Chapter 18 — The Bride Strikes Back: Exposing the Liar

His face showed fear, as if he was mentioning something taboo.

“Because he is a person of bad omen, whoever gets involved will not have a good outcome.”

“Three years ago, the girl who was with you… didn't she also look for him?”

I froze, my heart beating so hard I could suffocate.

“You said… To Thanh?”

“Yes, that night you were drunk, it was Trat Tay who helped you out.”

“But the other girl chased after me, and the two of them argued outside for a long time.”

“Afterwards, she gave Trat Tay a sum of money.”

“I don't know what happened after that.”

A sum of money... money again... it all seemed to be connected into a scary line. My mind was buzzing, my legs were numb, I felt like the truth was only a thin layer away. To Thanh, what did you do that night? I was about to ask more, but at that moment the bar door was pushed open. Two men wearing black leather jackets walked in, their eyes scanned around and stopped right on me. They did not hesitate, walking straight towards me, each step firmly as if they had determined their target in advance. My heart immediately tightened, a cold feeling crawled down my spine. Who are they, To Thanh's people, or people related to Trat Tay? A person stopped in front of me and pulled out a photo from his pocket. That's my photo, a sneaky photo taken in everyday life.

“Are you To Du Du?”

His voice was cold as metal, without any emotion.

“Our boss wants to see you.”

“Our boss wants to see you.”

That sentence was like a bucket of ice water pouring straight down from the top of my head, making my whole body cold. The loud music in the bar seemed to disappear for a moment, leaving only the pounding heartbeat in my chest. I looked at the man in front of me, his face was terrifyingly expressionless. Boss... who is it, is it To Thanh, has she already reached out to this place?

“I don't know your boss.”

I tried to force myself to stay calm, keeping my voice as steady as possible.

“You guys are the wrong person.”

I stood up to leave, but the other person immediately stepped forward to block the path. His eyes were sharp as knives, cold and without any emotion.

“Miss To, we don't have any bad intentions, it's just that the boss has a few questions to ask directly.”

“A little coordination will be good for both you and us.”

The tone was still polite, but underneath it was an undisguised threat. I looked around, but everyone in the bar was still drinking and dancing as if nothing happened. No one paid attention to this corner, no one knew I was being forced to go. The bartender bowed his head and pretended to wipe the glass, clearly not daring to get involved. I'm completely alone. A direct confrontation would mean death, I had no choice but to temporarily give in. I nodded, keeping my voice calm even though my heart was as tense as a guitar string.

“Wherever your boss is, I'll go with you.”

The two of them looked at each other, as if a bit surprised that I cooperated so quickly.

“Miss To is truly a smart person.”

The leader gestured with his hand, inviting me to leave.

“The car is outside.”

I followed them out of the bar, the cold night wind hitting my skin giving me goosebumps. In front of the door is a black off-road vehicle with no license plate. My heart fell straight to the bottom. This is not To Thanh's person, she would not act this harshly. So who are they, and what does it have to do with Trat Tay? I was pushed into the backseat, two men sandwiched on both sides Lock me in the middle. The car started, rushed into the sparse traffic of the city and gradually left the central area. I looked at the rapidly receding scenery outside the window, my mind frantically trying to find a way to escape. Something must be done, right now. I put my hand in my pocket, touched my phone, turned it on, then fumbled to open WeChat. Finding Chu Duyet's chat box, I pressed and held the record button. Don't dare speak, just use your fingernail to gently tap the phone case. One beat, two beats, three beats. SOS signal that only the two of us understand. I don't know if she realized it, but it was the only ray of hope. The car drove further and further away, the street lights gradually became less visible and then disappeared completely. Darkness swallowed the road, leaving only cold moonlight covering the distant mountains like lying animals. My heart was beating so hard I couldn't breathe, where were they taking me, and what would be the outcome. The car turned onto a bumpy road, swaying in the middle of a deserted land. Finally, it stopped in front of a lonely Tibetan-style house in the middle of an empty space. The weak light shining from inside made the place even more gloomy.

“Get off the bus.”

I was pulled down and pushed into the house. It's warmer inside, there's a fireplace burning, flickering firelight reflecting on the wall. A figure had his back turned to me, sitting in front of the fire. He wore Tibetan clothes, was tall, and had shoulders as broad as a wall. Hearing the noise, he slowly turned around. As soon as I saw that face clearly, I forgot to breathe.