Chapter 451: Villa[Suburb of Xiahai City: Bode Villa]
In the silent night, the mansion evoked a sense of grandeur and tranquility under the enchanting light of a bright full moon.
The craggy rocks that formed the garden landscape, the ripples of the artificial lake, and the calm surface of the swimming pool—they all just seemed so much more serene under the illumination of the bright night sky.
It was Yang Yuanzhong"s Bode Villa!
Besides the watchdogs located inside the villa compound, at least a dozen bodyguards patrolled the perimeter. They were separated into two s.h.i.+fts, and regardless of day or night, they were constantly patrolling the premises and were responsible for the villa"s security.
At the far end of the expansive garden, the largest villa was well lit among a cl.u.s.ter of buildings, sending streams of light across the quiet compound. The word “happiness” was conspicuously posted everywhere, and it gave off a festive feel to the surroundings. A strange buzzing noise emanated from within the villa, echoing across the open s.p.a.ce in the dead of night.
Su Li was stirred by the piercing sound, and she awoke from her state of unconsciousness. She had a painful expression on her face when she awakened, coming from the throbbing pain and soreness she could still feel around her neck. She took a closer look at where she was and realized that she was in the middle of a cavernous hall. The hall was extensively adorned with red decorations, and it appeared like the place was bathed in a blazing fire to her. The setting itself was reminiscent of an ancient marriage ritual hall. When she looked down, she realized that her outfit had been changed to a red bridal gown, and she was wearing a weighty headdress. To her horror, she also realized that she was also tied to a chair.
She wondered just where on earth she was at that moment.
Unlike many other girls, she did not scream immediately. She could clearly recall in her head that someone had knocked her out and taken her away. In her stupor, she felt like all the things she was experiencing right now felt more like a dream and surreal.
“p.o.o.p… Hehehe, I want to eat p.o.o.p…”
The sound of a giggling man could be heard, and Su Li felt a shudder. She turned her head to take a look. Her pupils started to dilate in abject shock, and she unintentionally called out the man"s name. “Yang Hongzhi?”
Yang Hongzhi was dressed in a traditional groom"s outfit that was in black. He wore a groom"s wedding hat, and a corsage of fiery red-colored flowers adorned his vest. Yang Hongzhi was sitting in a chair next to her and holding a lollipop and happily licking it. His eyes were unfocused, and he had a foolish smile on his face—with just one look, one could tell that this man was in a mentally unstable state.
This jerk had really gone completely mad!
Su Li opened her mouth slightly, and she found it quite hard to believe what she was seeing. She had heard something regarding Yang Hongzhi but just brushed them off as mere rumors. Besides, it was not like she really cared about Yang Hongzhi, so she didn"t take the trouble to go and find out more about it. But now that she was looking at Yang Hongzhi right in front of her, she was convinced that Yang Hongzhi had really turned insane.
She instantly thought to herself that it must mean this was the Yang family"s Bode Villa.
Then, she suddenly realized that there were two men dressed in black s.h.i.+rts standing in the hall. They stood there imposingly still without even moving an inch, like statues. And it even seemed as if they weren"t breathing at all, for they made no sound and were like two inanimate objects. If it wasn"t because they happened to be right in front of her, there was no way she would have noticed them at all.
“So these were the men who captured and brought me here. Are they even human, or are they ghosts?”
Su Li"s face was filled with much horror. In all her years, she had never once met people who were like them. They were creepy and exuded a bizarre and mystical aura, just like ghosts out of h.e.l.l.
“Just who in the world are you guys? Why did you kidnap me and bring me here?”
She tried her best to maintain her composure and asked with a stern look on her face, “Did Yang Yuanzhong make you guys do this?”
The two black-dressed men just stood there motionlessly and did not reply to her question at all. It was as if they were trapped in two stone statues and unable to smell or speak or respond to any questions from the outside world.
“Yes, you"re correct. I was the one who made them do this.”
A hoa.r.s.e, gritty voice could be heard. Then Yang Yuanzhong, donning a suit, walked down from the spiral staircase in deliberate steps. His hair was neatly combed backward, with three deep wrinkle lines visible across his forehead. His eyes looked really sharp, and even without any trace of anger, an aura of foreboding rage could be sensed emitting from his entire body.
The moment they saw him coming down the staircase, the two black-dressed men reacted in an alert and synchronized way, placing their left hands on their chest to show their respect toward him.
“CEO Yang, what is the meaning of this?”
Su Li forcefully calmed herself down and attempted to talk to Yang Yuanzhong, like how she would normally speak. Since she was an artist signed under “Huangpu,” Yang Yuanzhong could be considered her boss.
Yang Yuangzhong did not reply to her question directly, but instead walked toward the memorial tablet and burned three joss sticks before sticking them in the altar urn. A framed black-and-white photograph of a woman was placed before the memorial tablet. Yang Yuangzhong turned to Su Li, and in a soft voice, he spoke, “Let me introduce you. This is Zhi-er"s mother. Thirteen years ago, she cheated on me with another man. I killed both her lover and her, and I built a wall to place their dead bodies in there.” Then, he pointed toward the wall that was right behind Su Li. “That"s correct. It"s that wall right behind you,” he declared.
Yang Yuangzhong spoke casually, in a matter-of-fact way, but what he had mentioned cast a frightening light on the kind of man that stood in front of Su Li.
Su Li gasped, and a chill ran down her spine instantly. Her entire body turned cold, and a cold sweat started to break out on her forehead as she breathed heavily all of a sudden.
Yang Yuanzhong appeared as if he was living in his own world. “She was Zhi-er"s mother after all, so it"s not like I left no room for compa.s.sion. I have made sure her memorial tablet has been well taken care of for the past thirteen years, and since today is Zhi-er"s happy day, I invited her to this hall so that she can also witness the most important event of Zhi-er"s life,” he said.
Su Li"s body began to tremble uncontrollably as she finally understood why Yang Yuanzhong had her kidnapped and brought here. “CEO Yang, it is impossible between Yang Hongzhi and I. I can"t…” She cried.
“Hush…”
Yang Yuanzhong gestured, signaling for her to keep quiet.
Under Yang Yuanzhong"s menacing gaze, with stern-looking eyes warning her to abide, Su Li compliantly kept her mouth shut. He was a terrifying person, and those eyes of his were too frightening.
Yang Yuangzhong nodded his head in satisfaction, patted her shoulders, and walked back and forth in the hall. “Miss Su, all the success that you have now, apart from your own personal hard work and effort, was due to the company. I think you have to admit that the company has been treating you exceptionally well. You have a pretty-looking face and a really s.e.xy body, and when you pick up a microphone and sing, there are barely any guys out there who won"t fall for you. The spark that you ignite is not merely accidental. It is inevitable,” he said.
“You must be very familiar with the rules of the entertainment industry. Women, especially women who are good-looking and aiming to climb higher, have to give up something equivalent of value if they wish to succeed. These include giving up your body since there is no shortage of sleazy men in this world, which is even more prevalent in the entertainment industry. But in your case, since your debut till now, n.o.body has even hinted at these unspoken rules. Have you never wondered why this was so?”
Su Li"s heart thumped a little more as she unconsciously turned her eyes toward Yang Hongzhi.
Yang Yuangzhong laughed and said, “Seems like you are clear that it was all because of Zhi-er. Zhi-er has been desperately in love with you all this while. He has been protecting you from the rules of the entertainment industry. Take a look at the entire country. How many out there will not do things for the Yang family"s sake. I guess you could say that, on your path toward success, Zhi-er was the one who was escorting you along that road.”
His eyes turned cold, and his facial expression became ferocious. “If that were not the case, do you think you could still have a pure and innocent body? A good-looking leather bag like you would have already been worn and torn by thousands of people out there. Zhi-er has done so much for you. Forget marrying him. It won"t be too much to ask for you even to be his slave for the rest of your life!” he roared.
Su Li was surprised and filled with fear from within. The version of Yang Yuanzhong right in front of her now was unfamiliar and frightening. Like an evil spirit ripping through human skin, he was rude and vulgar, and his tone was really aggressive. It was as if he could devour someone and leave no bones behind.
But Su Li"s innate self-esteem and arrogance did not allow her just to take things lying down. She lifted her head and sneered in response. “If Yang Hongzhi was really that in love with me, then he wouldn"t change girlfriends that quickly just like he was changing clothes. I can"t deny that the fact that I have never faced any trouble thanks to the Yang family, but the one who really protected me all this while wasn"t the Yang family, but my best friend Shen Qingyan!”
These words were largely true, for when some male directors or investors showed interest in her, Shen Qingyan came out and helped her reject all of them. Shen Qingyan even personally invested in her and paved the road to her success. The amount of help that Shen Qingyan had given her was incomparable.