Chapter 4: Following the ex-sponsor’s girlfriend home

Standing in place, Lu Weizhu pressed her lips together as she watched Ning Wan’s figure grow smaller in the distance.

“What will happen if I follow her? What is she going to do? Should I go after her?”

Her instincts told her that nothing good would come from following, that whatever awaited her would not be pleasant.

Leaning against the wall next to the elevator, Lu Weizhu clutched tightly at the hem of her skirt.

She was not, in truth, a bold person.

A desire to flee rose in her heart—she wanted to run, to leave this place.

“…But Weiyu…”

Her legs felt as if they were filled with lead, unable to move.

A memory of the frail girl who had hugged her flashed through her mind, and Lu Weizhu closed her eyes.

After a long while, she finally followed after Ning Wan.

Leaving the apartment building, she trailed behind Ning Wan all the way to the underground garage. 

Ning Wan led her to a white luxury car.

Ning Wan stopped in front of the car door. 

Lu Weizhu stood two or three meters away, not daring to make a move.

“So you came after all.”

Watching the uneasy girl through the car’s rearview mirror, Ning Wan’s lips curled into a faint, enigmatic smile.

“Miss Ning, what do you want me to do?”

Lu Weizhu bit down hard, struggling to suppress the urge to run away. 

She stared intently at Ning Wan’s back.

What would this person do to her?

“You really do love money, don’t you.”

Ning Wan didn’t answer Lu Weizhu’s question.

Dodging the issue, she opened the car door.

“I already gave you a chance to run. So whatever happens next is your own fault.”

Saying these inexplicable words, Ning Wan leaned halfway into the car.

She pulled out a stack of cash—judging by the thickness, about ten thousand yuan.

It wasn’t enough to cover Lu Weiyu’s hospital fees, but it was still a significant sum.

Lu Weizhu swallowed silently.

Ning Wan caught her little gesture.

“Heh.”

She let out a cold laugh, the disgust in her eyes deepening.

She wanted to see her utterly humiliated, to force this girl to kneel and cry, to see someone with this face brought down to the level of the lowest of the low.

How could someone like this have the right to stand tall like herself?

With malicious thoughts swirling in her mind, Ning Wan tore open the paper band binding the cash and flung a handful of bills at Lu Weizhu’s face.

There was a faint sting as her vision was briefly obscured; the cash fluttered everywhere, landing on Lu Weizhu and the ground around her.

A light scent of ink lingered at the tip of her nose. 

At first, Lu Weizhu was stunned, but she quickly came to her senses and began bending down to pick up the cash.

“Though I really dislike you, I have to admit, you look a lot like me. Come to my villa tonight.”

Ning Wan clapped her hands, her head held high, her expression full of arrogance.

Lu Weizhu said nothing, focusing only on gathering the cash.

Being humiliated with money was a strange feeling. 

She felt ashamed, but she couldn’t walk away from the money.

Deep down, Lu Weizhu despised herself even more.

Why was she so useless? 

Why couldn’t she earn enough on her own, forced to beg others so pathetically?

Cursing herself as she picked up the money, it took a while before she gathered most of it.

“Ah!?”

Just as she reached for the last hundred-yuan bill, Ning Wan stepped on her hand.

Lu Weizhu was thin, her fingers slender and bony. 

When Ning Wan pressed down hard, the pain was sharp and piercing.

Feeling the weight on her hand, Lu Weizhu let out a cry and looked up.

In the dim underground garage, she couldn’t see Ning Wan’s face clearly, only the curve of her lips.

She was smiling.

Was she laughing at her? 

Ah… 

Of course, she was mocking her.

Biting her lower lip, a salty taste filled her mouth as Lu Weizhu looked at Ning Wan.

“Miss…Miss Ning…could you move your foot?…Ha…”

The pain was too intense for Lu Weizhu to bear.

Panting, she tilted her head back, forcing a smile, trying her best to please the person who so clearly despised her.

Strands of white hair fell over her face, dividing her forced smile. 

Her brows were tightly furrowed, a contrast to the smile at her lips.

It was a smile, yet not, but the flattery in her expression was unmistakable.

Ning Wan smiled again.

Her twisted heart felt satisfied, but she didn’t lift her foot right away. Instead, she pressed Lu Weizhu’s head down hard.

“Ah!”

Nails almost digging into her scalp, the sharp pain shot through her mind. 

Lu Weizhu’s body collapsed downward, nearly sprawled on the ground.

“Mistress, after taking my money, can’t you say thank you? Hm?”

Her voice was tinged with laughter and confidence, making it impossible to refuse.

Lu Weizhu’s smile could no longer hold.

“Th…Thank you…”

With difficulty, she managed to thank her, and at last, Ning Wan let her go.

Retrieving her hand from under Ning Wan’s foot, the once-fair back of her hand was now scraped raw, mixed with dirt, streaks of red, white, and black, itchy and painful.

Lu Weizhu dared not complain. 

Supporting herself with her forearm, she struggled to her feet, carefully stowing away the money, then fished a few tissues from her pocket and gently wiped her hand.

“…”

As the tissue rubbed her wound, she couldn’t help but cry out in pain.

“Get in the car.”

Ning Wan opened the passenger door and sat in the driver’s seat.

Obediently, Lu Weizhu climbed into the passenger seat. 

As the car door closed, the engine rumbled to life.

“…”

Saying nothing, Lu Weizhu simply cradled her injured hand.

In the year she’d been Bai Lu’s kept lover, she had never been hurt.

The person before her was far more violent than Bai Lu. 

Just thinking about what kind of days would follow made it clear things would not be easy. 

Yet, Lu Weizhu had nowhere left to go—she could only agree.

The road ahead was bleak, but for her sister’s life, Lu Weizhu could only dash headlong down this dark path.

By now, there was no way back. 

All she could do was pray—pray that Lu Weiyu would recover, pray that one day she wouldn’t have to sell her dignity for money.

Shrinking into the corner of the passenger seat, she had no mind to look at the scenery outside, nor did she dare to look at Ning Wan’s face. 

Lu Weizhu closed her eyes to rest.

“We’re here. Get out.”

Only when Ning Wan’s voice sounded again did Lu Weizhu open her eyes.

The sun had set. 

The moon hung high, stars few and far between. 

The silvery moonlight spilled over the stand-alone villa outside the car window, mingling with the warm yellow glow of the street lamps, stretching the building’s shadow.

“Alright.”

Nodding, Lu Weizhu got out of the car.

She took the initiative to open the driver’s door for Ning Wan.

“Not bad. You’re pretty smart.”

Glancing at Lu Weizhu, Ning Wan did not refuse her small gesture of flattery.

Tidying her hair, Ning Wan walked slowly toward the nearby villa.

“……”

Swallowing, Lu Weizhu followed nervously behind Ning Wan.

Crossing the somewhat messy garden, Ning Wan sat down on the living room sofa.

Not told she could sit, Lu Weizhu obediently stood in front of the sofa, hiding her injured right hand behind her left.

“Ha…Haven’t been back in a while. Still feels best here.”

Ignoring Lu Weizhu’s presence, Ning Wan stretched out her arms and sprawled on the sofa without a care.

After a long while, she finally spoke again.

“Lu Weizhu, that’s your name, right?”

“Mm…”

Lu Weizhu nodded. 

She wanted to ask why Ning Wan had brought her here, but in the end, she didn’t.

It couldn’t possibly be for anything good.

Feeling dejected, Lu Weizhu swayed a little where she stood.

“From now on, you’re my property. I’ll give you a hundred thousand a month, and you’ll obey my every order. Understand?”

To play with another version of herself, and as a small act of revenge against Bai Lu’s cheating, this was the gist of Ning Wan’s plan.

A hundred thousand—without a doubt, that was a fortune for Lu Weizhu, even more than Bai Lu had given her.

When she’d been Bai Lu’s kept lover, Bai Lu seemed to know exactly what Lu Weizhu needed, giving her just enough to cover Lu Weiyu’s hospital bills—never a penny more, binding Lu Weizhu tightly.

Ning Wan’s offer was almost double Bai Lu’s, giving Lu Weizhu a glimmer of hope.

If she could just save up a little, could she escape this kind of life sooner?

“Alright, I accept, Miss Ning.”

She didn’t hesitate long. 

After mouthing the words a few times, Lu Weizhu readily agreed to Ning Wan’s terms.

Her bleak life now had a sliver of hope—not much, but at least it was something.