Although the villa had every possible entertainment facility, boredom still crept in after a while. Wei Zanzhou didn’t control her phone, but her communications were constantly monitored; she couldn’t send SOS messages or make emergency calls. Ever since he started wearing the neck collar, every part of her life had gradually tightened under his control. Everything else was tolerable—but the endless monotony was crushing on her nerves .
When Wei Zanzhou behaved normally, she could chat with him and pass the time. But the moments when he acted unpredictably made her wish she could simply vanish.
Recently, however, Zhou Xiang had discovered a new form of amusement.
They sat across from each other, faces serious, eyes locked on the cards spread out before them.
“A pair of Aces!” Zhou Xiang exclaimed, tossing down two cards triumphantly. “Zhouzhou, I only have one card left~”
Wei Zanzhou frowned, shaking his head with mock reluctance. “I can’t play!”
With a flourish, Zhou Xiang laid down her final card—a three. “Whoosh~ I win again! Come here! Stick it on! Stick it on!” She grabbed a small strip of white paper from the side, moistened it with her saliva, and pressed it onto Wei Zanzhou’s face.
After several rounds, both of them were plastered in paper strips, but the experienced Zhou Xiang always eked out a narrow victory against the novice Wei Zanzhou, earning the right to enjoy her meal alone that night.
Since mastering this little game, their relationship had subtly shifted—they had become card-playing companions, and time passed far more pleasantly.
After poker, Wei Zanzhou quickly picked up other games—Gomoku (a strategy board game similar to tic-tac-toe but more complex), Go (the traditional Chinese board game), chess, checkers, and countless others.
After more than half a month of practice, Zhou Xiang was completely outmatched. Wei Zanzhou seemed to have a natural knack for strategy, always finding ways to gain the upper hand, and she could never quite predict his moves.
Of course, they weren’t wasting their days entirely on games. Wei Zanzhou, valuing privacy, had never asked anyone to clean the villa, and Zhou Xiang had refused to do housework herself. Naturally, the responsibility fell to him.
The villa, including the vast garden, spanned several thousand square meters. After considering it a few times, Zhou Xiang finally decided to help.
“Xiangxiang, you don’t need to. I can manage,” Wei Zanzhou said, holding a rag in one hand.
Zhou Xiang, her hands damp, leaned in and hugged him around the neck. “Hey, we’re like buddies[ in palyful manner ]. Don’t be so formal. We’re just killing time anyway. Let’s go together.”
Wei Zanzhou chuckled. “Okay.”
Armed with gardening shears, Zhou Xiang moved to the backyard, trimming flowers and plants. Everything was meticulously cared for; sprinklers ran automatically every ten meters, so no watering was necessary. Just as she was about to leave, satisfied with her work, something unusual caught her eye—a manhole cover, almost invisible, blending perfectly with the garden floor. Flies swarmed over it.
Curious, she shooed the insects away and leaned closer. Amid the floral scent, a faint metallic tang lingered in the air—like blood.
Having watched her share of cheesy romantic dramas, Zhou Xiang’s imagination ran wild. She couldn’t act rashly. Wei Zanzhou might have… peculiar tastes. Standing in the sunlit garden, a shiver ran down her spine, and she quickly retreated.
Back inside, Wei Zanzhou was nearly finished with the cleaning. Zhou Xiang opened the door and froze. He was kneeling on the carpet, wearing a pink apron and matching rubber gloves, scrubbing with meticulous care—like a real-life Cinderella.
Her suspicions from the backyard evaporated instantly. Only one thought remained: This pervert is so adorable!
Wei Zanzhou looked up at her with a mischievous smile. “Xiangxiang, the way you’re looking at me… it’s so gentle. What are you thinking?”Zhou Xiang stepped forward and gently stroked his chin, her touch light yet deliberate. “I was thinking of making a semi-permanent apron for Zhouzhou,” she teased.
“Alright, keep up the good work, young man—you have a bright future ahead of you!”
Then, without another word, she flopped onto the sofa like Ge You (a reference to the famously lazy, comical Chinese actor) and put on the song We Workers Have Strength for Wei Zanzhou.
He drew in a deep breath on her shenanigans . Every time Zhou Xiang reached out to touch him, every small gesture of affection, it sent a thrill through him that he could hardly contain.
After dinner, they once again faced each other across the table. Wei Zanzhou expected Zhou Xiang to initiate some playful game, as usual—but her expression was suddenly serious.
“Wei Zanzhou,” she said, her voice measured, “when I was cleaning the backyard today, I found what seems to be a secret passage under a manhole cover. I also caught a faint, strange scent. Could you… take me to see it?”
For a fraction of a second, panic flashed in Wei Zanzhou’s eyes. Then he quickly lowered his gaze, concealing his emotions. “Xiangxiang… it’s just a sewer. Nothing important…”
But Zhou Xiang cut him off sharply. “Wei Zanzhou, think carefully before you decide. I’m asking because I want the truth. You have two choices: you take me there, or I’ll go by myself when you’re not home.”
Wei Zanzhou’s lips curved into a forced smile, tinged with guilt. “Xiangxiang… it’s not a good place. Let’s just not go there.”
Zhou Xiang said nothing, her eyes locked on his, unwavering.
Her silence gnawed at him. His voice trembled slightly. “Xiangxiang… I don’t want you to see this. I really… if you see it, you’ll hate me. You’ll leave me. You’ll—”
Zhou Xiang rose, walked to him, and knelt by his side, taking his hand in both of hers. “Zhouzhou, I already know that place exists, right? I want to go. There are a million ways to face it, aren’t there? So why not take me yourself? I won’t leave. Trust me.”
Seeing him waver slightly, she pressed further, her voice soft but insistent.
“Didn’t you want me to love you? To truly love someone is to love all of them. Take me there. I don’t know what I’ll find, and maybe I won’t accept it right away—but I won’t leave. Day after day, year after year, I’ll come to accept it.
Wei Zanzhou… trust me.”
Wei Zanzhou’s body tensed, then relaxed in sudden, desperate surrender. He pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly, almost as if trying to shield her from the world. “Zhou Xiang… I’ll take you there. But if you dare to run away… I’ll kill you. Than we’ll be together forever.”
A shiver ran down Zhou Xiang’s spine, but she nodded. “Okay.”
He gripped her wrist firmly and led her toward the spot. Zhou Xiang ignored the sting of his hold and pressed on, heart pounding with anticipation and fear.
They lifted the manhole cover to reveal a staircase descending into darkness. The moment they stepped inside, a pungent stench of blood mingled with chemicals assaulted their senses.
At the bottom lay a prison-like chamber, horrifying in its precision. Two rows of cages lined the room, each holding people—though some were no longer recognizable as human.
Some were bound to crosses, others suspended, and several writhed on the floor, limbs severed or mangled. The stench was overwhelming; dried blood coated the floor, and the surfaces glistened with the slickness of decay. Zhou Xiang gripped her phone tightly, her breathing shallow and rapid.
Wei Zanzhou watched her closely, his gaze sharp, as if the slightest sign of resistance or fear would trigger whatever torment the instruments in the room were capable of.
“Wei Zanzhou… let’s leave. Let’s talk this over somewhere else ,” Zhou Xiang said, her voice trembling but firm.
He didn’t push her further, instead leading her back out to the fresh air.
“Xiangxiang… now you’ve seen it. Are you satisfied?” His tone was calm, unreadable.
Zhou Xiang swallowed, forcing herself to steady her racing heart. She had thought that imprisoning her was the darkest thing he had ever done—but now she realized it was barely a glimpse of his true perversion. And yet, strangely, that made this moment almost… merciful.
“I’m not going to judge so easily,” she said, her voice steady despite the lingering nausea. “I want to hear the reasons first.”
“What?” Wei Zanzhou asked, his voice low, almost cautious.
“The reasons you imprisoned me, the reasons you tortured and killed those people… everything about you,” Zhou Xiang said steadily, her eyes unwavering.
Wei Zanzhou hadn’t expected her reaction. After witnessing such horrors, she didn’t panic or scream in fear—she didn’t even recoil. She had calmly asked him why. At that moment a flicker of hope, fragile and trembling, sparked in his chest.
For the first time in years, the long-dormant urge to confide surged within him, and Wei Zanzhou began to lay bare his wounds, starting with his childhood.
He had been born into a large, not-so-wealthy family where boys were prized over girls. His older sister had never received affection after birth, and his father held no real standing in the family because of her. His mother, constantly belittled and bossed around, had little energy to nurture him.
When she became pregnant with their second child, the household eagerly anticipated his birth. But he was born with a large, vivid red birthmark covering half his face. The older generation whispered that it was an ill omen, and when his mother’s health prevented further pregnancies, the rumor only deepened.
At first, his mother tried to protect him, but over time, as ridicule from relatives intensified, resentment festered in her heart. His father, too, despised him; when anger flared, he scolded and beat him, even burning him with cigarette butts. Only his sister offered warmth and protection as two fragile souls clinging to each other in an icy home.
Elementary school also brought no relief to his life . His classmates mocked him mercilessly, giving him cruel nicknames because of the birthmark, yet his sister continued to shield him, standing between him and the cruelty of the world.
But everything changed after the entrance exam for junior high. He had ranked first in the entire county. Suddenly, the parents who had ignored him took notice—not for love, but because he could be used as a tool for vanity and boasting. Their attention was conditional, and their treatment of him became a reflection of how useful he could be to their pride. Than any anger or frustration they felt was redirected toward his sister, who they even threatened to sell in two years.
His sister’s attitude shifted as well. The girl who had once protected him now spoke coldly, even cruelly. She would punch or kick him, threaten him before exams to sabotage his scores, throw him into the latrine for a night, and sometimes even talk about taking him to the mountains and abandoning him there.
On the eve of the day she was to be sold, he led her deep into the mountains. “Sister,” he said softly, a strange light in his eyes, “you’re getting married tomorrow, and I want to give you a gift today.”
His sister hesitated, confusion flickering across her face. “What gift?”
Wei Zanzhou’s lips curved into a chilling smile. “I’m going to kill you.”
She staggered back instinctively. Behind her stretched a steep valley. Her scream tore through the air, but no one could save her. “Why!? I’ve always treated you well! They’re the ones who bullied you! Why don’t you kill them?! You’re just… a coward who preys on the weak!”
Step by deliberate step, he approached, a cold amusement in his eyes. And then he pushed her. As she fell, she even thought to pull him down with her—how absurd, how utterly impossible.
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