44: Chapter 44 Su Mo's Regret

"Snap!" Wang Hao lashed his belt viciously across Su Mo's back. The sound of the belt striking skin echoed through the empty room, sounding exceptionally piercing.

Su Mo trembled violently from the sudden lash. She immediately curled into a ball on the bed like a wounded little animal, desperately pulling up the quilt to cover herself tightly, as if it could provide a shred of security.

Her voice carried a sob as she pleaded repeatedly, "Brother Hao, Brother Hao... stop hitting me, I beg you, don't hit me anymore... If I did something wrong, I'll change, I'll definitely change, okay?"

Her eyes were filled with fear and helplessness, and her body shuddered slightly under the quilt.

However, Wang Hao turned a deaf ear to her pleas.

He yanked the quilt off Su Mo, the belt still gripped firmly in his hand. He glared at her, his face full of rage and menace, as he demanded harshly, "Tell the truth! Is the story about Qin Yi's family going bankrupt actually fake?"

Su Mo clutched her swollen cheek, her innocent, tearful eyes flickering as if she didn't understand Wang Hao's question.

Her voice was filled with confusion and grievance: "Brother Hao, what are you talking about? How could the bankruptcy of Qin Yi's family be fake? He told me himself. His dad was locked up for owing money to loan sharks, and he even applied for a leave of absence because of it... You know all this. Didn't I show you the WeChat chat logs and photos?"

Wang Hao panted heavily, his eyes darting back and forth.

He recalled that indeed, he had seen Qin Yi's previous chat logs and the photos of Qin Yi working as a courier and food delivery driver to help pay off his family's debts...

It was just that he had just been intimidated by Brother Dao and extorted for two million, so he was fuming inside.

Additionally, as soon as he returned to the hotel, he was questioned by this woman, Su Mo, about who he had dinner with. In that moment, anger flared up, and he had actually forgotten about those details...

Remembering this, Wang Hao finally tossed the belt aside and sat down heavily on the edge of the bed.

Seeing this, the fear in Su Mo's heart lessened slightly.

She wiped her tears and cautiously moved closer to Wang Hao's side, her body still trembling. She asked, "Brother Hao, what's wrong? Why did you suddenly ask about Qin Yi? Did he humiliate you today?"

Wang Hao turned to look at Su Mo, a trace of feigned pity appearing on his face. "I'm sorry, that hit must have hurt, right?"

Su Mo shook her head through her tears, her voice still sobbing. "Brother Hao, I'm fine. If Qin Yi really bullied you, I definitely won't let him off!"

Wang Hao shook his head with a bitter smile. "What's the use of you not letting him off!"

Su Mo said viciously, "If he really did something, and you want to teach him a lesson, Brother Hao, I can lure him out!"

"If you ask him out, is he guaranteed to come?"

"Brother Hao, you forgot, he loves me... When the time comes, you can bring more people and give him a good lesson!"

Wang Hao gave a cold laugh and continued, "He loves you? Stop talking nonsense!"

"It's not nonsense... If he didn't love me, why would he come back to school to find me today just because of a casual promise from back then?" Su Mo asked back, somewhat confused.

Wang Hao stood up, refastened his belt, and looked at Su Mo as if she were an idiot. "Tonight, I saw Qin Yi at the Sinan Feast!"

"The... Sinan Feast?" Su Mo's heart suddenly tightened, her thoughts tangling like a mess of hemp.

Could it be that her guess was right? Had Qin Yi really done something outrageous to Wang Hao, causing Wang Hao to vent his anger on her?

A cold sneer curled at the corner of Wang Hao's mouth as he spoke slowly, "That's right. Qin Yi was having dinner there with a woman. They were chatting and laughing, and they even ordered a bottle of champagne worth over twenty thousand. It was truly extravagant."

A flash of astonishment crossed Su Mo's eyes, and she stammered, "Uh... Could it be... has Qin Yi found a sugar mommy?"

Qin Yi was indeed handsome and tall. If it weren't for the fact that he was broke now, she wouldn't have chosen to break up with him and be with this bastard Wang Hao.

Wang Hao gave a contemptuous laugh, shrugged his shoulders, and continued his mockery: "I specifically asked the waiter; Qin Yi was indeed the one who paid for that meal."

His words were full of ridicule and disdain, as if he were enjoying Su Mo's shock and disappointment.

Hearing this news, Su Mo's eyes instantly widened. She asked back in disbelief, "This... how is this possible? How could Qin Yi still have the money to eat at such a high-end restaurant? Not to mention that twenty-thousand-yuan bottle of champagne. When we used to go out together, he was never that extravagant."

Wang Hao shrugged, the smile on his face deepening as he continued to provoke Su Mo: "That's not all! Afterwards, he took that woman to the Chanel store and spent nearly four hundred thousand in one go!"

"How... how much? Four hundred thousand?" Su Mo stared with wide eyes, asking back in disbelief.

Wang Hao looked at Su Mo's reaction with satisfaction. He nodded and continued, "That's right, four hundred thousand. What's more, he's driving a Bugatti now!"

He paused intentionally, seemingly giving Su Mo time to digest the information. "Oh right, you probably don't know the price of a Bugatti, do you? Let me tell you, even the cheapest model costs twenty to thirty million!"

Every word of Wang Hao's was like a heavy hammer smashing against Su Mo's heart.

At this moment, her heart was filled with shock and confusion, and she even began to wonder if something was wrong with her ears.

She asked with a trembling voice, "This... how is this possible! Has Qin Yi's family business taken a turn for the better? But just a month ago, he was still delivering food to pay off debts. How could such a massive change happen in such a short time?"

While Su Mo was in shock and confusion, Wang Hao had already finished dressing.

He glanced at Su Mo's look of disbelief, and a strange sense of pleasure actually welled up in his heart.

He liked seeing women show this kind of helplessness and fear in front of him.

"Su Mo, I don't know what's going on with Qin Yi. But my grudge with him must be settled. As for you, if you want to go back to him, I won't stop you. However..."

His words carried a threatening tone. "I have all the intimate videos and photos from our time together. So, you'd better think carefully about the consequences."

Su Mo's heart skipped a beat at his words. Ignoring the fact that her clothes were in disarray, she immediately jumped off the bed.

She rushed to Wang Hao in a few steps, stumbling and falling to the floor. She took the opportunity to tightly hug his leg, pleading, "Brother Hao, I beg you, I'm already yours. Whatever happens to Qin Yi has nothing to do with me anymore. I beg you, don't make those photos and videos public... You wouldn't want your woman to be seen by everyone either..." Her voice was full of terror and helplessness.

However, Wang Hao showed no mercy. He bent down and pinched Su Mo's neck, saying coldly, "Listen carefully, Su Mo. I, Wang Hao, have never lacked women. You're just a plaything to me; don't forget your place. If you ever dare to question where I'm going or who I'm with again, watch out or I'll ruin you!"

With that, he violently shook his leg to break free from Su Mo's grasp and walked straight out the door, leaving Su Mo slumped on the floor as tears fell silently.

At this moment, Su Mo's heart was filled with remorse. If it weren't for the lingering palm print from Wang Hao on her face, she wouldn't have been able to stop herself from slapping herself a few more times.

She, the belle of the Music Department, once had countless suitors. Even after Qin Yi took a leave of absence and left school, many rich second-generation heirs had made advances toward her.

Yet, she had been blind and followed that bastard Wang Hao.

She closed her eyes, and Qin Yi's gentleness and tolerance surfaced in her mind once more.

In the three years she was with Qin Yi, he had never laid a finger on her, nor had he even spoken a slightly harsh word to her.

During those days, she relied on him, ate his food, used his things, and spent his money, yet he never had a single complaint.

Looking back, even if his family ran out of money, what would have been wrong with waiting for him for a while longer?

Why did she have to break up with him so soon...

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration hit her, and she sat up straight.

Wang Hao's words just now made her realize that Qin Yi seemed to be even wealthier now than before.

What was going on?

Could it be that Qin Yi's family never went bankrupt at all? Was he just testing her feelings for him?

The cliché plots of romance novels flashed through Su Mo's mind, but she immediately dismissed them. He probably wouldn't use taking a leave of absence and delaying graduation to test her.

Then, could it be that Qin Yi had made a comeback?

That was possible; after all, they hadn't been in contact for over a month.

Thinking of this possibility, a glimmer of hope ignited in Su Mo's heart.

She hurriedly wiped her tears, walked quickly to the bedside, and picked up her phone, wanting to send a message to Qin Yi.

However, when she searched through WeChat, she realized she had actually deleted him.

She thumped her thigh in frustration and hurriedly searched through her phone contacts.

Finally, she found Qin Yi's phone number in her blacklist.

Her hand trembled as she dialed the number. However, a cold automated voice came from the other end: "Hello, the number you have dialed is powered off. Sorry. The subscriber you dialed is powered off."

Su Mo's tears burst forth again, and she murmured to herself, "Answer the phone, please, answer the phone..."

She called several times in a row, but each time she received the same response.

Finally, she gripped the phone with both hands and huddled at the head of the bed, tears falling silently.

After a long while, she took a deep breath, wiped her tears, and sent a text message to Qin Yi's phone number.

'Qin Yi, I'm sorry, I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have left you when you needed me most. You were right, Wang Hao really is a piece of trash, a bastard. I really need your help right now, can you help me? Please, give me a call back.'

After sending the short message, she stared intently at the phone screen, waiting for Qin Yi's reply.

...