Proofread by Zhou Zhijie

The words are so bitterly sarcastic that Ding Manman can only cry in despair. Although she wants to talk back, she can't open her mouth as if it were sealed.

Then a pair of shiny black leather shoes appears before her. Raising her head, Ding finds Zhong Shaoting's devil-like face. A strange sense of suffocation and intense fear build up within her chest, which almost chokes her.

“Why do you treat me like this…?” Actually this is the question she has asked many times. Everything would have been very beautiful in her life if she and Fang Hao had got married and been happily together. But Zhong Shaoting has ruined it all!

“Because it's all your fault and you should pay for it!” This is like a curse that keeps echoing in Ding's mind, though she didn't do anything wrong at all. No matter how she explains, Zhong Shaoting still treats her cruelly as if he did not hear anything she says.

Then the scenes get messed up. Zhong Shaoting's cruel smile, his taking her by force, Fang Hao's disappointed expression as well as his mother’s angry abuses, all get mingled up together. All kinds of emotions build up rapidly until they finally explode within her, after which Ding is waken up with a start from her dreadful dream.

Ding can't remember how many times she has had such a dream. Being absent-minded, she stares at the ceiling in a daze, ignoring the servant who asks her to go for breakfast. However, Ding has no idea that she has caused a sensation in the outside world while she feels lost in the villa.

Today's major networks have all been covered with the news reports of yesterday's art exhibition held by An Manrou, in which the news that Ding Manman turned down Jens Johnson's invitation is frantically highlighted.

Many people who have read the news express their pity on her refusal of such a precious opportunity. Ding Manman was a person unknown to the public, but with this piece of news she hits the headlines of all the major microblogs and websites. Although no one knows who she is, thanks to the reputation of Jens Johnson, it won’t be long before everything about Ding Manman is found out with the thorough research and investigation of the paparazzi.

If Ding turns on the TV, she will easily find herself on the screen, which is beyond her expectation. But these two days, she has been in such bad spirits that she just sits or lies in a trance absentmindedly, without even a mood to turn on the TV. On the other side, although Sun Ling'er has already seen the report, she was banned by Zhong from approaching Ding , in which case she can only restrain the impulse to gossip.

Two days after the news spread all over the country and even abroad, Ding still knows nothing about what has happened. Only until the third day when a couple of guests come to Zhong's villa does Ding finally get to know to such an extent that things have developed.

“Dad? Mom?” Ding Manman calls in disbelief. As she can’t believe what she sees, she rubs her eyes subconsciously for fear that what she sees is just an illusion. Only when her eyes get red after being rubbed hard does she really believe that the two middle-aged couple sitting in the sofa in the living room are indeed her parents!

"My dear daughter, why didn’t you give mom a message after such a long disappearance? You almost scared me and your dad to death!” Ding Manman’s mother rises and embraces Ding Manman gently in a voice full of common parents' worries. After seeing his daughter, Ding's father also looks much more relieved.

Ding Manman is stunned by his mother's sudden hug. Although she feels a little strange, in her mother's arms, Ding, who has been in a state of anxiety, feels much more relaxed now.

“Dad, mom, I’m sorry to have worried you.” Ding Manman has thought about a lot of bad endings for herself, say, she would be confined here for years until she dies of old age, or she would be tortured to death by Zhong, who is totally insane. But she has never expected to see her parents so quickly! The feeling of ecstasy makes Ding Manman choke with sobs. The arrival of her parents means that she has got the hope to escape from Zhong Shaoting, in which case she certainly can’t restrain her happiness.

But right now Ding’s father doesn't have much time to enjoy the reunion with his daughter; instead he has been focusing his attention on Zhong Shaoting ever since he came into this villa. At the thought that this man in front of him is the President of the famous Zhong’s Group, Ding’s father can't help but be in an agitated state. Despite his attempt to suppress the fury in his heart, Ding’s father still looks very angry.

"Mr. Zhong, although there were a few conflicts between the Ding Family the Zhong’s Group, you could come directly to me if you were discontented. Manman is our beloved daughter. You kidnapped her and have imprisoned her for such a long time, which could already be regarded as a criminal offense. Now I hope you can give us a reasonable explanation.”

Ding’s father, who looks quite dignified, gives her some courage as well. But what her father said astonishes her: why didn't she know that there were conflicts between the two families? Recently Zhong has been saying that she should pay with her life. This is real then? Did her family really do something bad to the Zhong Family and owes them an apology?

All kinds of guesses almost drive Ding Manman to the edge of mental breakdown. She is now experiencing the complex feelings which are hard to explain. It’s just like that she has been hating a person for “having wronged” her from the very beginning, but suddenly finds out that the person is finally proved to be right as she has really done something terrible to him.

“It’s OK, Manman. Dad and mum are here to take you back home. Don't worry." Thinking that her daughter is still worried, Ding’s mother speaks gently to comfort her. But Ding Manman, who is immersed in a brainstorm, doesn't notice what her mother is saying. She just considers what wrong she has done to the Zhong Family.

And Zhong Shaoting, who has been watching the reunion of this family coldly, feels it really ironic. If he didn’t try to suppress the impulse to kill, today the floor would have already been splashed with blood.

“A few conflicts? To be exact, the conflicts are not just ‘a few’. If I really want to look into it further, I am afraid that your family would have already disappeared from the earth.” Despite Zhong's light tone, his words are heavily pressed on the three listeners' hearts, making them nearly suffocate.

No one will doubt what Zhong has said, because he has the ability to turn it into reality. But Ding’s father, who is still in his senses, estimates that Zhong won't go out of line too much. It has been some many years since Zhong raised into power and fame. If he really wanted to do something with the Ding family, it should have already vanished from the earth for long.

The atmosphere becomes somber in a moment. Hoping to ease it, Ding’s mother walks up to Zhongbring, pulls her daughter with her and says, “Let bygones be bygones. I believe that President Zhong is generous enough to forgive us. After all, it was not all our fault.”

Ding’s mother thinks her words will ease the atmosphere, instead on hearing her words Zhong shoots his eyes straight at her like a demon, which makes her, a middle-aged woman, too scared to take a breath.

How can the eyes of a human be so terrifying! In a second Ding’s mother feels herself in the hell and she can't help but keep trembling after regaining her consciousness.