In Su City, the night was as deep and thick as ink, so thick it seemed impenetrable.
Mu Ran felt like her heart had plunged into an icy cave, merging with the darkness of the night. She curled up in the corner, her heart filled with unspoken bitterness, a tear still lingering at the corner of her eyes.
In front of her stood three towering figures, each of them looking like a man-eating wolf from the wilderness, voraciously devouring her until not even a bone was left.
"Oh, RanRan," Mu Zhenhua was on the brink of collapsing into tears, "If the Mu Corporation collapses, we lose everything! I've begged Ou Yan on the phone, and he said that as long as I'm willing to pay a corresponding price, he'd help us weather this storm! I'm begging you, help me this one time…"
So, she had now become the "corresponding price" in his mouth?
Why?
Mu Ran pursed her lips, fighting back her sense of injustice and bitterness, "Uncle, I don't want to be your exchange for getting back Mu Corporation. You have a daughter. You could ask your niece..."
And suddenly—thwack!
Her words were abruptly cut off as her aunt's hand delivered a harsh slap to her face. Sharp words echoed in the villa's air: "Shut up! You motherless wretch! In Su City, there are few who have seen the real face of Ou Yan, rumored to be a man in his fifties or sixties. I have only one precious daughter. How could I possibly allow her to jump into this pit of fire?"
So, was she supposed to make that jump?
Just because she had been orphaned and brought up in their house since she was a child? In the eight years since, she'd served them like a servant every day, while they comfortably reaped the benefits of the Mu Corporation, which her father had built from scratch.
And now, she was expected to surrender herself for the sake of their interests, becoming the most innocent sacrificial lamb. Mu Ran refused a thousand times over inside.
"Xue Luo!" Mu Zhenhua roared in anger, "How can you lay hands on Ran Ran and say such things to her!"
"Was what my mother said wrong?"
Mu Mengqi, the always venomous and haughty young miss of the Mu household, glared at Mu Ran. “You wretch! Don't forget that you've lived in my house for eight years! You've been eating and drinking for free all this time! Now when we are in a bit of trouble and ask for your help, you're reluctant? Obviously, whether you want to or not, you must help!"
Muzhenhua anxiously held the cold hand of Muran, pleading again and again: "Ranran, please consider this as a repayment for the eight years of raising you uncle has done! I am truly at a dead end, please help your uncle!"
Muran forcefully shook off his hand, taking a step back, her face ashen.
Seeing Muran still unmoved, Muzhenhua hurriedly brought out his last trump card: "Ranran, I heard your grandmother has suddenly suffered a stroke and is lying in the hospital waiting for the money for surgery. How about this, as long as you help your uncle out, I will arrange for your grandmother to be admitted to a special hospital for a thorough treatment, all the costs will be on me! I guarantee your grandmother will live a healthy life!"
Hearing about her critically ill grandmother, Muran's eyes darken and her heart felt a throbbing pain: "Uncle, are you telling the truth?"
"Absolutely! If you help your uncle out in this huge matter, your uncle will definitely thank you!"
For her grandmother, Muran finally held back her tears and compromised: "Okay, I'll help you."
Seeing her agreement, the three people present all breathed a sigh of relief. Yin Xueluo, who originally had anger on her face, instantly piled up a smile, she grabbed Muran's hand and went upstairs, she carefully dressed up Muran, and advised: "Ranran, listen to your aunt, you have to be smart. You must make Euyan, this financier and the master of the whole Suzhou city who holds the economic lifeline of the world, happy! If you make him happy, who knows, maybe in the future Muran family will thrive under his protection."
Muran stared at her pale self in the mirror. Whatever her aunt was saying, she didn't hear a single word.
A handsome face kept circling in her mind, eventually taking all her thoughts away. It was her boyfriend of three years, Xu Hanyi. Over three years, she and Xu Hanyi had only held hands, never crossing the line. But now, she was about to fully dedicate herself to another man. Muran lowered her eyes, feelings of sadness overwhelming her.
Though it was a night in the early summer, a cold wind started blowing in the sky, accompanied by thunder and roars. Layer upon layer of dark clouds occupied the earth, black clouds covered the entire sky, and then, large raindrops poured down like broken strings of pearls.
The rain, it was the tears of the sky.
In pouring rain, Muran, pushed by her uncle and aunt, stood in front of the luxurious hotel room 201. She was breathing heavily, hesitating whether or not to open this door. At this moment, she didn't know that once crossed this threshold, she would never be the same.
The hotel corridor was dead silent. Muran stared at the steady drizzle outside the window, her feet retreating. She ultimately couldn't cross the threshold in her heart, subconsciously thinking of escaping the hotel, but she forgot, behind her were her greedy uncle and aunt.
They saw Muran waver at the critical moment, in their hearts rose a mix of urgency and anger. Yin Xueluo quickly caught Muran, who was attempting to run away, while Muzhenhua knocked on the door of the presidential suite.
Seeing this, Muran felt tremors running down her spine. Her beautiful eyes gradually dimmed. Nothing is more sorrowful than a heart that's died.
After a long while, the door to the Presidential Suite cracked open just a bit.
They shoved Mu Ran into the gap immediately, and by the time they tried to initiate another conversation, the door had already been closed tightly.
Inside the suite, darkness was everywhere. Mu Ran was forcibly pushed in due to inertia. She fell harshly to the ground, but luckily, the floor was carpeted and she did not get injured.
Propelling herself to her feet, Mu Ran tried surveying her surroundings but the darkness was overwhelming. Fear began to consume her sanity bit by bit. The thought of a lecherous old man in his fifties lurking in the dark, possibly attempting to harm her, became unbearable. She dashed towards the door, scrambling and rolling, hoping to escape but she could not find the door handle.
Under darkness, people's fears are magnified several times over. Mu Ran felt desperate and helpless. Tears silently slid down her cheeks. She was terrified and could only hopelessly tap on the door, placing all her hopes on a passerby in the hallway outside.
"Let me out! Anyone there? Please, I beg you, save me!"
"Uncle, auntie, save me! I beg you, I'll quit this deal!"
As she cried, she felt as if all her energy had been drained in an instant. Her continuous cries for help rendered her voice hoarse. With no one willing to save her, she gradually gave up yelling for help. With a lifeless thud, she slumped to the floor, her fear replaced with a tranquil despair.
In the deathly silence of the dark, even the sound of the rain outside was blocked. Mu Ran leaned against the door, not knowing why, she always felt there was a pair of excited eyes lurking in the darkness, watching her every move.
This feeling unnerved her, like she was a prey in his eyes, a ready meal for consumption. He was hunting in the dark and whenever hungry he could prey on her anytime.
She refused to sit helpless anymore. Clenching her clothes tightly with her fingers, she stammered, "What...what do you want...?”
In response, there was still a deathly silence. No one answered her naive question.
Mu Ran knew he could definitely hear her, she still wanted to fight for her life, "Could... could you let me go?"
