A black object was violently thrown in front of Shen Yilian, leaving her gaping at the camera, temporarily speechless.
This... this wasn't the camera she had arranged for someone to secretly film Zhi Yao, was it? How did it end up here?
However, Shen Yilian quickly regained her composure. "So you've discovered it."
She spoke nonchalantly, her face betraying no emotion.
It didn't matter that this had been discovered; she had a backup plan.
Thinking of the pinhole camera hidden in the rest room, a hint of smugness welled up in Shen Yilian's heart.
These people were still unaware of that, it seemed! They thought they'd won, hah... Later on, she would definitely ensure that this upstart Ling Family was kicked out along with Zhi Yao!
As she reveled in her smugness, her gaze happened to fall upon a familiar figure, causing Shen Yilian's expression to change instantly.
The fear that had faded from her face was now replaced by a pitiful look.
She raised her eyes towards Pei Chiyao, sniffling, about to put on an act of grievance, but froze the moment she clearly saw the man's tall frame.
Because... she saw the marks on Pei Chiyao's neck.
Marks that definitely weren't there before!
What was going on? Wasn't Zhi Yao supposed to have turned into a fox?
Before she could recover from her shock, another black object landed right in front of Shen Yilian.
Shen Yilian stared blankly downwards, only to be utterly terrified when she realized what it was.
Wasn't that... the pinhole camera?
How was it discovered? She had hidden it so discreetly!
"Shen Yilian, do you have anything else to say?" Pei Chiyao stood three steps away from Shen Yilian, looking down at her disheveled form on the ground with cold indifference.
Shen Yilian looked up, meeting Pei Chiyao's icy gaze, her heart shattering.
"Yao, let me explain, Yao..." She reached out to grab the hem of his coat, but the man swiftly evaded her hand.
Ling Si really didn't want to waste any more time here. He was about to speak when, from this new angle, he finally caught a clear view of the marks on Pei Chiyao's neck.
Ling Si: "..."
This bastard did it on purpose!
On a cold day like this, not bothering to dress properly, his collar wide open as if he wanted to bare his chest!
Tsk! Shameless!
He grew increasingly annoyed, feeling like rushing over and picking a fight with Pei Chiyao!
How dare he treat his sister like that?
He spoke again, his tone filled with impatience, "You kept us waiting here for so long, so you were..."
He didn't finish the sentence, as it would be inappropriate.
Pei Chiyao gave a slight smile, finally buttoning up his collar with a sheepish look. "My apologies, Yao was being clingy, and I only just managed to get away."
Showing off! This was blatant showing off!
Ling Si narrowed his eyes, about to step forward when Ling Er pulled him back.
"Enough, let's not waste any more time here. Tell us, Mr. Pei, what do you plan to do about your childhood friend?"
Ling Er had mingled among these circles for many years.
Sometimes, the term "childhood friend" didn't exactly mean something good.
With those words, the four of them silently looked at Pei Chiyao.
If Pei Chiyao dared to show even a hint of defending this vile woman, the four of them would definitely use a forklift to take Zhi Yao away, if necessary.
How could they allow a human to trample upon the Wolf Tribe's little princess like this?
But Pei Chiyao's answer was something none of them had expected.
"Kill her."
The man had one hand in his coat pocket, gazing impassively at the woman before him.
The four members of the Ling Family were stunned.
Shen Yilian was stunned, too.
After a while, Shen Yilian finally reacted, having witnessed Pei Chiyao's cold-blooded killing before.
In the past... during his time of survival in the underground fighting ring, he killed without batting an eye.
They called him "Ares" – the God of War.
They also called him a killing machine.
Human lives meant nothing to Pei Chiyao, like blades of grass.
At that moment, she was deeply drawn to this side of Pei Chiyao. She fell irrevocably in love with him.
She loved every facet of him, especially when he was killing. That ruthlessness made her blood boil, made her tremble.
But now, Shen Yilian felt her blood freezing.
She had never imagined that Pei Chiyao would want to kill her.
She finally came to her senses, screaming desperately, "You're insane?! Pei Chiyao, without my father, do you think you'd be able to leave that place alive?! Pei Chiyao, did you forget that I saved you?"
She struggled frantically, but was tightly bound by the members of the Ling Family, her efforts in vain.
Pei Chiyao lowered his gaze, his eyes cold as ice. Ignoring Shen Yilian's words, he pulled out the miniature handgun hidden in his coat pocket and aimed it at her.
Then, to Ling Si's wide-eyed shock, he fired.
Pei Chiyao's expression turned completely frigid. "Shut up."
Accompanied by a loud "bang," the bullet shot out, piercing Shen Yilian's thigh, causing her to scream in agony as she collapsed to the ground.
"How dare you mention your father to me?" Pei Chiyao sneered. "My situation back then was all thanks to your father."
As the boss of the underground fighting ring, and Shen Yilian's father, he had recognized Pei Chiyao's astonishing talent and abilities, giving him special training.
But that training, for a young boy of only a few years old at the time, was incredibly cruel.
Especially since Pei Chiyao had been born with a delicate, handsome appearance, looking every bit like a wealthy family's precious son, which only fueled people's desire to bully him.
Shen Yilian was slightly taken aback, unaware of what her father had done to Pei Chiyao. But no matter what, Pei Chiyao should be grateful to her father! If not for him, how could Pei Chiyao have excelled so much in the underground fighting ring? How could he have caught the Pei Family's attention and been taken back?
Pei Chiyao didn't want to waste any more words on Shen Yilian. He tossed the gun to Ling Si. "Kill her."
Ling Si, who had been watching the performance, finally came to his senses and grumbled discontentedly, "Why should it be me? I'm not your bodyguard!"
"I have to go back and keep Zhi Yao company later. She doesn't like the sight of blood or the smell of it."
