Questions flooded Zheng Tianyi’s mind, but it was deafened by the overwhelming rage that washed over him. He had never felt a rush of anger as immense and uncontrollable as this one. His nostrils flared, his pupils dilating.

A memory flickered in his jumbled and short-circuited brain. Tiny white daisies tucked in her silky, long hair, so dark, it could be mistaken as a dark shade of glistening blue. Nothing could compare to her smile that day, brighter than the summer sun, and gentler than the ripples in a pond.

Xia Mengxi.

“Even if your parents disapprove of me, even if they have ruined my mother in an attempt to separate us, even if they kill me, I do not mind it at all. As long as I can have you, I am willing to brace the thunder and storms.” Her loving and tender words rang in his head. In that moment, her unforgettable smile was permanently imprinted onto his heart and brain. Who would’ve known that the image would be ripped apart in his head, shredded into bits that disintegrated into fine dust blown away by the wind?

An indescribable pain flashed momentarily in his heart, shock trembling his entire form.

Then it all went quiet. Nothing could be heard or felt, except for the chill that ran down his spine. Pressure filled his head, a lump in his throat. He was unable to convey the anguish he felt from the betrayal. Everything slowed down. His body turned cold. Bewilderment. Disbelief. Anguish.

So many emotions coursed through him, all of which came to a screeching halt when another memory overcame his conscious.

PAK! “Son of a bitch, what did you just say?!” Zheng Hechong snarled, baring his teeth like a snarling dog. He couldn’t look at his despicable son. He couldn’t bring himself to look at the failure of a man, or feel anything for this…this pile of garbage.

His chest heaved with unrelenting anger, as his wife attempted to hold him back from beating Zheng Tianyi.

“You wanted to call off the marriage with Zhao Lifei? Fine. I allowed you to rip that contract to shreds. You said it was because you have found true love. As a father, I only want my son to be happy. And this is what you bring to me?!” He snarled, pointing towards the peasant standing beside his son. “This disgusting, low-life whore from a dirty background and family? No father. A widowed mother. Stained reputation and zero wealth. You want to marry a woman of that sort?!”

It was the first time Zheng Tianyi had ever gone against his father. He had never been struck by his parents. The feeling was foreign to him. So much so, that his face was whipped to the side, the long hair of his bangs covering over his eyes. A burning mark could be felt.

“I am going to disown you, you piece of sh*t. This will be the last you hear of me. This will be the last time you have ties with the Zheng family!”

Everything. For the sake of Xia Mengxi, Zheng Tianyi was willing to sacrifice it all. Whether it was his title as CEO or Zheng Hechong’s favorite son, he was willing to abandon it all. As long as he could have Xia Mengxi by his side, Zheng Tianyi was willing to brace the obstacles that dragged him down.

So why was it that his beloved Mengxi was wrapped in another man’s arms? Why was it that his Mengxi was unclothed and in a foreign bed with her legs wrapped tightly around the firm waist of a man that was not him?

In the next photo, her lips were locked with the same man, the corners of her mouth quipped upwards to form her signature smile. Another one showed her being hugged backward, caught off guard, but her smile was genuine and the brightest he had ever seen. Hell, he had never even seen her smile like that. It was only today he knew she could.

Pictures of sinful adultery and pleasure.

These were the images tossed before Zheng Tianyi, the images that broke him psychologically. All of the pain and obstacles that he had endured for the sake of Xia Mengxi, every single one of them was wasted. Nothing was more painful than this betrayal. No amount of physical torture could hurt him more than the realization that the heart of his lover did not truly belong to him.

Yang Feng took a lazy sip from the crystal glass of whiskey. Seeing the raw emotions on Zheng Tianyi’s face, the pure agony, all of it was amusing to him.

While most people would think physical pain was the best type of way to break this man, Yang Feng thought of something else. What mattered to Zheng Tianyi more than his wealth and status? His woman. Like all men, their lovers were their weaknesses. Nothing slashed the pride and ego of a dominant, possessive man more than the realization that their possession was being shared with another. And this was the very thing that broke Zheng Tianyi.

If only the poor man knew, this was only the beginning.

“Continue.” Yang Feng humorlessly chuckled, his words allowing Chen Gaonan to pull out a tablet. As one would throw a bone to a starving beggar, Chen Gaonan tossed the tablet onto the floor where a video was playing.

A giggle flooded the room, spiking Zheng Tianyi’s heart rate. Yang Feng was repulsed by the sickly sweet sound. “Of course not, baby.” Xia Mengxi mused. “I never loved him.”

A male voice, deeper than Zheng Tianyi, but strangely familiar, asked, “Loved who?”

“Zheng Tianyi!” Xia Mengxi laughed, shaking her head up at Zheng Murong, the true love of her life. She was at ease and with his presence, was the happiest she had been for the longest time.

Yang Feng took another amused sip of his whiskey, his lips quipped into a smirk at the earth-shattering expression on Zheng Tianyi’s further baffled face. If revenge was best served cold, then betrayal was an unswallowable dish.

“Then why are you with him then?” Zheng Murong, who was only five years younger than Zheng Tianyi, purposely asked her. He knew the video was being recorded.

“Baby,” Xia Mengix whined. “Didn’t I tell you already? It’s so I can help you get your position as CEO!” She huffed with a tiny pout.

Zheng Murong chuckled, his hand traveling to her tailbone before he began to unzip her skirt.

Zheng Tianyi’s eyes darkened even further. She was wearing the same outfit when she declared she was willing to sacrifice it all to have him.

“This is fake.” Zheng Tianyi’s voice shook. He behaved as if he was attempting to convince himself more than Yang Feng.

Yang Feng raised a brow, “The truth is always hard to swallow.” His eyes shifted towards the door, and on the other side of it was a group of waiting men. Something else was going to be hard to swallow.

“It’s ironic, isn’t it? The people you cherish the most betray you the quickest.” Yang Feng tilted his head. Just then, his phone buzzed. Right on time.

Zheng Tianyi’s eyes zoomed onto the ringing device. For the briefest second, he could see the bright, white characters of “Zheng Murong.”

‘No. No. No. This is impossible.’

Yang Feng turned on the speaker and in rang the easy-going, yet firm voice of Zheng Tianyi’s treasured younger brother. “Hey, I’m sorry to disturb you so late, but the bitch is finally asleep now. You’d think with my sleazy older brother gone, she would be panicking.”

Zheng Murong detached himself from the woman on the bed. He shook his head at the sight of her naked body before tossing a blanket over her. He had always lived in his older brother’s shadows, so when Yang Feng approached him months ago with a shining opportunity, Zheng Murong took it in a heartbeat.

“I called to let you know my father has visited your grandfather and threatened to pull out his support. It’s just as you have predicted. Don’t worry, I have everything under control. Mother finally told me the code to father’s accounts.” Zheng Murong began to place his clothes on, completely oblivious that Zheng Tianyi was listening to his conversation. Quite frankly, Zheng Murong couldn’t care less. He was already fed up with his bragging older brother who was turning the company into trash.

“Murong, you bastard!” Zheng Tianyi roared loud enough for his younger brother to hear. Facing three betrayals all at once, his body couldn’t stop trembling. His eyes were erratic and he looked as if he was on the verge of losing his sanity.

Zheng Murong paused. “Oh, I see my oldest brother is awake. Luckily, I’m not on speaker so I didn’t wake up his fiancee. She would freak if she knew I was on your side.” He mused, buttoning his shirt and grabbing his briefcase. “Not that I care, though.” He didn’t even bat an eye upon being caught red-handed.

“Father seems to be fighting to get Zheng Tianyi back, but I’m sure the phase won’t last that long. He’s quite useless. Once I get in contact with his attorney, I’ll coerce father into giving me the shares.” Zheng Murong was sure Zheng Tianyi would not be coming back alive or sane anytime soon.

“Don’t worry, President, you have the Zheng’s full support.” His phone began to buzz again, “My mother is calling. I’ll catch up with you later.”

Yang Feng hung up the phone, satisfied at the pure anguish on Zheng Tianyi’s face. Unluckily for him, they were just getting started.

Seeing that the conversation had ended, Guo Sheng eagerly turned towards Yang Feng as if asking for permission.

“Go ahead. Have your fun, but not too much. We still need his sanity intact for the next segment.” Yang Feng nodded his head towards the unsuspecting door.

Chen Gaonan flickered on the video recording and the rest was history.