Chapter 14: Keep Running

“Mommy, what’s wrong? What happened?”

Just then, Moba spotted Mommy still inside after such a long time. He peeked in, and seeing her face twisted with fury, his little brows instantly knitted together like a tiny storm cloud.

Was it that bastard again? Was he hurting Mommy once more?

“Nothing, nothing at all, Momo,” Wen Xuxu crouched down to his level, forcing a calm smile she didn’t feel. “I just… I need to talk to you about something. Do you and your sister want to go stay with Auntie Grandma?”

The situation had spiraled too far to run from now. She couldn’t avoid it any longer. The next step—she had to face *him*. She had to get Zhong Wan out.

But what about the kids?

She couldn’t take them both. Couldn’t leave them behind either. That would be too dangerous. With a man like him—cunning, ruthless—there was no way to rule out the possibility they’d be found.

So the only choice left? Split up. Send the children back home first.

Moba tilted his head, his moon-shaped eyes wide and curious. “Go stay with Auntie Grandma? You mean… go back to China? Can you come too, Mommy?”

“Yeah, I’ll come back too,” she said gently. “But I might be a little late. I’ll have someone send you and your sister back first, okay?”

“Okay! Then you come soon, promise?”

Moba was surprisingly easygoing. Hearing he could go back home, he nodded without hesitation.

Wen Xuxu wasted no time. She booked their flights immediately, then reached out to another trusted friend to meet them at the airport and make sure they were settled safely.

Thirty minutes later, at a remote dock on the edge of town.

Panting from the frantic drive, Wen Xuxu finally spotted her—Zhong Wan, hanging by her wrists from the ship’s deck, struggling wildly, screaming in terror.

*That fucking monster.*

She was furious—so angry her temples throbbed. Without a second thought, she burst from the car and sprinted toward the boat.

“Huo Sijue! You son of a bitch! Let her go right now! Are you insane? If you wanted me, *take me*—why are you torturing her? Just let her go!”

Her blood boiled. If she’d had a knife in her hand, she’d have plunged it straight into that man’s chest.

After shouting several times, the bastard finally showed up.

It was freezing. Wind howled across the sea like knives slicing through skin. The woman dangling outside screamed again and again, raw and broken. But there, standing calmly on the deck, was the monster himself—sipping red wine from a crystal glass.

He wore a dark suit, crisp white shirt perfectly ironed, every detail exuding cold elegance. He lounged in a chair set up by his men, one leg crossed over the other, posture relaxed, eyes half-lidded as he turned to look at her.

“You finally decided to show up.”

Silence.

Wen Xuxu took a deep breath, clenching her fists to keep her rage under control.

“You release her. You said you wanted me to come back with you. Fine—I’m here. I’ll go.”

“So eager? No games?”

She closed her eyes tightly, jaw clenched. *Don’t react. Don’t give him the satisfaction. Anyone who fights back is an idiot.*

A few minutes later, Zhong Wan was lowered to the deck. Wen Xuxu stepped aboard.

“Nancy… I’m so sorry…”
Zhong Wan collapsed into her arms, sobbing uncontrollably, her wrists swollen and bruised, trembling all over.

“It’s okay,” Wen Xuxu whispered, holding her close, patting her back. “You don’t owe me an apology. *I* should be the one saying sorry.”

Zhong Wan stared blankly.

After a long silence, still shivering, she finally looked past Wen Xuxu—toward the man standing behind her—and whispered hoarsely, voice cracked with fear:

“Who… *who* are they? Nancy… what kind of trouble did you get into? Where are they taking you?”

She cared deeply. They’d been friends for years.

But Wen Xuxu couldn’t tell her the truth—not now. Her greatest hope was to protect everyone else from this nightmare.

She signaled for someone to take Zhong Wan away. Then she stood alone on the deck, staring at the man before her—calm, unreadable, eyes like frozen winter snow. Not a flicker of warmth. Not even a hint of emotion.

But beneath the surface, hatred burned—icy, relentless.

Did she hate him?

The man with the crimson-rimmed eyes narrowed slightly, swirling his wine.

“You don’t have to glare at me like that. I told you—I’m taking you back to face justice. Even if you’re dead, I’ll drag your corpse back with me.”

“Justice? Huo Sijue, honestly, sometimes I wonder—after all this effort to bring me back, aren’t you afraid I’ll ruin your perfect little romance? Don’t forget—your love story was *hard-won*, wasn’t it?”

Wen Xuxu scoffed, sharp and bitter.