He lured her deep into his trap, using both overt and covert methods to seduce her.

He seemed to have heard something ridiculous. He suddenly moved closer, his long, slender fingers lightly lifting Song Zhi's chin. "So what? As long as the result is what I wanted, that's all that matters."

Song Zhi slapped his hand away abruptly: "Have you no shame? We've already broken up. You were the one who initiated it. You cheated on me, and now you're pretending to be all lovey-dovey? How disgusting!"

Song Zhi's words were very harsh, but Pei Jinnian not only wasn't angry, he also apologized to her sincerely.

"Zhizhi, I was wrong at first. I didn't see my own heart clearly. I thought you loved me and that you would wait for me, but what happened?"

"I'm just a substitute, you treated me like a substitute, and then you just stop loving me like that? Song Zhi, how could you be so heartless?"

Pei Jinnian stared at Song Zhi with bloodshot eyes, accusing her.

Song Zhi met his gaze and said, word by word, "I'm heartless? Then what about you? What have you done to me?"

Pei Jinnian paused, covered his face with his hand, and took a heavy breath: "I thought you would wait for me, was it because of Fu Lu?"

Fu Lu is back, so you've changed your mind.

"No, I never liked you in the first place, it has nothing to do with him."

"Why are you with me if you don't like me?"

Song Zhi looked at Pei Jinnian and suddenly laughed: "Because you don't like me either, Pei Jinnian."

Pei Jinnian shook his head: "No."

'Let me go.'

"impossible."

"So what exactly do you want?"

"Didn't you know what I wanted from the beginning? Come back to me and get rid of the child in your belly."

"Are you crazy!" Song Zhi looked at him in shock: "Fu Lu and I are already married. There's no way we can be together anymore."

Suddenly, Pei Jinnian kicked the table next to her hard, overturning it and spilling the food all over the floor.

“Fu Lu, Fu Lu, is he all you care about? You love him that much?”

Startled by the sudden outburst of anger, Song Zhi took a step back and looked at Pei Jinnian with a wary expression.

Seeing Song Zhi's reaction, Pei Jinnian strode forward and grabbed Song Zhi's shoulders: "Look at me, Zhizhi, can you really forget everything between us? Three years, do you really have no feelings for me at all?"

I don't believe it, I don't believe you never loved me.

Song Zhi stared straight into his eyes.

Love?

She admitted that she had been attracted to him.

But Pei Jinnian is a scoundrel, a scumbag, and doesn't deserve her love.

So she took it back.

As long as I can see his face, that's enough. As for love?

She doesn't need to.

Song Zhi opened her mouth: "I love it, not at all."

Pei Jinnian seemed to have been struck in a sore spot, his face instantly turning pale. He released his grip, staggered back a few steps, and suddenly gave a bitter smile: "You're so heartless."

Song Zhi did not expect him to react this way.

In her memory, Pei Jinnian was always the arrogant and domineering person who had never shown such a vulnerable side.

Pei Jinnian suddenly chuckled softly, a morbid obsession surging in his eyes.

His long, slender fingers traced Song Zhi's cheek, his voice so gentle it was chilling.

"No matter what, you won't leave this door today. For the rest of your life, you can only be mine."

Song Zhi's breath caught in her throat as her back pressed against the cold door: "Pei Jinnian, you're insane."

"Yes, I'm crazy."

He abruptly grabbed her wrist and pressed it above his head, his nose almost touching hers, and said, word by word, "You've driven me crazy, Zhizhi."

His breath was hot against her lips, each word like a curse, "In this life, we'll fight to the death."

"Fu Lu won't let you off if he finds out."

Song Zhiqiang maintained his composure to the very end.

Pei Jinnian chuckled, his fingertips lingering suggestively on her lips: "Let's talk about it after he finds you."

He suddenly leaned close to her ear, his voice as soft as a feather, "But... in this lifetime, he will never find you."

Song Zhi's pupils constricted sharply: "What do you want to do?"

"We're leaving the country tomorrow."

Pei Jinnian took a half step back, slowly adjusting his cuffs. "I gave up everything from the Pei family for you; you can't betray me."

"Are you sick?!" Song Zhi's voice trembled.

"Yes, I'm sick."

His gaze towards Song Zhi was almost pious. "Only you can heal me."

Song Zhi turned her face away from him and frantically turned the doorknob.

The metal made a piercing clicking sound, but remained completely still.

"Open the door!" She pounded on the door. "Pei Jinnian, this is illegal detention!"

She heard the sound of fabric rustling behind her, and Pei Jinnian wrapped his arms around her from behind, resting his chin on the top of her head.

"Stop struggling..."

He tightened his embrace. "Zhizhi, stay with me."

Song Zhi's whole body stiffened.

She could feel Pei Jinnian's heartbeat seeping through the fabric of his clothes, frantic and chaotic.

"You can't keep me trapped forever. So what if I go abroad? Lawyer Fu will find me sooner or later."

Pei Jinnian's arms tightened suddenly, then she forced herself to relax.

He turned Song Zhi's shoulder, a sinister glint in his eyes, and said in a low voice.

"Wouldn't it be better if the person just died?"

Song Zhi suddenly looked up: "What do you mean? What are you planning to do now?"

"Shh... Zhizhi, you're overthinking it. I don't want to do anything, I just want to be with you."

As soon as he finished speaking, a shrill cell phone ringtone suddenly sounded.

Pei Jinnian frowned and took out his phone. The moment the screen lit up, Song Zhi saw the caller ID.

Zhou Fu.

How could Pei Jinnian have any connection with Zhou Fu?

"What's up?"

Pei Jinnian answered the phone, but his gaze remained fixed on Song Zhi's face.

He didn't know what the other person said, but he softly hummed in agreement: "Okay, I'll come find you later."

After he hung up the phone, Song Zhi said, "You know Zhou Fu."

Pei Jinnian fiddled with his phone and said nonchalantly, "It's not surprising that we know each other in this circle."

"So, what are you plotting?"

Pei Jin chuckled: "Childish, you've watched too many palace dramas."

Song Zhi didn't believe what he said at all.

The light in the room gradually dimmed.

Song Zhi watched the hands of the antique wall clock move from three to seven o'clock. Pei Jinnian remained seated on the single sofa by the window, his slender fingers tapping the armrest intermittently.

"Are you planning to lock me up like this for the rest of my life?"

Song Zhi finally broke the silence, her voice filled with suppressed anger.

Pei Jinnian looked up, the twilight casting a golden glow on his features: "How could that be? We're leaving the country tomorrow."

"madman."

Pei Jinnian wasn't annoyed. He smiled and stood up, the fabric of his suit making a slight rustling sound.

Song Zhi stood up reflexively: "Where are you going?"

Pei Jinnian smiled faintly and reached out to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"What? You don't want me to leave?"

Song Zhi turned her head away from his touch, her nails digging deeply into her palm: "What do you need to deal with?"

"Some things... that need to be handled personally."

He slowly and deliberately adjusted his cuffs, the platinum cufflinks gleaming coldly under the light.

"Wait for me obediently, I'll take you away tomorrow."

The moment the door closed, Song Zhi rushed to the door.

The metal handle remained motionless, while the electronic lock emitted a relentless red light.

She turned to the window, where the four-story attic made the garden in the night seem impossibly distant.

The entire villa was eerily quiet.

Pei Jinnian brought her back to the Pei family, clearly not afraid of her mother finding out.

All of this was meticulously planned.

Song Zhi's temples throbbed; Fu Lu must be searching the world for her right now.

Time stretches out endlessly in anxiety.

Song Zhi paced mechanically around the room, leaving a clear mark on the carpet.

Eight o'clock, nine o'clock...

The ticking of the wall clock sounded like some kind of countdown.

Suddenly, the roar of an engine broke the silence of the night.

Song Zhi rushed to the window and saw two blinding headlights piercing through the darkness.

The moment the car door opened, her heart almost stopped, and tears uncontrollably streamed down her face.

"Ninth Brother!"

She pounded on the window, her voice hoarse and unlike her own.