Chapter 417: Lock Them Up

Chapter 417: Lock Them Up

The report from his subordinate interrupted Mu Bai’s twisted pleasure. With a wave of his hand, he signaled Vulture and the others to stand down.

The three understood at once and didn’t make any further moves toward Zuoqiu Chenyu.

She instinctively let out a soft breath of relief, though her nerves remained taut. At this point, it was clear—she had walked straight into the wolf’s den. Things might seem calm now, but once Mu Bai was done with the rich kid, her own turn would come.

“Bring that rich second gen to me,” Mu Bai’s voice was low and cold, like ice splintering in the dark.

He was far more eager to settle the score with Wang Haoran than to play with Zuoqiu Chenyu.

The subordinate nodded and withdrew.

A few minutes later, Wild Ox, the hulking brute with dark skin and a towering frame, pushed Wang Haoran into the bedroom.

“Why is it you?!” Zuoqiu Chenyu gasped, her eyes widening as she stared at him.

Wang Haoran blinked, momentarily surprised himself. Of all places to run into her—he hadn’t expected it to be here.

But when he took in her tense posture, the way she was surrounded by Mu Bai’s henchmen, their eyes filled with unspoken menace, he understood at once that she wasn’t with them.

With the situation clear, Wang Haoran frowned.

His original plan had been simple: take out Mu Bai and all his goons in one sweep, clean the scene, and disappear without leaving any trace. But with Zuoqiu Chenyu here, that plan suddenly became risky.

From the moment he stepped into the estate, he counted at least twenty to thirty armed men lurking throughout. Wiping them all out wasn’t impossible, but risky.

Worse yet, Zuoqiu Chenyu only had a Favorability of 30 toward him. Even with the poison restriction in place, there was no guarantee she wouldn’t run her mouth after the fact.

He’d either have to silence her forever or change his approach. But she was a female lead. Killing her would be such a waste.

With that in mind, Wang Haoran adjusted his strategy. He looked over at her and asked, “What are you doing here?”

“These psychos came out of nowhere, smashed up my place, and dragged me here.” When she said the word “invited,” the bitterness in her voice couldn’t be missed.

Wang Haoran picked up on it immediately and frowned deeper. “Why didn’t you contact me?”

“You think that’d help? Weren’t you caught, too?” she shot back with a sneer.

“Watch your tone when you talk to me,” he warned her calmly.

“You’re not in a position to boss me around. If you’re still thinking of using that antidote threat, don’t bother. If we die here today, we’ll be ghosts together. You think I’ll be scared of you then?”

Zuoqiu Chenyu had long since prepared herself for the worst. Even if he handed over the antidote now, what good would it do?

She sure as hell wasn’t going to strip for anyone just to live.

If it came to it, she’d rather die.

Her defiant resolve made Wang Haoran chuckle under his breath.

Across the room, Mu Bai watched their exchange with growing rage. This bastard had the nerve to stand there chatting like they were old friends?

“That night at the restaurant, you were the one who attacked me, weren’t you?” Mu Bai growled.

“Me? You must be mistaken. I’m just a freshman. I study hard, never fight, and have stellar conduct. Why would I sneak attack anyone?” Wang Haoran replied with mock innocence.

“I’ve already investigated. There’s no use lying,” Mu Bai snapped.

“Then what do you want to do?” Wang Haoran asked calmly.

“I’ll let you choose. How do you want to die?” Mu Bai’s voice turned ice cold.

“Don’t be reckless. I’ve already called the police,” Wang Haoran said casually.

Mu Bai narrowed his eyes and turned toward Wild Ox.

“No way. I confiscated his phone the moment he got in the van,” Wild Ox explained, reaching into his pocket to pull it out—only to find it empty.

He patted himself down, a frown forming. “Must’ve dropped it in the van.”

Bzzz… Bzzz…

The faint vibration of a phone broke the silence.

Everyone turned to stare.

The sound came from Wang Haoran’s body.

Mu Bai’s expression darkened. Sure enough, he had a second phone.

Wang Haoran answered the call, putting it on speaker. A sweet, slightly anxious voice filled the room.

“We’re both here already. Where are you?” Qiu Qianwei sounded flustered and concerned.

“I’ll be there soon. Wait for me,” Wang Haoran replied gently, then hung up.

Mu Bai’s glare swung back to Wild Ox, full of fury.

“I swear I confiscated his phone! He must have two!” Wild Ox cried out, fumbling to turn off the one he’d taken and stash it in his bag.

But even with that, Mu Bai’s fury didn’t subside.

“This guy really did call the cops,” Vulture muttered.

“Lock them in the basement. Once we’re sure no one’s coming, we’ll deal with them,” Mu Bai ordered after a moment’s thought.

Zuoqiu Chenyu’s eyes lit up. She glanced at Wang Haoran, signaling frantically.

If they coordinated just right, maybe they could seize Mu Bai as a hostage. That would force the others to back off and buy them enough time for the authorities to arrive.

She blinked over and over again, trying to get her point across.

But Wang Haoran didn’t even flinch.

Vulture stepped forward, pulled out a thick rope, and bound both of them by the wrists. Then he led them down a corridor, shoved them into a secret room, and locked the door tight.

Now it was just the two of them.

Zuoqiu Chenyu spun on him, fuming. “What the hell is wrong with you? Are you slow or just gutless? That was the perfect chance! If we’d just grabbed Mu Bai together, we’d be free the moment the cops showed up!”

“You really thought I called the cops?” Wang Haoran chuckled.

Zuoqiu Chenyu’s face fell. She slumped down against the wall with a hollow sigh. “So we’re screwed.”

“You don’t want to die?” he asked.

“What kind of stupid question is that? Of course I don’t. I haven’t even gotten married yet. I’ve never even experienced what it means to be a real woman. Of course, I don’t want to die,” she huffed.

“Say you had a way to live, but the price was giving yourself completely—mind and body—to some rich guy. Would you do it?” Wang Haoran asked.

Zuoqiu Chenyu thought for a moment, then replied, “Depends. Is he good-looking? Got a nice body?”

“What about someone like me?” Wang Haoran raised his arms as best he could and tugged his shirt upward, revealing the perfect symmetry of his eight-pack abs.

Her eyes widened. Her heart skipped a beat. She hadn’t noticed before, but now that she saw his physique—tight muscles, powerful definition—she couldn’t look away.

She stared longer than she should have.

Her cheeks flushed red.

【Ding. Female lead Zuoqiu Chenyu’s Favorability toward Host +10. Current Favorability: 40 (Very Friendly)】