The Counterattack of a Wealthy Family's Substitute

"No, no!" Yao Yingxi cried out in her sleep. In her dream, she seemed like a ghost, her entire body transparent.

The two men standing in front of her were facing her bloody, severed 'corpse'. The short man who had kidnapped her yesterday stood to the side, picking up her severed hand, while the composed man held a knife in his hand, about to raise it again.

She kept shouting from beginning to end, but the two of them seemed not to hear her. They smiled wickedly as they did their thing, looking like perverts, oblivious to their own business.

This is the scene from yesterday when she was kidnapped, and that's what those people said.

Xi Yuanchen was awakened by her noise. He frowned and looked at Yao Yingxi with her eyes closed, tears streaming down her face, her hand flailing in the air.

"Yingxi, Yingxi." Xi Yuanchen sat up from the bed, turned to face Yao Yingxi, and gently patted her shoulder.

A familiar voice rang out, and Yao Yingxi in her dream looked around blankly, trying hard to find the owner of the voice, but... she couldn't see it anywhere. She was afraid, wanting to hug that person tightly and tell them her story, but she couldn't find anyone.

Yao Yingxi cried and shouted.

"Yingxi, Yingxi." Xi Yuanchen frowned when he saw her crying with her mouth open, without making a sound or waking up.

The voice rang out again. Yao Yingxi struggled for a moment, as if someone had grabbed her hand. She suddenly opened her eyes and saw Xi Yuanchen sitting in front of her, his brows furrowed.

Yao Ying blinked blankly, her hand currently holding Xi Yuanchen's. Only when she felt the heat emanating from his hot palm did the terrifying sense of dread subside a little.

Yao Yingxi released Xi Yuanchen's hand, turned her gaze away, and raised her hand to cover the heavy breathing coming from her mouth.

Thank goodness, thank goodness it was all a dream.

Xi Yuanchen frowned as he looked at her, hesitating to speak.

What does she not want? What kind of dream made Yao Yingxi so helpless?

Did he really misunderstand Yao Yingxi? Did she not go out with Xiuyan?

What happened yesterday? Otherwise, why didn't you have nightmares before, but only today?

Xi Yuanchen suspected that Yao Yingxi's nightmare was related to her disappearance, but he didn't know how to ask her about it.

Yao Yingxi didn't see the puzzled look in Xi Yuanchen's eyes; she stared at the white ceiling.

I don't know what time it is now. The curtains are all drawn, and not a single ray of light can get in. Only the warm orange lamp by the bedside is dimly lit, preventing the room from being completely dark.

Xi Yuanchen's gaze remained fixed on her, and Yao Yingxi sensed it. Only after the terrifying feeling completely dissipated did Yao Yingxi get out of bed, put her feet on the floor, and walk into the bathroom in her slippers.

Seeing that she ignored him, Xi Yuanchen stared coldly at Yao Yingxi's back until she entered the bathroom and disappeared from his sight. He was so angry that he picked up a pillow from the bed and threw it at her before getting out of bed.

I don't know if I'm angry at myself or at Yao Yingxi.

In the bathroom, Yao Yingxi had just finished brushing her teeth and put the toothbrush back when she heard a sound from the doorway. She looked up and saw Xi Yuanchen walking in through the mirror, his face as cold as ever.

Yao Yingxi was squeezing out face wash when Xi Yuanchen's voice rang out from above her: "What happened yesterday?"

Yao Yingxi raised her eyes and gave him a cool glance: "I went out to play with Xiuyan. We went to a neighboring city." The corners of her mouth curled up slightly, a smile that wasn't quite a smile.

It's too late to ask now. Since that's what he thinks, she'll do as he wishes.

Xi Yuanchen's brows furrowed tightly, his eyes dark and unfathomable as he stared at Yao Yingxi in front of him: "Tell the truth."

Yao Yingxi smiled sarcastically: "It's the truth."

After saying that, Yao Yingxi nodded and washed her face.

Xi Yuanchen's gaze fell on her. Yao Yingxi took out a washcloth to wipe her face, ignored Xi Yuanchen, and turned to walk out.

Xi Yuanchen grabbed her arm: "Are you going to cause trouble for me? I finally got a day off, are you planning to keep causing trouble for me like this?"

Yao Yingxi tugged at her arm but couldn't pull it out of Xi Yuanchen's grasp. Hearing his words, she looked at him incredulously: "I'm joking with you?"

She sneered, "Xi Yuanchen, where did I make a fuss with you? Huh? You've been the one making a fuss from beginning to end."

You're the one who doesn't believe me, and you're the one who arbitrarily convicted me. I've already said everything you wanted to say, so why are you still not satisfied?

"Okay, I won't make a fuss anymore. Tell me, where did you go yesterday?"

"Just like you thought, you went out with Xiuyan. Can you let go of me now?" Her gaze was fixed on Xi Yuanchen's arm that was gripping hers.

Xi Yuanchen's face immediately darkened and became gloomy: "I'll ask you one more time, where did you go yesterday?"

Yao Yingxi looked up at him and said, "I'll explain one last time. As you wish, whatever you want is fine." Ever since Xi Yuanchen mentioned to Zhong Enming that she was going out to play, she had been completely heartbroken. She wouldn't explain this matter anymore; she would just leave it at that.

Xi Yuanchen grabbed her arm and said, "Well done." Then he shook off Yao Yingxi's hand.

Yao Yingxi was thrown back a few steps by his forceful shove, and Xi Yuanchen glared fiercely at her.

Yao Yingxi ignored her and turned to walk out of the bathroom.

She went downstairs and saw the clock on the wall, realizing it was four o'clock in the afternoon. She had slept for about nine hours.

When the aunt saw Yao Yingxi come downstairs, she smiled and said, "Miss, I made you some porridge, it's still warm. Have a cup to tide you over, and I'll go cook for you now."

Yao Yingxi nodded and followed the aunt into the restaurant.

“Auntie, from now on, if it’s past eight o’clock, you can go home. If you don’t want to eat dinner, I’ll call you in advance so you can leave work earlier.” She didn’t like to trouble others, nor did she want others to worry about her.

The aunt smiled and said, "Okay." She placed the porridge in front of Yao Yingxi.

Yao Yingxi scooped a spoonful of food into her mouth and asked, "Auntie, why did you stay here yesterday?" She felt awkward and didn't want to ask when Xi Yuanchen found out she was missing, so she could only ask her aunt indirectly to see if she found out she was missing or if Xi Yuanchen had found out.

The aunt paused for a moment: "Miss, please don't go out so late next time. You didn't see your husband, and he was very worried about you."

Yao Yingxi remained silent. She knew this, but Xi Yuanchen's worries only increased their arguments. He never properly asked her questions and always believed what he saw with his own eyes.

“You hadn’t come back yesterday. Your husband had already returned, and I was worried that you might be in danger, so I told him.” The aunt continued when she saw Yao Yingxi’s silence.

Yao Yingxi paused, her hand holding the spoon pausing, and gave a soft "hmm" before putting a mouthful of porridge into her mouth.

As Xi Yuanchen walked in, he overheard the conversation between the aunt and Yao Yingxi. Seeing that she remained unmoved, his anger flared up again, and he walked over with a cold expression.

The aunt was the first to see Xi Yuanchen and quickly called out, "Sir."

Yao Yingxi continued eating the porridge in her bowl, only her hand holding the spoon trembled slightly.