Chapter 3

Then he turned to the people beside him, his voice cold enough to freeze the air.

“Have you finished investigating?”

A man who looked like an assistant hurried forward.

“President Huo, we have. After Miss Xiangyi was taken away, Shen Wanjun locked the eldest young lady—who is pregnant—in the basement.”

“The Shen family is holding a birthday banquet for Shen Jingze right now. I heard… he’s planning to announce to everyone that Shen Jingze will be his heir.”

My uncle’s expression turned icy, his lips pressed into a hard line.

“Shen. Wanjun.”

“If he enjoys making a spectacle so much, I’ll give him a grand present—one he’ll remember for the rest of his life.”

At that moment, the Shen family’s banquet hall blazed with light.

Chen Meiyi stood with her arm linked through my father’s, smiling in smug delight.

Shen Jingze sat in the seat of honor. His leg was still bandaged, but there was no trace of last night’s pain on his face—only unbridled self-satisfaction.

The party was at its height. Everyone was about to raise their glasses in celebration when the Shen family’s main doors were suddenly shoved open.

Several uniformed police officers strode inside.

The officer at the front held up his badge. His voice rang over the music.

“Shen Wanjun and Chen Meiyi, you are suspected of unlawful confinement and attempted trafficking of a minor. Please come with us.”

The hall erupted in commotion.

Chen Meiyi’s wineglass slipped from her hand and shattered on the floor.

My father, Shen Wanjun, stared blankly for a moment.

“Officers, there must be some misunderstanding. It’s my son’s birthday today. Please show us some consideration. Whatever this is, we can discuss it privately.”

The lead officer looked at him without expression. There was no room for negotiation in his tone.

“Whether there’s been a misunderstanding or not, you’ll find out when you come with us.”

Gasps rippled through the banquet hall.

The well-dressed members of high society exchanged glances. Whispers swept through the crowd like a rising tide.

My father’s expression finally changed.

He glanced back at Chen Meiyi, then at Shen Jingze, who was sitting there in a daze. He shook his head.

“Officers, you’ve got the wrong people. My wife is at home, safely pregnant. How could she have been confined?”

“And attempted trafficking? That’s ridiculous. My son is perfectly fine—he’s right here…”

The police officer cut him off.

“I’m asking about your eldest daughter.”

“Shen Xiangyi.”

My father’s face went white in an instant.

I stood outside the main entrance, my uncle’s hand resting on my shoulder.

He lowered his head, looking at the scrapes on my face and the rope marks around my wrists. His gaze was as cold as a winter lake.

“Let’s go in,” he said.

“Let him see for himself that you’re back.”

I nodded and followed him over the threshold into the banquet hall.

The officers stepped aside to let us through. My footsteps were soft, yet each one echoed distinctly through the stunned silence.

Every eye in the room turned toward us.

Someone recognized my uncle and whispered,

“Is that Huo Yanshen of the Huo family? Why has he come back?”

The moment my father saw me, his pupils contracted.

He must never have imagined I would appear again—much less with the head of the Huo family standing beside me.

Chen Meiyi’s lips quivered. She instinctively stepped backward.

“Xiangyi…”

My father’s voice went unsteady. He forced out a stiff smile.

“Why are you back, Xiangyi? I was sending people to look for you…”

I looked at him and smiled, too.

It must have been a cold smile, because the one on his face froze.

“Oh?” I tilted my head. “Were you looking for me so you could let the reform-center staff keep beating me? Or so the traffickers could hurry up and sell me off to some mountain village?”

The entire hall erupted.

The guests’ expressions were a spectacle. Some covered their mouths; others leaned close to whisper.

My father’s face flushed a dark, liverish red.

He strode toward me and lowered his voice, practically grinding his teeth.

“Xiangyi, stop making a scene. Whatever this is, we can settle it in private.”

“In private?”

My voice wasn’t loud, but everyone could hear every word.

“Last time, you covered for your illegitimate son after he poured oil outside my mother’s bedroom. When the truth came out, you also wanted to settle it in private.”

“And what happened? You promised to send your mistress away, then turned right around and threw a birthday party for her illegitimate son.”

At last, Shen Jingze jumped down from the seat of honor.

He limped toward me on his still-healing leg, his face twisted with fury.

“Shen Xiangyi, shut up! You’re making things up!”

I looked at him and slowly raised my hand, pointing at the enormous screen on the banquet-hall wall: