The next morning, Li Cheng was still asleep, one hand behind his head and the other resting on Xiotan's waist. She was nestled against him, her head on his chest, sleeping peacefully. When he opened his eyes, he smiled at the sight of her so close to him. Her lips were slightly parted, and a few strands of hair had fallen over one of her eyes. Gently, he moved his hand from behind his head to tuck her hair behind her ear, wanting to see her face more clearly. Just looking at her was enough to drive him crazy.
As he admired her, lost in thought, he didn't realize that Xiotan had already woken up. She blinked her eyes open, feeling the warmth and strength beneath her head. It didn't take her long to figure out she was lying on Li Cheng's chest. 'So he came home last night?' she thought. 'I thought he wouldn't ever come back. Who knows where he was the night before... maybe with one of his sluts.'
"Good morning. How was your night? Did you sleep well?" he asked, his deep voice resonating through his chest. Xiotan could hear the gentleness in his tone, but it did little to soothe the anger she felt. Instead of replying, she sat up, not wanting to fall for what she saw as his cheesy tricks again.
She started to get out of bed, but Li Cheng quickly pulled her back, bringing her face close to his.
"What the hell is wrong with you? Don't you know how much it hurts that you keep ignoring me? What did I do wrong?" he demanded, his voice thick with frustration as he stared into her eyes.
"Hmph. Who are you to ask me those questions? You want to know what you did wrong, why I'm acting this way?" she snapped, her expression hardening with anger.
"The reason I'm like this is because you're nothing but a cheat, a liar, a good-for-nothing human being," she spat, yanking her hand away from him.
"This heart of yours is filled with nothing but darkness, lies, and deceit," she added, pressing her finger against his chest. "I should have rejected this marriage the moment I heard about it, but I thought accepting it might bring me some love from my husband. But no... accepting this marriage was one of my greatest mistakes. You're nothing but a deceitful, disgusting liar. Why marry me when you knew you would keep cheating?" Her words cut deep, and Li Cheng felt tears well up in his eyes, rolling down his face as he listened to her accusations.
"Tan, I don't understand what you're saying. I swear I didn't cheat on you. I would never cheat on you—" he began, trying to explain, but Xiotan cut him off.
"Shut up! Shut your dirty mouth and stop lying. Don't think you can lure me with those crocodile tears of yours. If you ever touch me with those filthy hands of yours again, I promise I'll chop them off. How disgusting," she warned, getting out of bed. When Li Cheng tried to pull her back, she slapped his hand away.
"Tan, none of what you said is true. I didn't cheat on y—" he couldn't finish his sentence because Xiotan had already stormed into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.
"Fuck. What the hell is all this?" he muttered, frustrated and determined to find out who was behind the lies poisoning his marriage. He grabbed his phone from the nightstand and dialed Da Ming's number.
***
"Where are they?" Li Cheng asked as he and Da Ming walked towards the car.
"They're in the underground, sir. They've been there since last night. Two ladies. As soon as I saw them on the CCTV footage, I immediately knew who sent them," Da Ming replied.
"Who? And why would they say those things about me? Who sent them?" Li Cheng asked, his frustration evident as Da Ming opened the car door for him before getting in himself.
"Sir, you'd be shocked if I told you who sent them," Da Ming said as they started the drive to the underground facility.
"Who?" Li Cheng pressed.
"Sir, it was Prince Mo Yu Hao," Da Ming revealed. The name hit Li Cheng like a punch to the gut. He stared at Da Ming, trying to process the information.
"Oh, now I see. That bastard sent them. He wants to ruin my happy married life because he hasn't got one. He had the guts to send people to fill my wife's head with false accusations. Things I didn't even do," Li Cheng fumed, gripping a face towel so tightly his knuckles turned white.
"The show has just begun. I'm going to teach those brats a lesson."
***
Arriving at the underground facility, Da Ming led Li Cheng through dimly lit corridors where tall, strong guards stood watch, some stationed in front of cells where criminals were held captive. The sounds of screams and groans from those being tortured echoed through the space, adding to the oppressive atmosphere.
They finally reached the cell where the two ladies were being held. The iron bars were opened for them, and Li Cheng and Da Ming stepped inside.
The room was dim, with only a small light source illuminating it. The two women were chained down, their hair disheveled, their clothes torn. It was clear they had been through hell.
As soon as they heard the door clacking open, fear shot through them, and they began to beg for their lives.
"Please don't harm us! We made a mistake, and we're ready to make amends. Please don't beat us! We're sorry," they cried, struggling against their chains.
"No need to beg, dummies. And shut the fuck up—you're too noisy," Da Ming snapped, walking over to turn on the light.
Their eyes widened in horror when they saw Li Cheng standing before them, his arms folded, a cold expression on his face.
"So, you're the fools who filled my wife's head with lies. You wish you could fuck me, huh? I'm going to teach you a lesson you'll never forget," he said coldly, motioning for a few guards to enter.
"Strip them," he commanded, sitting down on a chair in the room, ready to make these women pay for what they had done.