Quick, Clever, Kill Him

Zhao Long twirled the Buddhist beads in his hand, watching the scene before him with great amusement.

Brilliant.

Absolutely brilliant.

The spectacle of so-called lovers turning against each other for their own interests was far more entertaining than the tragic romances in TV dramas and novels.

"Ling, do you see now?" Zhao Long chuckled. "All love in this world is untrustworthy. As long as we don’t believe in any emotions, nothing can hurt us."

"Ling, you want revenge, don’t you? Kill him."

"Do it with your own hands, Ling."

"As long as he’s dead, no one in this world will ever make you suffer again."

Zhao Long’s words dripped with poison, coaxing Su Hua.

Su Hua’s eyes burned crimson.

Images flashed through her mind—her sisters, her family, all betraying her.

Every single one who dared betray her deserved to die.

In an instant, she appeared before Lin Xuan.

Her slender, pale fingers wrapped around his throat.

"You shouldn’t have lied to me," Su Hua said coldly. "Since you dared to betray me, you’ll die for it."

Her grip tightened gradually.

Lin Xuan didn’t resist. He simply let her choke him.

If he had to die, dying by her hand wasn’t so bad.

A dull, relentless pain throbbed in Su Hua’s chest, making her tremble.

This was the first time she had ever tried to kill someone, and the agony in her heart was unbearable.

Lin Xuan was on the verge of death—just a few more seconds, and he’d be gone.

But suddenly, Su Hua released him.

She slumped against a tree, as if all strength had left her.

In the end… she still couldn’t bring herself to let him die.

Lin Xuan lay unconscious on the ground. Su Hua stared at him, her eyes filled with endless conflict.

Zhao Long frowned.

What was this? Why hadn’t Ling killed him?

Letting someone who deceived and betrayed her live—this wasn’t like Ling at all.

When Ling was younger, he had deliberately arranged for her closest friend to betray her. And back then, Ling hadn’t hesitated to kill her without mercy.

The grown-up Ling was far more ruthless and cold-hearted than her younger self.

Just then, a man stumbled toward him in a panic.

"Boss!" he shouted. "People are coming—a whole ship of them, at least a hundred! They must be here to rescue Ling. We can’t hold them off with our numbers. We need to leave now, or we won’t make it!"

Zhao Long turned to Su Hua. "Ling, are you coming back with us? The Shadow is your true home."

Su Hua didn’t move.

Zhao Long knew he couldn’t force her to leave now, and he had to retreat quickly.

With a smile, he said, "Ling, I’ll be waiting for you in the Shadow."

Then he ordered, "Let’s go."

The members of the Shadow boarded their boats and left in a grand procession.

Zhao Long was confident Su Hua would return.

Lin Xuan remained unconscious.

Old Master Su’s ship soon docked, and a group of men in black suits disembarked. They swiftly approached Su Hua.

"Young Mistress," they greeted in unison, bowing respectfully.

The head bodyguard studied Su Hua. Aside from her pale complexion, she didn’t seem injured.

He let out a sigh of relief.

The Young Mistress had been missing for two months. He had feared the worst, but after tracking her down, he was relieved to see her unharmed.

At least now he wouldn’t face severe punishment for failing to protect her.

"Young Mistress, we’re here to bring you home. Chairman Su has been worried sick during your absence," the head bodyguard said respectfully.

Su Hua’s gaze remained fixed on Lin Xuan.

She wanted nothing more than to take him back and lock him away.

That way, even if he hated her, he could never escape.

But… keeping him by her side was too dangerous.

The head bodyguard noticed Lin Xuan and asked, "Young Mistress, what should we do with this man?"

Su Hua replied, "Help him find his family and send him back."

"Yes."

The bodyguards carried Lin Xuan onto the ship.

An hour later, Su Hua entered a room where Lin Xuan lay unconscious.

"Leave us," she ordered the guard stationed inside.

The guard glanced at Lin Xuan, puzzled, but obeyed and exited.

Lin Xuan’s eyes were still closed.

Su Hua stared at him for a long moment before leaning down. Her feverish, pale lips pressed against his.

She had intended only a brief kiss, but the sweetness of his lips made her deepen it.

Memories of the cruel words Lin Xuan had spoken to her flashed in her mind, darkening her gaze.

She bit his lip—hard enough to draw blood.

Then, with surprising tenderness, she licked the wound clean.

"You’re mine," she whispered, her voice laced with obsession. "Forever."

"Xuan, since you’ve entered my heart, I’ll never let you leave. Even if all your past kindness was a lie."

"You can’t escape."

"Wait for me."

Once she fully controlled the Su family, she would bring him back and lock him away.

To avoid raising suspicions among the bodyguards, Su Hua didn’t linger for long. After just ten minutes, she left.

The bodyguards dismissed their earlier doubts.

They had wondered if the Young Mistress had some unusual relationship with this man, but it seemed they were overthinking it.

Onboard the ship, Su Hua picked up her phone and issued a cold command:

"Find me a master who specializes in erasing memories."

The person on the other end sounded confused. "Young Mistress, why do you need someone like that?"

Su Hua’s voice hardened. "Just do it."

"Yes."

Later, under the guise of medical treatment, Lin Xuan was taken into an operating room. After the procedure, he was returned to the Lin family.

Su Hua, meanwhile, went back to the Su household to face its wolves and tigers.

She had never been interested in becoming the head of the Su family before—she had planned to return to being Ling.

That life of unrestrained violence had been exhilarating.

But after meeting Lin Xuan, she no longer wanted that. Now, she craved the position of Su family head.

Only then could she openly be with Xuan—and have the power to keep him imprisoned.

After her return, Su Hua divided her time between seizing control of the Su family and secretly watching Lin Xuan from afar.

She observed as he lived under the care of another woman.

She never dared to show herself.

Instead, she worked behind the scenes—securing a job for him and even purchasing shares in Qinghua University, making herself its largest stakeholder.

She feared that if she appeared before him, she wouldn’t be able to resist dragging him back to the Night Garden and locking him away.

But doing so would draw the attention of the Su family’s predators, putting Lin Xuan in danger.

She would never allow anything to happen to her Xuan.