Chapter 4: Ties That Still Bind
The man in the black suit didn't speak at first. He simply stared at Wei Jie, his expression unreadable under the grey morning sky. The engine of the black car purred behind him, low and ominous, like a predator waiting.
Xuan Qi's hands tightened around the strap of her bag. "Zhou Shu."
The man inclined his head slightly. "Miss Xuan Qi. Your father has been looking for you."
"I didn't ask him to."
"It's not about asking," Zhou Shu said calmly. "You've been gone for two days. He's concerned."
Wei Jie stepped forward. "She's an adult. She can go wherever she wants."
Zhou Shu's gaze flicked toward him, cold and clinical. "And you are?"
Wei Jie didn't answer.
Xuan Qi said quietly, "He's my friend."
Zhou Shu's mouth twitched—almost a smirk. "Of course he is."
Then he turned to Wei Jie directly, his tone polite but unmistakably firm. "Mr. Wei, I'll give you a piece of advice. Stay away from her. You don't understand what you're walking into."
"She's not your property," Wei Jie said, voice hardening.
"No," Zhou Shu agreed. "She's her father's daughter. And that means there are things at stake far beyond a late-night reunion."
He turned back to Xuan Qi. "Come home. Your father's losing patience."
"I don't care."
Zhou Shu's eyes narrowed slightly. "Don't make this harder than it already is."
She hesitated. Then she looked at Wei Jie, her voice barely audible. "I'll call you."
He wanted to say something—anything to stop her—but she was already walking to the car.
Zhou Shu held the door open for her. She climbed in without another word. The door shut. The engine roared quietly, and the car pulled away, disappearing down the wet street like she'd been erased all over again.
Wei Jie stood there long after they were gone, fists clenched, the chill of the morning sinking into his bones.
She'd come back. And now, she was being taken again.
Not this time.
He skipped work that day.
Instead, he went to a quiet café near the university he and Xuan Qi had once attended. The place hadn't changed much—same wooden booths, same overbrewed coffee.
He pulled out his phone and searched.
Her father's name came up immediately. Xuan Ming, CEO of Xuan Holdings, a multi-sector corporation with deep political ties and old money roots. It wasn't just wealth—it was power, woven into every layer of society.
No wonder she'd vanished so cleanly.
"Should've known," he muttered.
"Known what?" a voice said beside him.
He looked up to find a familiar face.
"Zhang Rui?" Wei Jie blinked. "I haven't seen you since…"
"Since graduation." The guy grinned and slid into the booth across from him. "Heard you still worked around here. You look like hell, by the way."
"Thanks."
"What's up? You look like you're about to punch a CEO."
"Maybe I am."
Zhang Rui raised an eyebrow. "Does this have anything to do with Xuan Qi?"
Wei Jie froze. "You remember her?"
"Of course I do. You were inseparable. And then one day—poof. She was gone. You didn't even talk about it after."
"I didn't have anything to say. She disappeared."
Zhang Rui leaned in. "Well, I don't know if it helps, but… I remember something weird back then. There was this rumor—some guy in a black car came to campus, picked her up in the middle of the night. Security wasn't allowed to talk about it. No one saw her again after that."
Wei Jie's eyes darkened. "Zhou Shu."
"What?"
"The same guy from this morning. He works for her father."
"Damn. You're actually serious."
Wei Jie didn't smile. "I need to get her out of that house."
"Man, you're going to war with a billionaire. You sure you're ready for that?"
Wei Jie looked out the window, voice steady. "I lost her once because I wasn't ready. I'm not making that mistake again."
Back at the Xuan estate, Xuan Qi sat across from her father in the marble-floored study. Everything about the room was designed to intimidate—high ceilings, dark wood, silence so thick it swallowed even thought.
"You're reckless," Xuan Ming said calmly. "Do you have any idea what people are saying about you?"
"I don't care what they say."
"You should. Because you are still my daughter. And your behavior reflects on this family."
"You mean your company."
Xuan Ming's eyes narrowed. "I gave you freedom. You chose to abuse it."
"You locked me out of my own life!"
"I protected you."
"From who? From someone who actually cared about me?"
Her father didn't answer.
She stood. "I'm not sixteen anymore. You can't just ship me off or erase people from my life like they're mistakes."
"You think you have a choice?"
"I do."
He stood too, towering over her.
"You're right. You're not sixteen. Which means you're old enough to understand consequences."
She stilled.
"There's an engagement proposal. It's strategic. Beneficial for both families. If you want your independence—your bank accounts, your trust fund, your company shares—you'll accept."
Her voice dropped. "So you're trading me."
"I'm offering you security."
She laughed—low and bitter. "You're offering a cage."
"Think carefully before you answer."
She met his eyes. "I already have."
That night, Wei Jie received a message. No words. Just a location pin.
He stared at it for a long time.
Then he grabbed his coat and ran into the night.