The black car was still parked outside the school gate. He Yan had just stepped one foot inside when she saw that Fu Shenxing was already seated in the back seat. Her movement froze for a brief second, but only for a second, before she sat down as well.

Fu Shenxing glanced at her, then casually tossed over a paper bag. “Change into this.”

She opened the bag and saw a black cocktail dress along with a pair of black high heels. He Yan said nothing. She placed the bag down between them and turned her head to look out the window. Outside, night had fallen, neon lights shimmered, and pedestrians hurried by—likely all rushing home.

Right about now, Liang Yuanzé must have arrived home. She had called him just earlier, and he was already on the way. He had assumed she was simply hurrying him and had replied, “Babe, wait a bit, I’m just two blocks away.”

She unconsciously pressed her lips together, a surge of fury swelling in her chest. She wished she could drive a knife straight through the man beside her. But she had to endure. He wasn’t someone who could be killed so easily. A single misstep would ruin everything. And she didn’t want to die—not yet. She didn’t want to leave her parents, and she couldn’t abandon Liang Yuanzé. She had to survive, because only the living had a chance to turn the tide.

“I’m sorry to interrupt your family dinner,” he said suddenly, his voice calm and cool. “You may not believe this, but I truly didn’t know you had plans tonight.”

He Yan nearly scoffed at the audacity of that lie, but she held it in. She curled her lips faintly and responded in an equally hollow tone, “You’re too kind. Serving you is my duty.”

Fu Shenxing didn’t get angry. Instead, he nodded toward her with a mock gentleman’s grace. “Thank you.”

Silence returned to the car. After a while, Fu Shenxing spoke again. “Change your clothes.”

He Yan hesitated, then saw the glass partition between the front and back seats begin to rise, sealing them off into a private space. She knew this was another calculated humiliation. Her lips tightened, her face darkening, but a moment later, she let out a cold laugh. Without hesitation, she pulled the dress from the bag and began changing in front of him.

The backseat was spacious, and she was slender. In no time, she had stripped down. But as she pulled the black cocktail dress over her body, she realized something was wrong.

The design of the dress was outrageously provocative. Not only was it a deep V-neck, but the fabric clung tightly to her hips, with sheer cutouts running down both sides, clearly revealing her pale pink floral-print underwear. Turning to check the back, she found more sheer panels across the lower back, exposing the curve of her tailbone and even the top of her glutes.

“Disgusting,” she muttered under her breath, teeth clenched in fury.

He merely chuckled, shifting slightly and propping his chin on his hand as he studied her with amusement. “You have a great figure. You don’t even need lingerie. Have a little confidence in yourself.”

He Yan wanted to snap, “You and your damn confidence!” But she knew better—he was probably baiting her to react. So she bit back her anger, sat quietly for a few seconds, then calmly stripped off her undergarments and went commando beneath the dress.

She had an undeniably stunning figure—full, firm breasts and a perfectly rounded, perky backside, both made all the more striking by her slender waist. Fu Shenxing was clearly taken aback by her boldness. His eyebrows rose in surprise, and his eyes darkened with something more primal. The teasing smile on his lips vanished. He simply stared at her.

Seeing the desire burning in his gaze, He Yan was both alarmed and contemptuous. She leaned slightly away from him, eyes narrowed in mockery. “Mr. Fu, don’t look at me like that. I might get the wrong idea and think you’re planning to rape me again.”

Fu Shenxing’s eyes narrowed. His voice dropped to a husky murmur. “And if it’s not a misunderstanding?”

Her heart skipped a beat, but her smirk only grew colder. “Then I hope you’ll show me a little mercy and cancel any other clients you’ve scheduled for me tonight. Two appointments in one evening—I’m afraid I don’t have the stamina. Wouldn’t want to disappoint you.”

Fu Shenxing gave a faint laugh but said nothing more. He turned his eyes away from her.

The car stopped outside a discreetly hidden clubhouse. Though unassuming from the outside, the interior revealed a lavish world. The private room Fu Shenxing led her to was especially extravagant—resplendent as a palace, with dim lighting casting glittering reflections across a mirror-polished floor.

As Fu Shenxing entered, the roomful of men rose to their feet.

“Mr. Fu,” voices called out one after another, respectful and deferential. All except for one young man, about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, who stood with a casual slouch and greeted him with a languid, “Hey, Brother Xing.”

Fu Shenxing didn’t seem to mind. He nodded slightly. “Sit wherever you like. We’re all family here. No need for formality.”

He made his way to a seat deep inside the room and sat down. He Yan followed in her three-inch heels, her face expressionless. She started to take a seat beside him, but he suddenly gestured to the man who had called him “Brother Xing.”

“Go sit with him.”

He Yan didn’t freeze or flinch. With an emotionless expression, she walked over and sat beside the young man without hesitation.

The man chuckled flirtatiously, slinging an arm around her shoulders. “Brother Xing, you’re spoiling me. I don’t know if I deserve such a favor. I mean, she came with you. Wouldn’t this be stepping out of line?”

Fu Shenxing’s tone remained indifferent. “You’re a guest tonight. I brought her to you. She’s He Yan.”

The name made the young man pause. A shadow flickered across his face, his gaze turning cold as he stared at He Yan with a subtle yet unmistakable hint of hatred.

He Yan immediately understood—this man resented her. That was her first realization. But who was he? Could he be one of the accomplices from that night? Or perhaps a relative of one of the men she’d sent to prison? But his features resembled Fu Shenxing’s more than anyone else’s. If his connection was solely to Fu Shenxing, then why such venom in his eyes? Fu Shenxing was alive and well. Where was the hatred coming from?

She remained still, her eyes lowered, seemingly oblivious to the animosity.

The man suddenly grabbed her chin and forced her to face him. He scrutinized her face, his expression sinister, then turned to Fu Shenxing with a mocking smirk. “So this is the woman? I thought she’d be some sort of goddess. Seriously, what kind of idiot falls for a woman like this? And three of them at that? Were they all virgins who’d never seen a woman before?”

Fu Shenxing looked at him silently, his face unreadable.

He Yan didn’t struggle or protest. Her lips pressed into a thin line as she sat motionless, as if she were nothing more than an object.

The man glanced between them, then chuckled slowly. Releasing her, he slouched back onto the sofa, his hand resting casually on her shoulder. His fingers began to trace along the exposed skin with languid ease.

“Brother Xing, you brought a woman tonight... to entertain me?”

Fu Shenxing’s voice was flat. “Do as you please.”

He Yan’s lashes trembled, and she slowly closed her eyes. It took everything in her to remain still, yet her skin betrayed her—goosebumps rippling across it as fear crept in. She clenched her teeth tightly, said nothing, and stared coldly at Fu Shenxing, as if she could incinerate him with her gaze.

Behind her, the man chuckled quietly, then leaned in to whisper in her ear, enunciating each word: “You hate him, don’t you?”

“Yes,” she answered calmly. How could anyone not?

The man smiled again and cast a sidelong glance at Fu Shenxing before whispering, “Good. I’ll give you two options tonight: either you let every man in this room have you... or you take him, right here, in front of all of us.”

Monsters. They were all monsters—each more depraved than the last.

He Yan’s fury surged, but her voice remained composed. She turned slightly toward him and asked softly, “So you hate him too?”

He smiled, equally candidly. “Yes, I do.”

“And who are you to him?” she asked again.

He exaggerated a surprised expression. “I thought you’d ask me why I hated him.”

“Because asking ‘why’ is useless to people like you,” she replied. “It’s as laughable as reasoning with you about law or morality.”

His theatrical expression faded, replaced by a more solemn smile. After a pause, he leaned in again and said, “Miss He, you’re surprisingly philosophical. You’ve impressed me. Here’s the deal—if you ride him here and now, I’ll make sure you leave this place alive.”

She could never agree. That was a suicide mission. Fu Shenxing would kill her before she ever got the chance. He carried a gun. He’d shoot her on the spot.

Her lips curled into a mocking smile. She turned to the man and said, “To be honest, if I had to choose, I’d pick you. Fu Shenxing disgusts me. Asking me to mount him? I’d rather have a dog.”

He raised an eyebrow, surprised. But rather than be angry, he smiled coolly. Glancing at Fu Shenxing, he leaned back and murmured, “But I don’t touch the women he’s touched. They’re too filthy for me.”

She let out a low, scornful laugh, then mirrored his move—bringing her lips close to his ear. “Please. Spare me the self-righteousness. You’re both from the same filthy kennel. "What makes you think you’re any cleaner?”

The young man leaned back, scrutinizing her for a moment. “So, what are you saying? You’d rather have a go with the rest of my boys?”

There were more than ten men scattered around the room. While the two of them sat in the inner U-shaped sofa, the others were at the periphery, chatting with women, laughing and drinking, as if nothing out of the ordinary were happening.

He Yan had already made up her mind. She gave him a cold, curved smile, stood up, and walked over to the woman seated beside Fu Shenxing. She extended a hand.

“Mind if I borrow some condoms?”

The woman looked stunned, then glanced at Fu Shenxing. When she saw no objection, she reached into her purse and handed He Yan two packets.

But He Yan stood there, palm still open. “All of them.”

The woman looked again at Fu Shenxing. Still no response. She pulled out two more and gave them to He Yan, then said cautiously, “That’s all I have.”

He Yan turned and walked toward another woman, as if she intended to ask her next.

“Stop,” Fu Shenxing said sharply.

She paused, turned back, and met his gaze.

He, however, was looking at the young man. “That should be enough. Don’t overdo it.”

The young man shrugged. “Hey, it’s not for me. I’m not the one using them.”

Fu Shenxing frowned and looked back at He Yan.

Tears glimmered in her eyes, but her chin lifted in defiance. She sneered. “Not enough, Mr. Fu. "You’ve got so many brothers here—these few aren’t going to cut it!”

Fu Shenxing’s expression darkened. He turned to the young man—Fu Suizhi—and said, “Don’t go too far.”

“Too far?” Fu Suizhi laughed. Brother Xing, you’re the one who said I could do what I wanted. "You’ve always been a man of your word, haven’t you?”

Just from the name, He Yan now knew they were brothers. But clearly, something bitter stood between them—and they were both taking it out on her.

Cornered, with no path of retreat, He Yan stood tall, lips trembling with fury.

Fu Shenxing seemed to guess what her second “choice” had been. His jaw tightened. With a wave of his hand, he dismissed the woman beside him and said quietly to He Yan:

“Come sit by me.”