68. Falling into the Trap Once More

One day, Tong Zhenzhen was sitting in Jun Lengche’s arms, watching the television news.

A particular news broadcast caught her attention.

Lin Mujin had filed for divorce against Long Tianyang?

The outcome of the lawsuit was that their marriage was dissolved, with the child granted to the mother's custody.

To stand against Long Tianyang, defeat his massive legal team, and achieve such a swift victory—this was hardly something Lin Mujin could accomplish on her own, right?

Tong Zhenzhen could not help turning her head to look at Jun Lengche. Was this his doing?

Having witnessed the exposure of Long Tianyang's past scandals followed by his sudden car accident, she had developed a certain appreciation for Jun Lengche's power.

Now that the child's custody had been secured, what would he do next?

The thought that he still shared ties with Lin Mujin made her feel somewhat uneasy. She involuntarily wrinkled her nose and straightened her posture.

Noticing her stiffness, he wrapped his arms around her, smoothed away the wrinkle on the bridge of her nose, and said affectionately, "That is a bad habit. Frowning too much will give you wrinkles."

A spark of irritation flared up in her chest, and she gave him a hard shove. "None of your business. You have far more things to worry about than I do, don't you?"

"Little girl, you're getting jealous over nothing again. Lin Mujin and I only met after I knew you. If you hadn't chosen Long Tianyang in the first place, she wouldn't even be in the picture." As he mentioned Long Tianyang, he exaggeratedly feigned a look of jealousy.

Hmph, this guy really knew how to act. She turned around and pinched the bridge of his high nose. "Then am I supposed to blame you for having a daughter as well?"

He chuckled, cupping her face with his hands. "It's my fault, little one. But the child is mine—that is an immutable fact. Yingchu will live with Lin Mujin, and I will cover her living expenses. Other than that, it won't affect our life together. Is that alright?"

By saying this, did he mean he had no intention of looking after his daughter? Hearing this, a wave of sympathy washed over her. She understood the importance of a father during a child's formative years. Though she had always claimed to hate the father who had abandoned their family, her dreams were still often filled with fond memories of the times she had spent with him.

Pouting, she muttered, "I'm not as cold-hearted as you. A little girl still needs her father's care. Umm, you can go and visit her, you know."

"My dear girl, you truly are a kind-hearted soul." He smiled contentedly, pulling her into a tight embrace and kissing her forehead.

"Still, you need to stay away from that Lin Mujin," she warned fiercely. She could tolerate the little girl, but the mere thought of that gentle Lin Mujin left a bitter taste in her mouth. Who was it that said a man could never forget his first love?

"Alright, alright, my little jar of vinegar," he laughed helplessly, planting a fierce kiss on her pouting lips.

While cooking dinner that evening, she discovered they were out of salt. She told him she was heading down to the convenience store in the residential complex to buy some.

Once outside, as she waited for the elevator, she looked around out of sheer boredom and noticed the door to Mo Chuchu's apartment.

During the days since her return, she hadn't run into Mo Chuchu once. Had that wicked girl finally thrown in the towel? She wondered with mild curiosity.

Just then, the elevator arrived, and the doors slid open.

Habitually, she took a step forward to enter the car.

Suddenly, a gust of wind swept past, and someone grabbed her back.

Turning around, she saw it was Jun Lengche, sweat streaming down his temples.

"What is going on?" she asked in bewilderment.

He gripped her arm tightly and pointed ahead. "Look at the elevator!"

She turned her head back, and a cold sweat instantly broke out across her back.

Where the elevator car should have been, there was only empty space—a pitch-black void, gaping like a monster's maw, waiting for her to walk right into it, while chilling drafts blew up from the dark abyss.

"What... is... happening?" Her voice trembled uncontrollably, and she realized her legs had turned to jelly.

He pulled her into his arms, comforting her. "It's alright, it's alright now."

Despite his reassuring words, he was inwardly gripped by intense anxiety. Thank goodness he had made it in time; otherwise, he didn't dare imagine the consequences if she had stepped inside.

The joy of recovering what could have been lost, intertwined with fury toward the mastermind behind the scheme, surged within him. He deeply regretted not having disposed of that damned Mo Chuchu sooner!

Carrying her back inside, he placed her shaken form on the sofa and picked up the phone that had been tossed onto the floor. "Did you catch her?"

Upon receiving an affirmative reply from the other end, he said with chilling ruthlessness, "Bring her over first. I'll contact you later."

Hanging up, he turned right back out, felt along the doorframe, and ripped off a tiny hidden camera.

Returning inside, he hurled the camera to the floor and crushed it relentlessly beneath his heel.

Then, kneeling on one knee before her as she sat hugging a pillow, still reeling from shock, he gently stroked her long hair. "Don't worry. Mo Chuchu will get what's coming to her very soon."

"Mo Chuchu?" His words acted like the finest soothing balm, helping her regain a fraction of her composure. "What... did she do?"

He recounted what his friends, assigned to monitor Mo Chuchu, had discovered. Fortunately, thanks to their timely warning, the tragedy of her falling down the shaft had been averted.

As it turned out, Mo Chuchu had installed a camera right by their doorway.

Mo Chuchu had spent the entire day in the lobby on the ground floor, clutching a monitor.

The watchers had seen her suddenly leap to her feet, sprint over to the elevator banks, and press a button on her device.

Acting on intuition, the watcher had immediately dialed Jun Lengche's phone.

Upon hearing the word "elevator," Jun Lengche had instantly realized Tong Zhenzhen was planning to take it down. He had bolted out the door at once, pulling her back just in the nick of time.

In truth, Mo Chuchu had remotely overridden the elevator controls, locking the car at the bottom floor while tricking the display screen into showing it moving upward, and even enabling Tong Zhenzhen to open the doors.

What a vicious scheme.

Even if Tong Zhenzhen had plummeted to her death, would anyone have suspected anything other than a tragic elevator malfunction rather than premeditated murder?

Hearing the full story, Tong Zhenzhen felt a chill seep straight through to her spine.

Mo Chuchu was venomous enough not only to have murdered her unborn child, but now to target her life as well.

With a sudden surge of motion, she stood straight up.

"My friends have caught her. You don't need to go. This time, I won't show any mercy." Although Jun Lengche had long since figured out how to punish Mo Chuchu, he had previously retained a shred of hesitation, primarily out of consideration for Political Commissar Mo.

But now, he would hesitate no longer. One does not nurture a tiger to invite disaster.

"I'll have Juli come over to keep you company. I'm stepping out for a bit." He blocked her path, determination burning in his eyes, signaling that his mind was made up.

Tong Zhenzhen grabbed his hand. "I—"

Damn it, since when had she become such a coward? She inwardly despised herself, ultimately swallowing the word "scared" and changing it to, "I'll wait for you."

Jun Lengche pulled her into a fierce embrace.

All through the night, Tong Zhenzhen sat huddled on the sofa waiting for him, every light in the apartment blazing. It seemed only the brilliance of the illumination could grant her strength and drive away the unease gnawing at her heart.

When Jun Lengche finally returned home, it was already very late.

The moment he opened the door, he saw her curled up in the corner of the sofa, hugging a cushion and clutching that glazed stone in her hand.

His heart ached at the sight. He walked over and lifted her into his arms.

Her nerves frayed, she had been sleeping lightly. Catching his familiar scent, her eyes snapped wide open. "How did it go?"

"It's taken care of. She will vanish." He brushed his nose gently against her forehead.

"Vanish? You didn't kill her, did you?" Panic crept into her voice. While she loathed Mo Chuchu and had even dreamed of killing her, murder demanded a life in reality. She didn't want to see him dragged down into ruin.

"Death?" he uttered coldly, then slowly shook his head. "That would be letting her off far too easily."

Jun Lengche could vividly picture the scene awaiting Mo Chuchu, unconscious on a freezing operating table.

Beneath the glare of the stark white surgical lights, Mo Chuchu's skin would appear deathly pale. Once sliced open by the scalpel, her crimson flesh would lie exposed to the chilling air, a stark, tragic contrast of red and white.

The surgical blade, sharp as a sword, would probe pitilessly inside, excising the womb capable of nurturing life from Mo Chuchu's body forever.

Mo Chuchu, when you schemed to destroy another's child, did you ever imagine that one day you would suffer this exact retribution, leaving you forever barren?

For a wicked woman, was not this outcome a fitting match?

As for the youthful innocence Mo Chuchu had always relied on to play the cute, naive act in front of others, those days were gone forever, because her ovaries would be stripped away alongside it. She would age with terrifying speed.

Her youth, which should have bloomed in all its splendor, would slip away like water flowing eastward. Watching helplessly as her beauty withered—that agonizing, heart-wrenching helplessness was the gift he had prepared for the vicious Mo Chuchu.

Finally, her surgical incisions would be deliberately stitched together in a crooked, ugly scar that would accompany Mo Chuchu for the rest of her days, mirroring the permanent psychological trauma she had inflicted upon Tong Zhenzhen.

According to the friend who oversaw the procedure, the entire surgery had been carried out strictly by the book.

He would not let Mo Chuchu die; the pain she was destined to endure had to be long and enduring.

"Did you really do that?" Her anxious inquiry pulled him back to the present. He had previously discussed with her how he planned to deal with Mo Chuchu, but now, he was prepared to add one more condition.

"Yes. From this day forward, she has lost the right to ever become a mother. Moreover, in a few days, I'll have people send her deep into the remote mountains and marry her off to some old man." He coldly announced Mo Chuchu's final destination.

Hearing of this punishment, Tong Zhenzhen froze in disbelief.

For someone as arrogant as Mo Chuchu, such a life would be utterly unbearable, wouldn't it?

Was it cruel? She quickly reined in her momentary spark of sympathy. She refused to let her own kindness serve as an enabler for someone else's cruelty, nor would she allow herself to be plunged back into misery and torment.

The wheels of heaven turn; retribution brings sweet satisfaction!

My child, is this outcome to your liking? She stroked her lower abdomen, her expression turning sorrowful as she thought of the baby she had lost not long ago at Mo Chuchu's hands.

Sensing her thoughts, Jun Lengche pulled her shoulder close. "My girl, from now on, I will never let anyone bully you again. I will protect you with my life. And children—we will definitely have them."

That was right; she was still young, and they would surely have children in the future. The thought somewhat untangled the knot in her chest. Resting her head against his chest, listening to his steady, powerful heartbeat, she found profound peace at last.

Yet, regrettably, she missed the lingering sorrow hidden deep within his eyes.