Xia Yu didn’t expect to receive a call from Zeng Mina, whose voice was still as sweet as before, “Xia Yu, you didn’t expect I would call you, did you?”

“Indeed I didn’t. How’s it going?” When Zeng Mina was about to awake when she left. After so long in the United States, she should have become better, as Xia Yu guessed.

“Not bad. I’m back home, so I want to ask you for a meal.” Zeng Mina’s tone was calm.

“Em… I guess I would not go.” Xia Yu was very busy recently, so she wanted to refuse.

“Why don’t you do me the honour of having a meal together?”

“No!”

“Fine, let’s just meet where I invited you for the first time.”

After that, Zeng Mina hung up the phone without waiting for Xia Yu to reply.

At that time, the sun was about to set, leaving a slight ray of light in the room. Zeng Mina’s face, which just underwent an operation, looked horrible under the red light.

Xia Yu didn’t move forward anymore, but stood there looking at her. To be honest. If those things hadn’t happened, and you hadn’t known who she was, you would have mistaken her as a nun given the incense ignited in the room and the string of Budda bead held in her hand.

The car accident changed her.

Xia Yu didn’t say anything. Zeng Mina got off the bed, put on her shoes, paced up to her, and craned, looking at Xia Yu.

“I haven’t seen you for a few months and you look slimmer?”

Xia Yu was still silent, guessing secretly why she asked her to be here.

As she hadn’t fully recovered yet, given her previous personality, she would definitely not show up at this time. However, she did indeed stand in front of her now, which made Xia Yu obligated to think more.

Zeng Mina smiled but didn’t get angry. She was not as arrogant as before when she was a girl from a wealthy family.

“Are you hungry?” She said still in a mild tone.

Xia Yu twisted her fingers: “Why did you ask me to be here?”

“Don’t hurry! I asked someone to prepare us dinner.”

“We didn’t have a good time last time, so how about us talking while having dinner this time?”

If she hadn’t met Shen Yan last time, it would have remained a mystery whether she’s alive now. She didn’t understand what’s the catch so directly asked, “I’m not here to have dinner. Get it straight!”

“That won’t do! I cannot let you be hungry.” Zeng Mina grabbed Xia Yu’s hand, and Xia Yu subconsciously withdrew. But Zeng Mina was too strong that she couldn’t get away at all.

“Afraid of me? I didn’t expect that. But you don’t have to, because I wouldn’t eat people!” Zeng Mina chuckled and took her to the inner room. She murmured when walking, “Your hands are so cold. I’ll give you a bowl of soup later.”

No sooner she had brought Xia Yu into the inner room where everything became more clear after they bypassed a row of screens. Inside was a space separated by a partition. Blocked by a screen, the light here was much brighter than the outside. In front of them was a round table made of red sandalwood, and two chairs were placed face to face like the last time. The table was laid with many dishes on it. One difference was that a large LCD screen was hung on the wall a few meters away, which looked unfit in the surrounding.

Zeng Mina took Xia Yu directly to a chair, pressed her to sit down, and filled her bowl with soup.

“Hold, hold it!”

Xia Yu could only take over the soup bowl.

Zeng Mina seemed very satisfied with Xia Yu’s cooperation. She walked to her opposite, set aside the beads on the other hand, and sat down. Now in the compartment, there was a table and two people, who were sitting face to face. Xia Yu was holding a half bowl of hot soup in her hands, facing a delicate vegetarian meal.

“Try the soup!”

Xia Yu’s was a bit scared. When she saw her like that, she couldn’t help recalling Li Tianci.

She knew that Zeng Mina didn’t play so many tricks to simply ask her for a meal, but she still didn’t know her intentions. The scary part of these people was often not what they looked like, but the unpredictable intention.

Xia Yu glanced at the soup in the bowl. The soup was good, with various expensive fungi that had been cut into strips or blocks and stewed together. It looked pretty delicious since nutrients and savours coexisted.

“You are an expert, so you should know that this soup is very valuable.” Zeng Mina saw that she didn’t have it but looked at the bowl and said. She took the remote control next to her, “Why don’t you drink? Are you afraid I put something in the soup?”

“Look at me! I even sneaked back, not to mention hurt you.” Zeng Mina laughed at herself. Since her father’s death, she was no longer who she used to be.

Xia Yu was convinced of that. Although Zeng Mina used to be domineering, she was a straightforward person who would get everything straight. So she’s not the sort of person who would poison.

Since she just asked her to have the meal, then she really behaved as if she was here to eat. Xia Yu took a spoon and drank the soup.

Zeng Mina slowly asked, “How does it taste?”

Xia Yu frowned and reluctantly replied: “It’s okay.”

“The cooks here are incomparable to your Ruyi Tower. As the saying goes, do as the Roman do. Don’t offence, but since you were here, just taste other dishes. They are cooked by a chef I invited from Beijing who is definitely best at vegetarian dishes.”

Zeng Mina put another piece of shredded taro in Xia Yu’s bowl. Seeing a layer of caramel honey on it, Xia Yu frowned.

“I don’t like sweets.”

“What a poor memory! Your family cooks Sichuan dishes. Then try another.” Soon a piece of winter melon was put to Xia Yu’s plate again. “Try this. It is said to be his specialty. But it must be nothing in front of you.”

In the end, Zeng Mina politely said. It seemed that her intention was really the mean simply. Xia Yu did not refuse but held up the soup bowl aside.

“I will have the soup.”

“No problem! Have your soup!”

Zeng Mina messed for a while and finally sat back in the chair again. Xia Yu was having her soup quietly. After a few sips, she glanced that Zeng Mina took and pressed the remote control, and then there was blue light.

“If you like it, I will give you another bowl later.”

She really seemed to invite Xia Yu to eat sincerely. Xia Yu took the bowl and had another sip. Suddenly, she heard a strange sound coming from the display. The sound, loud and particularly immersive since it was an imported stereo, was recognized to be low roar of men and sad and shrill scream of women like a cat’s sound.

Xia Yu turned her head to take a look. In the picture, a woman’s hands were tied to the bed, and a man was lying on her… Such a blatant picture, like suddenly disrupting the peaceful vibe, made Xia The choke, coughing continuously and sharply, with the half bowl of soup spreading on the table. Zeng Mina came across and wiped her with some tissue.

“It scared you?”

Xia Yu was still in shock, and her cough was even worse when being touched by her. Zeng Mina began to laugh and went to pat her back. The video on the display screen continued. The whole house was trembling as the scream of the woman became even bitter. Xia Yu tried to glance over and was appalled by simply a second of the image.

“Xiao Man…”

Xia Yu recognized the girl in the picture was Xiao Man. The walls were concrete walls, and only the bed was new….

Xia Yu gasped and turned around, and Zeng Mina still was patting her back.

Xiao Man was the one who tortured Xia Yu with Brother Hu that day. But as for the man in the picture just now, Xia Yu seemed to have seen him. She did! She had seen him on the island, who was one of Brother’s fellows.

After those people were arrested, they confessed everything. The reason why Xiao Man tortured Xia Yu was that they wanted to let them misunderstand that Shen Mo was involved. According to Brother Hu, they released her after she completed her mission.

Shen Mo had been looking for her. No matter whether she was forced or not, she framed him. Shen Mo naturally wanted her explanation, but she was out of contact for so many days.

Xia Yu thought she was hiding, but according to the video…

She grabbed Zeng Mina’s gown fiercely. She was so weak that her finger became pale for all the strength she used. Xia Yu staggered and asked, “What the hell do you want to do?”

Zeng Mina looked at her, not irritated. She didn’t try to let her off but answered, “All I want is this meal.”

“Meal?” Xia Yu snorted.

Zeng Mina turned her head to look at the screen herself. The video had been aired to its climax. From the perspective of her and Xia Yu, Xiao Man ’s face and expression were completely invisible, blocked by the body of the man….

The sound became louder and louder. Zeng Mina picked up the remote control and pressed the “tentative” button to let the screen stay at the last moment. She turned her face to watch Xia Yu.

“How about it?”

Xia Yu’s hand was still on her clothes.

Zeng Mina’s voice was hoarse, “It seems not sincere enough to invite you to just have dinner, so how was that clip?”

“Why?” She was exhausted and gradually let go of her gown.

Xia Yu shuddered. The room was as quiet as a wasteland, surrounded by the drowning night outside the window, with the window half-open. She looked up to see the crack on the window where several bundles of weeds grew after years and were blown by the wind, shaking….

She forced herself to calm down, “Miss Zeng…”, Xia Yu stood upright.

“Eat!”

She still insisted on eating, but Xia Yu couldn’t have this meal anymore. Her stomach was rife with a feeling of disgust. She turned and looked at the screen again, finding the picture still at pause, so stunning that she needed to close her eyes to calm down.

“Where is Xiao Man?”

She asked too suddenly that Zeng Mina’s eyes showed surprise….

“Xia Yu, Xiao Man suffered partly because of you, isn’t it?” Zeng Mina’s face was very scary even when she didn’t have any expression, and now it became so savage that no one dares to look at.

Xia Yu avoided looking at it and said, “Do you mean I deserve it?”

“I didn’t say that.” Zeng Mina smiled softly, and then said, “Perhaps this accords with what people often say, as you sow, so shall you reap. At that time, if she hadn’t promised my mother to revenge for my father, she would not have met Shen Mo. Without knowing him, Chen Wenxuan would not have thought of using her like this.”

Xia Yu’s brow furrowed deeply. She was really not interested in hearing Zeng Mina’s tongue twister, “Miss Zeng, you haven’t told me where she is.”