Volume 1, Chapter 8: There Is No Escape

Xia Nanzhi bit her lip hard and took a deep breath. "Does Mr. Lu understand the law? Do you know that trespassing is a criminal offense?"

Lu Junshen did not seem to care. He stood up, his tall frame radiating an overwhelming sense of oppression. He took a step forward, and Xia Nanzhi retreated a step back. The aura emanating from him was undeniably dangerous.

Xia Nanzhi reflexively tried to flee, but he seized her wrist and pulled her back with great force. He pinned her hands against the wall, effectively trapping her.

Xia Nanzhi looked up, staring at Lu Junshen, her eyes burning with anger. "What do you want?"

Lu Junshen stared back at her. Her face had changed since five years ago; her features were more refined and beautiful. The Xia Nanzhi of the past didn't care for makeup, but now, with a subtle touch of it, she was flawlessly stunning. Everything was perfect, except for those eyes that once held only him—now, they were devoid of him, filled only with coldness and fury.

That look stung him deeply. He didn't like to see Xia Nanzhi looking at him that way.

"Why are you running? You left without a word five years ago; don't you have anything to explain?"

Xia Nanzhi glared at him defiantly. "Don't you know why I left? You liked Xu Ruoqing, so I took the initiative to divorce you and give you what you wanted. What? Was that not enough to satisfy you, President Lu?"

Lu Junshen frowned deeply, his eyes dark. "Xia Nanzhi, which ear of yours heard me say I liked Xu Ruoqing?"

"You don't like Xu Ruoqing? Then who do you like? Me?" Xia Nanzhi demanded loudly.

It was laughable. He might not have said it out loud, but the whole world knew. The world knew he loved Xu Ruoqing deeply, that he had booked entire venues just for her and set off magnificent fireworks for her birthday. She knew even better that he treated Xu Ruoqing like the apple of his eye, catering to her every need, keeping her by his side, and appearing with her everywhere.

Besides, weren't they married? Xu Ruoqing was now Mrs. Lu, and he had even given her family heirloom to Xu Ruoqing just to make her happy. Yet, here he was telling her he had never said he liked her? Didn't he know that some things didn't need to be spoken for everyone to see?

Xia Nanzhi forcefully shook off his hand. Lu Junshen’s expression remained sharp and icy, his silence serving as no answer to her questions.

"Do I need to remind you, Mr. Lu, that we are divorced?" Xia Nanzhi continued. "Your wife is Xu Ruoqing. You’ve come to your ex-wife's home to harass her—won't Xu Ruoqing cause a scene if she finds out?"

Every word of hers was barbed, her gaze sharp in a way that felt foreign compared to her once-gentle demeanor. She felt like a stranger to him. He didn't deny that he had treated Xu Ruoqing well; they had shared a relationship in the past, but they weren't right for each other, so they had separated long ago. After marrying Xia Nanzhi, no matter how well he treated Xu Ruoqing, he had never done anything to betray his wife.

He didn't understand what she was making such a fuss about. For such a trivial matter, she had aborted their child and vanished for five years. The thought of the abortion ignited his fury. What right did she have to terminate their child without a word?

"Divorce, divorce, divorce—Xia Nanzhi, have you not made enough of a scene? When you aborted our child back then, who gave you the right?"

A scene? So, in his eyes, everything she did was just her making a scene? She didn't have the energy for that. She was truly disappointed in him, disappointed in their marriage. She didn't want him anymore.

Xia Nanzhi opened the door. "Get out."

"Answer my question."

"I wanted to divorce you, and I wanted to abort your child. So what? There was never any love between us, was there? You didn't care about me, and you didn't care about the child, so why should I have kept it? To stay by your side and continue to be treated with disdain?"

Lu Junshen’s eyes deepened. He didn't understand why her misunderstanding of him was so profound. When had he ever not cared about her or the child?

"Get out. You are not welcome here."

Lu Junshen nodded. "You may not welcome me, but you can't run away now."

Xia Nanzhi’s face sank. "What are you trying to do?"

"You know the purpose of this trip. Come back to the capital with me."

"Don't even think about it."

She tried to leave, but she couldn't escape his grasp. He hauled her into his arms, pinning her down. "Xia Nanzhi, do you really think that now that I’ve found you, I’ll let you leave so easily? You can't escape."

"You..."

Lu Junshen’s gaze was icy, and his words made her heart tremble. He dragged her out, into the elevator, and down to the street where his car was waiting, surrounded by his men. He shoved her into the car.

"Lu Junshen, you jerk!"

As he climbed in beside her, he sneered, "And what about you? Aren't you a jerk too?"

"Me? A jerk?"

"Refusing to give me a chance to explain, divorcing me, aborting the child, disappearing for five years, and making those who care about you worry for half a decade—if you aren't a jerk, then who is?"

Those who cared about her? Who? After her mother died, she had no family left in the capital.

Lu Junshen reached out and pulled her toward him. "Xia Nanzhi, do you remember the old man? You disappeared without a thought, and he worried about you for five years, even falling into a serious illness because of you. Do you feel no guilt at all?"

At the mention of the elder Lu, Xia Nanzhi faltered. He had treated her well. She had thought of him often over the last five years. But she knew full well that there was no future for her and Lu Junshen. Whether it was Lu Junshen or the elder, she was certain they would never allow her to raise the three children who carried the Lu bloodline. She couldn't let them discover the children, and she couldn't be separated from them, so she couldn't go back.

"Drive," Lu Junshen commanded.

The driver obeyed immediately. Xia Nanzhi felt a wave of despair. Lu Junshen was determined to take her back, and she couldn't escape. Fortunately, from their conversation, she realized he hadn't discovered the children yet. That eased the tension in her heart slightly. As long as the children remained hidden, she had nothing to fear; for now, she could only take things one step at a time.

Suddenly, a phone rang.

Xia Nanzhi’s nerves tightened instantly. She reached into her pocket, but felt nothing. Looking down, she realized her phone had fallen onto the seat during their struggle. Just as she moved to grab it, a large hand snatched it away first.

Lu Junshen squinted at the screen, reading the label: "Baby Chen."

It was a call from Chenchen.

Xia Nanzhi shuddered with fear and lunged to grab it. "Give it back!"

Lu Junshen easily held it out of reach. "Sit still," he commanded coldly.

So nervous, and she had saved the contact as "Baby." He wanted to see exactly who this was. "Chen"—it was clearly a man's name.

Lu Junshen answered the call.