206: Chapter 206 Scumbag Liu Ziqiang

Zhu Li didn't dare call the police, didn't dare tell her family, didn't dare tell her friends, and didn't even dare to recall any details of that night.

After that night, Zhu Li returned to her rental apartment, looking like she had lost her soul.

She locked herself in her room, not eating or drinking, not crying or making a scene, lying there for a whole day and night like an empty shell that had lost its soul.

The wounds on her body were inflamed and painful, and the trauma in her heart was festering wildly.

Several times, she wanted to jump out of the window and end it all.

To avoid Liu Ziqiang and escape that suffocating, nightmare-filled city.

That very day, she forced herself to submit a resignation letter to her company, despite her leader's repeated attempts to make her stay.

She packed all her luggage and bought the earliest train ticket overnight.

Alone, dragging a heavy suitcase, she left the city that held all her pain and humiliation, traveling thousands of miles to the unfamiliar Zhongzhou.

She heard that Zhongzhou was very large—large enough to hide anyone's secrets, along with all their pain and shame.

She got a brand-new phone number, deleted all her past contact information, blocked everyone she might know, and lived under an assumed name.

She only wanted to completely bury that dark night in this unfamiliar city and start her life anew.

That first year was the most difficult and painful time of Zhu Li's life.

The shadow of that night three years ago haunted her constantly, like an invisible rope tightly strangling her throat.

She suffered from insomnia and nightmares, waking up in terror every night. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Liu Ziqiang's hideous face and the dark humiliation in the car carriage.

She didn't dare take a stranger's car, didn't dare talk to strange men, didn't dare walk at night, and would even tremble all over at the sight of middle-aged men.

She was sensitive, had low self-esteem, and was withdrawn, locking herself in her tiny rental apartment, refusing to socialize or get close to anyone.

Like an overly frightened small animal, she lived inside the hard shell she had built for herself.

Pain, depression, breakdowns—she wept silently countless times in the dead of night, wanting to give up on herself over and over again.

She spent two whole years in that unfamiliar environment, numbing herself little by little through day and night work, gradually stepping out of the shadows.

She worked hard, desperately improving her design skills, moving from a minor assistant designer to the company's lead designer step by step.

She slowly opened her heart, made new friends, and tried to believe that there was still kindness in the world.

It was also during those darkest days that she met Zhang Haonan.

Zhang Haonan's appearance was like a beam of light shining into her dark, sunless world.

He was gentle, considerate, mature, and steady, falling in love with Zhu Li at first sight.

He did everything he could to be good to her, tolerating her sensitivity and suspicion, and nurturing her fragility and insecurity. He never asked about the past she was unwilling to mention, giving her a sense of security and warmth she had never felt before.

Under Zhang Haonan's day-after-day love and companionship, Zhu Li finally began to forget the pain of the past.

She finally dared to believe she could also have happiness, finally dared to lower all her guards and embrace the light that belonged to her.

Zhang Haonan gave her flowers, jewelry, and a BMW. He took her to meet his parents and planned their future together.

The wedding was set for the second half of the year, and everything was moving in the most perfect and happy direction.

Zhu Li thought that nightmare was completely over, that the demon named Liu Ziqiang would never appear in her life again and would never disturb her happiness.

She was wrong.

Evil spirits crawling out of hell never let go of their prey easily.

A year ago.

On a perfectly ordinary afternoon, after finishing a project meeting at the company, Zhu Li drove the BMW 5 Series that Zhang Haonan had given her, planning to go to the mall to buy some small items for the wedding.

Just as she was slowly parking her car in the mall's underground garage, a familiar and terrifying figure appeared by the car window, making her blood freeze instantly.

It was Liu Ziqiang.

The demon who had ruined her life had actually traveled thousands of miles to find Zhongzhou, to find her.

At that moment, Zhu Li felt all the blood in her body freeze instantly.

Her mind went blank, her ears buzzed, and fear, like an invisible hand, tightly gripped her throat.

It left her unable to breathe, unable to speak, and even unable to move.

Liu Ziqiang leaned against the car window, greedily eyeing her luxury car.

He sized up her exquisite outfit and the superior lifestyle she radiated, a hint of calculation and ruthlessness flashing in his eyes.

He had long since set his sights on Zhu Li, following her all the way and investigating her in secret until he had figured out her entire life routine.

He knew she had a respectable job in Zhongzhou.

He knew she had a wealthy and powerful boyfriend.

He knew she was about to get married and that what she cared about most now was her reputation.

She cared about this hard-won relationship and the upcoming wedding.

He had been short of money lately, and seeing Zhu Li living such a comfortable life, a plan immediately formed in his mind to treat her as his cash cow.

Liu Ziqiang didn't step forward to disturb her immediately.

Instead, he waited for Zhu Li to park the car and walk into a quiet corner of the mall's fire escape before quickly stepping forward and blocking her path.

A lewd and sinister smile hung on his face, and his tone was flippant and malicious.

"Little girl, long time no see. I didn't expect you to be so capable, coming all the way to Zhongzhou to enjoy life. Driving a luxury car, hooking up with a rich guy—you've really made something of yourself."

Zhu Li's face turned as pale as paper from fright. She backed away repeatedly until her back hit the cold wall, leaving her with nowhere to retreat.

Her voice trembled uncontrollably, her teeth chattered, and her words were incoherent.

"You... how can you be here? How did you find me? I'm warning you, don't come any closer! Go away!"

"How did I find you?"

Liu Ziqiang sneered and pressed closer step by step.

"Even if you run to the ends of the earth, I can still find you."

"Let me tell you, not only have I found you, but I also know your rich boyfriend is named Zhang Haonan and that you're about to get married."

"I know you care especially about your reputation right now and are terrified of him finding out about your past, right?"

...