Chapter 23: Salvation

Because the earlier interruption by the child had thrown her off, she was deliberately given many difficult moves afterward. The backbend alone lasted for five minutes, and when Xu Yu finally stood up, sweat ran down her temples.

She suddenly remembered that today happened to be her period.

By the time filming ended at dusk, Xu Yu was completely drained. She had never been this exhausted, not even during her usual dance practice. All she wanted was a shower and some rest in her room.

But the airplane meal had left everyone unsatisfied, and since they had just arrived in Daliang Mountain, everyone was eager to try the local cuisine.

Wen Han invited the group out for dinner.

Xu Yu called out to Wen Han.
“I’m not feeling well. Can I head back to the hotel first?”
“Xu Yu, haven’t I told you? During group activities, no one gets special treatment.”
Xu Yu frowned slightly, but didn’t argue.

That evening, they went to a local hotpot restaurant.

Spicy broth, iced plum juice.

Her lower abdomen throbbed painfully.

Xu Yu barely touched her chopsticks, wishing desperately to leave as soon as possible.

Halfway through the meal, a commotion erupted at the entrance.

Suddenly, someone tapped her shoulder. Mi Li’s excited voice sounded in her ear, “Yu, isn’t that your boyfriend?”

Standing at the door were four tall, handsome men—none other than Shen Liangyan, his uncle, and their friends.

“Go say hello!”
Mi Li was even more enthusiastic than she was, but Xu Yu hadn’t yet stood up.

“Liangyan,”
Wen Han wrapped herself around Shen Liangyan’s arm. “I didn’t expect to see you here, too.”

Shen Yue’s gaze was fixed firmly on Wen Han.

Xu Yu withdrew her gaze and sat back down.

Faced with Mi Li’s questioning, Xu Yu offered no explanation.

Wen Han never returned to the table for the rest of the meal.

Mi Li whispered beside her, “I think the boss and that handsome guy went upstairs to a private room. Yu, your boyfriend went too. What does he do for a living?”

Xu Yu replied offhandedly, “He might be her boss. We don’t ask about each other’s work when we’re out.”

“Huh? Aren’t you worried he might be two-faced?”

Wang Juan, a mother herself, spoke earnestly, “I have a friend who was very much in love with her husband before pregnancy. But after she got pregnant, he began travelling for work all the time. When their child was two, she discovered he had a one-and-a-half-year-old child with another woman—conceived just when she was pregnant.”

“Right,” Mi Li chimed in, “I saw Yu’s boyfriend staring at the boss just now.”

Keris nudged her with her elbow, “Don’t bring up what shouldn’t be mentioned. How could Yu’s boyfriend possibly know the boss?”

Xu Yu had no patience for their gossip. “My stomach hurts. I’ll head out first—you all take your time.”

Wen Han had booked double rooms at the hotel. Since Xu Yu wasn’t returning with her, she didn’t have a keycard.

She randomly found a guesthouse to stay in.

When she arrived, her dress was already stained; fortunately, she had tied a jacket around her waist.

She washed her clothes in the bathroom, but the lock was broken and wouldn’t latch. So she left the door slightly ajar.

Suddenly, the door was pushed open.

The man was thin, with small eyes and thick lips—the owner of the guesthouse.

He lifted his eyelids and glanced at her, then squeezed inside, pressing his back against the door.

Xu Yu stepped back warily. “What are you doing?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” He saw her scrubbing bloodstains from her dress, realized she was physically vulnerable, and tried to tear off her skirt. Xu Yu kicked and struggled, but her sequined dress was shoved into her mouth, and her arms were bound with a belt.

At the critical moment, she slammed her head into him.

“You filthy woman, pretending to be chaste—”

“Hua Zi, there are guests outside. Come serve them!”
The landlady was in a wheelchair. The owner had no choice but to stop, giving Xu Yu a vicious glare as he untied the belt from her arms.

As soon as her hands were free, Xu Yu yanked the dress out and shouted, “Help, someone tried to—”

The man didn’t have time to act further.

Footsteps rushed down the hallway, and someone entered, kicking the man’s knee.

Xu Yu looked up and met Shen Liangyan’s gaze.