Chapter 22: He Is Going to Kill Someone

Her hand gripped the doorframe, fingers trembling slightly.

Nalan Che stood before her, his tall, lean figure radiating a threatening aura as he kept his hands tucked in his pockets. It seemed her phobia of the sea was truly no trivial matter.

He fell silent for a moment, narrowing his unfathomable dark eyes as he stared at her, then said slowly, "If you want to eat, go get it yourself."

Tong Xiaoman’s face turned deathly pale. Struggling to control her uncontrollable trembling, she gritted her teeth and snapped, "Can't you just bring it to me?"

The hateful, wretched man—he was definitely doing this on purpose. She glared at him, grinding her teeth.

"Expecting something for nothing is not a good habit," he said, arching a brow with a faint, mocking curve to his lips.

Tong Xiaoman swallowed hard and reached out to rub her growling stomach. She desperately wanted to step out, but...

She clenched her teeth, suddenly slammed the door shut, and dashed back into the room. She looked for something to drink, only to discover that the teapot was completely empty.

"Damn it!" Enraged, she flung the teapot onto the carpeted floor.

The poor teapot rolled across the carpet until it came to a rest in a corner, thoroughly scorned and abandoned.

Outside, Nalan Che watched the slammed door, a smirk of amusement touching his lips. The little savage certainly had a stubborn temper.

But could a stubborn temper fill one's stomach? He would wait and see how long she could keep it up.

He turned and walked away, heading to the deck to fish. On such a quiet, beautiful night, there was nothing more fitting.

Inside the room, Tong Xiaoman searched everywhere for a communication device, only to realize that her phone and every other electronic gadget capable of contacting the outside world had been confiscated. She realized with a jolt that he had done this entirely on purpose.

***

Despite the Nalan family's best efforts to cover up the wedding scandal, there were still newspapers brave enough to tweak the tiger's whiskers.

Zhao Yi stared at the report in the paper, his eyes nearly popping out of his head. He rubbed them and looked again, confirming repeatedly that he hadn't misread the names.

The groom-to-be had cheated at the wedding, and the poor bride had been usurped by the business tycoon's cousin, leaving her to become the most miserable, pitiable, and sympathetic bride in history.

He slammed his hand onto the desk and bellowed, "Jack!"

Before the echo died away, a young, handsome man dressed in a conventional black suit, tie, and trousers pushed the door open and entered. He was Zhao Yi’s butler, Jack.

Zhao Yi grabbed the newspaper and tossed it at him, demanding furiously, "What is the meaning of this?"

His beautiful, lovely cousin had now become a reviled home-wrecker. Rage—a towering, infernal rage—consumed him. How could he let his little treasure suffer such an injustice? He felt like killing someone.

Jack caught the paper. He had already seen it and remained calm.

"Mr. Zhao," he stated expressionlessly, "I have just contacted someone who attended the wedding. It is said that Nalan Che unilaterally declared that his lover was the young lady. The young lady seemed to be under duress and was taken onto a ship before she could explain herself."

"What? A ship?" Zhao Yi stood up abruptly, shocked.

That damned Nalan Che! He had actually taken her out to sea. She had suffered an accident in the water when she was very young; she couldn't be out at sea.

At the thought of her being isolated, helpless, and bullied, he was frantic with worry. "Track her location immediately! Send a helicopter to chase after them!"