The journey was unexpectedly smooth without any surprises.
She guessed that the people Pei Jiangmu had placed around her must have been withdrawn.
Maybe because of the engagement, he was also ready to end things with her properly.
But she didn't dare to take that risk.
Although sneaking away was a bit dishonorable, it was the most suitable way to cut through the mess quickly given her current situation.
Just as she was lost in thought with her head down, a pair of familiar leather shoes suddenly appeared in her line of sight.
In that instant, panic crept up her back.
She didn't even dare to look up for a long time.
It wasn't until the man in front of her lost his patience and coldly said, "Meng Ruozhao, you're really being naughty."
The voice that had gently promised to wait for her return just three hours ago now sounded like it was coming from the depths of hell.
Filled with a chilling coldness.
Meng Ruozhao looked up pale - faced, unable to say a word. Then the man picked her up and strode out of the airport.
From the moment Pei Jiangmu appeared, Meng Ruozhao knew.
Her self - assumed disguise had long been seen through by the man.
He knew she had stolen the documents and bought the plane ticket.
He even played along with her act, just waiting for the moment when she let her guard down to strike a fatal blow.
No wonder he had worn that tie and said today was a memorable day.
Was he commemorating her attempted escape?
He must have been warning her at that time, but unfortunately, she was so focused on escaping that she didn't catch the hint.
She wasn't ready to face his anger when he grabbed her arms and stuffed her into the car.
His face was extremely grim, with veins popping out on his forehead. He looked like a beast on the verge of a rage.
There was not only the driver in the car. A strange man was sitting in the front passenger seat.
Meng Ruozhao didn't want to have a conflict with Pei Jiangmu in front of others, but fear still made her speak softly after being pushed into the car.
"Pei Jiangmu, please listen to my explanation."
To deceive the servants at home, she was dressed just like she usually was today.
She was wearing a long dark green Xiangyun silk dress, with delicate eyebrows and red lips, and her skin was glowing white.
She wore a pair of pearl earrings on her small earlobes, and her black hair was coiled up at the back of her head with a hairpin.
Even in the dimly - lit car, her beauty was still breathtaking.
However, her usually charming eyes were now filled with panic and unease.
She was afraid of him.
To be exact, she was so panicked that her usual disguise had failed.
The growing fear and disgust towards him were clearly written on her face.
Pei Jiangmu was already in a fit of rage. Seeing her resistance only made his anger flare up even more.
He roughly grabbed her chin and growled at her, "Explain what? Explain that you weren't trying to run away?"
Meng Ruozhao knew she should have sneered and retorted, "Yes, I was running away. So what?"
He was about to get engaged, yet he still kept her by his side. Did he really want to have his cake and eat it too?
The Qing Dynasty had been gone for years. Let him dream on!
But years of self - deception had weakened her confidence in front of this man.
Her uneasiness and anxiety also affected her judgment at this crucial moment.
She actually thought that if she talked to him nicely, Pei Jiangmu might let her go for the sake of their long - standing relationship.
"I know you've been good to me, but that's not what I want. I just want to be an ordinary person. I have my own thoughts."
"We were wrong from the very beginning. We've been wrong for three years, and we shouldn't continue to be wrong."
"Now that you're going to get engaged, it's time for us to end this."
She spoke gently, and even forced a smile at him, trying to hide her fear.
"Can we still be friends?"
"If you don't want to see me again, I can stay away from Haicheng. I won't affect your future life at all."
She thought she had been sincere and heartfelt.
Anyone should have been touched.
But what the man heard was just one thing—she wanted to leave him. She would run to any city as long as it was far away from him.
She was really tired of him.
She wanted to cut ties just like that and couldn't wait to get as far away from him as possible.
The feeling of being abandoned was unbearable.
But he couldn't act like the sky was falling. His back had to always stay straight.
He straightened his back, lowered his head slightly, and stared deeply into Meng Ruozhao's eyes.
In the past three years, they had lived a life like a married couple here.
However, every time he was about to fall into happiness, she would pour cold water on him.
Letting him know that she didn't love him.
He had doted on her in every possible way, but she didn't care.
She had only been staying by his side to play along.
This woman was a great actress, a big liar. She was good at deceiving and was heartless.
There were signs that she was going to run away this time.
She had already completed her studies here and had wanted to return to Haicheng for a long time.
"Meng Ruozhao, who do you want to see so badly that you're eager to go back?"
"Is he so good that you've been thinking about him for all these years?"
Pei Jiangmu's voice was low. He slowly pulled her into his arms and greedily inhaled the delicate fragrance on her neck.
Meng Ruozhao was scared of the anger radiating from him and instinctively shrank back. She also raised her hand to push him away.
But she was so flustered that her push turned into a slap.
The man's handsome face was turned to the side by the slap. Everyone in the car held their breath.
Meng Ruozhao was so scared that she couldn't say a word. She just stared blankly at him.
Her reaction finally made Pei Jiangmu lose his last bit of patience.
Sure enough, just mentioning that person made her react so strongly.
In the past three years, she must have been thinking about going back to that person all the time.
All his hesitation vanished. He sneered and took a syringe from the man in the front passenger seat.
What was this? Was he going to kill her?
Meng Ruozhao's eyes widened in horror, and she was speechless.
The man no longer looked at her face. He lowered his head and pressed the cold needle against the crook of her elbow.
Meng Ruozhao struggled violently, but it was no use as she was quickly held down.
The man planted a kiss on her lips. Although his whole body was filled with a destructive rage, his action of covering her eyes was surprisingly gentle.
"Don't look, Chaolao. Just have a good sleep."
The moment his voice fell, the needle pierced through the skin and was pushed all the way in.
Meng Ruozhao curled her toes and heard the man's almost - pathological whisper.
"Smile at me when you wake up."
Just before she fell into a deep sleep, she heard a voice from the front passenger seat.
"Mr. Pei, this has already passed clinical trials and is very safe. You don't have to be so nervous."
"Miss Meng will wake up in two days. This won't cause any harm to her."
...
Meng Ruozhao felt like she was being engulfed by a surging tide.
He was controlling, cruel, cold - blooded, contemptuous of the law, and trampled on morality.
It would be easier for him to take her life than to crush an ant.
So without asking for her opinion, he was going to wipe out all her past.
He was a complete madman...
If she could start her life all over again, she wouldn't want to have anything to do with him!
But she didn't have time to think too much. She was tossed high by the tide and then crashed down hard.
Finally, in fear, she gradually sank into the dark seabed.
Everything faded into nothingness.
At the same time, the speeding car crashed head - on into a pickup truck.
Meng Ruozhao, who had fallen into a complete coma, didn't know.
At the moment of the huge impact, Pei Jiangmu still instinctively protected her in his arms.