Escape!

That was the only thought on Zhao Nuanyue’s mind right now!

"Heh heh, don’t bother." A voice came from behind her—one Zhao Nuanyue recognized. Mrs. Li continued, "Even if you escape through this window, there are men below. Even if you kill every last one of them, there are more outside. The place is surrounded, three layers deep. You can’t get away."

Zhao Nuanyue turned to face Mrs. Li and snarled, "You’re vicious and cruel, treating lives like they’re worthless! You’ll die a horrible death!"

"Heh heh, if curses actually worked, I’d have died eight hundred times over by now. Save your strength. You can’t escape," Mrs. Li said with a laugh. "I must say, you little spitfire, you have a bit of the backbone I had in my youth. However, a wise person adapts to the circumstances. You’ve fallen into my hands, so naturally, you’ll do as I say. If you do, your life will be easy. Otherwise..."

"’Do as you say?’" Zhao Nuanyue sneered. "And what is it you want me to do? You mean me nothing but harm. Even if I obey you, I’ll be living a life worse than death. If I don’t, the worst you can do is kill me."

"Tsk, tsk. Young lady, don’t speak so lightly of death. We only get one life; we should cherish it." Mrs. Li clucked her tongue, continuing to calmly reason with Zhao Nuanyue. "You need to be more flexible, learn to adapt. There are many ways to live, you know!"

"Heh, you make it sound so simple. For instance?" Zhao Nuanyue retorted. "Is living a ’good life’ with that idiot son of yours what you call being smart?"

The mention of her "idiot son" was a direct hit, and Mrs. Li’s heart clenched as if twisted by a knife. She wouldn’t allow anyone to look down on her son. ’Especially not this pitiful, lowly woman I found to warm his bed and carry on the family line!’

"KAKAKAKA!" Mrs. Li’s laughter was sinister and terrifying, her expression turning ferocious. She slowly advanced on Zhao Nuanyue, reaching out to grab her by the chin, but there was no way Nuanyue would let her.

Zhao Nuanyue quickly dodged, scrambling to the other side of the room to put as much distance as possible between herself and the venomous Mrs. Li.

Mrs. Li withdrew her hand and looked at Zhao Nuanyue with a smirk. "You’re a lamb for the slaughter now, with nowhere left to run. You should be well aware of your situation. You can’t escape, so why insist on suffering before you finally behave?"

Zhao Nuanyue glared at Mrs. Li with hatred. The Dragon Bright Grass around her neck grew scorching hot, almost searing her skin.

Zhao Nuanyue knew she was doomed. Resisting now would only lead to a vicious beating and inhuman torture.

’A wise person knows not to fight a losing battle,’ she thought. ’If I get injured, my chances of escape will be even slimmer.’

"What do you want?" Zhao Nuanyue asked. "What is it you really want? Is it just for me to obediently marry your son?"

"Heh heh..." Mrs. Li chuckled, looking Zhao Nuanyue up and down. "You really are a sharp one, figuring out the pros and cons so quickly and knowing which choice benefits you the most!"

Zhao Nuanyue gave a noncommittal shrug. "You flatter me. If not for my personality, how could I have survived this long in the clutches of Zhao Jinghai and Wang Lianhua?"

"You have a point there!" Mrs. Li said with a smile, clearly pleased with Zhao Nuanyue. She nodded. "That family truly is something else. They’re not just cruel to outsiders; they’re even more ruthless to their own. More impressive than me! More heartless, too!"

"Yes, he’s a beast in human’s clothing, despicable and shameless. No," Zhao Nuanyue corrected herself, "in front of you, he’s just a dog, wagging its tail and begging for scraps. Right now, you’re above him, so he’s respectful and fawning. But the moment he gets any leverage on you, or surpasses your position, he’ll turn around and bite you."

"Haha!" Mrs. Li laughed, giving Zhao Nuanyue a meaningful look. "My relationship with Zhao Jinghai is nothing special, but your words certainly sound like you’re trying to sow discord. Still, seeing as he provided me with such a fine daughter-in-law, I’ll throw him a few scraps. Of course," she added, "I’d never let a dog climb on my head and start barking orders!"

Mrs. Li had played a part in Li Jianfeng’s rise to his current position. What storms had she not weathered? What kinds of people had she not encountered?

Hearing this, Zhao Nuanyue decided to keep bad-mouthing Zhao Jinghai. It might not accomplish anything right now, but it was a seed that could bear fruit later.

"My dad saved that dog Zhao Jinghai’s life. My dad died, but he came back alive. In front of everyone, he swore to take care of my brother and me. And he did ’take care’ of us, all right—by marrying my mother." Faced with the insurmountable Mrs. Li, Zhao Nuanyue had decided to stall for time by talking. "Outsiders thought Zhao Jinghai was some righteous hero, but who knew what a despicable villain he was in private! Given our family’s circumstances at the time, my brother and I should have been able to live comfortably. And yet, before I was sent to the countryside, we never had a full meal. Speaking of which, it should have been Zhao Huilan who was sent away, not us. But Zhao Huilan is his real daughter. We were just burdens, thorns in his side, an eyesore he couldn’t stand."

"Your father was certainly an impressive man, but his life was cut short. A bitter fate for you children," Mrs. Li said thoughtfully. "As for your mother... how to put this... she’s a rather fragile and sentimental woman. She needs a man to dote on her and cherish her, can’t live without one... Heh heh... not a very good mother..."

Zhao Nuanyue had to admit that Mrs. Li was perceptive. Her analysis of Xia Yingyu’s character was spot-on.

"Yes, my dad was impressive, but what good did it do? He was a fool," Zhao Nuanyue said with deep resentment, feeling the injustice of her father’s death. "He died saving an ungrateful snake, letting another man sleep with his wife and beat his children. Then, when his children were grown, that man sold them off." ’It would have been better if he’d saved anyone else, even a dog,’ she thought. ’Anyone would have been better than Zhao Jinghai.’ 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"You’ve got a sharp tongue, little girl. Not bad at all. I like it..." Mrs. Li chuckled. "With my son’s status, we could have found him a wife long ago; we just haven’t found a suitable one after all these years. My son... he may not be like other children, but in my heart, he is the best. I want to find an outstanding wife for him, not some uncultured country girl."

Though Mrs. Li’s methods were vicious, Zhao Nuanyue had to admit that in her own way, she was a good mother.

"So you set your sights on me?" Zhao Nuanyue scoffed. "I hardly think I’m so outstanding that you’d take special notice, especially since you don’t even know me!"