang family's generation, the eldest son was Liang Jinyu, followed by Liang Chihui, and the youngest, Liang Chishen. Liang Jing and his biological father were at odds, prompting him to change his name on his own. Liang Yanzhang "exiled" him to the United States. Now, Liang Jinyu held a prominent position, serving as the Secretary-General of the Embassy abroad, even earning the respectful address of "Mr. Liang" from Liang Yanzhang.

Li Zhen squeezed through the crowd, and the medication slip fell into Liang Chihui's shoe, as if it was meant to be there.

He Sang reminded her, but she didn't hear, excitedly video chatting with her husband, "He's healthy, guaranteed to be a chubby little boy!"

"Sir, you stepped on my medication slip." He Sang intercepted Liang Chihui, about to squat down. The man bent down first, picking it up and handing it to her.

She thanked him, and Liang Chihui stood still, scrutinizing her. "Miss He."