Chapter 7: She Panicked

Startled, Yang Hua shivered involuntarily.

Upon realizing that the person grabbing her wrist was Chen Fan, who had appeared out of nowhere, her brow furrowed into a deep frown. Her expression turned ugly, and a flicker of anger burned in her eyes.

"Chen Fan, are you out of your mind? How dare you scare me like that! Get your filthy paws off me this instant!"

Yang Hua shouted in fury, pushing at Chen Fan as she tried to break free from his grip.

Chen Fan merely let out a mocking, humorless snort. He opened the small metal door, which still had the key in the lock, and shoved Yang Hua back into the shop.

It was dark, and they were alone...

Scenes from restricted, twisted movies flashed through Yang Hua's mind. The Chen Fan of today was tall and sturdy, no longer the scrawny little monkey she could bully at will back in middle school. Furthermore, he was at that volatile stage of adolescence where boys were capable of anything, which only deepened her growing sense of dread.

The anger in her heart had vanished, replaced by overwhelming panic.

She trembled, trying to back away from him, but her wrist remained firmly clamped in his grip, immovable.

"Ch-Chen Fan, I’m your sister’s sister-in-law. We’re practically family, even if there’s no blood relation. If you dare to try anything, I’ll scream for help!"

"Go ahead and scream. Even if you scream until your throat gives out, no one is coming to save you tonight!"

Chen Fan gave a sinister, mischievous chuckle. The sound made Yang Hua feel as though she had fallen into an ice cellar; tears of fright welled up and spilled from the corners of her eyes.

"Help—"

Driven to desperation, Yang Hua opened her mouth to cry out, but Chen Fan was quick. He covered her mouth immediately, released her wrist, and swept the eighty-pound woman up into his arms, striding toward the stairs.

"Mmmph!"

The pitch-black stairwell looked like an abyss to Yang Hua. Terror completely shattered her composure. She whimpered, clawing and struggling, but Chen Fan’s powerful arms were like iron shackles. No matter how she fought, she could not escape; her efforts were entirely in vain.

*Bang!*

Chen Fan kicked open the bedroom door and dropped Yang Hua, who felt as light as a figurine, onto a chair.

Looking at the tape, candles, and rope on the table, Yang Hua couldn't help but visualize various scenes from the movies she had seen. *Where was the whip? Did he prefer slapping?*

A chill ran down her spine, and her entire body shook like a sieve. She didn't want to become the victim of his whims.

Listening to her sobbing, Chen Fan smiled evilly. He leaned close to her ear, exhaling softly as he whispered, "I can let you go, but if you dare to make a sound... hmm, I’ll make sure you won't be able to speak for a week."

*Can this even be done in silence? That’s not how it happens in the movies!*

Still gripped by fear, a confused thought suddenly flickered through Yang Hua's mind.

The next second, Chen Fan released her and turned on the computer, tapping the spacebar on the keyboard. The paused video on the screen resumed playing.

Though her mouth was no longer covered, Yang Hua, pinned to the chair, stared at the screen with a look of horror that was just as intense as her previous misunderstanding. The video clearly showed her entire process of stealing money from the box earlier.

Chen Fan pressed one hand firmly onto her shoulder and pointed at the screen with the other. "Tsk, tsk, tsk... Sister Hua, oh Sister Hua, you certainly have sticky fingers!"

Cold sweat broke out on Yang Hua’s forehead. She had never dreamed that Chen Fan would have installed security cameras on the first floor.

However, as a thought struck her, the panic in her heart dissipated, and a calm smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

"So what if you have a video? Even if you show it to your parents, your sister, or my brother, I can just say you were the one who ordered me to steal the money. Who would believe it was me? They’d only believe you were the mastermind! Don't forget, you’re the one with a history of stealing!"

Confident in her plan to frame him, Yang Hua’s voice grew bolder, laced with mockery. This wasn't the first time something like this had happened. All she had to do was cry in front of his parents and hers, claiming Chen Fan had forced her to do it. Even with the footage, no one would believe him.

Chen Fan smiled playfully, pressing down on her shoulders with a bit more force as he leaned in close to her face. "Who told you... that I was going to show this video to my parents, my sister, or your brother and parents?"

Yang Hua froze. Looking at Chen Fan, who was only a finger's width away, his expression calm and composed, she felt as if he had become a completely different person—utterly like a stranger.

His gaze and his smile made her blood run cold.

"Heh... if not them, then what? Are you going to show it to your teacher? Even if you do, I’ll just throw mud on your name, and I have people who will testify for me. Who do you think they’ll believe? You’re still too green to play games with me, Chen Fan!"

Yang Hua forced a cold, defiant laugh, still maintaining an air of indifference.

Chen Fan didn't respond. Instead, he pulled out his phone, placed it in front of her, and tapped three digits into the keypad.

Yang Hua: Σ(っ°Д°;)っ

Watching her descend back into panic, Chen Fan pinched her cheek and chuckled. "Actually, besides today’s video, I have footage of every time you’ve stolen money over the last six months. You’ve taken nearly three thousand yuan from my house in that time. If I take this to the police station, I can charge you with burglary. Given the amount, you’d be looking at up to three years behind bars."

Chen Fan rested his finger on the call button.

"Sister Hua, if I hand this over to the police, do you think they’ll believe your nonsense and lies, or the evidence in my hands? And everything you just said has been recorded by the computer—every word you uttered planning to frame me for your theft."

Chen Fan tapped the call button lightly. Yang Hua’s heart leapt into her throat.

The composure she had just regained vanished, replaced by visible terror. She lunged for the phone, but Chen Fan quickly pulled it away. She tried to grab the computer, but Chen Fan simply picked her up like a doll and tossed her onto the bed behind them.

Yang Hua let out a sharp gasp of pain as she hit the mattress. She glared at Chen Fan, grit her teeth, and hissed, "Chen Fan, we’re relatives! Your sister is my sister-in-law. If you dare to call the police, I’ll make sure your sister suffers for it..."

"Oh, for heaven's sake, are you trying to threaten me now?"

Chen Fan pounced, pinning her to the bed and holding her wrists down. Looking down at her, he said, "If it weren't for the fact that my sister is your sister-in-law, I wouldn't waste my breath on you. I’d have sent you straight to the station to get the full treatment! If you don't want to spend the New Year in a cell, you’d better return every cent you stole. If even a penny is missing, I’m sending all this evidence to the authorities immediately."

"You can try going home to make a scene and having your parents clean up your mess, but before you do, you might want to look up what 'aiding and abetting' means!"

"You can also bet on whether I’ll actually call the police. If you win, we’re done for good! My sister doesn't have kids with your brother anyway; even if they divorce, she’s beautiful and won't have any trouble finding a better man!"

"But if you lose... your whole family is going to prison, and you can all spend the New Year together, nice and tidy, behind bars!"