After being seized by the burly men, Tang Lingyi—despite her martial arts skills—found herself utterly powerless to resist. They roughly tossed her into the black Mercedes G-Class parked downstairs.
Before she could even adjust her posture, Qin Xiu slid into the seat beside her. Though a faint smile lingered on his lips, it sent an inexplicable chill down Tang Lingyi's spine.
"Boss Qin, where to?" asked the driver—a bald, towering man named Lu Qicheng. He was one of Qin Xiu's two elite bodyguards, having fought alongside him in the battlefield as a mercenary.
"The Bayview Estate."
"Got it! Uh… bro… how do I get there again?" Lu Qicheng scratched his bald head.
"Can't you just use GPS?" snapped the lanky man in the passenger seat, smacking Lu on the head.
His name was Wu Feng—another former mercenary, sharper-witted and the second of Qin Xiu's trusted bodyguards.
"Oh right! You're brilliant, Wu Feng!"
"Coming from you, that sounds like an insult," Wu Feng muttered, pulling up the navigation to Bayview Estate.
As the car pulled away, Tang Lingyi grew increasingly nervous. She turned to Qin Xiu and asked hesitantly, "W-where are you taking me?"
"Don't worry, Qing'er. We're going home," Qin Xiu replied casually.
"Home? Whose home?"
"Do you and I have more than one home?"
While keeping Qin Xiu engaged in conversation, Tang Lingyi subtly shifted her body, angling herself so half her frame fell outside his line of sight. Her hand crept quietly into her pocket, reaching for an emergency distress device—a gadget that would instantly transmit her location and allow her organization to eavesdrop on the surroundings. Normally, such a device was reserved for absolute emergencies, but Tang Lingyi felt this situation qualified. This man's ever-present smile unnerved her; she couldn't read his intentions at all.
Qin Xiu had been smiling, but the moment his gaze fixed on Tang Lingyi, his brow furrowed. In a flash, he seized her wrist as it emerged from her pocket. Spotting the electronic device in her hand, he snatched it away and stuffed it into his own pocket.
"Anything else hidden on you?"
Stunned by his sharp observation, Tang Lingyi could only stammer, "N-no… that's it! Hey! What are you doing? Don't touch me!"
"Cut the crap. You're full of tricks—first those weird gloves, now a transmitter. Let's see what else you've got stashed." Without warning, Qin Xiu began roughly patting her down, his hands moving aggressively over her body. His grip was so forceful in places that it left Tang Lingyi wincing in pain.
"Ow! Could you go a little easier?!" she yelped when his hand pressed hard against her chest.
Hearing the commotion, the two men in the front seats glanced back—only to quickly avert their eyes upon seeing the rather intimate scene unfolding behind them.
"Go easier?" Qin Xiu sneered. "Aren't you usually the one begging for it harder?"
He was referring to the leaked video of Tian Zimei cheating—footage she'd claimed was fake, but which Qin Xiu now believed to be genuine.
What on earth is he talking about?! Tang Lingyi was utterly bewildered. But she dared not ask—what if Tian Zimei was actually into that sort of thing? If she revealed her ignorance now, she'd blow her cover. So she gritted her teeth and endured Qin Xiu's invasive search.
Though mentally still a man, inhabiting a woman's body made this violation feel entirely different—uncomfortable in a way she couldn't quite articulate. For the first time, Tang Lingyi truly grasped how vulnerable a woman's body could be.
"Hey! You—!" Tang Lingyi gasped as Qin Xiu suddenly grabbed her ankle.
He yanked off her white sneakers—and didn't even spare her socks. Helpless, she curled her bare feet onto the seat cushion, hugging her knees tightly as she waited for the humiliating search to end.
By now, Tang Lingyi had formed a clear impression of Qin Xiu:
He's a violent, sadistic creep.
In truth, however, Qin Xiu held no romantic interest in Tian Zimei anymore. He was merely searching her thoroughly, wary she might pull another trick and endanger him again. Once, his greatest dream had been to marry Tian Zimei—but after she'd tried to kill him, even her legendary beauty couldn't mask the venom in her heart. His desire had long since turned to disgust.
When Qin Xiu dumped a pile of confiscated items onto the seat—phone, retractable rope, universal lockpick, and over a dozen other gadgets—his eyes narrowed dangerously at Tang Lingyi. His fists clenched until his knuckles cracked audibly.
He'd thought he could stay calm upon seeing Tian Zimei again. But now that they were face-to-face, his barely contained rage threatened to erupt.
"This is what you call 'nothing left'?" Qin Xiu scoffed, tossing the items aside.
"N-not really anything big left…" Tang Lingyi stubbornly insisted.
"And what's this for?" Qin Xiu held up a document he'd just found—Tianye Group's confidential business proposal.
Tang Lingyi glanced away, then muttered defensively, "Who even are you? It's my family's company—none of your business."
"Who am I?" Qin Xiu let out a cold laugh. "Even if I've always been a joke to you, Tian Zimei, you couldn't have forgotten me this quickly. At least put on a better act, Qing'er."
Hearing that name, Tang Lingyi froze. Qin Xiu… that name did ring a faint bell.
She racked her brain—and suddenly broke into a cold sweat.
This Qin Xiu… was Tian Zimei's husband?!
Yesterday, she'd reviewed Tianye Group's personnel files with Yang Li. But Qin Xiu hadn't left a strong impression because, according to Yang Li's dossier, he'd been dead for over a year. Why memorize a corpse? Yet here he was—very much alive—showing up at Tianye Group today.
"You're Qin Xiu? But… weren't you supposed to be dead?" she blurted out in shock.
At those words, Qin Xiu's smile froze. His expression darkened instantly. "Disappointed I didn't stay dead?" he asked icily.
He assumed Tian Zimei was furious he'd survived her assassination attempt. The fact that she showed zero remorse—even now—only fueled his fury.
"No, that's not what I meant! I just—mmph!" Tang Lingyi's protest was cut short as Qin Xiu pinched her lips into an "O" shape.
"You're truly beyond saving. How could I have ever fallen for someone as vicious as you?" Qin Xiu chuckled bitterly, the memory of his past infatuation now so absurd it brought tears to his eyes.
But Tang Lingyi's eyes lit up. From his words, it seemed Qin Xiu no longer loved Tian Zimei—that was a huge relief! She'd been terrified he'd drag her home to "fulfill marital duties." Losing her virginity on her very first day in this body would've been beyond ridiculous.
But if he didn't love Tian Zimei anymore… why take her home?
Her mind raced—and then she recalled yesterday's news about Tian Zimei's affair. A dreadful realization struck her.
Oh no.
Could it be…?
Was Qin Xiu mistaking her for Tian Zimei—and planning to take revenge?!