The Woods Residence - Basement Entrance - 8:15 AM

As rough hands dragged Mei toward the narrow door leading to the basement, Mrs. Liang's voice followed like poison in the air.

"Do you think Mr. Lu actually likes you?" Her laugh was sharp, cruel. "A woman who throws herself at men like a common whore? You're nothing but an ungrateful orphan whose parents were so ashamed they died rather than raise you."

Mei's feet scraped against the marble floor as they forced her toward the basement stairs. Mrs. Liang continued her assault, each word designed to cut deeper.

"You think a man sleeping with you makes you special? You're still the same worthless girl we found crying in a hospital corridor. No family wanted you then, and no man will want you now, not once Lu Rowan realizes what you really are."

The basement door opened, revealing the familiar darkness that had been Mei's prison for so many years. But this time, as they shoved her down the concrete steps, Mei didn't break.

She smiled.

Because she knew that in exactly one hour and twenty-seven minutes, someone would come for her who saw her as more than the sum of her trauma.

The door slammed shut above her, but the sound felt different now, this time she was waiting to be rescued

The Living Room - 8:20 AM

Shen Ji settled into the leather armchair, watching the chaos around him with detached interest. Mr. and Mrs. Liang paced the room their carefully constructed world that was crumbling around the revelation of Mei's marriage.

At least now I'm going to marry someone I actually like, he thought, his eyes drifting to Bai Liang. She stood by the window, her tears having dried into something harder, more determined. Unlike Mei's quiet strength, Bai possessed the kind of sharp ambition that matched his own.

He'd always preferred her anyway: her designer clothes, her social connections, the way she moved through their world with confidence instead of cowering in corners. Mei had been a business arrangement, nothing more. A way to secure his position at Skyline and gain access to the Liang family's influence.

But Bai Liang? She was a prize worth having.

"Shen," Mr. Liang's voice cut through his thoughts. "We need to discuss how to handle this situation. The contracts and the business arrangements"

"Are you worried?" Shen Ji asked, genuinely curious. Because he wasn't. If anything, this development had freed him to pursue what he'd wanted all along.

Mr. Liang's face darkened. "My niece has humiliated our family. Of course I'm worried."

Mrs. Liang stopped pacing, her eyes glittering with malice. "We're going to go down there and talk sense into her. Make her understand the consequences of her actions. Then we'll call you."

Shen Ji nodded absently. "Take your time. I'm in no hurry."

The couple exchanged a look. They had expected panic, demand for immediate action. Instead, their chosen son-in-law seemed almost... relieved.

The Woods Residence - Front Door - 9:20 AM

The doorbell rang precisely one hour after Mei had been locked away.

Mr. Liang opened the door to find Lu Rowan standing on the threshold, impeccably dressed despite the early hour, his dark eyes holding a dangerous calm.

"Mr. Liang." Lu Rowan's voice was polite, but there was steel underneath. "I'm here for Mei. There are some things we need to finalize regarding our marriage."

Mrs. Liang appeared beside her husband, her face a mask of confusion. "Mr. Lu? What marriage? Mei is... she's not here right now."

"She's not here?" Lu Rowan's tone didn't change, but something flickered in his eyes. "Where is she?"

"She went out early this morning," Mr. Liang said smoothly. "She went shopping, I believe. You know how women can be."

Lu Rowan studied them both for a long moment. The lie hung in the air between them, obvious and insulting.

"I don't want to sound disrespectful," Lu Rowan said finally, his voice dropping to a whisper that somehow carried more menace than shouting. "Our families go way back, and I know there are business relationships to consider."

He stepped closer, and both Liangs instinctively moved backward.

"But I also know exactly where she is." His smile was sharp as a blade. "I can go get her myself, or I can call the police and let them find her. Which would you prefer?"

The color drained from Mrs. Liang's face. "Mr. Lu, surely there's been some misunderstanding—"

"The only misunderstanding," Lu Rowan interrupted, "is if you think I'm going to leave here without my wife."

The word 'wife' hit them like a physical blow. In the sudden silence, they could all hear the truth: Lu Rowan wasn't bluffing, wasn't negotiating. He was stating facts.

"Now," he said, his voice returning to its earlier politeness, "shall we go collect Mei? Or would you prefer to explain to the authorities why you've imprisoned a grown woman in your basement?"

Mr. Liang's hands trembled slightly as he reached for his keys.

The Basement - 9:25 AM

In the darkness below, Mei heard the front door open, hearing familiar voices mixing with one she'd been waiting for.

She closed her eyes and smiled, counting down the final seconds to her freedom.

Three... two... one...

The basement door opened, and light poured down the stairs like salvation.