Back Then, I Adored You

Increasingly impatient and embarrassed, the man became savagely rough, leaving numerous bruises on Qin Zhi’ai’s arms. She eventually lost the fight due only to her strength ultimately unable to match his.

Drained, she took several breaths, while listening to the fabric of her gown being ripped. Suddenly, reignited and without warning, she kicked her leg directly into the groin of her assailant.

“You f*cking idiot!” he roared.

Hearing him shout in pain, the man’s accomplices dropped their tasks, turned their heads, and started to poke fun at him. “You’re seriously useless!” one of them said.

Having been scratched, kicked, and now ridiculed, the man had had enough. His anger had reached the tipping point, and his eyes were red with rage.

Squatting on the floor, he drew in a long, deep breath of air. After his pain subsided, he sprung up abruptly and marched to the sofa. Without saying anything, he yanked Qin Zhi’ai by the hair, tilted her head up, and slapped her viciously across the face.

“How dare you f*cking kick me! Try it one more f*cking time!”

He gnashed his teeth and, seemingly unappeased, he struck another blow across Qin Zhi’ai’s face.

His force was strong and merciless; half of Qin Zhi’ai’s face went completely numb.

She first heard a ringing sound in her ears, followed by the taste of a rusty liquid oozing from the corner of her lips.

She knew she couldn’t win against this man’s wrath, but she fought anyway.

“Behave yourself!” Pressing down on her thrashing legs, he aggressively tore off her gown, while she managed a deep scratch on his elbow.

Tugging her hair and lifting her head up, he smashed it against the wooden arm rest of the sofa. Upon hearing a loud “bam,” Qin Zhi’ai felt a searing pain, and the fierce, bellowing voice of the man buzzed in her ears. “Continue to struggle? See if I don’t kill you!”

With that, he grabbed her hair again and, just as he was about to slam her head, one of the accomplices interrupted. “That’s enough. Giving her a few smacks should suffice. Let’s not delay our business here any longer!”

Another accomplice added, “Hurry up and get her clothes off. Stop wasting time!” The man obeyed, released her hair, and proceeded to rip off her gown.

With the two slaps on her face and her head having been pounded, Qin Zhi’ai’s head was spinning and her vision was blurry. She couldn’t muster her will.

She was at the mercy of the man who was ripping her gown off her body, which sounded like hell was screaming for her.

…

Xiaowang was not the first to notice Qin Zhi’ai’s absence.

Gu Yusheng had not seen Liang Doukou on the second floor, and now he was puzzled by his grandfather calling him to sit at the senior stakeholders’ table.

Before heading to the table, Gu Yusheng thought of Qin Zhi’ai suffering from her menstrual cramps, so he found Xiaowang and requested, “Go to the kitchen and have them prepare a glass of ginger tea with brown sugar. Have it delivered to Secretary Qin.”