Qi Min was struck.
This slap was vicious—brutal, unsparing, leaving no room for retreat. The force sent her crashing onto the bed, stars exploding in her vision.
"What the hell are you still lying about?! When will you stop toying with me?!"
Like a spark igniting a gasoline-drenched field, Qin Guan's pent-up rage and fear erupted. He needed answers—real answers. About Xu Ruyi. About her father. What did she know? He had to know.
Gasping, his voice a smothered inferno, he climbed onto the bed, gripping her shoulders and shaking her violently. "Tell me the truth! Why did you hit her? What scheme are you running? What did you say to her?!"
Terrified, Qi Min writhed under his grasp. This wasn't the lover she knew—this was a man unhinged. "I didn't—let me go! Qin Guan—!"
"What did you say?!" His eyes burned crimson—desperation, terror. "About her father—what do you know? What did you tell her?!"
A flicker of clarity pierced Qi Min's panic. Qin Guan wasn't here to settle scores. He'd done something—something tied to Xu Ruyi's father—and he feared exposure.
"You've got it wrong!" She thrashed, legs kicking. "I don't know anything about her father! Let me go—!"
"Liar!" Her mention of "Xu Ruyi's father" snapped his last thread of control. He pressed down, crushing her. "You know! You told her!"
"I'll scream—!"
"Scream? After ruining me?!" His hands clamped like iron vises. "What did you say?!"
They grappled—her nails raking his face, his fists pounding. "Tell me! Why betray me?!"
The room fell silent suddenly, save for the old AC's wheeze. Qin Guan heaved breaths, lungs burning with her floral perfume.
Beneath him, Qi Min lay motionless.
Eyes wide. Neck bruised. Mouth agape in frozen disbelief.
She was dead.