"I’m just trying to help her," Chen Ting continued, his voice taking on a pleading quality that sohow managed to sound sincere. "She’s my wife. The mother of my children. I love her, and I want to get her the help she desperately needs. Surely you understand that?"
Lu Yuze studied him for a long mont, taking in the expensive suit, the practiced expressions, the way his eyes continued to search the room even as he spoke.
"I understand," Lu Yuze said finally, "that you’ve forced your way into my ho uninvited. That you’ve ignored my staff’s instructions. That you’re making accusations about my wife being taken hostage, accusations that, if they were true, would be a matter for the police, not a midnight ho invasion."
"I’m not invading..."
"You are." Lu Yuze’s voice dropped dangerously low. "You’ve trespassed on my property, disrupted my household, and are now demanding I produce soone who isn’t here. That sounds like an invasion to ."
Chen Ting’s mask slipped for just a second, revealing sothing cold and angry beneath the concerned husband facade. But he recovered quickly, forcing the smile back into place.
"Sixth Master Lu, I apologize if I’ve caused offense. That was never my intention. But surely you can understand a husband’s concern for his sick wife? She’s dangerous to herself and others. The hospital incident proves that. What if she hurts soone? What if she hurts your family?"
It was a threat, thinly veiled as concern.
Lu Yuze caught it imdiately.
"Are you," he said quietly, "threatening my family?"
"No! No, of course not!" Chen Ting held up his hands in a placating gesture. "I’m simply stating facts. My wife is unstable. Unpredictable. If she’s here, she could be a danger...."
"She’s not here," Lu Yuze repeated, his patience clearly wearing thin. "And even if she were, she would be under my protection. In my house. Which you are currently trespassing in."
Chen Ting’s jaw clenched. The friendly businessman mask was cracking, revealing the controlling, violent man beneath.
"Master Lu," the secretary spoke up nervously, stepping forward with the briefcase. "Perhaps we could discuss this more... civilly? Mr. Chen has brought docuntation, dical records, psychiatric evaluations, and legal guardianship papers. Everything is in order. He has the legal right to retrieve his wife if she’s deed incompetent...."
"Get out," Lu Yuze spoke up those two cold words.
The secretary stopped mid-sentence, mouth hanging open. "I’m sorry?"
"Get. Out." Lu Yuze’s voice was flat, and absolute. "Both of you. Now. Before I have you forcibly removed and file trespassing charges."
Chen Ting’s expression finally cracked completely, fury replacing the false concern. "You can’t do this! She’s my wife! I have legal rights...."
"You have the right to leave my property imdiately," Lu Yuze cut him off. "Everything else can be discussed through lawyers during business hours. Not by breaking into my ho at night."
"I didn’t break in, I drove through the gate...."
"Without permission. Without invitation. That’s called trespassing." Lu Yuze pulled out his phone. "I’m calling the police now. You have approximately three minutes to vacate my property before they arrive."
"You’re making a mistake," Chen Ting said, his voice dropping to sothing threatening. "You have no idea who you’re protecting. No idea what she is. What she’s capable of....."
"I know exactly what n like you are capable of," Lu Yuze interrupted, his electric blue eyes boring into Chen Ting with an intensity that made the other man take an involuntary step back. "I’ve seen the bruises. The burns. The evidence of systematic abuse. So yes, I know what I’m protecting her from."
Chen Ting’s face went red with rage. "You don’t know anything! She’s crazy! She makes up stories, lies about everything..."
"Security," Lu Yuze called out calmly.
Imdiately, four more guards entered the room, these ones larger, more intimidating, clearly prepared to use force if necessary.
"Escort Mr. Chen and his associate off the property. If they resist, restrain them. If they return without proper legal notice and an appointnt, call the police imdiately and have them arrested for trespassing."
"Yes, sir."
The guards moved in, and this ti they weren’t gentle. They grabbed Chen Ting by both arms and began physically dragging him toward the exit.
"This isn’t over!" Chen Ting shouted, struggling against their grip. "You can’t keep her! She’s my wife! Mine! I’ll get her back, and when I do...."
"When you do what?" Lu Yuze’s voice cut through the threats like ice. "When you get her back, what will you do? Lock her in another psychiatric ward? Drug her until she can’t speak? Beat her until she stops resisting?"
Chen Ting’s mouth snapped shut, but his eyes burned with barely contained violence.
"I have connections," he said, his voice dropping to sothing venomous. "Friends in high places. You think you can protect her? I’ll have her back within twenty-four hours. And when I do, she’ll wish she’d never run."
"Get him out," Lu Yuze ordered, his patience finally exhausted.
The guards hauled Chen Ting bodily out of the sitting room, through the entrance hall, and toward the front door. His secretary scrambled after them, clutching his briefcase, trying to maintain so dignity in the chaos.
"This isn’t over!" Chen Ting’s voice echoed through the mansion as he was dragged outside. "You hear ? This isn’t over! I’ll be back! With lawyers! With police! With...."
The massive front doors slamd shut, cutting off his threats.
But just there on the pavent, the guards imdiately dealt with them. They received heavy punches and kicks, of course, not so visible...
Lu Yuze stood in the sudden silence, his hands still in his pockets, his expression calm despite the adrenaline surely pumping through his system.
On the couch behind him, Shuyin stirred slightly, her jade eye cracking open. She could hear their voices and was not entirely unconscious.
"Noisy," she murmured, then imdiately fell back asleep.
"They are gone..."
Yuyan didn’t wake at all, too deeply exhausted to be disturbed by re shouting.
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