CHAPTER 75: CHAPTER 75; EAT SOMETHING

The memory she had tried to forget crashed back violently, ’Yueyao trembled with fear as the kidnappers held her down, her shaking fingers barely managing to dial Shen Xiao’s number. When the call finally connected, relief had surged through her chest... only to freeze into icy despair when Bai Zhi’s calm, indifferent voice answered instead.

"President Shen is busy right now," Bai Zhi had said coldly, her tone laced with faint amusement. "He won’t be receiving any calls today."

In the background, Yueyao could hear Shen Xuan’s playful laughter. Her heart twisted painfully as she cried out his name, her voice breaking with terror as she pleaded desperately, "Xuan’er... baby... tell Daddy to save Mommy... please... tell him..."

But her son only giggled softly, thinking it was all a game, before Bai Zhi ended the call without another word.

She called her son again even though she had lost all the hope and she managed to connect a video call to Shen Xuan’s Apple Watch.

When his little face appeared on the tiny screen, tears welled in her eyes with a surge of desperate hope.

"Xuan’er... baby... it’s Mommy... please... please tell Daddy to save me... please... Mommy needs help..."

But Shen Xuan only frowned slightly, tilting his head as he looked at her bruised, tear-streaked face on the screen. His expression was calm, almost blank, as he replied softly,

"You are not my mommy. Mommy Zhi is here with me."

She saw Bai Zhi’s slender hand ruffle his hair gently as she leaned down beside him, smiling faintly at the camera.

"That’s enough, Shen Xuan. End the call," Bai Zhi said softly.

And just like that, the screen went dark, leaving Yueyao staring at her own tear-streaked reflection, the kidnappers’ cold laughter echoing around her as the last flicker of hope died silently in her chest.

The memories violently knocked her chest beyond despair.

Her vision blurred with tears, her pulse roaring in her ears so loudly it drowned out every other sound. The room around her, the ornate carvings, the soft sheets, the faint fragrance of bird’s nest porridge, all blurred into meaningless shadows.

Something snapped in Yueyao’s mind.

She lay frozen for a moment, her chest heaving violently as Bai Zhi’s soft voice floated distantly through the haze.

"Eat something before you go crazy, Madam Shen," Bai Zhi said lightly, turning to reach for the teapot again. Her delicate back was momentarily exposed to Yueyao.

In that instant, Yueyao’s eyes darted down to the breakfast tray set neatly on the rolling stand just beside the bed. Her gaze locked onto the silver fruit knife placed elegantly next to the sliced pears.

Her body moved before her mind could catch up.

With a sudden, desperate surge of strength, she threw the thick duvet off her trembling legs and lunged forward, her bare feet hitting the plush carpet soundlessly. Her fingers closed around the cool metal handle of the knife in one swift, practiced motion born of sheer survival.

Bai Zhi turned at the sound of the tray rattling slightly, her smile fading instantly when she saw Yueyao standing there, her hair wild around her tear-streaked face, the knife trembling in her bloodless grip.

"M-Madam Shen..."

But before Bai Zhi could move away, Yueyao lunged forward, fueled by pure, feral desperation. She grabbed a fistful of Bai Zhi’s silky blouse with one hand and yanked her back against her chest, wrapping her trembling arm tightly around Bai Zhi’s slender neck. The cold blade pressed flush against the soft, exposed skin of her throat.