Tang Lingyi finally pieced together what had happened earlier—and now understood why Tian Yushu had been so shocked to see her at the company.
Tian Yushu must have sent his daughter away to protect her from Qin Xiu's revenge. And now, thanks to that, Tang Lingyi had unwittingly stepped into Tian Zimei's shoes… and was about to suffer in her place.
She had to do something—fast.
"Qin Xiu… cough!" In her agitation, Tang Lingyi momentarily forgot to mimic Tian Zimei's voice. She quickly covered it up with a cough and adjusted her tone back to Tian Zimei's familiar pitch. "Since we don't love each other anymore, can't we just part ways amicably? I admit I wronged you—but let's just let it all go. You'll find someone better."
The problem was, Tang Lingyi had no idea what Tian Zimei had actually done. She assumed Qin Xiu was merely furious about the affair.
Had she known that Tian Zimei hadn't just cheated—but had also embezzled Qin Xiu's assets and nearly killed him—she would never have dared utter such shameless words.
Predictably, Qin Xiu's face twitched with barely suppressed rage. "After all the vile things you've done, you think a simple 'sorry' is enough to wipe the slate clean?"
"Well, what do you want then? Fine! Go ahead and hit me if it makes you feel better!" Tang Lingyi thought cheating was despicable, sure—but once exposed, the decent thing would be to walk away cleanly. Why cling to the past so bitterly?
"Hahaha…" Qin Xiu burst into laughter. He released her cheeks and leaned back. "Don't worry. I won't hit you or yell at you. I'll deal with you… much more gently."
Wow. This guy holds a grudge like nobody's business…
Tang Lingyi was speechless—but she stopped arguing. She'd just run a quick mental risk assessment: even if Qin Xiu was here to settle scores with Tian Zimei, the punishment for being Tian Zimei was still far better than the alternative—exposure as an imposter thief.
After all, Tian Zimei and Qin Xiu were husband and wife. Even if they fought, they could probably work things out behind closed doors. But if her true identity as a spy and thief were revealed? This brute might execute her on the spot.
As long as her cover held, she still had a chance to escape. For now, her only option was to play Tian Zimei perfectly.
After half an hour of driving, the car pulled into an upscale villa district in the city center. Qin Xiu opened the door and said simply, "Get out."
Tang Lingyi stepped out and found herself facing an ornate gate. Beyond it stood a mansion that looked like a castle—immediately capturing her attention.
Qin Xiu strode inside, and Tang Lingyi hurried after him.
Inside the estate, meticulously landscaped gardens, a square open-air swimming pool, and peach trees in full pink bloom greeted her eyes. While marveling at the beauty, she couldn't help but wonder:
Is this really his house?
It's enormous!
She half-joked to herself that one could easily get lost just walking around this place. The winding paths alone were making her dizzy—proof of just how vast the estate truly was.
After several turns, Qin Xiu led her to the castle-like villa.
"After I 'died,' you never came back here, did you?" Qin Xiu stood at the entrance, gazing at the old couplets still hanging on the door from last year, his voice distant.
Outwardly composed, he was inwardly stirred. Returning to the home he'd once shared with Tian Zimei—their marital house—unlocked emotions he thought he'd buried long ago.
People often believe they've moved on from a past love… until it reappears before them, revealing just how far from "over it" they really are.
"Ah… um… yeah…" Tang Lingyi mumbled vaguely, unsure what to say.
"Come in," Qin Xiu said calmly after a deep breath, pushing the door open.
Tang Lingyi didn't want to go in—but glancing back at the hulking, menacing bodyguards behind her, she shrank her neck and followed him inside.
At this point, escape was impossible. She'd just have to take things one step at a time.
Honestly, her luck was terrible. If she'd run into Tian Zimei's father or someone else from the family, she might've bluffed her way out. But no—she had to bump into Qin Xiu, the one person who clearly had a vendetta against Tian Zimei. Now she was stuck carrying this black pot, suffering in silence like a mute eating bitter melon—bitterness she couldn't even voice.
Inside, Qin Xiu settled onto an ornate European-style sofa in the living room and gestured for Tang Lingyi to sit across from him.
"Qing'er," he said with a gentle smile, though his eyes held a shadowy glint, "be honest—do you fear me right now?"
Tang Lingyi swallowed. "A… a little."
She was playing the role: as Tian Zimei—the wife recently exposed for infidelity—saying she wasn't afraid at all would sound fake. But since he was still her husband, a close person, she couldn't say she was "terrified" either. So "a little" felt just right.
Besides, she was genuinely a bit scared—not of him as a husband, but of him discovering her true identity and handing her over to the police. Her actions clearly constituted theft; even if no major damage had been done yet, she could still face ten to fifteen days in detention.
Qin Xiu chuckled softly. He rose, walked behind her, and gently ran his fingers through her hair. "Don't worry. I won't kill you."
In truth, Tian Zimei had pushed him out of an airplane at 10,000 meters, leaving him gravely injured in the desert. He'd survived only through sheer will, wandering the wilderness before being dragged into a warzone. At first, he'd sworn to return and kill her—the treacherous woman who'd tried to end his life.
But during the war, he'd witnessed beautiful buildings reduced to rubble in seconds. He'd heard mothers wailing over their dead children in the ruins. He'd seen soldiers charging fearlessly into gunfire, shouting slogans he couldn't understand.
Those experiences taught him both the brutality of war and the preciousness of life. Though he'd killed in combat—because in war, it was kill or be killed—he'd made a vow upon returning: never again would he take a life willingly.
After much soul-searching, he'd decided to show mercy—to spare Tian Zimei one last time.
From Qin Xiu's perspective, this was an act of extraordinary leniency. But Tang Lingyi, lacking his context, shivered violently at his words.
Wait—Tian Zimei's affair had escalated to *life-or-death* stakes?! This man is absolutely unhinged!
Combined with his earlier rough handling, Tang Lingyi was now convinced: Qin Xiu was the textbook "polite in public, monstrous at home" abuser—the kind who gets off on his wife's screams.
No wonder Tian Zimei cheated.
Cheated? Good! Cheat harder! Cheat like your life depends on it!
Seeing Tang Lingyi's stunned expression, Qin Xiu continued, "Don't look so relieved. I won't kill you—but I won't let this go either. So I've come up with a punishment that's… dignified for both of us."
"What kind of punishment?" Tang Lingyi asked, a bad feeling creeping up her spine.
Qin Xiu's lips curled into a faint smile. He leaned in slightly and spoke slowly, deliberately:
"I'm going to make you spend the rest of your life here."