Luke entered, slightly surprised. "You actually—hurt yourself?"
Zhou Luming used the handle of a toothbrush to prick her skin, using the pain to stay awake. Luke never expected a girl to be so ruthless to herself, yet she still refused to submit to him.
“You’re really different from them. You’re stronger and more ruthless, but the more you are like that, the more I like you, the more I want to tame you…” Luke kept getting closer to Zhou Luming. He was certain that she had no strength left to resist. He reached out to stroke her hair and then her delicate, smooth face…
"No one's coming to save you. That driver is your security guard, right? I've already had him subdued. And Sun Ren, he's just a pretty face; he won't help you. As for Xu Yan and the others..." Luke smirked maliciously, "She thought the bounty really worked? That was just a little trick of mine. If it weren't for that, how could I have gotten rid of her from you? Actually, I wanted to invite you all to come, but Xu Yan didn't fall for it, so I just sent her somewhere else to avoid interfering with our plans. She's too far away to help you now, so you'd better just obey me and let's cut to the chase..."
The lewd voice was close to Zhou Luming's ear, sending chills down his spine.
Zhou Luming gave a cold laugh and said clearly, word by word, "Let me tell you a secret: everything you just said was being broadcast live on the spot."
"How is this possible?!" Luke was shocked. He looked around in panic, then turned back and grabbed Zhou Luming by the throat. "You're lying to me."
This is his territory. He's already removed the eavesdropping device from Zhou Luming, and there are signal jamming devices here. How could she possibly be broadcasting live? So it must be that cunning girl talking nonsense. She's stalling for time; she's waiting for someone.
Zhou Luming laughed heartily, "In front of a true master, your little bit of jamming technology is no match for them. I bet you bought it on the secondhand market, didn't you? You've been fooled. This kind of first-generation jamming technology is outdated; it's electronic junk. And besides, did I say I only had one eavesdropping device? NO, that was a smokescreen to show you. The real device can not only listen in, but also broadcast live—"
Luke froze. "How could this be? How could this be—" He was indeed flustered, fearing that what Zhou Luming said was true.
Zhou Luming said, "You'd better release me now, and I can ask the judge for leniency."
Luke was skeptical. He temporarily left and closed the door behind him, apparently to ask someone to confirm whether what Zhou Luming said was true.
Left alone in the restroom, Zhou Luming was completely unable to move. Her arms and legs were weak and powerless. She struggled to walk out of the restroom, intending to take this opportunity to escape. What she had just told Luke wasn't entirely true; this was the moment she needed.
In every moment of crisis, she almost always saved herself. Relying on others always puts you at a disadvantage; relying on yourself gives you control. She gritted her teeth, stabbed herself again, and used the excruciating pain to stay conscious, forcing herself to walk out step by step, out of the lounge, out of the cage Luke had created!
When Zhou Luming touched the doorknob, she twisted it, but got stuck halfway. She twisted it again, but still got stuck, so she turned around to look for another passage. However, there were neither windows nor other doors here; it was a secret room with only one entrance that was sealed off.
"Hahaha, I almost fell for your trick!" Luke's voice rang out as he opened the door and re-entered the room. Seeing Zhou Luming still inside, he breathed a sigh of relief and laughed triumphantly. "There was no live stream at all, no advanced communication technology. It was all a lie you made up. You want to escape? Sorry, I won't be fooled again. I'm not giving you another chance—"
He rushed out to ask his security guards if there was any live stream of this online. The security guards and technical team told him there was no such live stream online, and he quickly realized this was another of Zhou Luming's tricks. He hurried back to the lounge, and thankfully, his prey was still in the room; she had no chance to escape.
This time, Luke didn't give Zhou Luming any time to argue. He felt this woman was too cunning and he couldn't let her talk nonsense and be bewitched by her anymore. So he pounced on her and pinned her firmly to the bed.
Zhou Luming struggled, but to no avail. The effects of the drug came in waves, making her dizzy and lightheaded. It was already difficult for her to stay conscious, let alone fight back.
Come quick!
Zhou Luming's heart was screaming. The emerald at the top of the chain around her neck was sparkling. From a certain angle, one could perhaps see a faint red light flashing inside, blinking rhythmically and continuously.
As Luke leaned in and pressed against her, Zhou Luming thought to herself.
Come quick, I can't hold on any longer...
With two loud creaks and clangs, the metal frame of the ceiling exhaust fan fell down, and a familiar person jumped down. The person took out a stun gun and stabbed Luke hard in the back before Luke could hear the sound and turn around. Luke screamed in pain, trembled a few times, and fainted.
Looking at Zhou Luming, who was dazed and disheveled, the person felt a pang of pity and helped her up to sit. Zhou Luming forced a smile upon seeing her, "You're finally here, but you're a little slow—"
Her voice was weak, and her eyelids seemed unable to lift.
Zhou Luming leaned on her shoulder, looking at her blurry profile, and said, "You'll have to explain to me later why the necklace that Q gave me... ended up being you..."
Chapter 40
===================
Sun Ren stared nervously at the door of the lounge. Zhou Luming's driver, Lao Wu, had been forcibly dragged away by several people. It has to be said that Lao Wu was quite capable. A middle-aged man fighting four young men with his bare hands and almost breaking free. If it weren't for a young man attacking from behind, Lao Wu might have already rushed in and taken Zhou Luming away.
Sun Ren was caught in a dilemma. Zhou Luming had voluntarily gone in with Luke, who was also her fiancé. They might be having a romantic time together inside. If he went in rashly, he might offend both Zhou Luming and Luke, or at least Luke.
Even if he manages to rescue Zhou Luming, will Zhou Luming thank him? That time they met at the mall, he caused Zhou Luming to sprain his ankle and almost get seriously injured. Zhou Luming and Xu Yan don't have a good impression of him, and Sun Ren is hesitant about whether to risk offending Luke by taking this gamble.
However, he ultimately lacked the courage to challenge Luke. He knew Luke's absurdity in this circle, but his strength lay in the fact that he had a father who doted on his only son. As long as his father was around, he could handle whatever Luke did, even if the other party was Zhou Luming.
If the Zhou family patriarch were still alive, the Lu family would have been somewhat more restrained, but now that he's gone, Zhou Luming has lost his protection. If even the Zhou family heir is this vulnerable, what chance does a distant relative like Sun Ren have?
Just as Sun Ren was increasingly sensing something was wrong and was about to inform Xu Yan, Luke suddenly appeared. Sun Ren quickly hid and overheard Luke asking his men if they had discovered anything online. Sun Ren heard the words "live stream" and "Xu Yan." His men reported this to Luke, who was visibly pleased. He patted one of them on the shoulder and said, "Xu Yan is on the other side of the city; he can't possibly get here in time. By the time the people at the Zhou family's old house realize what's happening, it'll be too late. They won't bother to break ties with us."
Then Luke quickly returned to the lounge where Zhou Luming was.
Sun Ren struggled with whether to save him or not. When he heard Luke say that even Xu Yan couldn't come, he hesitated for a moment and ultimately lost his chance.
Luke has already gone inside.
Sun Ren closed his eyes, recalling the warm and beautiful Zhou Luming standing beside Xu Yan, and felt a pang of guilt. He had witnessed the accident at the mall that day, but it wasn't his fault. He hadn't expected his mother to do such a thing. He had even argued with her, but to no avail. He was too weak and incompetent. His company was facing financial difficulties, and none of his friends were reliable. If he were to break with his mother again, and even his parents wouldn't help him, then no one else would.
So he had no choice but to let it be, but he dared not appear in front of Xu Yan and Zhou Luming again.
However, he still came today. He heard that Luke held this banquet for Zhou Luming. After seeing that only Zhou Luming was there, Sun Ren felt a little relieved. At least Xu Yan was safe.
Zhou Luming radiated beauty at the banquet; she was the most beautiful princess of the night. Later, she followed Luke to the lounge, and Sun Ren followed as well. He witnessed everything but chose to run away again. He felt guilty towards Zhou Luming, but could only regret it in his heart.
Luke can act with impunity, while he is just a coward who needs his mother's protection.
Just when Sun Ren thought there was absolutely nothing she could do but try to comfort and console Zhou Luming afterward, the door to the lounge opened again. Sun Ren almost doubted her own eyes when she saw who came out. She closed her eyes briefly, then opened them again, only to see her once more.
The woman was carrying Zhou Luming in her arms as she calmly walked out of the rest area. Although she herself was also very thin, she had the strength to hold Zhou Luming steadily. Zhou Luming seemed to be half-conscious, his mind unclear, with one hand around the back of his neck and his head resting against her chest.
Sun Ren felt that Zhou Luming must trust her a lot, otherwise he wouldn't have such a calm and composed expression on his face, and even a faint smile.
Even though she was drugged, she could still laugh.
"Why are you here? Didn't you say you were on the other side of the city and couldn't make it?" Sun Ren asked.
The other person said, "I felt something was wrong halfway here, so I rushed over." She looked down at Zhou Luming, her voice slightly low, "Luckily, I arrived in time, otherwise she would have suffered a loss."
"Where's Luke?" Sun Ren looked over her shoulder into the lounge and vaguely saw a man lying face down on the bed with his back to him, seemingly unconscious.
"He'll probably wake up in a while."
"Wait—where are you taking her?" Sun Ren asked. "Aren't you afraid of Luke's revenge?" This was his biggest worry; if Luke got angry, even he wouldn't be able to handle it.
"He should be the one afraid, not me."
“Xu Yan,” Sun Ren clenched his fist, his voice trembling slightly, “who exactly are you? Why are you so confident?”
Holding Zhou Luming, Xu Yan heard him call her name, her brows furrowed slightly, and she gave him a sharp look. "I'm a person with normal morals." Looking down at the peacefully sleeping Zhou Luming, Xu Yan felt that this guy was a bit too carefree. Although she was here, she was still on someone else's turf. Wasn't she afraid that she wouldn't be able to take her away safely either?
Sun Ren was stunned upon hearing this.
At this moment, Xu Yan had already carried Zhou Luming to the door leading to the hall.
After discovering that Luke had fainted, the security guards at the entrance intended to stop Xu Yan. However, Xu Yan's aura was too strong, and for a moment they didn't know whether they should go up and restrain this woman.
Xu Yan said, "Did Luke ever ask about the live stream?"
The security guards nodded hesitantly.
Xu Yan added, “We do have a hidden camera, but it hasn’t been uploaded to the live stream yet. Your actions and Luke’s actions have been recorded. If you don’t want trouble, don’t stop me. Otherwise, I guarantee your faces will be trending on social media and you’ll be on the cover of major media outlets in the near future.”
"Are you lying to us?"
Xu Yan curled her lips, "Why don't you give it a try?"
The security guards' phones rang simultaneously, displaying a message with a close-up photo of their footsteps. The title was exaggerated enough to attract the attention of ordinary people who love gossip.
The security guards panicked and quickly made way for Xu Yan.
Sun Ren turned to look at Xu Yan's back. Her back was straight, and her steps were steady as she led Zhou Luming out in full view of everyone.
Sun Ren was filled with worries and often hesitated, unable to make a decision. This was also true regarding Zhou Luming's situation. He saw Xu Yan, a seemingly fearless person, appear before him, defeat Luke, and take Zhou Luming away. The scene left Sun Ren speechless with shock; he felt a surge of emotion within him.
Old Wu appeared at this moment. He silently opened the car door for Xu Yan and Zhou Luming. Xu Yan bent down and helped Zhou Luming in, and this time she chose to sit next to Zhou Luming.
Old Wu had some bruises on his forehead, probably from an injury, and he looked at Xu Yan apologetically through the rearview mirror, "I'm sorry, Miss Xu, I didn't protect Miss Zhou well."
He spoke very sincerely and respectfully, genuinely expressing his apology. The more sincere he was, the more Xu Yan found Luke despicable. On her way to meet someone today, she had been thinking a lot, her usually clear thoughts becoming somewhat muddled. Wang Anjing, who was driving, sensed her unease and asked if she wanted to go back, but she refused.
With Lao Wu protecting her, and specifically reminding Zhou Luming to be careful of Luke, Zhou Luming, though playful, wouldn't risk her safety. She's so smart and resourceful; she shouldn't be so easily fooled.
Zhou Luming was carrying a listening device and had also arranged for Sun Ren to provide information if necessary. Everything should have been perfectly prepared and there shouldn't have been any problems. However, Xu Yan discovered on the road that Zhou Luming seemed to be sulking, telling her not to get close to Luke, but she insisted on hanging out with him anyway.
Xu Yan was in a state of turmoil. When she arrived at the agreed location, the person who was supposed to bring the video recording was late, but Xu Yan left early as well. She didn't step inside, but instead told Wang Anjing as she arrived, "I'm going to find Zhou Luming; she might be in danger."
The sudden silence in her earphones meant that she had lost contact with Zhou Luming.
Wang Anjing, holding the car keys, said, "I'll take you there."
But Xu Yan shook her head. "You stay here and wait. I'll go back to find her." Xu Yan took the car keys from Wang Anjing's hand. The moment the keys touched her palm, she felt a chill run down her spine. She heard the screeching of brakes, cries, and the gush of bright red blood...
Seeing that she was standing there motionless and her expression was not right, Wang Anjing remembered that Xu Yan couldn't drive. "Xu Yan, how about we call a designated driver?"
"It's too late, I'm leaving. Be careful here too, contact me anytime if there's any news." Xu Yan said this, turned around and nimbly opened the door and got into the car. After sitting in the driver's seat, she fastened her seatbelt, started the car, looked at the road ahead, took a deep breath, blocked out all the sounds in her head, took off her broken earphones, turned on a phone to adjust the line, and saw the screen of a surveillance camera.
Xu Yan almost ran a red light to reach the other side of the city. After passing through the banquet hall, she found that the lounge was heavily guarded. If she wasted her breath arguing with these people, she didn't know how bad the situation inside would get. So she decided to break into the lounge through the ventilation duct.
"Xu Yan, tell me why, even though it was Q who gave me the necklace, the person who ended up appearing was you..." Zhou Luming asked, looking into her eyes in his last moments before losing consciousness.
At this moment, Xu Yan and Zhou Luming were sitting in the car. Zhou Luming was leaning against her, and she was gently embracing Zhou Luming, holding her in her arms. The woman's body was soft and sweet, and her gentle breath brushed against her neck, gently stirring a certain string in Xu Yan's heart.
Zhou Luming is actually very well-behaved when she's asleep. She usually loves to laugh, but she's a bit talkative. Xu Yan prefers quiet to activity, and when she first met her, she thought she was too noisy. However, looking at her now, Xu Yan felt a little annoyed, regretful, and also relieved when she recalled what she had just experienced.
Xu Yan lowered his head and gazed intently at Zhou Luming's face, half-lit and half-shadowed in the night. He curled his finger and slid it down her nose. Zhou Luming's eyelashes fluttered, her brows furrowed slightly, and her pink lips pursed, like a cat whose sweet dreams had been disturbed.
Xu Yan smiled as he saw her adorable sleeping face.
Fool, if you want to ask about my relationship with Q, you have to explain your relationship with Q first.
Chapter 41
===================
Zhou Luming didn't know how long she had slept, only that she saw Xu Yan in the last moment before she lost consciousness. Actually, she was betting that Q was Xu Yan, and as it turned out, she was almost right—she just lacked more concrete evidence, ideally, Xu Yan himself would admit that she was Q.
Dozing off in the car, she leaned against Xu Yan, inhaling her fragrance, and drifted off to sleep. Being by Xu Yan's side gave her a sense of security and comfort. She was never one to depend on others, but Xu Yan made her feel relaxed.
Back home, Xu Yan carried her back to bed and casually removed her necklace. The cool, soft touch on his fingertips brought a flicker of clarity to Zhou Luming's mind. She slightly opened her eyes and glanced at it again to confirm that it was Xu Yan.
Although she was usually careless, Zhou Luming's ability to read people, which she had developed since childhood, came in handy many times. Coupled with a woman's keen intuition, after discovering that the necklace Q gave her contained a miniature camera, she was almost certain of her guess—Xu Yan was Q.
No wonder Q is so powerful, no wonder the incredibly intelligent and meticulous Xu Yan has not yet realized that she is not the real Zhou Luming. It turns out that everything was arranged by her, and she was just a puppet in her hands.
Q arranged his own identity, transforming himself into Zhou Luming. Q provided her with all the details about Zhou Luming, including his height, weight, hobbies and special skills, and even his sexual orientation, a secret no one else knew.
Q replaced the handed-out DNA sample, making his own DNA match that of the Zhou family, thus providing irrefutable biological proof.
Q erased all traces of her true history and replaced them with copies of Zhou Luming's, including her academic credentials, online materials, and various electronic data. Q wiped out everything about Zhou Luming and became Zhou Luming herself.
Xu Yan plays two roles: on one hand, he acts as his accomplice, offering advice and strategies; on the other hand, he acts as Zhou Luming's mentor and colleague, helping Zhou Luming mitigate risks and prevent his identity from being exposed.