Qi Ge arrived, and he came alone.
As soon as he stepped into the hall and saw the damaged decor, his face immediately turned displeased, and he looked at Dong Enyu with eyes full of blame.
“Hey! Old Qi! You have to pay today, or I’ll burn down this crappy shop of yours!” Before Qi Ge could get close to Dong Enyu, Brother Hu had already given him a warning.
There was no room for negotiation tonight; there were only two solutions: either pay up or pay after the shop was smashed.
“No problem,” Qi Ge unexpectedly shrugged casually with his hands in his pockets, “I’ll give everyone an explanation tonight.” Dong Enyu raised her eyebrows.
Could it be that Qi Ge went to borrow money from someone else? Is that why he was late? “Manager, can Qi Ge really come up with the money? Our group isn’t…” emptied out.
“We can only trust him now, right?” Dong Enyu didn’t know what tricks Qi Ge could pull.
“Alright!” Brother Hu ordered all his men to stop and waited for Qi Ge to give an explanation.
Qi Ge gestured to the Manager and said, “Go get the package I gave you the day before yesterday!” Upon hearing this, Dong Enyu immediately frowned.
She turned her head to look at the Manager, who left in a panic as if caught red-handed, with a bead of cold sweat sliding down his forehead.
Dong Enyu didn’t mind Qi Ge contacting the Manager privately, as Qi Ge was the Boss, but the fact that he had dealings with the Manager made her feel disrespected, or rather, it threatened her position a bit.
“Qi Ge.” The Manager hurriedly handed the brown paper bag to Qi Ge and then stepped aside, not daring to look at Dong Enyu.
What was thought to be money turned out to be a thick stack of documents.
“Is this the explanation you mentioned? Do you think we’re all fools?” Brother Hu slammed the table in anger when he saw it.
“The explanation I mentioned isn’t these papers, but,” Qi Ge suddenly pointed at Dong Enyu, “it’s her!” His deep and firm voice echoed in the room, and the words “it’s her” made everyone turn their gaze to Dong Enyu.
Dong Enyu was instantly struck as if by lightning, her whole body trembling.
“I’ve suspected you for a long time, Dong Enyu. The Manager told me about the discrepancies in the accounts, so I secretly observed you. I didn’t expect you to be so ungrateful, stealing all the money from the group!” Qi Ge angrily threw the documents at Dong Enyu, the scattered papers flying around chaotically, just like Dong Enyu’s current state of mind, a complete mess.
She bent down to pick up the papers at her feet, all of which were withdrawal records, and all the account numbers were Dong Enyu’s card numbers.
Forgery! It’s all forgery!
“I had someone investigate the records, and I didn’t expect you to be so blatant, thinking no one would find out? I didn’t bother with you once or twice, but I didn’t expect you to dare to steal everything and still have the face to come to me saying someone embezzled money! Your face is really thick as hell!” Qi Ge pointed at Dong Enyu’s nose, his words becoming more and more outrageous, successfully stirring up the atmosphere, even Qi Ge’s own men were cursing at Dong Enyu, furious.
Framed! Dong Enyu pressed her lips tightly together.
If she said “it wasn’t me” now, it would only make things worse.
What to do? What should I do?…
“Bastard! No wonder you were so calm! It turns out you swallowed all the money!” Brother Hu took a few steps forward, standing with Qi Ge, “If you have the guts to swallow it, then spit the money back out! Otherwise, don’t even think about walking out of this shop alive!” He grabbed a baseball bat, clearly not joking.
“I…” Dong Enyu clenched her hands, uttering a meaningless syllable.
As soon as she said a word, Qi Ge immediately roared, “Tie her up!”
There’s no choice but to run!
Dong Enyu jolted and dashed towards the back door.
Her mind was in turmoil; she clearly didn’t do it, but she had to run.
Once she moved, it was as if she admitted to the crime, and staying would only lead to a dead end.
Dong Enyu gritted her teeth, things were getting worse, and the sound of countless footsteps and curses behind her left her no time to think.
There was no way back, only forward, forward, forward…
Bang! ——
She slammed open the kitchen’s back door, hurriedly closing it behind her as she fled into the dark alley.
The fire escape behind the door was quite narrow, and as she ran, she glanced back, seeing several shadows closing in.
Dong Enyu had no idea what to do, only instinctively charging forward.
She panted heavily, sweat sliding down her back, her steps faltering as she nearly fell.
She instinctively looked back, seeing no one chasing her, only hearing chaotic curses.
Dong Enyu steadied her breath, planning where to hide when suddenly a shadow attacked from behind!
She didn’t have time to scream as a jolt of electricity surged through her abdomen, and Dong Enyu’s vision went black as she fainted.
…
Still alive.
Dong Enyu took a breath, knowing she was still alive.
When she opened her eyes, a strange scene unfolded before her…
A factory.
Her blurry eyes lifted slightly, and the mottled, rusty iron walls told Dong Enyu that this was an abandoned factory.
The surroundings were very quiet, with only two flashlights illuminating the dark factory.
A large hole in the ceiling let in faint moonlight like a skylight.
Dong Enyu bit her lower lip, taking a deep breath, feeling a sharp pain in her chest, perhaps from a rib injury during the transport.
She tried to move her wrists, finding them tied to the back of a chair with hemp rope, her feet similarly bound.
But strangely, her eyes weren’t covered, and her mouth wasn’t gagged.
If they didn’t want the victim to see the perpetrator or scream for help, they should have done the basic restraints.
…But they didn’t.
“Cough, cough… cough…” Dong Enyu coughed a few times, spitting out a mouthful of bloody foam.
Her lips hurt, likely from being hit.
Even without a mirror, she could imagine her face bruised and swollen, but being spared her life was a good thing.
She calmed her emotions, following the flashlight’s beam forward, seeing many red stains on the ground, growing thicker towards the corner, clearly bloodstains…
The factory was filled with a strong smell of blood.
…Someone had died.
The body discarded in the corner was actually Qi Ge.
Dong Enyu swallowed hard, not shocked but calmly trying to find a reason to explain everything.
Why? Why did Qi Ge die here? Dong Enyu squinted her eyes, examining the corner.
His death was gruesome, with a horrific scar slashed across his abdomen, and the blood on the ground flowed from that wound.
His eyes were slightly open, his mouth agape, as if he had struggled before dying, unable to rest in peace.
Apart from the abdominal wound, there seemed to be no other signs of struggle, suggesting a single fatal blow.
To deliver a lethal strike without Qi Ge resisting…
“Luo Ye…”
Unconsciously, Dong Enyu uttered these two words.
Who else could it be but Luo Ye? But she didn’t understand why Luo Ye would kill Qi Ge.
Dong Enyu closed her eyes in frustration, her body cold, as too many mysteries grew beyond her understanding.
Just as she was feeling troubled, she heard the sound of boots on concrete behind her, a steady rhythm approaching her.
Even before seeing the person, Dong Enyu felt a chill down her spine, vaguely seeing a shadow stretching across the floor, wearing a peaked cap and a military-style collar…
“Why did you kill Qi Ge?”
Dong Enyu asked when Luo Ye stood behind her.
Her voice was steady, showing no sign of unease, but inside she was terrified, her legs trembling.
“Embezzlement,” Luo Ye’s calm voice, like her demeanor, was always inscrutable.
Dong Enyu could never guess what Luo Ye was thinking, just like now… She said Qi Ge embezzled money.
“You’re the scapegoat.” Luo Ye circled from behind Dong Enyu, standing in front of her, looking down at her.
In the backlight, Dong Enyu could only see a silhouette but could clearly capture Luo Ye’s gaze.
Calm, emerald green.
“You always knew?” She was stunned.
Luo Ye said she was the scapegoat, the fall guy for Qi Ge’s embezzlement.
“Your decision.” Luo Ye’s words pierced Dong Enyu’s heart.
…Your decision.
Dong Enyu’s eyes widened suddenly, feeling as if she had been awakened from a dream.
Past scenes flashed quickly, and it turned out Luo Ye knew everything.
Qi Ge had siphoned off money from the organization and then asked Dong Enyu if she wanted to take over.
She asked Luo Ye for advice, but Luo Ye said nothing, and she decided to take over on her own, willing to be the scapegoat to climb up and solidify her position.
Luo Ye had been watching the show, watching her pride, watching her make a fool of herself… “Heh…”
Suddenly, Dong Enyu laughed, her mouth stiff, unable to bend.
Yes, this was the path she chose.
She laughed at her own foolishness, being deceived again… “So, what now? You brought me here, tied me up, what else do you want to do to me?” Her voice was calm, her eyes sharply fixed on Luo Ye.
Dong Enyu’s eyelid twitched, and she instinctively glanced towards Qi Ge, whose unseeing eyes were staring in their direction.
“Qi Ge had to die,” Luo Ye walked towards Qi Ge’s corpse, pulling the murder weapon from his abdomen in front of Dong Enyu, blood splattering everywhere.
In an instant, Dong Enyu’s throat tightened, unable to make a sound.
Under the moonlight, Luo Ye made her shiver like a grim reaper, “You take the blame.”
Take the blame…
“Scapegoat…?”
The sound of heels clicking on the ground was crisp, each step echoing in Dong Enyu’s heart.
Click! Click! Click!… Until Luo Ye stood in front of her, bringing the blood-stained murder weapon close, the cold blade pressing against Dong Enyu’s cheek, leaving a red mark on her honey-colored skin, then passing over her shoulder to place the handle in her bound hands.
Luo Ye made her hold the knife, making her the scapegoat for Qi Ge’s murder.
A once-loyal subordinate, killing the Boss without hesitation.
The reason was simple… “You want to rise to power?” Dong Enyu hesitated for a long time before asking.
Luo Ye wanted to replace Qi Ge, to take his position.
Her ambition was so great, yet Dong Enyu had never noticed.
At this moment, she recalled Luo Ye asking about her “usefulness,” and it all made sense.
Just like their relationship, mutual exploitation, Dong Enyu used Luo Ye to gain Qi Ge’s trust, while Luo Ye used her stubbornness to make her lose everything.
“You caught the murderer of Qi Ge,” Dong Enyu lowered her shoulders, squinting at Luo Ye, “Will the Boss let you rise to power?” Luo Ye didn’t answer, just nodded.
…So that’s how it is.
“I want a cigarette.” Dong Enyu tightened her grip on the murder weapon, lowering her eyes as she spoke softly.
Luo Ye took out a cigarette from her pocket, placing it on Dong Enyu’s lips and lighting it for her.
In the darkness, the spark was especially brilliant.
The smoke inhaled into Dong Enyu’s lungs was so strong at times that it forced her to cough lightly.
It hurt… It hurt so much… Zhao Han was right, she had messed up again this time.
