C9 The Shame

Shi Xuerong knew Ruan Ruan better than anyone else. Ruan Ruan's face was an open book when it came to her emotions. Initially, Shi Xuerong had befriended her, drawn to her straightforward nature. However, once she fell for Yuh Jinnian and learned he was pursuing Ruan Ruan, envy consumed her.

From that point on, Shi Xuerong never again saw Ruan Ruan as a friend. She took pleasure in seeing Ruan Ruan embarrass herself, believing that those of low status should live accordingly. She knew she could never live the lofty life they did.

"Is anyone home?" Shi Xuerong inquired.

Startled, Ruan Ruan wondered how she could know. Hastily, she shook her head, denying anyone was there.

Shi Xuerong brushed past her and entered. Ruan Ruan retreated several steps, attempting to pull Shi Xuerong back. Shi Xuerong had always been assertive, doing as she pleased. Ruan Ruan once admired her candor, but now she saw Shi Xuerong's behavior as nothing but impolite.

Dan Hengmo was seated on the sofa, engrossed in the television, ignoring Shi Xuerong as if she were invisible.

"Ruan Ruan, have you taken to hiding your lovers now? Which bar did you find him in?" Shi Xuerong was taken aback upon laying eyes on Dan Hengmo. His features were sculpted with precision, and in his silence, he resembled a noble from a medieval painting, each gesture exuding grace.

Yet Shi Xuerong refused to believe he was wealthy or aristocratic. In her eyes, both Dan Hengmo and Ruan Ruan were nothing but contemptible, far from the nobility they claimed.

Dan Hengmo caught the insinuation in her words, but before he could react, Ruan Ruan retorted, "To the eye of the beholder, everything looks like filth. I wouldn't expect anything pleasant to come from your foul mouth. It's too repulsive."

Shi Xuerong was well aware that Ruan Ruan wasn't one to be pushed around. Though she typically avoided conflict, once she took a dislike to someone, Ruan Ruan could be exceptionally spiteful, unafraid to unleash her venomous words.

"You're nothing but trash discarded by Yuh Jinnian. Talking to someone like you, I fear I might sully my own mouth," Shi Xuerong spat out furiously.

Ruan Ruan let out a cold laugh and retorted, "Let's get one thing straight: it was I who dumped Yuh Jinnian, not the other way around. You're just scavenging through the garbage. Maybe you should take the time to clean your mouth, considering how foul it is. Wouldn't want to pollute the air around others, would we?" Ruan Ruan was no stranger to online battles. Shi Xuerong, who prided herself on her ladylike demeanor, was no match for Ruan Ruan's biting comebacks.

Ruan Ruan vividly recalled the time when Shi Xuerong first rose to fame, and rumors swirled online about her having plastic surgery and being someone's mistress. She was slandered left and right. Incensed, Ruan Ruan took to the internet to defend her, but even with the army of trolls, they couldn't outmatch her.

Dan Hengmo observed Ruan Ruan, who was now in full attack mode. In his presence, she had always been as meek as a rabbit, but now her true spiky nature was coming to light.

Shi Xuerong, at a loss for words and boiling with rage, pointed at Dan Hengmo, who was nonchalantly watching the drama unfold from the sofa, and sneered, "Ruan Ruan, even without Yuh Jinnian, you'll resort to finding a gigolo. But then again, who else would have you but them?" Shi Xuerong had always had a penchant for demeaning others to elevate her own status.

Ruan Ruan wondered how she had ever missed that side of her.

Dan Hengmo's eyes were a deep abyss, with a glint of blood-red lurking within, reminiscent of a predator fixated on its prey.

"Miss Shi seems to know quite a bit about the business. Is it from personal experience, or just hearsay?" Neither Ruan Ruan nor Shi Xuerong noticed the predatory gleam in Dan Hengmo's eyes.

A flash of silver, and a knife grazed Shi Xuerong's face, drawing blood that trickled down.

In the blink of an eye, Shi Xuerong's face bore additional scars.

Dan Hengmo refrained from dealing a fatal blow to Shi Xuerong. His movements were stealthy; if he had killed her, it would have triggered an investigation. That would put Ruan Ruan in danger, and he would be forced to reveal his true identity.

Shi Xuerong's arrogance would soon be a thing of the past. He was determined to show her what it meant to be humbled to the dust, to be scorned, and to be trapped between life and death, unable to find solace in either.

Ruan Ruan instinctively rushed to check on Shi Xuerong's injury. As Shi Xuerong inspected the gash on her face through her phone's camera, she let out a scream. Being an actress, such a deep wound was a disaster. How could she possibly face the camera now?

"Shut up," Dan Hengmo commanded icily, his presence like that of a grim reaper. Those who defied his orders had only one fate: death.

Ruan Ruan looked at him, fear creeping into her heart. She had nearly forgotten that he was a merciless demon who killed without hesitation.

Hatred filled Shi Xuerong's eyes as she glared at Dan Hengmo. Her face was her everything; without it, how could she survive in the cutthroat world of show business? And without her beauty, what chance did she have to stay with Yuh Jinnian? After all, he had admitted that he was with her only for her looks and her status.

"You'll regret this, I'll sue you!" Shi Xuerong yelled defiantly at Dan Hengmo.

No sooner had she spoken than a silver flash cut through the air, and a small silver knife embedded itself in the wall behind her, its blade etched with an 'X'.

"Forget today's events, or else..." Dan Hengmo toyed with another small knife, seemingly having an endless supply at his disposal.

Shi Xuerong, accustomed to the privileges of a pampered heiress, was not about to back down, especially not to someone she deemed beneath her.

"I'm warning you, my father is..." she started, but another knife flew by, narrowly missing her blood vessels. Realizing she was outmatched, she clamped her mouth shut, shot Ruan Ruan a venomous look, and fled.

Ruan Ruan's legs had turned to jelly from fear. As a decent young person from a peaceful era, she was unaccustomed to such violence. If Dan Hengmo's aim had been slightly more precise, Shi Xuerong would have been more than just injured.

"Are you scared?" Dan Hengmo asked, his annoyance evident at Ruan Ruan's fear. Why should she fear him? He would slaughter the world before letting harm come to her. What was there to fear?

Dan Hengmo couldn't possibly understand; after all, he and Ruan Ruan came from different worlds.

Ruan Ruan quickly shook her head and said, "I get dizzy at the sight of blood." She wondered if admitting her fear would lead him to kill her on the spot.

"Really?" Dan Hengmo scoffed. If she were truly prone to fainting, she wouldn't have saved that corpse—a corpse drenched in blood, as if it had been bathed in it.

Ruan Ruan let out a nervous chuckle and slowly slid down against the wall. It wasn't just fear; it was terror. Do you understand? It was a million times worse than mere fear.

Ruan Ruan realized she was sitting on something and pulled out a bright red wedding invitation. The gilded characters for "wedding" were strikingly bright.

She recalled Yuh Jinnian once asking her about her preferred style for a wedding invitation. She had said she liked them with big red and gold "wedding" characters—she had a fondness for that kind of common but festive style, feeling it was the only way to truly bring about a celebratory atmosphere.

Opening the invitation, she saw the wedding photo of Yuh Jinnian and Shi Xuerong. Yuh Jinnian was stoic, while Shi Xuerong beamed radiantly. They were indeed a handsome couple.

Ruan Ruan was still puzzled about Shi Xuerong's reason for seeking her out, only to realize that Shi Xuerong had come to deliver the wedding invitation.