The evening light was fading, painting the alley in a sickly orange that bled into shadow. A single bulb above the backdoor of a shuttered shop flickered weakly, buzzing like an insect about to die. The air was damp, carrying the stench of mold and garbage.
In the corner, a woman, in her mid 20s, crouched against the rough brick wall. Her body trembled as she clutched her bag to her chest as though it were a shield. Tears streaked down her cheeks, glistening in the last traces of daylight.
"Please…" Her voice cracked, hoarse from crying. "Please don't take my money! It's for my father's treatment… he's waiting for me to bring it to him. Without it, he'll…" Her words dissolved into sobs.
The men surrounding her chuckled darkly. Their shadows stretched long and twisted, hemming her in from every side.
At the center stood Tian Yuren, his grin sharp and cruel. He hefted her bag casually in his hand, the coins and notes inside rattling mockingly. His face, once familiar, was now a mask of venom.
"Jun Meiyu! Still crying about your sick father?" he sneered. "Pathetic. But tonight isn't about your father. It's about you."
Jun Meiyu's heart pounded painfully in her chest. "Why… why are you doing this? I've never harmed you… why?"
One of the thugs stepped forward, his laugh harsh. He waved his phone in her face, the bright screen blinding her tear-blurred eyes. On it was a grainy photo of her walking beside a man in a suit, his profile unmistakable.
"Because someone wants you ruined," the thug spat. "They paid us to make sure the world sees what kind of slut you are. The message was clear—'teach her a lesson she won't forget.'"
Jun Meiyu's blood ran cold. Her lips trembled. "R-ruined? Why me? I've done nothing!"
Tian Yuren crouched low, his voice a whisper filled with malice. "Because, darling, you got yourself tangled with the wrong man."
Her brows furrowed in confusion. "What… what do you mean?"
The thug holding the phone shoved the screen closer. "This man. You've been spreading your legs for Gu Jianhong, haven't you? A wealthy heir, already engaged, yet here you are, clinging to him like a desperate leech."
The name struck her like a thunderbolt.
Her breath hitched violently. "Gu… Jianhong?" she whispered, almost choking. Her mind spun, clashing between denial and disbelief. No… no, they can't mean him.
Her Jianhong—the man who biked her home in the rain because he had no car, who split a single skewer at the night market and claimed he was full so she could eat more, who teased her thick glasses yet still called her beautiful, who brought her cheap takeaway when she was too tired to cook and whispered that he understood her because he knew the same poverty.
He wasn't wealthy. He wasn't engaged.
He couldn't be
Her lips trembled, her voice breaking as she stammered, "You're wrong… Jianhong, he… he's not rich. He's just… he's just like me."
The thug threw his head back in laughter. "Naïve little girl. Do you really think men like him would cling to someone like you without reason? He's Gu Jianhong, young master of the Gu family. Whether you knew or not doesn't matter. What matters is that his fiancée wants you destroyed."
Jun Meiyu's entire body froze.
"F–fiance...?"
The world tilted. She couldn't tell if it was the fading light or her own tears, but everything blurred together until she couldn't breathe.
So it's true… Jianhong isn't poor, not like her—breaking herself day and night for family; her Jianhong… no, Gu Jianhong, had lied all along.
Her chest constricted until she could barely speak. "No… this isn't true… you're lying. He—he wouldn't…"
Clutching at a fragile thread of hope, she fumbled frantically for her phone. "I'll call him. I'll ask him. He'll explain everything. He'll clear this misunderstanding—"
But before she could even lift it to her ear, a thug snatched it away and slammed it to the ground.
Crack!
The shattering sound was deafening. Shards of glass scattered across the pavement, catching the last rays of dusk like mocking stars.
Jun Meiyu screamed, scrambling on her knees to gather the pieces. Her hands shook so badly she cut her fingers, blood smearing across her skin. "No! Please, I need that! Please!"
A heavy slap struck her across the face. Pain exploded as her glasses flew off, skidding into the darkness.
Her vision, already blurred with tears, dissolved completely. The men became shapeless monsters, shadows circling, laughter echoing like demons.
"You think the truth matters?" one thug sneered, kicking her down. "We don't care. All we need is to finish the job."
Her blouse tore with a loud rip, fabric falling uselessly from her shoulders. She screamed, clutching desperately at the scraps, trying to cover her body.
"Please, no! Don't do this! I beg you!" Her sobs broke into hysterics, her dignity stripped as cruel hands tugged again and again.
"Pathetic," Tian Yuren spat. "You always thought you were above me, didn't you? Acting pure, acting untouchable. Look at you now—crawling in the dirt."
Her heart ached so violently she thought it might stop. "I never… I didn't…" she whispered brokenly. "I just wanted… a simple life…"
Tian Yuren's grin widened, his face blurring before her sightless eyes. He grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him even though she couldn't see. His voice dropped to a disgusting purr.
"You know, Meiyu," he said softly, mockingly, "this is all your fault. If you had given yourself to me when I pursued you… maybe things would've been different. Instead, you spread your legs for a man with money. You've no one to blame but yourself."
Her stomach turned, bile rising as he grinned at her misery.
"No…" she whimpered, broken. "That's not true…"
Tian Yuren's hand moved to grip the last shred of her shirt, ready to rip it away completely. His laughter mixed with her cries, cruel and victorious.
CRACK!
The sound pierced the air.
Tian Yuren's grin twisted instantly into a scream. His wrist bent grotesquely, bone snapping clean.
"AAAAHHHH! MY HAND! MY HAND!" he shrieked, collapsing to the ground. The other thugs froze, their laughter dying in their throats.