Devil’s Warmth

It was the beginning of June, and the summer heat gradually came to C City. News spreaded that Huo Dinglin and Fang Minjun were getting engaged.

The decline of the Huo family did not affect Huo Dinglin's family. They belonged to a family of civil servants, so Ms. Zhao Xiu was very happy about the engagement ceremony.

Bei Yao's fever slowly subsided, but she was a bit depressed. "In the end, Minmin still did not get together with Chen Qingqi. She obviously did not like Huo Dinglin, so why did she get engaged to him?"

It stood to reason that as a playmate since childhood, Bei Yao should be present.

But Pei Chuan was an overly cautious person, so naturally, he would not let her go out at this time.

"You're not well yet, when you're better, I'll take you to see her, okay?"

Bei Yao nodded her head. She knew that the situation now was grave, and would naturally not oppose it. The pressure Pei Chuan had to bear was already big.

However, one evening in June, Pei Chuan received a text message.

[Xiao Chuan, can mom see you one last time?]

Surprisingly, it was Jiang Wenjuan who had been gone for a long time.

Pei Chuan was silent for a short while. In the meantime, Bei Yao has alreadyfallen asleep. He gently kissed her forehead, put on his clothes, and went out.

In the evening in C City, there were no beautiful and gorgeous neon lights, only dim and old street lights.

Pei Chuan's memory of Jiang Wenjuan ended in junior high school, when she said she would go on a business trip but never came back.

Whether it was Pei Haobin's accident, Pei Chuan's imprisonment, or Pei Chuan's marriage, he never saw this woman again. The only contact was the card she gave to Pei Haobin.

Jiang Wenjuan was sitting on a wooden chair in the park by the lake.

When Pei Chuan walked over, he saw her at a glance. Compared to Jiang Wenjuan who once cooked with an apron, she now looked very elegant and well-dressed with her hair dyed and permed.

Seeing him coming, Jiang Wenjuan was startled.

How many years has it been?

From the time Pei Chuan's leg was cut off at the age of four till now, her memories of her son have become increasingly blurred until today, when she saw the tall, upright man. Jiang Wenjuan suddenly had some heartache.

Pei Chuan said, "What's the matter?"

He couldn't say that he hated Jiang Wenjuan. She gave birth to him in October, she also had a psychological breakdown due to his legs, she helped him cook, wash, and bathe. Before leaving him, she was not a bad mother. Jiang Wenjuan was just not that strong.

Jiang Wenjuan stared at him in a daze before lowering her head for quite some time. "It's nothing. I just came back to C City and wanted to see you."

Pei Chuan's expression did not change. "Now, you saw me, if there's nothing else then I will leave."

He turned around after speaking. Jiang Wenjuan might not have thought that her sensible and obedient son would turn out to be so heartless, and could not help but chase for a few steps. "Pei Chuan!"

Pei Chuan looked back.

Jiang Wenjuan covered her mouth with tears in her eyes. "Is Yaoyao good to you?"

Pei Chuan glanced at her. "Very good."

"That's good... that's good..." Jiang Wenjuan seemed to be neither crying nor laughing, her tone choking.

Pei Chuan did not speak, and turned around after a long time to continue walking back.

Pei Chuan frowned slightly. This time when he came out, he actually used himself as a "bait". Pei Chuan knew better than Jiang Huaqiong that Huo Xu, who was at the end of the road, would do whatever it took.

He personally did not have as many financial resources as Jiang Huaqiong and Huo Xu. Even though he was clever, Hou Xus family has a long-term accumulation of wealth.

Huo Xu might have known where he and Bei Yao were, but he hasn't made any moves yet.

He was most likely afraid of Jiang Huaqiong, and hid himself tightly. Jiang Wenjuan had not contacted him for many years, and now, she suddenly said that she wanted to see him. Pei Chuan subconsciously thought that it was Huo Xu's conspiracy.

The fact that Huo Xu got to live a day more, no one felt a sense of crisis more than Pei Chuan. Therefore, he would rather take the risk once, even if Huo Xu struck him, it was better than striking Bei Yao.

But Jiang Wenjuan did not do anything, and by now, no one has seen Huo Xu.

The night breeze in June was a bit chilly. When Pei Chuan turned around, he heard the sound of a splash behind him.

Pei Chuan looked back.

The place where Jiang Wenjuan stood was empty, Pei Chuan strode over.

At the lake, the woman almost drowned to death. It turned out that this was the last thing that Jiang Wenjuan said...

The mother told him multiple stories and shed many tears for him that year.

Pei Chuan's heart went cold for a moment. He could not swim, and the next instant he reacted. "Come out and save her!"

Two or three people in black clothing rushed out of their hiding place, one jumped to the water to save Jiang Wenjuan.

Soon, Jiang Wenjuan was rescued. She coughed desperately, but her tears kept streaming.

Pei Chuan stood on the spot, and after a while, he walked over. He bowed his head. "Why jump into the lake?"

Jiang Wenjuan sobbed silently. "I'm sorry*."

*t/n:The raws said which could also mean Ive let you down or Ive wronged you.

Pei Chuan frowned.

But Jiang Wenjuan refused to say anything else.

Pei Chuan had a bad feeling in his heart, and ordered, "Send her to the hospital."

He no longer looked at Jiang Wenjuan who was crying, and desperately rushed home.

As the night lights flickered and the whole city sunk into darkness, he arrived at the place where he and Bei Yao lived temporarily.

The door was opened.

Pei Chuan's heart sank, he clenched his fist tightly and rushed into the bedroom. The bed was empty.

The living room was messed up and several men walked over covering their faces, all wounded. "They have guns."

Pai Chuan closed his eyes.

By now, he forced himself to think calmly. "Send people to inform Jiang Huaqiong that Huo Xu has shown up." However, in the next moment Pei Chuan said, "No need, you all leave."

It stood to reason that Huo Xu would not be so desperate, but he has kidnapped and bought illegal guns. It seemed that something had stimulated him to make up his mind.

These bodyguards being beaten up was obviously also in retaliation when Huo Xu was beaten up by a gangster before.

The leading bodyguard said, "Boss, they left this for you."

Pei Chuan opened the paper...

[No hurry, the game has just started. If you want to see Bei Yao, come to "Jumeng Villa" at nine o'clock tomorrow morning, alone.]

Pei Chuan clenched the paper tightly, he bit his mouth till blood came out.

For the first time, he hated himself for delaying so many years in jail, and now, he didnt have enough capital to fight with Huo Xu and Jiang Huaqiong. He couldn't contact Jiang Huaqiong. Jiang Huaqiong could deal with Huo Xu, but she did not care about Bei Yao's safety.

Huo Xu, this kind of person, when cornered, would probably let Bei Yao accompany him to his grave.

Pei Chuan calmed down after a while, but he did not close his eyes all night.

After a long time, he dialed another phone.

He started to make a software after the phone call, and was constantly busy, fearing that he would miss Bei Yao as soon as he was idle.

When Bei Yao woke up, she was in a white room. Surprisingly, there were two other people in it.

She inhaled some gas before she fell into a coma. Now, she was groggy. There were two people in the corner, both of which were tied to their necks by iron chains.

A strange woman and a familiar-looking young boy.

The little boy was trembling all over, his mouth was taped.

Bei Yao uncertainly inquired, "Pei Jiadong?"

The little boy was terrified, and kept crying. However, Bei Yao was sure that the little boy was Cao Li and Pei Haobin's son, and Pei Chuan's half-brother.

Of the three people in the room, only Bei Yao was on a soft bed. The other woman's mouth was not plastered, but her hateful gaze was clearly shown.

Bei Yao's wrists and ankles were tied up with a soft cloth. The next moment, the door of the room opened.

Several people looked over at the same time, and Huo Xu walked in while pushing the dining cart with a smile.

It's late at night.

He picked up a bowl of porridge, he did not look at Pei Jiadong and Shao Yue who were chained, and walked over to Bei Yao's side. His tone was gentle. "Are you awake? Are you hungry? I'll feed you something."

He sat on the bedside, sending a spoon to the side of Bei Yao's mouth.

Bei Yao took a step back and turned her face away. "Huo Xu, what are you doing?"

It was unknown which nerve was pricked, and Huo Xu fiercely pinched her face. "You look at me, look at me!"

Bei Yao was forced to look at him.

There was a somewhat satisfied obsession in his eyes. "Yaoyao, yes, that's right. There's only me in your eyes. You actually like me, dont you? It's just that I was too bad at first and had bad intentions, so you never look straight at me."

Bei Yao's heart throbbed quickly, she did not speak.

Huo Xu said, "Look, I have corrected everything. I don't want to use you as Shao Yue's shield anymore. Look at the woman in that corner. If you are unhappy, I will vent your anger for you, okay?"

Shao Yue heard this and trembled, but did not dare to say a word.

It turned out that the one in the corner was Shao Yue. Bei Yao was frightened. All this time, she knew that Huo Xu loved Shao Yue deeply. But the Shao Yue who was in the corner in tattered clothes, emaciated look, and cowering body, was obviously scared.

Huo Xu picked up the bowl, and continued. "I saw your diary, and I know your secret. But don't be afraid, you married me in your last life, right? I won't treat you like that again. Now, I only have you in my heart. I always dream of you at night, and miss you. But it's okay, now you're back with me."

Bei Yao's breathing was slightly stagnant. "What did you say?"

Huo Xu smiled, "I said, I know you should be my wife. I will take good care of you. When Pei Chuan dies, we will go abroad and live well. Come, eat something first."

Bei Yao felt that his mental state was not right, her fingers were trembling. Shao Yue was so afraid of Huo Xu, which showed that this has been going on for a long time.

A man with a huge amount of property, and mentally ill. She endured her fear, and resisted worrying over Pei Chuan's heart. Bei Yao had read many psychology books for Pei Chuan, and knew that people like Huo Xu couldn't be stimulated any further.

She smiled and said, "I'm not hungry right now, I'll eat when I'm hungry, okay?"

Huo Xu looked at her smile, and was very happy. "Okay, you can eat when you want."

Shao Yue, who was in the corner, gritted her teeth. A trace of anger flowed from her eyes, she hadn't eaten anything for a day. However, Huo Xu's effort to please Bei Yao obviously stimulated her. She pulled the chain on her neck. "Aaaahhhhh! Why don't you die?! I want to kill you all!"

Huo Xu heard her voice, and his eyes suddenly turned cold. "Noisy."

He opened the cabinet in the room and took out a whip from within. Shao Yue immediately fell silent. She shivered. "Don't hit me, don't hit me!"

However, Huo Xu smacked her hard twice.

The little boy, Pei Jiadong, kept shedding tears, and was cowering. Bei Yao was stunned by this scene. She had never thought that the gentlemanly Huo Xu would become like this in just a short time.

Bei Yao controlled herself to not tremble.

Huo Xu came over, and said kindly, "I won't let her scold you, no one can bully you."

Bei Yao forced a smile. "Thank you." She also controlled herself not to look at Xiao Jiadong in the corner, for fear that Huo Xu's anger would shift to him.

Huo Xu approached Bei Yao, and carefully looked at her face.

After a long time, he leaned over and kissed her.

Bei Yao's heart tightened. She couldn't bear it, and subconsciously stepped back.

Huo Xu's face changed, a little ugly.

He wanted to get angry but realized that this was the person he had longed for, so he endured it again. He smiled and said, "No problem. Just wait until Pei Chuan dies, we still have a lot of time. The time is almost here, I invite you to watch a show."

He tapped on the remote control, and a monitor screen appeared in front of them.

In the mountains in June, Pei Chuan appeared on the surveillance screen.

According to Huo Xu's request, he climbed the mountain on foot, and he was now a bit of a mess. However, the man's posture was straight and his voice was calm. "Huo Xu, I'm here. Where is Yaoyao?"

Huo Xu glanced at Bei Yao beside him, and used a tape to seal her mouth before making a call to Pei Chuan. The phone on the table rang, and Pei Chuan went over to pick it up.

Pei Chuan heard Huo Xu's voice on the other side. "Let's not talk about Yaoyao. Let's talk about the things you did to me with Jiang Huaqiong during this period. Without you, I wouldn't be at this point today. Yet, on what basis did you do that to me? As a cripple, where did you have the confidence to fight with me?"

Pei Chuan did not get angry, he observed the surrounding environment.

It would not be very convenient to move to a closed location. He frowned imperceptibly. Fortunately, this place was quite far away and Huo Xu, and Yaoyao haven't stayed together for a long time.

Huo Xu said, "I have prepared three multiple-choice questions for you today. As long as one person chooses you, you can go back alive."

"The first question, I let your mom, Ms. Jiang Wenjiang, make a choice. Whether to trick her son to go out or to let her current husband get hurt. Obviously, she did not choose you. So, I successfully took Bei Yao away. The sleeping Yaoyao is very cutene. Unfortunately, you, this waste, failed to protect her."

Pei Chuan His face was very calm, he pursed his lips.

"The second multiple-choice question, I'll let you hear it with your own ears."

Huo Xu called a number and a middle-aged man's anxious voice immediately came from the other side. "Who are you? Where did you take my son?"

Huo Xu used a voice changer. "Pei Haobin, don't worry, I just want to give you a present."

Huo Xu tore off the tape on Pei Jiadong's mouth, and Pei Jiadong cried out. "Dad help me, dad...wuwu."

Huo Xu pasted the tape back again, he smiled and said, "Your two sons, Pei Chuan and Pei Jiadong are both in my hand, this present is very simple. Do you want to keep Pei Jiadongs legs, or to keep Pei Chuan's hands? I will give you a minute, think about it carefully before giving me the answer."

The mountains in June were covered by a mist.

Bei Yao's eyes widened, tears were slowly soaking her eyes.

Pei Chuan was silent in the surveillance.

It was quiet all around.

The only thing that could be heard was only the anxious sound coming from the speaker. Pei Chuan seemed to be back on the hot summer day when he was four years old. They said he was there because of his father.

"One minute has passed. Pei Haobin, tell me your answer. If you dont choose, then their hands and feet will be sent to your home at the same time. Isn't this scene familiar?"

"Ill choose!"

Pai Chuan closed his eyes.

"Don't hurt Jiadong." Pei Haobin was devastated, and Cao Li was crying bitterly.

Huo Xu laughed and hung up the phone. "Pei Chuan, it's a pity that your parents didn't choose you."

Pei Chuan said coldly, "Just what are you trying to do? You don't need to play this kind of trick."

"No, no." Huo Xu moved his wrist. "When you arranged Jiang Huaqiong to deal with me, and married Bei Yao, why did you play a lot of tricks? Im just returning the same trick you used on me. You haven't seen the most exciting multiple-choice question yet. So, how can it end here? For the last question, I will let Yaoyao make a choice."

"Do you see the box in front of you? Take a good look, it contains Yaoyao's diary from a long time ago."

Pei Chuan frowned. He opened the box and saw the yellowed notebook. It was an unfamiliar yet familiar handwriting. The writings drawn using a pencil showed the struggle to write.

Pei Chuan looked at it and felt that the world was empty for a moment.

Many memories suddenly became vivid. There was a hailstorm in 1996. After the hailstorm, the little dumpling girl no longer feared him, and started to approach him. For Pei Chuan, it was a very unforgettable day, so he remembered it lucidly.

Huo Xu said, "Do you know? I couldn't believe it when I saw it at first. But then I thought, the most impossible thing in this world is sometimes the most reasonable. Otherwise, why did she never give me a glance when I chased her? But you, a cripple, she was willing to marry you. Think about it, when did Yaoyao start to treat you well?"

Pei Chuan knuckles whitened. "Enough, I don't believe it."

"Don't believe ah. Then well let Yaoyao make a choice ba. Who is a better comparison to you? Let me think..." Huo Xu said, "As her benefactor, who could you be compared to? Her mother, father, or brother?"