Rose Hotel 22

Su Yuye covered her mouth in shock, wanting to step forward to persuade them, yet not knowing what to say.

Li Xing was remarkably thick-skinned; instead of offering any further excuses, he scrambled to his feet, dropped heavily to the ground, and kowtowed hard before viciously slapping himself twice across the face. "You can beat me or curse me all you want to vent your anger, but I don't think I did anything wrong. I was only fighting for my future and Yuye's!"

"Beat you and curse you?" Su Man was almost laughed to anger by the sheer childishness of his words. "Li Xing, do you think what you committed was just some trivial, insignificant mistake? Do you have any idea that this single stunt of yours could end up getting all of us killed? You wouldn't even be suffering enough if you died to atone for your sins."

"Freedom? Future?" She sneered. "How much clearer do I need to make it? You and Su Yuye will never, ever have freedom!"

"Li Xing, your efforts will ultimately come to nothing, just like scooping water with a bamboo basket."

Su Yuye's face turned deathly pale, and she swayed as if about to collapse.

Li Xing clenched his fists tightly, staring at her in disbelief, as if unable to comprehend that such cruel words could come from her lips.

He stammered, perhaps harboring too much resentment and grievance deep down, until it finally erupted in the next moment. "Su Man, do you really think you're some kind of savior? Do you think you get to decide everything? Do you think I actually wanted to do something like this?"

Li Xing's eyes reddened. "Didn't I beg you to help me? Didn't I beg you to save Yuye? If you had been willing to help me, I wouldn't have had to resort to such a clumsy method, I wouldn't have done a thing like this!"

"I have to help you just because you begged me?"

"...What?" The tears that were about to fall froze in Li Xing's eyes, and for a fleeting moment, he thought he hadn't heard Su Man correctly.

Su Man looked down at him from her position of superiority. "I never said I was a savior, nor have I ever intended to save any of you.

By what authority are you speaking to me like this? Did you make a deal with me? Did you give me any benefits?"

She gestured toward Kang Fu. "He is my employer. He paid me an astronomical sum, which is why I gave him that life-saving serum."

"The serum I gave you had the exact same effect as the one he used. What did you give me?"

Seeing Li Xing's gaze unconsciously drift toward Su Yuye, she let out a cold laugh. "Are you trying to imply those few kowtows she gave me?"

"Is her head made of gold? Made of silver? Or what? Is it worth an astronomical sum?"

"I'll repeat myself: exactly how valuable do you think this kneeling and kowtowing of yours is?"

"Are you trying to hold me hostage with my own kindness right now?"

Taken aback at first by her words, Li Xing was soon consumed by a mixture of shame and fury. "Well, I didn't stubbornly insist on you saving us! Since you wouldn't save us, I had to try my best to find a way to change our situation. By what authority are you blaming me? What qualification do you have to point fingers at me?"

"I am blaming you in the capacity of a victim dragged down by your so-called self-rescue attempt." Su Man's tone instead grew increasingly calm. "If you had just cowered in some tiny corner without affecting a single soul, I wouldn't have given a damn if you lived or died."

Li Xing froze.

Su Man continued, "Yet this so-called self-rescue of yours has dragged all of us into it, and we might even lose our lives because of it."

Kang Fu had never found an opening to chime in. Seizing this brief pause, unable to conceal the disappointment and sorrow weighing on his heart, he muttered a small complaint, "I was actually supposed to get married tomorrow."

Looking at Kang Fu, Li Xing could no longer utter a single word.

Su Man drew her dagger. "Li Xing, I'm not saying all this to hear your confession. I just want you to die with your eyes open.

You are an adult; you should understand that making a mistake means paying a corresponding price, even if it's a price you are entirely incapable of bearing."