Chapter Three: Do Not Listen a Third Time

"I'm saving her." His voice shook. "Father's men are already here. If we don't leave, she will end like Mingxi—" Xingyao broke free and brought her palm down on the black key. A soundless tremor crossed the room. Shen Yan heard a woman screaming in rain, tires grinding over gravel, and Chengjun's younger voice: Xingyao is not my daughter. The night Mingxi gave her to me, I promised I would pay any price to keep her alive. The secret had not been offered to Shen Yan. Xingyao herself had heard it. She stared at Chengjun, bloodless. His deepest desire woke. He seized her, knocked Minglan aside, and moved like an animal reduced to the instinct to protect its young. Everyone who approached became an enemy. He drew a pistol from behind his back.