”I am so scared,” Yang Shiyi murmured as they ran out of the cell. 

Shi Luo glanced at the dark hallway. It looked like the only way out of this place, ”Don’t worry. Let’s run first. They won’t catch us so easily. Don’t be nervous.” 

Although she said that, her body was covered in a cold sweat. The gunshot wound seemed to be burning from inside and her handcuffed hands were restricting her from running properly. 

Shi Luo removed her heels and threw them aside as she looked at the woman who was running in front of her. She could see that Yang Shiyi was shaking in fear, ”I told you to not be so nervous. You can even consider yourself lucky.” 

”How?” Yang Shiyi asked without looking back at her.

”You don’t have handcuffs or a wound like me. At times like this, you should consider yourself lucky for small things like this.” 

”But… But… How did you know that that man won’t come after us?” 

”It’s pretty apparent that he cares for a lot more than he shows. Because Han Jingyi is already reduced to this state but he still stuck to her. And the way he looked at her, it was like a man would look at a woman so I was just making a bet. Luckily, it worked though.” 

”Where are you?!” 

Both of them stiffened when they heard Han Jingyi’s voice from behind. 

”Get inside,” Shi Luo pushed Yang Shiyi inside one of the rooms in the dark hallway. 

After that, she quickly got inside as well. 

”I am scared,” Yang Shiyi shivered. 

Shi Luo looked around, ”Calm down,” This place looked like a dressing room, ”Let us hide behind those dresses,” she whispered to the woman who was a sobbing mess by now. 

”But… But…” 

”Hurry up!” 

”Shi Luo, you take yourself as very smart, don’t you?” 

Of course. Shi Luo rolled her eyes. How else I would have taken down both of you and escaped despite not knowing a single move? 

As the sounds of approaching footsteps got closer, Shi Luo held her breath and leaned back on the wall weakly. 

She has been feeling dizzy for some time but she knew she could not afford to lose consciousness at this moment. 

Yang Shiyi covered her face in her hands as she sobbed. 

Shi Luo’s head turned to the side within an instant, ”Calm down, Yang Shiyi. Shhh… She will hear us,” she patted the woman’s shoulder to reassure her but it was all to no avail. 

”Shi Luo, come out by yourself. Don’t let me find you. Or else I will chop you to pieces and feed you to dogs…” 

”Ahh…” Yang Shiyi covered her ears with her palms. 

‘Bam’ The door was kicked open by Han Jingyi’s bodyguard as soon as they heard the sound. 

Shi Luo glanced at the woman beside her helplessly. 

But Yang Shiyi did not seem to have realized what she has just done by shouting so loudly. 

… 

”Ah…” Shi Luo felt a splitting headache. She remembered that Han Jingyi attacked her with a rod. It landed on the back of her head and she ended up losing consciousness. 

”…So, who do you choose?” 

Shi Luo frowned. Choose? Who was Han Jingyi talking to? 

She slowly opened her eyes. 

Initially, everything was appearing blurry to her but as her vision cleared up, Shi Luo realized that she was tied by a rope. And she was lying on something like a stage. 

She moved and her gaze landed on the man who was standing below the stage. Jun Boyan? 

Her eyes lit up. 

‘I am not hallucinating, am I?’ she thought. 

”Be fast, Jun Boyan. Who do you want to save? Your savior or your lover? You get one choice and only one chance,” Han Jingyi decisively glanced at Jun Boyan. 

Jun Boyan quietly looked at her. 

”What? Don’t tell me you have similar thoughts to your lover? Do you also think that I have gone crazy?” Han Jingyi chuckled, ”I am just venting. It was hard to get rid of your brother’s men. But now that you are here, you should know that I escaped from the washroom inside the shopping mall. Your brother, your sister-in-law, all of you have landed me in such a terrible position in my life. I am in such a situation that I don’t want to live but if I die, I will be letting you off so easily. Someone has to accompany me in my misery, don’t you think so?” 

Jun Boyan did not say anything. 

”Bo.. yan…” Shi Luo tried to call him but her throat was parched and her voice came out very feeble that it was not heard by anyone. 

She remembered that they were hiding inside a dressing room but Yang Shiyi suddenly screamed in fear after which Han Jingyi discovered where they were. 

Was Yang Shiyi fine? Shi Luo tilted her head and she could see the woman sitting on the other side of the stage with a rope tied around her wrists. 

Shi Luo sighed in relief. Unlike her, Yang Shiyi appeared unharmed. 

”Be fast, Jun Boyan,” Han Jingyi glanced at the man standing behind her. He immediately pointed two guns at both the women lying on the stage, ”I am letting you save one of them. The choice is yours to make. If you don’t save any one of them right now, they will both die in my hands.” 

Shi Luo closed her eyes, feeling another wave of dizziness taking over. Am I going to die here today? She bit her tongue to keep herself awake.

”Boyan, it’s hurting. I am scared. Save me….” Yang Shiyi looked at Jun Boyan as tears welled up in her eyes. 

Jun Boyan continued standing in his place with an emotionless face. 

”Kill both…” 

”Leave her,” Jun Boyan interrupted Han Jingyi. 

Shi Luo opened her eyes slowly. She followed Jun Boyan’s gaze and her gaze landed on Yang Shiyi. 

”Her? Mention a name, Young Master Jun. Do you expect me to understand some sort of code words?” Han Jingyi scoffed. 

”Let go of Yang Shiyi,” Jun Boyan said, his words ringing clear in the empty hall. 

”Woah! So much for being in love with our Luoluo,” Han Jingyi laughed in utmost glee. How nice! 

Shi Luo fell in a daze. 

‘And did I not make myself clear earlier? Nothing will change the way I feel for you. I have never felt this for someone else before nor will I ever have the same feelings for any other person. All this time, it has been only you. No matter what happens in the future, I won’t change.’

‘I promise I won’t change.’

‘I will always love you the same. If anything, I’ll love you more.’ 

How many hours has it been since he said those words to her? 

Tears rolled down from the corner of her eyes. She understood he had to save his cousin, he had to save the person who once saved him by almost sacrificing her own life. But what Shi Luo did not understand was…. Was it that easy to abandon her? 

All it took him was a few words and she felt abandoned within an instant. He did not even take a few minutes to think about her, he did not spare a glance in her direction. 

His cold and indifferent face… why was she so unfamiliar to it? Why was she so used to the warmth that Jun Boyan gave her? 

Had she not been accustomed to his warmth, would this have hurt less? 

What was this stifling feeling inside? Why did she feel like her heart was being squeezed and twisted ruthlessly? 

Shi Luo’s lips parted as tears rolled down her cheeks. Is this the reason mom told me not to give my heart entirely to a man? Because if that man ever decides to turn his back on her, then her heart would feel like it was trampled on. 

She never understood that feeling before. 

But now that she was lying on the floor of the cold stage, tied in a rope, her body was screaming in pain because of the wounds she had, she understood how it felt. How it felt to have her heart trampled on. 

”Does it hurts?” Han Jingyi came and squatted in front of Shi Luo as her bodyguard released Yang Shiyi and handed her over to Jun Boyan, ”Do you feel pathetic for loving such a man? Do you have the urge to kill both of them? That’s how I felt towards the Han Family.” 

Shi Luo tilted her head and glanced at the woman with her bloodshot eyes. 

”See, your arrogance is all gone, Shi Luo. You were curious about what I wanted to do by kidnapping both of you, right? Now you know it. Initially, I just wanted to vent my frustrations but who told you to provoke me? Now, I slapped the reality on your face. No matter how much you love someone, there will be someone whom they love more. No matter how much I loved the Han Family, they loved Han Mei more. No matter how much you loved Jun Boyan, he cared for Yang Shiyi more.” 

Han Jingyi gripped Shi Luo’s jaws, ”You have no reasons to call me pathetic when you are the same as me.” 

”Look at me, Han Jingyi. I might be hurt or I might be crying but unlike you, I am not eager to torture people. I don’t regret loving Jun Boyan nor do I hate Yang Shiyi. How could I be the same as you? No matter how miserable I am, I have confidence in myself. I will grow out of this unlike you who would be living her entire life holding a grudge against the world. You are the pathetic one, not me….” 

”You bitch…” Han Jingyi raised the pistol in her hand. 

‘Bang’ 

Shi Luo closed her eyes.