Lia took the initiative to say, "Are you talking about my father and Wan Shuiqing plotting against my fourth uncle, using me as a pawn?"
Cheng Jinyan said, "You already know? You look very calm, not quite what I imagined. A bit disappointing."
Lia asked, "Disappointed that you didn't see me go crazy?"
Cheng Jinyan said, "Of course not. I'm a doctor."
Lia expressionlessly said, "Get the hell out if you don't want to die."
Cheng Jinyan said, "I haven't even seen the show yet, no rush."
Lia frowned, "Did you get caught on purpose?"
Cheng Jinyan said, "Of course. I played quite a big role in this. As the climax approaches, I have to sit in the front row."
He leaned in close to Lia, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, his eyes dangerous. In a low voice he slowly said, "That's the only way to see clearly."
Gunshots rang out from the front hall. Cheng Jinyan glanced in the direction of the gunfire and slowly said, "It's started."
Lia glared at him, "Be careful or you might not make it out alive."
Having said that, Lia turned and walked out.
Cheng Jinyan took big steps and caught up with her in two strides.
"It's going to get very chaotic and dangerous. Miss Wuma, since you're set on seeing this through, I don't know my way around. Take me with you, won't you?" As he spoke he had already grabbed Lia's wrist, pulling her towards the front hall.
Lia angrily shouted, "Let go of me!"
They had just walked out of the east wing, not yet near the front hall, when they heard the sounds of fighting and gunshots continuously ringing out.
Lia wanted to shake off Cheng Jinyan to go see what was happening.
But Cheng Jinyan stopped her, "If you go out now you're likely to catch a stray bullet and die. You have to be careful even when watching a show. Let's wait a little longer."
Lia asked him, "What exactly are you trying to do? Where are your people?"
Cheng Jinyan said, "They're right outside, they have to ensure my safety, don't they? Don't worry, I'm not interested in the Wuma Family's assets, I didn't come here to take advantage of the chaos and loot. I just wanted to watch the excitement, I'll leave after I'm done watching."
Almost all of the Wuma Family members had gathered in the front hall. Even from quite a far distance, the two of them could smell the increasingly strong scent of blood.
Cheng Jinyan looked back at her. Under the lamplight and moonlight, her beautiful face looked slightly pale from her wounds.
She didn't look aggressive at all, her appearance was weak and pitiable, evoking a desire to protect. But beneath that lovely, harmless exterior were thorns and fangs.
Lia looked at him with an unfriendly expression.
Cheng Jinyan said with an evil smile, "He said you're going to marry a local wealthy businessman to be his concubine."
Lia was furious, "Shut up!"
Cheng Jinyan continued, "Looks like it's true, huh~ I'm not interested in who you marry to be a concubine. But I am a little curious, why would your father randomly tell me this when I was caught? He seemed to be warning me to stay away from you. Did Miss Wuma say something about me to your father after you went home?"
He looked at her with laughing eyes, extremely annoying.
Lia gritted her teeth.
Cheng Jinyan said, "Doesn't look I can find out what you said to your father."
Lia ignored him, her gaze turned back towards the front hall.
"If Miss Wuma doesn't want to become someone's concubine, you can contact me. Consider it returning Miss Wuma's good intentions in wanting to save me. I'd be willing to provide Miss Wuma the best psychological counseling."
He added.
Lia's expression changed slightly but she didn't respond or look at him.
When Cheng Jinyan looked back at the front hall, Lia looked at him.
His side profile was very three-dimensional, looking more aggressive than his front profile. This was Lia's first time seeing him from such a close distance.
She looked at him very clearly.
After a while, she lowered her eyes to look down - Cheng Jinyan was afraid she would run away so he had been strongly grabbing her, hard enough to hurt.
The fighting didn't stop, the gunshots were endless.
Lia took the chance when Cheng Jinyan was distracted to shake his hand off forcefully and ran quickly towards the danger ahead.
Cheng Jinyan wanted to pull her back but obviously couldn't anymore.
The front hall was in chaos, it could be said to be a mountain of corpses and sea of blood. Lying on the ground were familiar faces she recognized.
Lia didn't find her father in the front hall, but she saw her second and third uncles brutally killing each other along with other relatives...
Her appearance quickly drew attention. The best way to survive this kind of family infighting was to take a hostage as protection.
Lia quickly escaped from this dangerous place.
She walked towards her father's residence. Along the way, she encountered women and servants fleeing with money, people looking everywhere for her fourth uncle to kill him, and saw her second uncle's son randomly shooting her third uncle's daughter and two concubines dead with a gun.
Upon discovering her, he even pointed his gun at her.
Lia shot first, killing her cousin.
Gun in hand she numbly walked forward, coming across familiar faces, dead, trampled on, not yet dead, slaughtering others.
She walked in this big family she had always lived in, watching with little feeling. She kept walking in one direction, as if she had an obsession there that no one could stop her from pursuing.
She finally arrived at her father's residence but did not see him.
Where did he go? Hiding? Or did he run away abandoning her?
Lia stood in place, her mind alternating between chaotic and clear. During the clear moments she thought of where he might be, so she immediately walked in a certain direction.
The Wuma residence was huge, built against a mountain, so large it occupied the entire mountainside.
Lia walked up the mountain.
At the top of the mountain was where her father kept his pet leopards, a place she was absolutely terrified to go, having psychological trauma. Her father had forcibly taken her there several times but she would scream and even have fits, while her father felt she was spoiling the fun.
Lia could hear the excited, low roars of the leopards.
The fear inside her made her uncontrollably tremble, her breathing became abnormal. The horrific scene of her mother being mauled by leopards kept appearing. Her face was frighteningly pale but she persisted in not stopping.
Getting closer and closer, the leopards' roars grew louder and more frequent. Lia nearly had a panic attack.
Forcing herself, she arrived halfway up the mountain. There were also buildings here. She saw her father standing on a viewing platform.
Wu Ma Qiong noticed and turned around to find it was Lia.
He didn't seem to remember Lia's fear of leopards at all and showed no particular reaction to her coming here alone.
"Lia has arrived," he said emotionlessly.
"After tonight the Wuma Family will suffer an enormous loss. Lia will have to get married, that's the only way she can help the family," Wu Ma Qiong looked down at the Wuma residence below, flames bursting out from time to time.
He talked on, arranging Lia's life for her.
Step by step Lia walked towards him, "I won't get married. I've scheduled an appointment with a psychologist, I need treatment."
Wu Ma Qiong then recalled Lia's illness.
He was troubled, "Your illness really is a nuisance, you should get it looked at, otherwise your husband's family will dislike you."
At this time Cheng Jinyan led a few men up the mountain looking for them.
Overcoming her fear, Lia kept walking forward, "Father, you haven't answered my question yet." Her voice started shaking.
Wu Ma Qiong looked at her, "What?"
Lia kept going forward, "Did you love my mother?"
That silly question again, and asking it at a time like this. Wu Ma Qiong was impatient, "How could I possibly love a prostitute."
He even felt nauseated.
Lia stopped three meters away from Wu Ma Qiong. She shook all over, unable to take another half step forward, because right under their feet were more than a dozen leopards.
Falling down she would be eaten without a trace left. Just thinking about it made Lia feel faint.
"Not...not even for a moment? Then do you love your daughter Lia?" Her fear made her voice sound like crying. She saw the terrifying scene of her mother being mauled again.
Wu Ma Qiong didn't want to deal with her. After a while he perfunctorily said, "If Lia is a good girl, Father will naturally love Lia."
Lia looked at her father's back, not saying anything for a long time while the leopards' roars continuously drifted up from below.
"My mother...was mauled to death by your leopards." Lia brought up, hoping to elicit some love and remorse from her father.
But there was none. Wu Ma Qiong just indifferently hmm-ed.
Lia had completely lost hope. She tugged at her bloodless lips, and suddenly answered her father, "Father, if you were a good father, Lia would also love you."
The next moment, with strength from some unknown source, she suddenly rushed towards Wu Ma Qiong. The latter turned at the sound, but it was too late.
He let out a terrified and desperate scream as Lia crashed into him, sending them both tumbling down into the leopard's den.
"Lia!"
Cheng Jinyan happened to arrive just then, and witnessed Lia and Wu Ma Qiong fall into the midst of the excited, snarling leopards.
