You Mingxu remained expressionless, not turning her head.

Gu Tiancheng’s gentle smile had vanished, his face as cold as befitting a serial killer. He said, “I’ll count to five: five, four…”

Only then did You Mingxu smile at the simpleton, saying, “Little brother, shall we play a game together? Look, you can be like them—have your hands tied up and line up in a row, then big sister will… chase after you all. Go quickly, go! Don’t let big sister catch you.”

The simpleton’s eyes remained clear, surprisingly empty—as empty as the sky, like the ocean. With You Mingxu blocking the view, Gu Tiancheng couldn’t see his face. The simpleton lowered his head and spoke very softly:

“If you don’t care for me, I’ll tell everyone about the bathroom incident.”

You Mingxu’s expression remained extremely calm as she responded with a soft “Mm.”

The simpleton slowly walked toward Zou Furong. It was only five or six steps in total, but halfway there, he turned back to look at You Mingxu once more.

Gu Tiancheng sneered, “Getting attached, are we?”

You Mingxu knew he had always despised the simpleton. Not wanting to provoke his emotions further, she quickly went over and tied the rope around the simpleton’s wrists in a few swift movements. The simpleton kept his head down, saying nothing. After securing it, she quickly squeezed his wrist once. Below the wrist was a long, sturdy form—the body of a mature man.

The simpleton just stared at her blankly. In the depths of those ink-black eyes, there seemed to flutter a foolish smile, or perhaps there was nothing at all.

“Raise your hands so I can see,” Gu Tiancheng ordered.

The simpleton didn’t move.

You Mingxu stood to the side and said, “Go ahead, raise them.”

He lifted his hands. The knot was well-tied; Gu Tiancheng could see You Mingxu hadn’t tried any tricks there. He smiled and said, “Come here.”

You Mingxu stepped past the four people and stood half a meter away from him.

He watched her quietly for a moment, then lowered his dagger. In the next second, Ming Tao collapsed halfway to the ground. Gu Tiancheng still held the rope binding the four people with one hand while playing with the dagger in the other. He looked around again and said, “This spot will do.”

You Mingxu’s gaze remained steady. She thought to herself that the simpleton had been right—this was exactly what he planned to do.

Gu Tiancheng said, “Sit.”

You Mingxu said, “What else do you want to do? Dawn is coming soon. Just leave them here; someone will come to rescue them. Let’s go.”

Gu Tiancheng said, “No rush. Since you don’t want to sit, come here. Let me hold you for a while.”

You Mingxu looked at him; his gaze was deep and dark. After a few seconds, she walked forward. He raised the hand holding the dagger and embraced her. You Mingxu felt the hard dagger pressed against her back, completely still.

The other three remained silent, not daring to interrupt. The simpleton in the end kept his head down, his thoughts unknown.

Gu Tiancheng pressed his face against her neck, feeling the pulse there, which made his own heart flutter with excitement. He said, “If you want to be my woman, you must be obedient. Have you ever killed anyone? Even as a police officer, you haven’t, right? You haven’t even seen me kill. How can we live well together in the future?”

After speaking, You Mingxu felt his lips brush against her hair.

Then.

Without looking back, Gu Tiancheng gripped the dagger in reverse and swung his arm violently toward Ming Tao’s neck as the latter barely managed to stand. You Mingxu’s entire body was already taut as a bowstring, and she moved almost simultaneously, grabbing for his arm while her other hand reached for his waist. But she was at a disadvantage, unable to move freely. Although her hand grabbed him like a nimble snake, directly changing his trajectory and making his dagger cut through empty air, she also fell completely into his embrace. His other hand released the rope and grabbed her long hair at the back of her head. You Mingxu inwardly cursed her luck as her scalp exploded in pain. His face darkened as his head came crashing toward hers.

With their heads colliding, You Mingxu was much smaller than him, her body far less sturdy, and even her head wasn’t as hard or large as a man’s. The impact left her with excruciating pain and momentarily dazed. He showed no mercy, immediately landing two punches that knocked her to the ground.

You Mingxu was in such pain she could barely breathe. As she struggled to look up, she saw the simpleton’s hands covered in blood, but the rope had already been cut. He had been surprisingly quick-witted, pulling the rope of the three people who were still frozen in shock, finally snapping them back to reality as they began to move aside. He ran with an uneven gait, picked up the dagger Gu Tiancheng had dropped, turned around, and swiftly cut through the ropes binding the three people’s hands.

They didn’t need his reminder—the three turned and fled, stumbling as they ran. Even Song Lan only looked back once at You Mingxu on the ground, showed a pained expression, and ran away with tears in her eyes.

You Mingxu, however, curved her lips into a smile.

Gu Tiancheng stepped on her back, pressing so hard she felt like coughing blood. His cold voice came from above: “In the end, you still didn’t choose me. Then die. Did you think you could catch me? I’ve already killed one police officer and crippled another. You are nothing. Now, I’ll give you the most enjoyable, unforgettable experience.”

You Mingxu ignored him and looked up to see the simpleton, who had freed everyone and still held the razor blade she had secretly given him before springing from the bushes. He turned around, blood covering his hands and sleeves, his eyes red and bulging as he panted heavily. Like an injured young beast, ready to charge forward regardless of his life in the next second.

“Little brother, don’t move,” You Mingxu said. “This is between him and me.”

Gu Tiancheng didn’t even blink: “Don’t worry about him. You’re next. What are they worth? You’re the one I want. I’ll cut you into pieces. I’ll eat you too. You can’t leave me. You’ll never escape in this lifetime.”

You Mingxu said, “You’re quite the dreamer. I must have been blind to have ever considered believing you. Do you think you can take me down with one sneak attack? To hell with that—I’ve never lost a fight to anyone!”

Gu Tiancheng paused, startled by her sudden profanity and the subtle shift in her fierce demeanor. He felt like he didn’t recognize this woman anymore.

In that instant.

Gu Tiancheng couldn’t even see how she moved; he only saw her push against the ground with one hand. Her movement was incredibly fast. By the time he realized what was happening, she had already slid sideways from under his firmly planted foot. It wasn’t that he hadn’t stepped hard enough—she was just too quick. With just this simple movement, Gu Tiancheng’s heart jolted. He knew he had truly encountered an expert this time—she had played the role of a delicate woman perfectly all along!

Gu Tiancheng raised his leg to kick at her waist and abdomen again. He had already injured that area before and had no qualms about destroying her! However, at that moment, You Mingxu looked up, neither dodging nor evading, and instead reached for his leg. Gu Tiancheng inwardly sneered coldly—she must have a death wish.

But in the next second, he felt a pair of hands very lightly embrace his leg. What was happening? Gu Tiancheng couldn’t even understand how she had deflected his force, and his leg was now in her hands. Then he felt an irresistible force coming from that leg. The key wasn’t how shocking the strength was, but rather the deadly direction of the force, causing him to lose balance and crash backward onto the ground with a “bang.”

Gu Tiancheng finally realized what kind of expert he had encountered.

This woman knew judo!

Rather than being terrified, Gu Tiancheng felt a strange excitement. He pressed his hands against the ground, ready to spring up, but heard the woman’s light laugh as she unexpectedly released him, allowing him to rise. She also got up, and they both instinctively stepped backward. Gu Tiancheng clenched his fists, assuming a fighting stance, his expression utterly cold. You Mingxu stood gracefully, her hands hanging slightly, her phoenix eyes watching him with an ambiguous smile.

Gu Tiancheng pounced like a fierce beast, throwing a vicious punch toward You Mingxu’s face. You Mingxu tilted her head back, her body completing a half-arc while still standing, using the momentum to grab Gu Tiancheng’s chest. Gu Tiancheng knew he was in trouble and roared, both palms falling toward her back. But it was too late.

The woman’s movements flowed like water, seamless and complete. Before his fist could land, he had already lost his balance again. She threw him directly to the ground, and then her entire body moved as nimbly as a monkey, jumping to a position above his head. Just as Gu Tiancheng tried to rise, falling right into her trap, she swiftly locked his neck with her elbow from behind, then straddled him, pressing him firmly to the ground, rendering him completely immobile.

Gu Tiancheng’s handsome face turned bright red as he struggled several times, but You Mingxu stuck to him like a gecko, steady on his back. After several attempts, Gu Tiancheng finally gave up, lying still on the ground.

He buried his face in the dirt and fallen leaves, but laughed, saying, “Mingxu, my feelings for you were real. For the sake of what we had, don’t take me back. Give me the knife, or just stab me directly. I’ll face the death penalty anyway if I go back—it’s cleaner to die here.”

But he heard the woman say coldly from above: “Who do you think you are? Talking about feelings with me? Damn it, you even dared to flirt with me all this time. I must have been insane to ever consider letting you have your way. Just wait to face those victims’ families and accept your legal punishment! Can that perverted heart of yours show even a hint of humanity rather than pure bestiality now? No one has the right to violate others’ lives, neither you nor I. However, before that…”

Gu Tiancheng was still chuckling, his handsome face covered in dirt, when suddenly his scalp exploded in pain as the woman lifted his head. He laughed even louder. You Mingxu’s face showed no expression as she raised his head and slammed it hard against the ground. He groaned, his nose probably broken, blood flowing out.

After seven or eight slams, Gu Tiancheng’s face was covered in blood, his eyes half-open. Only then was You Mingxu satisfied. She lowered her head close to his ear and said softly, “Was that more exciting than before? Hmm?”