C5 Check the Room

Being one of the richest men in the country, Gu Tianqi practically owned the A City. In fact, some may even refer to him as their King. No one would dare challenge him, not even the mayor. Who the hell was she to even think of going against him? To him, she was just an ant ready to be squashed.

The hairs rose at the back of her neck as Du Xiaoxiao struggled to stay calm. Gosh, what the hell was she thinking?

"You're the one who provoked me, yet you're the one who wants to leave," he said snidely, taking another step forward. "You're only looking to destroy yourself–you should know that."

Her face turned ugly. "What the heck do you want?"

Just as he was about to say anything, a knock came from the door. The waiter's voice echoed from the other side of the room. "CEO Gu, I'm so sorry for the intrusion, but I just want to let you know that the police are patrolling the parameter. We're sorry for any disturbance they'd make."

A burst of hope exploded in her chest. "The police are outside," she warned. "I'll tell them about what you've done."

His lips curled into an imperceptible smile. "You want to take this as a chance to escape?" Cocking up an eyebrow, he motioned to the door. "Fine, try it out. Let's see if they'll listen to you or to me."

Would they believe her?

Her heart raced in her chest.

It was probably impossible...

No matter what she thought of it, she just couldn't do it!

Besides, she knew the entertainment industry after being in the business for years. She knew plenty of things about the men and women she had reported on, so she shouldn't be naive to think that they'd trust her over him.

After all, the man standing in front of her was the type of man who would have girls falling at their feet! Who'd believe someone like her? Not only that, but he even had proof that she has been following him for more than two weeks! If she were to look for the police, then they'd just assume she was doing things on purpose.

Her fingernails dug deeper into her palm.

She didn't need to be smart to know exactly how helpless she was in this scenario.

Closing her eyes, she didn't have to do anything but to swallow her anger and accept her fate.

Fighting someone as capable as Gu Tianqi wouldn't bode well for her. She still had a brother she needed to think about. If she caused any trouble and lost her job, they'd both be done for.

When she finally opened her eyes, the glint in them had long since disappeared.

"Fine, you win," she stated. Her voice had already dulled into monotone. "As long as you pretend nothing happened and let me go, I won't say anything and continue with my life. Do we have a deal?"

She was the one who had brought this onto herself in the first place.

His lips curved into a threatening smile. There was something about him that would make any woman step back and any man crouch in fear. Yet, she couldn't be bothered. "Now, why would I forgot all of this?" he asked mockingly. "Besides, we're not even done here yet."

She froze. "What do you mean? What are you going to do?"

What else did he want from her?

"If you hadn't thrown your scraps of paper at me, I would've forgiven you...but now..." His eyes glinted. "You're pretty courageous, I'll give you that, so why don't I give you something you wouldn't forget?"

Just then, he opened the door. Although he was only wearing a bathrobe, he didn't look the slightest bit embarrassed. Du Xiaoxiao, however, ducked her head.

The policemen immediately saluted. "Young Master Gu, we apologize for any disturbance we've caused," one of them said as he stood in attention. "There's been an order by the higher-ups to patrol the hotel. Don't worry, we won't be checking your room."

He widened the door. "That's fine. You're only doing your work."

The uniformed men didn't go in. However, they did peer through the door, only to see a young woman ducking behind him. "It seems we interrupted your night with your girlfriend," one of them said. "We won't disturb you–"

"Oh, that won't be a problem, because this lady isn't my girlfriend."

Du Xiaoxiao froze.

What was he trying to do?

The policeman frowned. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

Despite her resistance, Gu Tianqi tugged her by the arm and pushed her towards the guards. "This lady decided to make an illegal deal with me," he stated. "Do bring her back and teach her a lesson."

Her hands were shaking.

What nonsense was this?

She paled. Not knowing what to say, she waved her hands up in the air. "I–he raped me! He was the one who–"

"Come with us." They didn't even listen to her words as they dragged her out of the room.

"Gu Tianqi!" she roared, struggling under their hold. "I hope that you'll get killed, you bastard! He raped me! He fucking raped me!"

Gu Tianqi simply waved his hand at Du Xiaoxiao's roaring figure as if she were just another girl on the street. Once she disappeared, he turned around and closed the door behind him, sweeping the money off the bed. There was a faint lavender scent on the bed, and he closed his eyes in appreciation.

There was just something more peaceful about this night than any nights he spent here.

Even his anger had long since dissipated.

It was obviously time to punish this woman. After all, who even asked her to misinterpret his good intentions?

He only wanted to make her live a better life.

After all, upon looking at her body, he could tell that she wasn't the healthiest she'd been in years. What was she even eating?

Her body was so thin that he could feel the bones sticking out of her skin! Was she malnourished?

Yet, there was something so delicate about her skin.

"How did she even maintain that appearance?" he murmured to himself, twisting and turning on his bed. Something stirred in his stomach, but he couldn't tell what it was.

Glancing up, he let his hand grazed over the hundred-yuan bill right beside him.

A thought flashed in his mind, and he immediately flicked it away. No, there was no way he was going to be thinking about her tonight. She deserved what she got, that was all he needed to say.

Tonight was the end.

As soon as his eyes closed, Gu Tianqi didn't think of anything else.

Du Xiaoxiao, however, wanted to cry her eyes out. No matter how many times her fingers tapped against the hard wood, she couldn't find it in herself to drown the voice in his mind. Her body was still trembling from the aftermath.

She didn't expect that she'd be brought to the police station to make a statement. Fuck!

Despite this, she still didn't give up.

"I've never propositioned him. He was the one who forced me!" she protested at the female officer. Slamming her hands onto the table, she leaned in just a little bit closer. "Why won't you believe me?"

After five hours in the station, her voice had already become hoarse and her gaze had become hallow. In the end, she didn't even know whether or not silence would benefit her more.

She had never thought that she'd be locked up in a station like this.

Her hands clenched.

The female officer gazed at Du Xiaoxiao's pale face. At first, she was harsh in interrogating her, but after seeing how stubborn she was, a part of her believed the young woman. Suppressing a sigh, she looked away.

"I'll be honest. There have been many girls like you who came here to issue a statement, but you know how things are in this world. He's the richest guy in the city. Even if you want to say anything, who'd believe you?" The officer shook her head. "Look, just accept your fate and have someone bail you out. I'm sure he's only teaching you a lesson. If someone bails you out, you can even get a good night's sleep. What do you say?"

That was it? Her jaw clenched in disbelief.