"AGH!!!"
Inside an abandoned factory, the agonizing, despair-filled scream of a young man echoed through the empty space.
He was tied to a chair, his body covered in wounds that looked like they were made by a whip. His body was filthy, disheveled, his hair a complete mess.
But the most horrifying thing was... his hand was strapped down onto a paper-cutting guillotine. The sharp iron blade had already been pressed down, severing his wrist from his hand. Fresh blood sprayed everywhere.
"AGH!!! It hurts! It hurts---stop! Please stop!!!" the young man screamed in absolute hopelessness.
Standing before him were four large, muscular men... and one sharply dressed young man with blond hair, wearing a mocking smile on his face.
"Rover..." the blond young man said, "I told you before---you should've stayed away from Yilin. But you didn't listen. This is the consequence."
Rover gritted his teeth. The pain was so intense that tears streamed down uncontrollably, sweat rolling down his face like falling beads.
Panting heavily, he hurriedly said, "You misunderstand---I... I only have a contractual marriage with her! I never touched her! I don't even intend to treat that marriage as real!"
The blond young man frowned. "Then why didn't you leave her?"
Rover sucked in a deep breath. The unbearable pain kept surging, making him want to scream again.
But he forced himself to continue: "The contract... still has one month left. If I leave early, she... she'll make me pay compensation. A lot of money."
"Huh!" The blond man snorted with contempt. "Do you think I'm a kid? Contract marriage? What is this, some cheap romance novel? The cold CEO marrying a broke guy and turning fake love into real love?"
"Hahahaha... hahahaha... Damn it! Yilin was originally mine! And you---" he pointed at Rover with disgust, "you're just a worthless piece of trash, a stray dog. Yet you dared to take the place that should've been mine."
Rover truly wanted to cry. Trembling, he said, "I'm telling the truth. One month later... I'll leave her for sure. I swear..."
"So you're still hoping she'll fall for you?" the blond man said coldly.
Rover felt so desperate he could collapse. He was telling the truth---why wouldn't this bastard believe him?
Of course Rover knew who this bastard was.
It was Alderic, Yilin's ex-boyfriend.
And who was Yilin? The wealthy woman who had signed a marriage contract with Rover three years ago.
If nothing went wrong, at the end of this month he could finally receive a huge sum of money, leave the country, and enjoy a luxurious life.
How could he have known that her ex-boyfriend would suddenly return, then use such extreme methods to tear him away from Yilin?
If Rover had known this day would come, even with ten lives he would've never signed that marriage contract in the first place.
Alderic took Rover's phone, used Rover's fingerprint to unlock it, and then called Yilin.
The phone rang for a long time. Just when it was about to time out, the call suddenly connected.
From the other side came a cold voice---cold like an iceberg drifting in a pitch-black ocean. Just hearing it made Rover's heart freeze.
"Rover? What is it?"
Rover opened his mouth, wanting to call for help---but when he saw Alderic's cruel, chilling smile, he immediately understood...
If he screamed even once, today would be the day he died.
Next year on this day would be his death anniversary.
Ah wait, no---he was an orphan. No one would bother holding a funeral or anniversary for him.
Because Rover didn't respond, Yilin sighed. Her voice held impatience. "Rover, I don't have time to play around. If there's nothing important, don't bother me."
Tit! Tit! Tit!
She hung up.
Rover hurriedly said, "You saw it. She doesn't care about me at all. There's nothing between us. We don't love each other."
"Please... just let me go. I promise... after one month, I'll leave her. I'll disappear from this country."
Alderic glanced at Rover's phone, then at Rover himself. The smile on his face turned even colder.
Rover shivered. The pain from his severed hand stabbed through his mind, forcing him to stay conscious. "Y-You... don't worry. I won't call the police. As long as I get the money, I'll leave this country and never return. You and her can live happily together."
"Even if I only have one hand left, I still have the other to flirt with girls. Losing a hand doesn't matter. Just... just let me go."
"Huh!" Alderic snorted. "Rover, she still seems to care about you."
Rover truly wanted to cry. In his heart he cursed: 'Care? The hell part of that sounded like caring?! Is there something wrong with your ears? Or is your brain scrambled, you psycho?'
For the past three years, he had basically been Yilin's loyal dog---good at housework, an all-round chef, and someone who memorized every preference she had so he could serve her well.
He didn't like her. He simply took her money---his professional ethics didn't allow him to slack off.
"You misunderstand, she---"
"Enough!" Alderic waved his hand, cutting Rover off.
At that moment, another man pushed a metal trolley over. On it were all kinds of tools---saws, pliers, drills, and more.
Rover's whole body trembled. He began struggling violently. "A-Alderic, what are you doing? Murder is illegal! You---you can't kill me!"
"Hahaha... hahahaha..." Alderic laughed maniacally. "Yes, murder is illegal---but only if those dumb cops know I killed you."
"W-What?!" Rover's face instantly turned pale. Terrified, he shouted, "Alderic, y-you... you can't do this!"
"Well then... I'll give you one more chance." Alderic smiled faintly, then placed Rover's remaining hand onto the guillotine paper cutter, gripping the blade's handle.
"If you can beg Yilin to save you---and succeed---I'll let you go. If not... hehehe..."
Hearing that cold, bone-chilling laugh, Rover shook uncontrollably. He nodded frantically, unable to think of anything else.
Alderic dialed Yilin again. The phone rang for a long time, and then---
Tit! Tit! Tit!
Hearing the disconnection, Rover felt his mind shattering. He hurriedly said, "I-I can try again. Maybe she's busy. Just give me---AGH!!!"
The blade dropped.
Rover's remaining hand was sliced off effortlessly.
His scream tore through the factory, echoing endlessly---so loud it felt like his throat would rip apart.
Alderic jerked his chin, signaling the man beside him to continue.
The man took out a syringe, preparing to inject Rover, but Alderic frowned. "What's that?"
"Anesthetic and painkillers," the man replied.
"Motherf---!" Alderic roared. "Are you stupid? We don't need that trash. Take all his organs out directly."
"Yes, sir!"
"No!" Rover shook his head wildly, his face ghostly pale. "You can't do this! Alderic---they'll catch you, the police will---"
"Hahaha... don't worry." Alderic pointed toward a massive industrial wood grinder in the distance, speaking with icy cruelty. "After we take all the usable organs from you, that machine will finish the rest."
"Do you know it can grind an entire human body into pieces smaller than two centimeters? You think the police can find your remains in dozens of tons of wood chips?"
Rover was utterly desperate. He struggled with all his strength, but in the end, he was dragged into a sealed room.
A moment later, his agonized screams erupted---echoing violently out of the room.
But only a few minutes later, the screams stopped.
What followed instead was the metallic clanging of tools, the whirring drill grinding into bone, the shrill screech of a saw cutting through flesh.
Alderic, now entirely calm, picked up the two severed hands he had chopped off earlier. He placed them neatly into a box, wrapped it like a gift, and even tied a beautiful ribbon on top.
He let out a cold, chilling laugh and murmured, "Yilin... I hope you enjoy this gift."
...
Inside a luxurious office, a black-haired woman sat behind a large desk. Her seductive figure was wrapped in an elegant business dress, her beauty breathtaking to the extreme---yet coated in a layer of frost, as if warning everyone not to come near her.
She glanced at her phone. No new calls from Rover. The last call was an hour ago.
Yilin picked up the phone, hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided not to call Rover back.
"Alright..." She leaned back in her chair, gently massaging her temples. "Maybe I was a bit too cold to him earlier."
After thinking for a moment, she called her secretary. "Buy me the newest version of that watch. Yes, it's for Rover---get the most expensive one."
She hung up, exhaled softly, and her gaze landed on a framed photo on her desk.
It was a picture of her and Rover together. Rover smiled awkwardly, a little embarrassed, while Yilin maintained a perfectly cold, indifferent expression.
She stared at the photo and whispered, "Rover... once I finish this plan, from then on we can live happily together without worrying about anything."
"I... can make it up to you. Our marriage contract can become a real marriage. We'll have children---I'll give you three kids. After that..."
BAM! BAM! BAM!
"Director! You have a package!" the secretary's voice came from outside.
Yilin frowned, but after a moment, she relaxed. Only Rover ever sent her gifts, so she didn't think much of it.
"Come in."
Crack!
The door opened. The secretary came in with a small box, placing it gently on the desk. "Director, I couldn't find any sender name, so I---"
"That's fine." Yilin waved her hand, cutting her off. "You don't need to worry about it. Open it."
The secretary obeyed. She was used to opening packages from Rover---this had become routine.
She untied the ribbon carefully, revealing a wooden box beneath the wrapping paper.
She lifted the lid---
Her face instantly drained of all color.
Then---
"KYAA!!!"
The secretary screamed and collapsed onto the floor, trembling uncontrollably as tears poured down her cheeks.
"What's going on?!" Yilin was startled by the sudden scream. She stood up, confused, and looked toward the box.
The moment her eyes fell on what was inside, they widened to the extreme---so wide she looked frozen, unable even to scream.
Inside the box were two blood-stained hands, placed neatly side by side. But the most important detail was the ring on the ring finger of the left hand.
It was the custom ring Yilin had designed exclusively for Rover---one that existed nowhere else in the world.
The moment she saw it, she instantly knew whose hands they were.
A crushing wave of grief and despair swallowed her mind whole.
Then... darkness engulfed her vision.
"Director! Director!"