After Marrying the Cold Omega in Secret - Chapter 84

Pain.

It hurts so much. That was Chu Jin’s first sensation as her consciousness returned.

Every part of her ached her head, her throat, her wrists, her back.

At the same time, the musty scent of long-sealed decay filled her nose, mixed with the pungent metallic tang of rust.

Where was she?

As she barely managed to lift her heavy eyelids, a sliver of harsh daylight stabbed at her vision, forcing them shut again.

Yet that slight movement didn’t escape the notice of the person across from her.

The moment Chu Jin closed her eyes, she felt ice-cold water being poured over her entire body.

It drenched her completely.

So cold!

The biting chill instantly shattered her lingering grogginess.

Chu Jin’s eyes flew open.

Wan Qing’s face filled her vision.

The woman sat gracefully on a wooden chair, her makeup flawless, watching Chu Jin’s shivering form with detached amusement.

“Awake?”

Wan Qing’s lips curved slightly, but there was no warmth in her smile only a gaze colder than the water that had just drenched her.

The freezing water had soaked through her clothes, the chill seeping into her very bones. Chu Jin trembled uncontrollably.

At least it numbed some of the pain.

She glanced around. She was in a dilapidated, abandoned house.

The walls were peeling, patches of gray-green moss clung to the corners, and cobwebs stretched across the ceiling, trapping insects in their silken threads.

The old-fashioned window frames were wooden, the glass panes cracked and missing in places. Only a few jagged shards remained, held in place by protruding nails, letting the frigid outside air seep in.

This had to be an abandoned residential complex.

Based on Chu Jin’s knowledge of Linhe City, if she was still within the urban area, this was likely the western district.

Linhe’s wealth disparity was stark the east was a forest of skyscrapers, home to the rich and powerful, while the west was littered with decades-old buildings, many left to rot for years, overgrown with weeds taller than a person. Few ever ventured here.

And now, Chu Jin was in one of these forgotten complexes. Judging by the layout, she was in what had once been a living room, bound to a chair in the center of the space.

Her wrists and ankles were shackled with iron chains, leaving angry red marks where they dug into her skin. The pain was unbearable.

And standing beside her was a hulking man, ensuring she didn’t escape.

He was probably the one who had knocked her out in the parking garage.

With her hands restrained, Chu Jin subtly tilted her head, letting her ear brush against her shoulder as if scratching an itch, her mind racing.

When she had been in the garage, it was around noon. Now, the light outside had taken on the golden hue of dusk.

So either she had been here for about six hours or over a full day.

If it was the former, she was likely still in Linhe. If the latter, there was no telling where she might be.

“Where is this?” she asked, her voice hoarse from the dryness in her throat.

Wan Qing’s gaze remained fixed on her, sharp and predatory. Only after a long pause did she slowly rise from her seat.

The sharp click of her stilettos against the worn floorboards was unnerving, grating on the nerves.

Wan Qing wore an elegant dress, just like the one she had debuted in on the variety show, exuding a refined grace that clashed violently with their grim surroundings.

She stopped in front of Chu Jin, looking down at that exquisitely beautiful face.

Even drenched in cold water and smeared with grimy dust, nothing could obscure her breathtaking beauty.

Especially those eyes though their shape was alluring and seductive, the light in their pupils was resolute and steady, like the sharp edge of a blade pointing forward.

Deep, sharp, utterly unyielding in its brilliance.

This was something Wan Qing had never seen before.

In her memory, Chu Jin was merely a pretty face with some fox-like seduction tricks, which was why she had managed to bewitch Chi Ye into such a daze.

Now it seemed she had underestimated Chu Jin.

“Knowing where you are won’t change anything. You still can’t escape.”

Wan Qing’s tone was lazy as she lowered her gaze and raised a hand, her fingers slowly trailing down Chu Jin’s cheek, her long, manicured nails lightly grazing the smooth skin.

She clicked her tongue twice.

“Such a pretty face. No wonder Chi Ye is so devoted to you.”

Chu Jin let out a mocking laugh, a trace of derision flickering in her eyes.

“Are you jealous?”

Wan Qing’s gaze faltered slightly, the smile on her lips vanishing instantly. She withdrew her hand, her voice turning colder. “Jealous of what?”

Seeing her reaction, Chu Jin raised an eyebrow and spoke deliberately, “Do you think that with this face, Chi Ye would love you instead?”

The moment the words left her mouth, she clearly saw Wan Qing’s pupils constrict abruptly, her gaze darkening with an undercurrent of obsession.

“I don’t need her love.”

“Oh, right.” Chu Jin seemed to suddenly remember something, feigning thought before continuing, “You hate her.”

“You want revenge, which is why you kidnapped me.”

At this, Wan Qing immediately shot Chu Jin a sidelong glance, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. “You know?”

Without waiting for an answer, she pressed on, “She actually told you?”

“Wasn’t she afraid you’d be scared of her, a murderer.”

“She’s not a murderer!”

Faced with Wan Qing’s baseless accusation, Chu Jin immediately refuted with absolute certainty.

Her tone brooked no argument, her eyes fierce with indignation.

After the car accident that day, Chi Ye had finally confided in Chu Jin about Wan Qing’s past.

Their conflict wasn’t about love, it was entangled with a life.

The life of Wan Qing’s sister, Wan Ran, the eldest daughter of the Wan family who had been suppressed and never acknowledged by the Chi family.

“That car accident had nothing to do with Chi Ye!” Chu Jin’s voice rose with agitation.

Night had fallen, the surroundings gradually sinking into darkness.

The distant sound of fireworks suddenly erupted, one after another, piercing the heavy silence of the night sky.

Only the noise could be heard, not the fireworks themselves.

Each explosion struck heavily against their already unsettled hearts.

The air grew even more oppressive.

Wan Qing shot the man a glance, and he immediately understood, retreating from the room.

Ensuring they were alone, Wan Qing spoke bitterly:

“If Chi Ye hadn’t sent that message, my sister wouldn’t have died.”

Chu Jin found it laughable. “Do you even know why Chi Ye sent that message in the first place?”

Chi Ye had few friends growing up, only meeting a handful of companions during gatherings and banquets hosted by prominent families. Back then, the Wan family patriarch was still alive, and their ties with the Chi family were relatively close, so Chi Ye interacted most with Wan Qing and Wan Ran.

Since childhood, Wan Ran had a quiet and reserved personality, always appearing as mature as an adult with an air of profound depth. Yet when it came to Chi Ye, she treated her like a younger sister, showing her the same care as she did Wan Qing.

With little familial warmth in her life, Chi Ye inevitably developed an attachment to Wan Ran, often unconsciously following her around like a shadow.

Wan Qing, on the other hand, had a gloomier disposition taciturn, calculating, and highly sensitive.

Though her sister treated her well, she harbored deep-seated resentment toward Wan Ran.

Because Wan Ran had always been exceptional top grades, remarkable competence, taking over company affairs as soon as she came of age, she was constantly praised by the entire family. Even their stern-faced father would beam with pride at the mere sight of her.

Under the shadow of her sister’s brilliance, Wan Qing was forever condemned to obscurity. No matter how hard she tried, all she ever received was her father’s disapproval and her mother’s displeasure.

Like an insignificant speck of dust, an unworthy waste.

So she embraced that role living recklessly, indulging in the entertainment industry, surrounding herself with the most glamorous starlets. Her reputation became notorious.

Yet Wan Ran always said she envied Wan Qing.

Envied her freedom, her audacity.

Hearing such words, Wan Qing could only scoff at her hypocrisy.

At what she saw as false sincerity.

Chi Ye’s arrival, however, brought a glimmer of light into Wan Qing’s dull and lonely life.

Though Chi Ye lacked parental protection, she had her grandmother’s love. Obedient and well-behaved, she still retained a childlike vivacity and an unwavering hope for the future.

Wan Qing couldn’t recall when her feelings for Chi Ye had transcended friendship.

But she knew Chi Ye was sharp.

She must have realized it long ago.

Yet Wan Qing received no response.

And so, this unrequited longing festered, intertwining with years of repression, twisting into something dark and obsessive in her heart.

Watching Chi Ye smile at Wan Ran, Wan Qing understood.

Wan Ran had stolen her away again.

No matter how many times Chi Ye tried to explain, Wan Qing refused to listen.

Until four years ago, when she stood atop the Silver Radiance Tower.

It was the night before Chi Ye was supposed to meet Chu Jin.

Chi Ye had just finished ironing the clothes she planned to wear the next day when Wan Qing’s call came through.

The wind howled that night.

At first, there was only silence on the line, save for the roaring gusts.

Then, after a long pause, a faint voice spoke.

“Chi Ye, do you love me or Wan Ran?”

Hearing this, Chi Ye pressed her fingers to her temple in irritation.

“Wan Qing, what are you doing?”

“Come see me one last time, okay?” Wan Qing’s voice was choked, slurred with alcohol. “If you don’t, I’ll jump.”

This wasn’t the first time she’d made such a threat.

In the past, Chi Ye might have panicked, but after so many false alarms, she no longer took it seriously.

Chi Ye: “Where are you?”

After a long hesitation, Wan Qing gave the address.

Then, tentatively, she asked, “Will you come?”

Chi Ye forwarded the location to Wan Ran.

Her tone indifferent: “Just wait.”

In the end, Wan Qing didn’t get to see Chi Ye.

Instead, she received the news of her sister Wan Ran’s death.

On the elevated highway leading to Silver Radiance Tower, a severe car accident occurred two vehicles collided, leaving no survivors amidst the wreckage.

Flesh torn and still clinging to bone though she had never liked her sister, the overwhelming grief engulfed Wan Qing the moment she saw her lifeless body lying there.

Agonizing pain wrenched her heart, nearly suffocating her.

Tears welled in Wan Qing’s eyes as she stubbornly argued, “If she had come, my sister wouldn’t have died.”

“Can’t you stop lying to yourself?!”

Chu Jin’s anger flared, her struggles making the chains clatter ominously.

“You’re the one who killed Wan Ran!”

“It wasn’t me!!” Wan Qing roared, stumbling back two steps, her eyes wide with fury. A few tears spilled from her brimming gaze.

“I didn’t kill my sister!”

Chu Jin closed her eyes, steadying her emotions before sighing. “Your actions led to your sister’s death.”

“You couldn’t bear the guilt, so you redirected your hatred onto Chi Ye. That way, you could justify clinging to life without remorse.”

“No,  that’s not true.”

Wan Qing shook her head, her gaze growing unfocused.

“Wan Qing,” Chu Jin narrowed her eyes, “how does it feel to have killed your own sister?”

“Did you even get what you wanted?”

Chu Jin scoffed. “The Wan family still treats you like trash, don’t they?”

“Shut up!!”

Wan Qing’s expression twisted into madness, her steps erratic as she staggered to grab a knife from the table. “I’ll kill you!”

Yet Chu Jin remained composed, her piercing gaze cutting through the darkness like a blade.

She said coolly, “Just like how you and Wan Yuan plotted to kill Wan Ran together?”

Aside from being friends with Chi Ye, Wan Ran had another close confidante, Mu Shuang, the daughter of Song Xunyu’s aunt.

Since Wan Ran’s death in the car accident, Mu Shuang had been secretly investigating the incident.

The information Song Xunyu had previously revealed to Chu Jin also came from Mu Shuang.

Not long ago, Chu Jin and Chi Ye had contacted her and learned the rough truth.

At Chu Jin’s words, Wan Qing froze.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Chu Jin’s dark eyes hooked into Wan Qing like tiny barbs as she enunciated each word:

“I truly never expected you to conspire with someone who never loved you to kill the only person who ever did.”

“No! She didn’t love me!”

“She stole everything from me! She was a liar!”

Wan Qing suddenly raised the knife, pressing it against Chu Jin’s neck and drawing a thin line of blood.

Crimson dripped down, stark against Chu Jin’s pale skin.

Unfazed, Chu Jin retorted, “If she didn’t love you, why would she have died on that highway that night?”

Wan Qing had thrown countless tantrums before. Every time she used them as leverage, Wan Ran would drop everything to come even when it was nothing serious, she never ignored her.

That was why the prearranged car had been able to intercept Wan Ran so precisely that night.

“Your sister… no,” Chu Jin paused, “your aunt, she never could’ve imagined she’d die by your hand, could she?”

“After all, you’re the only person in the Wan family she still trusts.”

Chu Jin was utterly speechless for a long moment upon learning that Wan Ran was actually the daughter of Old Master Wan.

This meant that Wan Yuan’s ex-wife had borne Wan Ran with Wan Yuan’s own father, then registered the child under Wan Yuan’s name. Father and son had fallen for the same woman and each fathered children with her.

Thus, Wan Ran and Wan Qing were aunt and niece sharing the same mother but different fathers.

The emotional entanglements of wealthy families were truly hard to stomach no wonder Wan Ran had remained largely unknown to the outside world.

She didn’t want attention that might reveal the truth.

Understanding this, Chu Jin could grasp why Wan Yuan would want Wan Ran dead.

First, to soothe his humiliation and resentment; second, to eliminate an obstacle in the inheritance.

Old Master Wan officially only had Wan Yuan as his son, though there were certainly many illegitimate children. But Wan Ran was the only one openly raised before his eyes.

Moreover, Wan Ran was exceptionally talented, a rare business prodigy groomed from young age to take over company affairs, posing no small threat to Wan Yuan.

So he’d long planned how to remove this rival.

Until he noticed that her other daughter with her ex-wife also seemed discontent with Wan Ran.

Wan Yuan only discovered Wan Ran’s true parentage after fathering Wan Qing with her ex-wife.

From then on, all affection vanished, replaced by deep loathing that extended to Wan Qing as well.

Without love, only hatred remainedmaking it easy to manipulate Wan Qing into orchestrating that “accident.”

Wan Yuan handed her the knife, spouted some paternal platitudes, and her foolish daughter wielded it to clear her obstacles.

“Wan Yuan was just using you.”

Chu Jin sighed. “Yet you believed she loved you.”

It was Wan Yuan who provided Wan Qing with contacts and plans, the hired killers, money transfers, ambush locations were all her doing.

Even when eventually uncovered, nothing traced back to Wan Yuan.

Since childhood, Wan Qing had craved parental affection. That was the first time her father spoke heart-to-heart with her.

That day, she learned he truly loved her, she only favored Wan Ran to avoid angering grandfather.

So Wan Ran had stolen everything rightfully hers.

Thus Wan Qing made all preparations.

“Only when reaching the rooftop, you hesitated.” Chu Jin paused, her gaze deepening like the night outside. “You first called Chi Ye instead.”

Pity that the one who came racing unconditionally was still her sister, Wan Ran.

“If Chi Ye had come, Wan Ran wouldn’t have died.”

Wan Qing kept muttering, repeating the words.

“What difference would Chi Ye make? Would you have stopped?” Chu Jin demanded sharply.

Wan Qing had lost all reason her eyes vacant, speech slurred, body trembling slightly.

For four years since Wan Ran’s death, Wan Qing’s mental state had severely deteriorated, hence being sent abroad. Her appearance on the dating show was an unauthorized return.

Likely this time too.

“It wasn’t me not me, it was Chi Ye.”

She kept repeating those words, slowly backing away until she collapsed onto a chair, her arms hanging limply at her sides.

The fruit knife clattered to the floor with a sharp, metallic ring.

At the same moment, the door was suddenly kicked open with a loud bang!

A team of armed police officers swiftly entered and subdued Wan Qing with practiced efficiency.

As she was being taken away, Wan Qing’s emotions erupted violently. She screamed hysterically, “I didn’t kill her! It was Wan Yuan who manipulated me!”

“She lied to me!! She was the one who killed my sister! She hated her! That’s why she wanted her dead!”

“She lied!! She never loved me!”

Her frenzied shrieks only faded into the distance as she was escorted out of the building.

Before the police could reach her, Chi Ye was the first to rush to Chu Jin’s side.

She quickly took off her own coat and draped it over Chu Jin’s shoulders.

Though the lighting was dim, the worry etched across Chi Ye’s face was unmistakable. Kneeling beside her, she placed a trembling hand on Chu Jin’s shoulder, her voice choked with emotion. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

Her reddened eyes betrayed that she had already been crying.

Chu Jin offered a gentle smile, reassuring her, “I’m fine. Really.”

“I’m sorry… I should have been with you.”

Even now, Chi Ye couldn’t shake the lingering fear. Tears spilled down her cheeks again as her shoulders trembled slightly.

Earlier, when Chu Jin had left for work, Chi Ye had intended to accompany her, but an urgent matter at the company had kept her behind.

She had waited at the restaurant Chu Jin had reserved, but her lover never arrived.

A gut feeling told Chi Ye something was wrong.

Panic set in. Despite having prepared countless contingency plans, when the moment actually came, she found herself powerless.

All she could do was follow standard procedure, she immediately called the police.

Only upon arriving at the station did Chi Ye learn that, three hours prior, authorities had already received an alert, complete with a tracking device signal.

The pinhole tracker had been concealed in an earring, allowing not only the victim’s location to be traced but also providing clear live footage.

With concrete evidence confirming the abduction, an investigation was launched without delay.

Chu Jin had sensed it from the start, Wan Qing had returned for her.

Wan Qing believed Chi Ye had taken someone precious from her, and now she sought revenge. In that case, Chu Jin was the obvious target.

So, long before this, Chu Jin had purchased the earring inspired by an idea Qiao Man had given her.

Unlike the pinhole camera hidden in the stuffed bear’s eye last time, this one also had GPS functionality.

She refused to let Chi Ye take unnecessary risks alone, so she hadn’t told her. The moment she spotted Wan Qing in the parking garage, she had immediately transmitted the signal to the police.

Fortunately, the authorities’ investigative skills were sharp enough to pinpoint the location swiftly.

The chains restraining Chu Jin were cut away. Chi Ye’s heart ached at the sight of the angry red marks left behind.

Gently holding Chu Jin’s wrist, she lowered her gaze and whispered, “Does it hurt?”

“Not at all.”

Chu Jin shook her head with a soft smile.

Unable to hold back any longer, Chi Ye opened her arms to embrace her only for Chu Jin to stop her.

“I’m too dirty right now.”

Ignoring her completely, Chi Ye pulled her into a tight hug.

“I don’t care.”

A faint smile curved Chu Jin’s lips as she wrapped her arms around Chi Ye, holding her closer.

Resting her chin against Chi Ye’s shoulder, she nuzzled lightly.

“Let’s go home, love.”