Chapter 59.1

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Elvis rose from the wreckage, her once immaculate hair now hanging in disarray over her forehead, and her expensive suit spattered with broth and sauce. She looked utterly disheveled.

She stood there with her head bowed, silent, her expression impossible to read. After a long moment, she let out a mocking laugh. When she finally lifted her gaze, a chilling sort of excitement flickered in her eyes. Slowly, she raised a hand and wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth with her fingertip. Then she picked up some tissues from the floor, pulled out two sheets, and dabbed at the stains on her clothes before speaking.

“Yin, what’s all this about?”

Chi Yin’s eyes gleamed with fury as she clenched her fists. “What did you mean by saying you’d make me regret this for the rest of my life?”

A sudden noise came from the sofa on the right. Chi Yin turned slowly and saw Chi Qilan bound at the wrists, a rag stuffed in her mouth, struggling desperately. The moment Chi Qilan realized Chi Yin had spotted her, she began blinking furiously, as if screaming two words:

Run now!

Elvis’s voice, cold and sharp, cut through the tension again. “You seem awfully afraid that I’ll hurt Qiao Ziman.”

Chi Yin’s fury blazed like a wildfire, scorching her every rational thought. She lunged forward again, swinging her fist at Elvis’s face. “I won’t let you hurt anyone.”

Elvis went sprawling, crashing onto the filthy floor with a hard thud. Broken glass shards tore through her expensive suit, one piece lodging in her thigh. Yet she didn’t make a sound—not even a change of expression. Propping herself up with one hand, she yanked the glass out of her flesh and spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground.

“Yin,” she said quietly, “I don’t want to hurt you. You can’t beat me.”

But Chi Yin ignored her, launching another barrage of furious punches, eyes crimson with rage. Her blows landed with ruthless force.

“You maniac!”

“I wish I’d never met you!”

“You make me sick!”

The word sick seemed to ignite something in Elvis. In one swift movement, she caught Chi Yin’s fist. Her grip was so strong that Chi Yin couldn’t budge an inch.

“I’m a maniac? I’m disgusting?” Elvis stepped closer, her cold aura pressing in like a vice.

Chi Yin struggled against her hold. Gathering her strength, she swung an elbow down from above, but Elvis twisted aside, easily dodging the strike.

“Yin,” Elvis growled, her voice dangerously low, “are you trying to push me this far too?”

Chi Yin answered with another relentless strike.

This time, her blow landed on Elvis’s left shoulder. A faint crack echoed through the air, like bone snapping. Elvis let out a muffled groan, a flicker of genuine pain crossing her features. Then, with a surge of ferocious anger, she roared, “Yin!”

She rammed into Chi Yin with tremendous force, sending her flying. Chi Yin crashed onto the dining table, the impact splitting the solid wood with a jarring crack. Pain shot through her back, and her head spun violently. She gasped for breath, trying to steady herself.

A hand clamped around her throat—tightening by the second.

“Yin,” Elvis said, her voice filled with trembling intensity, “don’t forget who stuck by you through those hard times abroad. How am I any worse than Qiao Ziman? Come back to me. Please.”

Air seeped out of Chi Yin’s lungs, and raw suffocation blurred her vision. I’m losing consciousness…

Just then, Chi Qilan somehow managed to free herself. She rushed at Elvis, screaming, “Yin Yin, run! Don’t worry about me!”

The impact made Elvis stumble, but in one swift motion, she switched her grip to Chi Qilan’s neck instead. Chi Qilan’s face turned purple as she gasped for air.

Chi Yin let out an enraged shout. “Don’t you touch her!”

Elvis slowly released her grip and looked at Chi Yin, a hint of madness flickering in her eyes. “Fine. Have it your way.”

She pointed to the rope lying nearby. “Pick it up and tie yourself.”

Chi Yin stood up carefully, doing as Elvis said, though her gaze stayed locked on a broken plate lying on the floor. Elvis let out a scornful laugh.

“Yin, don’t think I don’t see what you’re trying to pull.”

With that, she drove an elbow into Chi Yin. Everything went black.

***

When Chi Yin regained consciousness, she found herself in a bedroom, tied back-to-back with Chi Qilan. Elvis sat in a chair across from them, her injured left arm hanging limply at her side. In her right hand, she held a slim, feminine cigarette, taking long, deliberate drags that filled the room with smoke.

Chi Yin coughed a few times, drawing Elvis’s attention. Elvis glanced over and said, “Yin, you’re awake?”

She tapped the phone in her hand. “That ‘Qiao Qiao’ in your WeChat contacts—she’s Qiao Ziman, right? She just messaged you. Says she’s already reached your hometown and wants to know what you’re up to…whether you miss her.”

At the mention of Qiao Qiao, Chi Yin’s eyes flickered. She struggled upright and ground out between clenched teeth, “I’m warning you—if you so much as lay a finger on her, I’ll end you.”

Elvis flicked the still-burning cigarette into the ashtray, stood up, and patted Chi Yin’s cheek with a twisted smile. “I won’t touch her if you don’t want me to,” she said softly. “But only on one condition: you break up with her, come abroad with me, and never come back.”

Break up? Chi Yin’s gaze wavered violently, her heart clenching with an excruciating pain like bone being scraped. Her body went slack, trembling uncontrollably.

“Yin Yin, what’s wrong?” Chi Qilan asked, fear creeping into her voice as she felt Chi Yin shudder against her back.

Chi Yin stared blankly ahead, her lips moving in a faint whisper: “We… can’t break up… No…”

Tears pooled in her eyes. Elvis’s gaze flickered with a brief hint of sympathy—gone as quickly as it appeared. She grabbed Chi Yin’s chin roughly. “I’ll give you thirty minutes to think it over,” she spat. Then she spun on her heel and left, making sure to lock the bedroom door behind her.

A moment later, the roar of an engine started up outside.

“Yin Yin,” Chi Qilan murmured, nudging her sister with a shoulder. It felt like Chi Yin’s soul had fled. After what seemed like forever, she finally gave a lifeless reply:

“…Huh?”

“She’s gone,” Chi Qilan pressed. “Shouldn’t we try to get out of here? Maybe look for a phone, or a knife—something we can use?”

Chi Yin let out a mirthless laugh. “Don’t waste your energy. She’s far too cautious to give you any opportunity like that.”

Chi Qilan lowered her gaze, speaking in a hushed voice. “I’m sorry, Yin Yin. Once again, I’ve dragged you into danger. If it weren’t for me, you probably could’ve escaped earlier.”

Chi Yin responded with a flat “Mm,” then added, “I’m used to it.”

“You know Elvis is a lunatic—why would you keep making deals with her?” Chi Yin’s question was laced with unmistakable anger.

Chi Qilan dug her nails into her palms, then paused before replying, “After you went abroad and cut off contact with me, I couldn’t swallow my pride and look for you. The only way I ever heard about you was through her. I’m sorry.”

“This time, I truly had no other options. You refused to take over my company, and as for my health…” Her voice trailed off, leaving something unspoken. “Then Elvis showed up, offering to ‘help.’”