Dangerous Liaisons - Chapter 11

The night was deep and still. Chu Yu lay motionless on the bed, her body tense, her posture stiff. The room was so quiet that she could hear every faint sound, every rustle of fabric. Her nerves were on edge, and she remained frozen in place.

All because there was someone else lying beside her.

She didn’t know if he was asleep. His body was close, too close. The temperature seemed to have dropped as the night deepened, and a thin layer of cold seeped into the room from outside. They shared a thin quilt, and the air around her was filled with his presence, overwhelming her senses.

It wasn’t the first time. She had lain nearly naked beside him before and had managed to sleep through the night safely. So why was she so tense now? Chu Yu tried to control her breathing. Holding one position for too long had left her body numb. Slowly, quietly, she flexed her fingers under the covers, trying to relax her muscles. Without warning, Lu Zimo shifted beside her, startling her into stillness.

The bed dipped as he got up, and she heard the soft rustle of fabric. Chu Yu cracked her eyes open just enough to see him. Lu Zimo was wearing only a pair of pants, his bare chest and feet moving silently across the room. The soft carpet muffled his steps, and his movements were as quiet as a panther’s in the night. He paced back and forth a couple of times, running a hand through his hair in frustration, before pulling a cigarette and lighter from his pocket. The sharp click of the lighter broke the silence, a small blue flame flickering in the darkness before vanishing.

Lu Zimo stood by the window, smoking in silence. The white smoke curled upward, then slowly dissipated. His face was obscured by the haze, his expression unreadable. He seemed deep in thought, chain-smoking one cigarette after another.

Chu Yu’s body was beginning to protest. If she didn’t move soon, she was going to cramp up. She pretended to be asleep, turning naturally to face away from him. But her muscles, stiff from being held in one position for so long, betrayed her. As soon as she moved, her calf seized up in a painful cramp. Chu Yu let out a sharp cry, sitting bolt upright in bed.

Lu Zimo choked on his cigarette, coughing violently as he turned to see her writhing on the bed, clutching her leg and grimacing in pain. In the dead of night, her sudden outburst was enough to startle even someone as composed as him.

He cursed under his breath, tossing the cigarette aside and walking over to her. “What’s wrong?”

The pain was intense, shooting through her leg. Chu Yu managed to grit out two words: “Cramp… leg…”

Lu Zimo glanced down, understanding immediately. This woman was unlike anyone else. Even her cramps were dramatic. He sat down beside her, gripping her calf firmly. His eyes met hers briefly. “Bear with it.”

His hands were strong, pressing and massaging the muscles in her leg. His palms were warm, the friction against her skin both soothing and unsettling. Gradually, the sharp, spasming pain subsided, replaced by a tingling numbness as her circulation returned. It felt like a thousand tiny needles pricking her skin. When Lu Zimo applied more pressure, Chu Yu couldn’t help but let out a soft moan. The sound was soft, almost delicate, hanging in the air between them.

Lu Zimo’s hands stilled. His dark eyes lifted, locking onto hers with an intensity that made her breath catch. Chu Yu immediately regretted the sound, quickly trying to cover the sudden tension in the air. “It hurts… be gentle…”

But her words only made things worse. They seemed to deepen the already palpable tension between them. Lu Zimo paused, then shifted his grip to her ankle, gently rotating it. He looked down, his voice calm but edged with something she couldn’t quite place. “Falling asleep like this… you really are something else.”

For some reason, in that moment, he seemed different. The dangerous aura that usually surrounded him had softened, the sharp edges of his presence dulled. He felt almost… approachable. Chu Yu bit her lip. “I couldn’t sleep.”

Lu Zimo didn’t respond. His hands were large, easily engulfing her foot as he held it. The bandage on his arm caught her eye, a stark reminder of the bite mark she had left on him, still raw and bleeding beneath the tape. Her gaze traveled upward, taking in his lean, muscular frame. His chest bore a small scar, healed but still raised and jagged, a permanent reminder of the wound she had once stitched closed, saving his life…

Was life really so unchangeable? If she hadn’t followed him to the pub that night, if she hadn’t been so reckless as to perform that black-market surgery on him…
“Why did you kill Tai?”

The question slipped out before she realized it. Chu Yu met Lu Zimo’s sharp gaze, surprised at her own boldness. But in that moment, she found she wasn’t afraid of him anymore. She held his eyes, repeating the question softly, “Why did you kill Tai?”

Lu Zimo lowered his eyes, remaining silent. Chuyu smiled bitterly, her voice tinged with sorrow. “If you killed Tai because he knew about your affairs, then why didn’t you kill me? Do you know I’d rather it had been me who died? It would be better than living with this endless guilt over Tai.”

“Guilt, huh?”

Lu Zimo released Chuyu’s foot and walked to the window. He picked up a pack of cigarettes from the windowsill, pulled one out, then crushed it in his hand in frustration before tossing it aside. He turned to look at Chuyu. “People can’t afford to be too kind. You never know if you’re dealing with an angel or a demon. Different choices lead to different outcomes. The only thing that remains the same is that you can never go back to where you started.”

Chuyu stared at Lu Zimo, stunned. He smiled faintly and slowly walked back toward her, leaning over the bed with his hands on either side of her. His dark eyes locked onto hers as he spoke softly, “You knew who I was, yet you risked everything to save me. Why?”

“To… to repay a debt…”

Chuyu turned her head away, feeling the weight of his presence pressing down on her. Lu Zimo hummed lightly. “A debt? What debt?”

“You told me to run left in the maze…”

“I lied to you.”

Chuyu’s head snapped back to look at him. His smile was faint. “I suddenly thought you’d be a burden. Renault broke the agreement and hid in the tomb. Bringing you along would’ve made us too conspicuous. I just made up an excuse to get rid of you, and you believed it?”

Chuyu’s mind reeled. “You saved me in the supermarket, and you took me from your second brother…”

Lu Zimo leaned back slightly. “I took you from my second brother because I found you interesting. Life in the stronghold was boring, and having a different woman around to play with was better than those empty-headed dolls who only know how to spread their legs.”

“What, feeling disillusioned? Want to cry?”

Lu Zimo frowned slightly as he noticed the redness in Chuyu’s eyes. “Do you hate me? Want to kill me? Girls always have these naive, romantic fantasies about bad boys. But what’s really behind them? Do you think we’d ever let you innocent women see the truth?”

Chuyu suddenly raised her hand to strike him, but Lu Zimo caught her wrist mid-swing. His lips curled into a cold smile as he pinned her down on the bed. His free hand gripped her neck, and his dark eyes gradually filled with a chilling coldness. “Today, I’ll teach you a lesson. I’ll show you what a real man is.”

Chuyu panicked. Lu Zimo’s hand moved to her chest, the situation teetering on the edge. But before anything could happen, an unexpected knock came from the door. Both of them froze. Lu Zimo glanced at the time—1:00 a.m. His expression turned serious. He pulled Chuyu up from the bed, grabbed his gun from the low table, and pressed it against her back. Half-dragging, half-threatening, he moved her toward the door, leaning close to her ear. “Answer it.”

Chuyu took a deep breath, her back cold with fear. Lu Zimo’s strong grip controlled her body as he pushed her forward. A man’s voice came from outside. “Sorry to disturb you so late. The hotel has received reports of dangerous animals being released. Could you please step out for a moment? We need to conduct a thorough inspection.”

“Tell them you need to get dressed,” Lu Zimo whispered.

Chuyu bit her lip. “Just a moment, I need to put on some clothes.”

Lu Zimo quickly pulled Chuyu back, retreating from the hallway just as the door lock turned. The door was kicked open from the outside, and the bright hallway light flooded in. A group of heavily armed SWAT officers rushed in, their guns trained on the two of them.

“You’re fast,” Lu Zimo said with a smile, raising his gun to press it against Chuyu’s temple. He switched to Thai. “Little Raindrop, I wanted to have some fun with you, but it seems today isn’t my day. Still, at least you’re useful to me, aren’t you?”

“Police! Put your hands up!”

The lead officer announced their presence as someone behind him spoke into a radio. “A33 reporting. We’ve found Thai national Lu Zimo in the room, along with an unidentified Chinese female hostage. Repeat, Thai national Lu Zimo is in the room…”

“Lu Zimo, you’re surrounded. Put down your weapon and release the hostage. We’ll extradite you back to Thailand.”

A man stepped out from behind the SWAT team, speaking to Lu Zimo in Thai. Lu Zimo smiled. “Officer Wen. Long time no see. Three bombs in the supermarket didn’t kill you. You’ve got a strong will to live.”

Officer Wen shrugged, his expression relaxed. “I’ve always been lucky.” He slowly walked to a corner of the room. Lu Zimo kept a tight grip on Chuyu, positioning himself in a corner to avoid being exposed to snipers. His tone was casual. “Oh, I’m the same. I always find a way to slip through your fingers, don’t I?”

“How do you plan to escape today?”

Officer Wen glanced at Chuyu. Her face was pale from fear, and beads of sweat rolled down her forehead. His gaze lingered on her for only a second before he looked away, playing with a lighter in his hand. “The entire hotel is surrounded. Lu Zimo, have you fallen so low that you’re using a woman as a hostage?”

“I was planning to have some fun with her, but you ruined my mood,” Lu Zimo said with a smile. His hand, which had been gripping Chuyu’s waist, slid up under her shirt, groping her chest. Chuyu tensed as Lu Zimo bit her neck lightly. He looked up, his eyes dangerous. “I don’t mind slowly torturing this woman to death in front of you.”

Officer Wen’s calm expression flickered with anger. He clenched the lighter tightly, staring at Lu Zimo. “What do you want?”

“Isn’t human rights a thing now?” Lu Zimo sneered. “No matter how much you want to arrest me, the hostage comes first, right? My demands are simple. A helicopter. The rooftop. Let me go.”

“I don’t have that authority in China.”

Officer Wen replied calmly. Lu Zimo smiled. “Then negotiate with them. People always find a way to save lives, don’t they? Now, all of you, get out.”

The SWAT team exchanged glances. Officer Wen turned to the Chinese officer in charge, and after a brief discussion, they agreed to withdraw. As soon as the hotel room door closed, Lu Zimo dragged Chuyu into the bathroom and locked the door. He looked around, then forcefully pushed open the ventilation panel on the ceiling. He glanced down at Chuyu. “Up.”

Chuyu didn’t resist. With Lu Zimo’s help, she climbed into the ventilation shaft. The hotel’s central air conditioning system made the shaft wider than she expected, with a complex network of passages. Lu Zimo followed, securing the panel behind him and gesturing for Chuyu to move forward.

They moved silently through the ventilation system, eventually reaching a corridor. Through the vents, they could see the heavily armed SWAT team below. Officer Wen was pacing in the hallway, while the Chinese officer was on the phone with his superiors. They didn’t linger, instead crawling through a side passage that led to the hotel’s storage room. Lu Zimo kicked open the vent cover and pulled Chuyu down with him.

The storage room was at the far end of the hallway, near the emergency exit. Lu Zimo seemed to know the hotel’s layout intimately. He cracked the door open slightly to check the hallway. The corner was unguarded. They slipped into the emergency stairwell, and with the gun still pressed to her back, Chuyu was forced to follow Lu Zimo up to the rooftop.

On the rooftop, near the water tank, was a large bag. Lu Zimo locked the rooftop door and opened the bag. Inside was a set of bungee jumping gear and a set of climbing gear. He looked up at Chuyu with a smile, strapping the climbing gear onto her and connecting it to his bungee gear with a rope looped around the water tank.

Once everything was set, he pushed Chuyu to the edge of the rooftop, looking down at her. “Little Raindrop, I’ll miss you.”

He leaned down, kissing her deeply before suddenly shoving her off the edge and turning to leap off the opposite side of the building.

Chuyu’s body plummeted, the rope around her waist pulling taut as she slid down the smooth glass exterior of the hotel. She couldn’t struggle or resist, only scream as she fell. Just as she was about to hit the ground, the rope jerked her to a stop, leaving her dangling about a meter above the ground before suddenly dropping her the rest of the way.

The commotion drew the attention of the police. A swarm of officers surrounded her. Officer Wen arrived shortly after, checking her injuries briefly before looking up at the sky. Chuyu almost thought she was imagining it, but the man’s lips curled into a faint smile as he whispered three words: “Lu Zimo.”