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**𝕵𝕴𝕬𝕹𝕲 𝖄𝖀𝕰: "𝕻𝖆𝖎𝖓."**
"So, I watched a foreign TV series, where a man tortured the person who killed his son." Jiang Yue said while looking at the men who were dealing with some electrical wires. "There he said that our hands and toes contain the most nerve endings in our body. That's why acupuncturists avoid touching these parts."
"I AM NOT INTERESTED IN THIS NONSENSE! Let me go now! Or else I will..."
"So noisy." Jiang Yue said nonchalantly before ordering one of her men. "Gag her."
At first, Wu Ziliang did her best not to let them open her mouth. Yet, she was powerless against them. She could only cry as she watched one of the man stuff the gag in her mouth.
"Hmmm! Hmmm! Hmmm!"
"It's all futile Miss Wu. I can't even understand you now." Jiang Yue said while smiling at her. "Now, where was I? Oh right nerve endings. Then, the man in the series said, that if you shove a needle into one's finger, it will cause severe pain. That kind of torture is so painful that it lowers your heart rate until you just can't feel the pain anymore. But I don't believe him. Severe pain doesn't lower your heart rate, Miss Wu, just elevates it. It increases your blood pressure, pulse rate, adrenaline and so on. But, I'm sure you must already know that, considering your background in medicine, right? Moreover, when we are in severe pain, our body tends to react. It tries to adapt to the pain, lessening the pain until we finally pass out. Ahhh...Passing out would be such a blessing when we experience pain. But what would happen, if we can't pass out? When someone prevents you from passing out?What do you think will happen to your body then?" Jiang Yue asked curiously. "I don't know the answer to that question, but I would like to find out about it."
Wu Ziliang instantly widened her eyes. She could already guess Jiang Yue's plans.
"By now...I assume you already know that I'm planning to stick these needles in your fingers, right? You should know that I am planning to make you experience so much pain that it would make you wish you were dead."
"Hmmm! Hmmm! Hmmm!"
"Mm, I agree. It would be very painful! And no, Miss Wu. I will not let you go! Not after what you have done to my family." She said before grinning at Wu Ziliang.
Noticing that the men had already finished with the preparations, Jiang Yue immediately asked one of them to connect the wires from the machine to Wu Ziliang's chair.
"As you must have noticed. You are sitting on a metal chair, so this should not be a surprise for you right?" She taunted.
Electrocution? Jiang Yue was going to electrocute her? Of course not, before giving her an unforgettable pain.
Every time Wu Ziliang's heart would weaken from too much pain, making her pass out, Jiang Yue would personally electrocute her, to wake her up. Then she would make her feel the pain all over again. It would be an endless circle of pain, endless agony. And this woman deserved it.
Jiang Yue stared at Wu Ziliang, her gaze unfathomable. Actually, she had never planned on killing this woman. She had only planned on torturing her by imprisoning her in a really remote dark room. No lights. No windows.
She thought it would be enough to punish her by making her crazier and starve her for days before giving her some food again. She thought that it would crumble Wu Ziliang, making her wish for her death. After all, there was nothing more frustrating than having someone control your life and death. However, after what Wu Ziliang had done to her cousin, Jiang Yue seemed to have realized something.
Her original plan for Wu Ziliang was just too simple, too kind. But after she almost killed her grandfather and Wang Minghua, after every sin that she had done just to satisfy her selfish heart, Jiang Yue couldn't be kind.
Although Jiang Yue knew that Wu Ziliang was mentally unstable, she still felt that her revenge was justified. After all, Wu Ziliang had committed several crimes.
Jiang Yue knew that in this life it was sometimes necessary to be ruthless to get things done. Sometimes, planning and analysing things is not enough. There will be situations where you really need to do the work, dirtying your hands in the process. One need to be courageous and fearless.
"Now that everything is set. Let us start by inserting a needle into one of her fingers." Jiang Yue commanded one of the men.
The man instantly followed Jiang Yue's orders and inserted a needle into Wu Ziliang's middle finger. Her muffled screams echoed inside the room as the 5-inch needle made its way into her nerve endings. Blood instantly dripped off her hand, some even dripping off the needle tip.
"Do you know that in that movie, the man inserted needles only in his captive's fingers? I find that too...boring!" Jiang Yue said, feeling elated as she watched Wu Ziliang's ashen expression. "So I have decided to include your toenails too! Isn't that...exciting?"
"Hmmm!Hmmm!" Wu Ziliang shook her head. Tears, sweat, snot already covered most of her face.
Sharp pain laced through her hands traveling all the way to her head. She winced at the fiery burst of pain pulsating through her arms, intensifying by every second. Her body trembled, her consciousness ebbing away. She was just about to pass out.
Losing her consciousness was really a blessing for Wu Ziliang at that moment, it was a much needed escape. However, before she could even close her eyes, a sudden violent electrical current made her body convulse jolting her up and making her feel the intense and severe pain all over again.
All her life, she would have never once thought that she would experience such extreme pain and helplessness.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
**𝕱𝖗𝖊𝖊.**
5 fingers, 6 electrocutions, 5 toes and removal of 3 toenails later.
Wu Ziliang was still alive and breathing, her breaths slow and shallow, as she stared at the demoness in front of her.
Oh, how she regretted everything. She regretted loving Wang Huo, she regretted killing his wife, poisoning Wang Guiren and shooting Jiang Yue.
If only she could turn back the time. She would have avoided Wang Huo the first moment that she saw him.
Wu Ziliang racked her memories, trying to recollect her memories of her first meeting with Wang Huo. They were at the same University. He was in business management while she...
Right now, she could not even remember what course was she learning at that time. Was it medicine? Right, she wanted to become a doctor.
Wu Ziliang grew up smart but insecure. As for her sister, Wu Mingying, she was someone who didn't even have a proper maternal family. Someone below her. Yet Wu Mingying always excelled in everything.
Be it the arts or sciences. She was always on the top. While she, the first daughter of the Wu family, the legal first miss was always standing in the shadow of Wu Mingying. Always like a shadow.
Sometimes, Wu Ziliang would ask herself why Wang Huo choose her Sister over her. She, Wu Ziliang, was more beautiful and more influential than her.
So why Mingying? Why not her? Was it just because she had been Mingying's shadow?
Wu Ziliang once again let out a muffled scream, when Jiang Yue ordered the man to shove another needle in her finger. She just couldn't take it anymore. The pain was enough to wish for Jiang Yue just kill her instantly. To save her and ease her pain.
"Giving up already?" Jiang Yue must have noticed Wu Ziliang's pitiful expression. That's why she asked that question.
"Don't worry, Miss Wu. I am not that ruthless. I will give you an easy death, but only after we finish this. However, let me tell you something before you die." Jiang Yue said. "Loving someone is not wrong. It will never be wrong. But what made your actions wrong was not your love. It was rather your selfishness, making you take the wrong path to fulfill your desires. You have killed my Uncle's wife because of your twisted ideas. You thought that without her, my Uncle would love you. Let me ask you, Miss Wu. Did you think my Uncle would have been happy after his wife's death? Did you think you could replace someone just by copying their face? Did you think my Uncle will love you just because you look a little like his dead wife? If you did then, you didn't really know the man that you love. Think about it! Did you even love him the first time you met? Or did you just wanted to own him? Make him yours? Make yourself be above all the women who liked him? Miss Wu. You never loved my Uncle. You just had seen him as something you needed to have. An object. So when he had got together with my Aunt, your thoughts become twisted. You became obsessed. I pity you, Miss Wu. I hope that in the next lifetime you would really get to know what true love is." She said while shaking her head.
At that point, Wu Ziliang was just staring blankly at Jiang Yue, waiting for the end of her agony.
True love? Does it even exist? Yet, she always believed that her feelings for Wang Huo were real. Now that she heard Jiang Yue's words, Wu Ziliang couldn't help but realize something.
Jiang Yue was right and wrong at the same time. She fell in love with Wang Huo the moment her eyes landed on him during a basketball game. But she never approached him. She never let him know about her feelings.
However, everything changed when she got the news that her sister was going to marry Wang Huo. Jiang Yue was right. She became obsessed. She wanted what her Sister had.
Just then she saw Jiang Yue opening something that seemed like a vial.
"Venom." She heard her say.
"Since you like poisons so much. I think you would be happy to die from one." Jiang Yue elaborated. "Boomslang, that's the name of the snake that produced this venom. Pretty lethal. Scary, isn't it? Terrifying, that's the only thing that I can use to describe it. This venom will destroy all your red blood cells, reduce your blood clotting rate, and cause your organs and tissue to degenerate. Of course, there are also other milder symptoms that you will go through like headache, sleepiness and such."
Wu Ziliang watched as Jiang Yue walked towards her, asking someone to remove the gag from her mouth so that she could put the venom in.
"Hours from now, blood will start seeping out from every possible exit, nostrils, eyes, gums, ears and from the tiniest cuts that you have. Then you will die from massive internal bleeding and brain hemorrhage."
Wu Ziliang just stared at her, unable to utter even a single word. This was her end, and maybe she deserved it. She deserved dying a horrible death for killing her own sister and maybe her own father.
Tears slowly made their way towards her pale cheeks as she stared at Jiang Yue, giving her a smile.
"Thank you."
Thank you, for making her realize her mistakes. Thank you, for setting her free. Yes. Wu Ziliang was finally free.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
**𝕭𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖐𝖉𝖔𝖜𝖓.**
Jiang Yue leaned at the door while trying to compose herself. She clenched her fists as she tried to calm her shaking hands.
Of course she would be shaking. It was the first time that she killed someone. And she was somehow sure that it won't be the last.
Did she regret it? She couldn't tell. Not until her raging nerves calmed down and let her think about it.
"Hey, are you alright?" She heard Zhao Feiyan's voice from her right.
She was currently at one of the Fu family Villa's basement. She bit her lips one last time before looking at Zhao Feiyan and giving her a smile. "Of course."
She should be. She should be alright. In fact, she should be elated, happy, satisfied.
That's right. She just killed the person who had hurt her grandfather and cousin. She should be celebrating.
"Let's go." Zhao Feiyan just stared at Jiang Yue before walking beside her.
Jiang Yue was lying. She knew that feeling. That was what she felt when she had killed for the first time.
The duo went to the patio of the Villa, where Zhao Feiyan gave Jiang Yue a cup of tea.
"Lemon balm." Zhao Feiyan said as she took her seat across Jiang Yue. "It will make you relax."
Jiang Yue did not say anything before she unceremoniously gulped down the tea. "Thank you."
"Feeling any better?"
"Yeah, a lot better." Jiang Yue answered.
Another lie. She did not feel any better. She actually felt worse. Now, that she had the time to sit down and think about what she had done, Jiang Yue found it, unbelievable.
She just tortured and killed someone. A living human being with a beating heart!
She knew that she should feel repulsed. After all, she was a healthy human being with no psychotic tendencies. But she was not.
She felt worse, however she also felt as if a burst of laughter was building up from her belly. As if, she wanted to laugh so hard? It seemed that killing didn't disgusted her. In fact, she actually quite liked it.
Jiang Yue shook her head and closed her eyes.
What was happening to her? Why had she felt so much...bloodlust? Was she having some sort of psychotic breakdown? That would be impossible, right?
She remembered someone told her before that psychosis was in the genes. It was inherited and was being passed down to family members. And no one was like that from her family.
"I remember the first time I killed someone, I had to vomit for hours." Zhao Feiyan said. "I would say you were able to handle it better than me."
Then Zhao Feiyan cupped Jiang Yue's hands. "Listen, this is not your fault. We are living in a very cruel world and sometimes we need to adapt, learn to act according to the environment that we live in. However, no matter what you do, always remember that we are here for you. Fu Jin and the whole Fu family will be there for you. Your grandfather, Uncle and Minghua will always stand beside you. Always remember that."
Jiang Yue stared at the beautiful woman in front of her.
Madam Fu a strong, kind, cruel, loving woman. Would she be able to grow and become like her in the future?
"I heard that your grandfather had already arrived at the hospital. Also, your cousin had already woken up." Zhao Feiyan added.
"Really? I thought...how long was I inside the room?" She asked.
The doctor told her that her cousin would wake up in 24 hours.
"Almost 24 hours. To be exact, 19 hours."
"I...I forgot about the time."
"Don't worry about it. It happens sometimes. Go take a rest first. It's still dawn. We will go to the hospital once you wake up. Your cousin is waiting for you."
"We can just go now. I am fine. I don't need to rest. " Jiang Yue answered before getting up. She wanted to see her grandfather and Wang Minghua.
"Well, I don't think they will like the way you look right now."
Zhao Feiyan's words instantly made Jiang Yue freeze. She must have looked like she just came out of hell.
When was even the last time that she had some sleep? She was so immersed in her revenge that she had even forgot the time.
Jiang Yue let out a long sigh. "You're right, I need to take some rest."
"Let's go, I will accompany you to your room." Zhao Feiyan said.
Zhao Feiyan brought her into one of the guestrooms of the Villa. It was just a simple beige room. With minimal decorations and cozy vibe. Her type of room.
* * *
After taking a shower, Jiang Yue laid in the to rest. However, before she closed her eyes, she couldn't help but wonder why did it seem that she enjoyed killing Wu Ziliang. Was that normal?
Jiang Yue let out a long sigh as she pulled the sheets to cover her body. No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't seem to find the reason behind that.
Was it really just her momentarily rage against that woman? Or was it something else?
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
**𝖂𝖔𝖗𝖒𝖘.**
Jiang Yue woke up seemingly feeling refreshed. But that was just another lie. She was still feeling terrible about what she had done. However, she also felt as if she was able to open a new door in her soul.
Or that's how she would describe it. However, Jiang Yue's mind was too busy to just linger around what had happened.
She just decided to try to forget about it. She knew that it would be hard with her photographic memory, but she will treat or at least try to treat it as something insignificant.
After freshening up, she and Zhao Feiyan immediately went to the hospital to see her family.
The first person who she spotted when she entered Wang Minghua's room was her grandfather and before she even realized it, she was already hugging him tightly. Tears dripping from her cheeks on his dark blue polo shirt.
"Silly girl, why are you crying?" Wang Sangui asked. "Everything is fine now. You are safe as well as Minghua."
Then another person enveloped the two of them into a big hug. That was her Uncle.
"The most important thing is that you and Minghua are safe." She heard Wang Huo say.
Jiang Yue wiped away her tears and looked at her family. Minghua was currently sleeping on his bed. Only her Uncle and grandfather was in the room. Probably talking about what happened.
"I'm sorry." She said before she lowered her head. Embarrassment was apparent on her face.
"Stop apologizing little Yue, it wasn't your fault." Wang Huo gave her a gentle smile. "As I said before, the most important thing is that you are safe. As well as Minghua."
"It was my fault. I was too full of myself, my plans. I...and I panicked. I was not able to think straight when she... when Wu Ziliang aimed her gun at me." She said.
"Stop blaming yourself. Take this as an experience. Learn from it. Do you understand?" Wang Guiren asked while giving her a pat on the head. A gentle pat.
Jiang Yue smiled at them in response. She will not forget this experience for sure. She will learn from it, And grow. She will grow and become stronger.
"Speaking of which, where is she?" She heard Wang Huo's voice, this time it was not the gentle voice that he would use in their conversation. It was different. Sinister.
"I...I already took care of it." Jiang Yue answered hesitantly.
Should she tell them the truth about what she had done? Would they think that she was a monster now? Then Zhao Feiyan's words echoed at the back of her mind.
'Will always stand beside you.'
'Will be there for you.'
'Family.'
That's right. They are family. Always. And she knew deep in her heart that these people would always stand beside her.
Noticing Jiang Yue's twisted expression, Wang Guiren's and Wang Huo's faces instantly changed into something incomprehensible.
They wanted to asked what had she done to the person who hurt her grandfather and Wang Minghua but...but they were also afraid to find out about it.
Jiang Yue was a woman. And women in their family were...
The duo stared at her as if they just discovered a very big secret. They glanced at each other as they silently agreed not to ask any more questions.
"Well...since you had already took care of it, then... let's not talk about it anymore." Wang Guiren said still smiling, but there was something different in his eyes. Something mysterious.
Of course, Jiang Yue was so absorbed in her own thoughts that she failed to notice that. However, this did not go unnoticed by Zhao Feiyan who was silently standing at the doorway, looking at the family's interaction. She instantly pretended not to see such reaction as her mind started to wander.
'What secrets were they keeping from Jiang Yue? Was it big enough for them to avoid talking about what Jiang Yue did to Wu Ziliang? Were they afraid of something? Or were they avoiding to open a can of worms If so...What could it be?'
However, Zhao Feiyan's thoughts were interrupted when the doctor, that was in charge of Wang Minghua, came to examine him.
"He is actually doing great. I would suggest that you transfer him in 5 days. By then his wound will start healing and I can assure that there were no further infections from the bullet wound." The doctor explained.
"Also, we are very lucky that Young Master Wang is healthy and fit. That will make his recovery easier. In my opinion, it will be less than a month."
Jiang Yue was just staring at Wang Minghua while the doctor was talking. She was planning to take over the Wu family after she got back from the Summit, then let her cousin manage it. But now it seemed that she had to wait for at least a month. By that time, her game will also launch into the market. There were lots of things to do.
* * *
After the doctor left, Jiang Yue decided to get some fresh air and buy canned juice at the same time.
She walked to the vending machine at the Hospital and chose one of available juices . However, before she could pick up her drink, another person abruptly reached to it first. And to her surprise, the person instantly opened the drink and gulped all at once .
"Ah...so refreshing. Thanks, Miss Jiang. I never thought that I will see you so soon." The man said while giving her a friendly smile.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
**𝖀𝖌𝖑𝖞.**
Jiang Yue's face instantly turned sour when she saw that it was the man who was bugging her at the party.
"What is your deal?" She asked, displeasure written all over her face.
"Hello to you too. I was just about to visit the Young Master Wang's room when I saw you here." The man named Quan Lei shrugged.
"Leave me alone." She said as she inserted her money into the vending machine for the second time. However, instead of leaving, the man leaned onto the machine, his tall frame towering over Jiang Yue.
"I don't understand you." He said.
Jiang Yue ignored the man. She hated this man's vibe. It was something she simply could not explain.
As if the man was a walking secret box. Someone with so many secrets you could practically smell it on them.
"I heard that Miss Wu has already been taken care of?" Quan Lei asked, ignoring Jiang Yue's indifference. "I mean...I would have helped you if you had asked me nicely."
Still, Jiang Yue did not answer the man. She had already gotten what she wanted so she turned her back away from him and made her way into Wang Minghua's room.
Seeing Jiang Yue's back, Quan Lei just shook his head as he followed her. It seemed that making a decent conversation with this woman would be harder than he thought. He wondered why Jiang Yue's reaction towards him was not like every other girl's reaction.
Could this woman be abnormal?
"Hey...I was still talking to you." He said as he made big strides towards her.
Seeing that Jiang Yue had stopped walking, Quan Lei smiled inwardly. Maybe Jiang Yue was not so different after all.
"Mr. Quan." Jiang Yue smiled before walking towards him, meeting him halfway.
Quan Lei's smiling face instantly turned serious when he noticed that Jiang Yue was just a foot away from him. Her face was so serious and beautiful.
Quan Lei widened his eyes as Jiang Yue moved her face towards his.
What was this woman thinking now? Wait, could it be...could this woman have instantly fallen to his charms and wanted to kiss him?
"I would never sell the virus to you or to anyone else, so go back to wherever the hell you came from and don't let me see your face again." Jiang Yue murmured, just loud enough for him to hear.
"Now, stop following me. You are just wasting your time. Your charms won't work on me. You are too ugly for my standards." Jiang Yue added before turning her back to him and walking away.
Quan Lei just stood there frozen.
What did she just say? Too ugly for my standards. Too ugly!
This woman just called him ugly!
He immediately ran towards the men's room to examine himself.
Too ugly? How was he too ugly? Had he worn the wrong clothes? Was it too plain? Maybe his hair?
"Hey! I was looking for you. What are you doing here staring at your bum?" He heard a chuckling voice behind him.
Quan Lei was about to answer when the man interrupted him. "Let me guess. She called you ugly?"
"How did you know?"
"Judging by the way you're looking at yourself now, I can already guess that you are wondering which part of yourself is ugly. That...and she had already called you ugly the first time that you met her." The man explained.
Quan Lei did not answer the man and just stared at his reflection. He was not ugly. In fact, he was far from that. He was 6'2" with curly copper hair and symmetrical jaws. His eyes were as brown as his hair. His lips were as pink as that of a baby's. How come he was ugly in Jiang Yue's eyes?
"So, did you even manage to have a decent conversation with her?" The man smirked. "Hah...I was right. She totally does not like you man."
"So, what are we going to do now?"
"Well, I guess we should talk to her Family and ask for their permission before talking to her." The man suggested.
"Alright." Quan Lei shrugged. "Let's do that. Are we going to wait for them to transfer her cousin home?" He added.
The man in front of him shook his head. "Nah...we're doing it tonight when Jiang Yue leaves this place."
"Okay. Are you sure they will agree? I mean what if they won't agree to our request?" Quan Lei asked.
"They will...they want to keep her safe." The man answered. "Plus we haven't used that information yet. I'm sure it will convince her to come with us."
"Oh, I forgot about that man. Do you think we can trust him as our information source? We can't just tell her something that's not true. I'm, sure she will..."
"Oh...don't tell me our infamous playboy finally cares about someone's feeling?" The man interrupted Quan Lei.
"I was just going to say that she will know if we are telling the truth. I mean she will find out! With her abilities. I'm sure she will." He countered.
"Right." The man gave him a meaningful smile. "Of course our source is trustworthy. Im sure Miss Jiang will see that."
Quan Lei just frowned at the man in front of him.
Jiang Yue had believed that her mentor died months ago. She had already mourned for him. Cried for him.
Now that they were using his name to lure Jiang Yue into their Organization, Quan Lei was not too sure about Jiang Yue's reaction.
Wait...why should he worry about Jiang Yue's reaction?
He shook his head to remove the weird thoughts from his mind. The important thing was completing his mission. And that was to recruit Jiang Yue into their organization.
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