Chapter 10 - One Night With Him

Zhou Renxiong—isn't he a gangster? Mom, we should stay away from someone like him," Mu Nuanxin said, her brows furrowed tightly in disapproval. "I know, Nuanxin… but I have no other choice," Yang Peijie's voice trembled with helplessness. "You yourself said your father is innocent—we can't just watch him die wrongfully! Zhou Renxiong sent someone to our house today and said…" " Said what?" A sense of foreboding settled over Mu Nuanxin; she knew whatever came next would not be good. "He said… he said if you agree to spend one night with him, he will help get your father out of this mess," Yang Peijie confessed, her head hanging in guilt, unable to meet her daughter's bright, earnest eyes. Mu Nuanxin's breath caught in her throat. She stared at her mother in disbelief, her face draining of all color, turning as pale as a sheet of paper. The "solution" her mother had spoken of was to make her sleep with a man twenty years her senior—how could she even fathom such a thing? "Nuanxin, Mom knows this is unfair to you, but we really have no other way," Yang Peijie sobbed, covering her lips with trembling hands. "Do you really have the heart to watch your father die? That one hundred million yuan debt—if we can't pay it back, your father will be sentenced to death for sure." Mu Nuanxin sat rigidly on the sofa, her gaze fixed on the woman weeping bitterly in front of her. After a long, heavy silence, she finally spoke, her voice hoarse yet steady: "Mom, stop crying. I'll do it." Yang Peijie's sobs abruptly stopped. She猛地 turned to her daughter, her eyes glistening with hope, as if she had finally glimpsed a ray of light in the endless darkness. That weekend, Mu Nuanxin had a rare two days of rest at home. Mu Qiqi had gone to a classmate's house to do homework, leaving her alone in the quiet, empty room. She took off her top, carefully undoing the hasty bandage she had applied days earlier. Glancing at her reflection in the mirror, she frowned at the sight of the shocking knife wound—originally not severe, but neglect and accidental water exposure during bathing had caused it to fester, the edges red and inflamed, oozing a faint, unpleasant fluid. "Nuanxin! Mr. Zhou's men are here!" Yang Peijie's voice called from outside the door, laced with nervousness. "I know, Mom. Give me a minute—I'm getting changed," Mu Nuanxin replied, quickly cleaning and rebandaging the wound before pulling on a simple T-shirt, hastily crumpling the blood-stained bandages and tossing them under the bed, as if hiding a shameful secret. When she opened the door, Yang Peijie walked in with a warm, forced smile, holding a deep purple box adorned with two delicate, shimmering ribbons. "Mom, what's this?" Mu Nuanxin frowned, staring at the box her mother carefully placed on the bed. "This was sent by Mr. Zhou himself," Yang Peijie said, her eyes softening with a faint glimmer of hope. "Look how kind he is to you, Nuanxin." "Mom, we can't accept his gifts. I have clothes of my own," Mu Nuanxin protested instinctively, a surge of resistance welling up inside her. Yang Peijie's smile faded instantly. She stepped closer to her daughter, gently tucking a strand of loose hair behind her ear, her voice heavy with guilt and urgency: "Nuanxin, Mom knows this is cruel to you, but for your father's sake, can you just endure it a little longer? If you defy him now, it will be your father who suffers the consequences." A sharp ache tightened in Mu Nuanxin's chest. She knew she had no choice—she could not risk her father's life for her own pride. With a heavy heart, she nodded: "Mom, I understand. I'll change right away." Yang Peijie finally breathed a sigh of relief, patting her daughter's shoulder before quietly leaving the room, as if afraid to disturb the fragile resolve in her eyes. Mu Nuanxin unfolded the contents of the box—a pure white off-the-shoulder long dress. The soft, lightweight fabric clung gently to her figure, revealing her delicate collarbones like half-hidden jade. The hem of the dress sloped gracefully from high to low, teasing a glimpse of her slender, porcelain-like legs, while the edges were dotted with tiny, sparkling diamonds that glinted like dewdrops catching the light, casting a faint, ethereal glow around her. As she slipped into the dress, she felt as if she were donning a cage of silk and diamonds—beautiful on the outside, yet suffocating within.