Chapter 51: Mutual Destruction

“Cough, cough… Mr. Qiao, you—”

Lu Yao raised her hand, struggling to pry apart the large hand gripping her throat, each breath growing more difficult.

Qiao Wanli squeezed harder, leaning in close, his voice brimming with menace. “Do you believe I won’t strangle you right now and dump your body in the wilderness? I’ll make sure you don’t even find peace in death.”

Lu Yao’s face turned ashen, terror sweeping through her entire being. Qiao Wanli had always been ruthless, stopping at nothing to achieve his goals. The Qiao Corporation had reached its current heights only because he had eliminated every obstacle in his path, no matter what it took.

Was she really going to die at his hands, just like this?

She didn’t want to die!

She couldn’t die!

She absolutely must not!

As her will to survive exploded within her, her hands seemed to gain an inexhaustible strength. She pried one finger after another from her throat, then twisted his wrist with all her might.

Qiao Wanli let go in pain, startled by the sheer force in Lu Yao’s hands. For all her delicate appearance, he hadn’t imagined she possessed such strength.

He seized her by the hair, then slapped her hard across the face. “How dare you defy me!”

Lu Yao pressed a hand to her burning cheek, glaring at Qiao Wanli’s vicious face, nausea rising from her stomach. Frantically, her hand searched for the car door lock, intending to fling the door open and leap out to save herself.

But the door was locked by the driver.

“Tonight, if you don’t do exactly as I say, don’t even think about leaving here in one piece,” Qiao Wanli said coldly.

With that, he unscrewed the bottle beside him and forced the drugged water into Lu Yao’s mouth. It burned down her throat and into her stomach.

She clamped her lips shut and tried to resist, but another brutal slap landed on her face. Tears sprang to her eyes, the pain in her ears roaring like a hive of bees.

“Let me go… you’re committing a crime…”

In agony, Lu Yao’s hand found her high-heeled shoe. Seizing her chance while Qiao Wanli was distracted, she smashed it down onto his head with all the strength she could muster.

The heel struck his skull, splitting the skin. Blood flowed down from his hair to his forehead, the metallic tang thick in the enclosed car.

He wiped the blood from his brow, glaring at Lu Yao with a stormy expression, jaw clenched. “Are you looking for death?”

In that moment, Lu Yao felt as if the sky was collapsing around her. Death seemed to be looming right before her eyes.

Qiao Wanli, now thoroughly enraged, yanked her hair again and slapped her across the face, over and over. The burning pain reminded Lu Yao that she could not simply submit; she had to find a way to save herself.

Now, her only chance was herself.

“You filthy bitch, you even dare to strike me? I’ll have my men take turns with you!” Qiao Wanli spat, gripping her chin tightly. He shouted at the driver, “Step on it. Head for Guiyuan Villa.”

Misfortune never comes alone. Before she could even think of a way out, the drug began to take effect. Lu Yao’s body turned limp and feverish, sweat streaming down her face, her ears burning, cheeks flushed. With all her might, she bit through her lip, using the pain to keep herself awake.

She couldn’t fall asleep. She had to think of a way to escape the car before they reached their destination.

As she racked her brain, her gaze swept to the driver concentrating on the road, then to the busy street outside. Seizing her moment, she lunged forward, grabbed the driver’s hand, snatched the steering wheel, and wrenched the car toward the guardrail.

The driver was so startled by Lu Yao’s sudden move that cold sweat broke out down his back. For a moment, he froze, then immediately tried to wrest the wheel back. But Lu Yao held on with grim determination.

Qiao Wanli hadn’t expected her to do something so reckless. His face darkened.

Was she really trying to take them all down with her?