The villa where He Tianhao lived was not far from the mountainside villa. It took about half an hour by car to arrive.

After parking steadily, the housekeeper quickly circled to the back seat and respectfully opened the car door.

The two of them walked toward the basement stairway.

He Tianhao’s mind was filled with anticipation of seeing Wen Ruyu’s miserable state. He was distracted and did not notice the changes around him.

But as he walked, he suddenly felt something was off.

He stopped and glanced sideways at the stair railing.

Colorful stickers came into view.

The originally cold, undecorated railing was now covered in bright decals. There were even flowers carefully tied along it. The colors made the once gloomy staircase look warm and pretty.

There was not the slightest feeling of descending into a damp, sinister basement.

Instead, it felt like the entrance to a children’s playground.

He Tianhao: “???”

What?

Did he walk to the wrong place?

His brows furrowed slightly as he turned to look at the housekeeper behind him.

The housekeeper looked equally confused.

“…Maybe Zhao Hu and the others did this.”

As for why.

He truly had no idea.

He had never noticed those men had such childlike tastes.

He Tianhao did not care about other people’s preferences. He withdrew his gaze and continued down the stairs.

Because he was so eager to see Wen Ruyu’s wretched state, the moment he reached the basement, he did not even wait for the housekeeper to open the door. He reached out and pulled it open himself.

He Tianhao: “…”

The anticipation in his eyes froze.

He stood there in silence for about two seconds before calmly shutting the door again.

He must have seen it wrong.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Then he opened them and pulled the door open once more.

The scene before him did not change in the slightest.

The originally dark and damp basement had been completely transformed.

The pitch black concrete walls were now fully covered with light blue and white wallpaper. Star and cloud decals dotted the surface. The glaring overhead light had been replaced by a soft warm glow.

In the corner stood a fluffy tatami bed layered with clean cushions, warm and inviting. The hard, cold floor had been covered with a thick carpet.

The entire basement looked bright and dreamlike.

There was not a trace of what a basement should look like.

Anyone unaware of the situation would think this was some young lady’s bedroom.

He Tianhao stared at the scene for a long moment before slowly turning to the housekeeper, rare confusion in his tone.

“Did we come to the wrong place?”

Developers often built villas with identical layouts. It was not impossible to mistake one for another.

The housekeeper looked equally stunned. His gaze shifted to Zhao Hu and one of his subordinates standing stiffly in the corner.

The two of them were holding up a framed picture that had not yet been hung.

“I… I don’t think so…”

The housekeeper’s tone was dry and uncertain.

The villa might be mistaken.

But for members of the He family to coincidentally appear inside someone else’s villa?

That seemed unlikely.

He Tianhao thought so as well.

But his villa definitely did not look like this.

His gaze swept across the altered basement and settled on Zhao Hu and the trembling subordinate.

His brows knitted tighter.

“This villa… was it sold?”

“I don’t believe so.” The housekeeper remained unsure.

As the He family’s housekeeper, he handled far more than household matters. He oversaw most of the family’s affairs.

There had been no financial trouble recently.

The cash flow was stable.

There was no reason to sell a villa.

Especially not this one.

He Tianhao’s gaze returned to Zhao Hu, probing and dangerous.

Zhao Hu had stiffened the moment the door opened.

Now his heart was nearly in his throat. His back was soaked with cold sweat.

He had not expected Young Master He to appear without warning.

At that moment, only he and one subordinate were in the basement.

The others had long since accompanied Wen Ruyu to take a walk in the villa’s backyard.

Yes.

A walk.

They had unanimously agreed the basement air was too stale. It would be inconvenient to renovate while he was inside.

So they had boldly taken him out for fresh air.

They never imagined He Tianhao would arrive at this time.

No.

It was fortunate Wen Ruyu was not inside.

Otherwise, they would have no explanation.

Zhao Hu forced himself to remain calm. He set down the painting and stepped forward respectfully.

“Young Master He.”

“What brings you here?”

He Tianhao observed his unnatural expression, then glanced at the trembling subordinate nearby. His tone was casual but edged with danger.

“What are you doing?”

Zhao Hu was no ordinary man. Many of the He family’s dark dealings had been handled by him.

He was not easily flustered.

He met He Tianhao’s gaze steadily.

“Old Five said his mother had his fortune told. He’s supposed to have bloodshed luck recently and needs to stay in the basement to ward it off.”

Seeing the housekeeper’s expression change, Zhao Hu added,

“He’s young.”

“He has a bit of a girlish heart.”

The housekeeper: “???”

Is that the same Old Five I know?

The one who swings a blade the cleanest?

The housekeeper wore a strained expression but said nothing.

He Tianhao did not care whether it was a lie.

He had no interest in exposing it.

“Where is Wen Ruyu?”

Zhao Hu paused, lowering his voice.

“The brothers went too far. His condition isn’t very good. Young Master He, please wait upstairs. I’ll bring him to you immediately.”

He Tianhao stared at Zhao Hu deeply, dissatisfaction clear in his eyes. But he said nothing and turned to leave the basement.

Zhao Hu let out a harsh breath of relief.

He immediately signaled his subordinate to call and warn the others.

They absolutely could not let Wen Ruyu and He Tianhao collide directly.

As long as they did not meet face to face, there was room to maneuver.

The subordinate pulled out his phone and dialed.

The next second, a ringtone sounded just outside the basement.

Close.

Extremely close.

It sounded as though it was coming from the staircase leading down from the first floor.

And the ringtone was Old Five’s.

The same number he was dialing.

There was only one possibility.

The person they were trying to warn was already on the stairs.

The subordinate froze, holding the phone in midair.

He looked up at Zhao Hu.

Zhao Hu’s heart dropped as well.

His expression changed instantly.

He rushed out without hesitation.

But it was too late.

Wen Ruyu and He Tianhao met on the staircase.

Without warning.

He Tianhao had been in a foul mood.

But when he stepped onto the stairs and noticed someone blocking the light above him, he looked up impatiently.

Just one glance.

The world went silent.

He Tianhao heard nothing but the pounding of his own heart.

The boy stood above him on the stairs, looking down.

His skin was pale to the point of translucence. His features were exquisite beyond reason.

A shaft of sunlight from outside fell across him.

It was as though the entire world had lost its color.

Only that figure remained.

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

His heart slammed against his ribs.

It felt as though it would burst out of his chest.

He had sworn after rebirth that he hated him.

Despised his former self.

But in that moment, it felt as though everything had been smoothed away.

He was falling again.

Wen Ruyu recognized He Tianhao as well.

For the past few days, he had been searching for an opportunity to escape, but the men had watched him closely.

Even when he requested to see He Tianhao, they rejected him with, “Young Master He does not wish to see you.”

He had not expected to meet him like this.

He quickly recalled how the original host treated He Tianhao.

After careful consideration, he lowered his gaze and looked down at him from above, his tone carrying cold arrogance and displeasure.

“He Tianhao.”

“Have you had enough?”

He Tianhao snapped back to his senses.

His heart was still pounding violently.

He looked into those cold eyes.

He should have felt hatred.

He should have remembered being burned alive.

But the only thought in his mind was—

He’s fucking beautiful.

His tall frame stiffened slightly.

He was hopeless.

He had been burned to death by him.

He should hate him.

He Tianhao forced down the inappropriate thoughts, recalling the agony of burning to suppress his racing heart.

He looked at Wen Ruyu coldly.

“I’m making a scene?”

“Wen Ruyu, do you truly not know why I did this?”

“How would I know?” Wen Ruyu’s tone was indifferent, tinged with displeasure.

“I never asked you to do anything for me. I never forced you to do anything. Yet you resort to kidnapping to pressure me.”

“Pressure?” He Tianhao repeated softly. His eyes darkened instantly, danger swirling around him.

“I did everything for you. Gave you my whole heart. And you call that pressure?”

“That was your choice.” Wen Ruyu’s voice was clear and cold. His words were merciless.

“I never asked you to give anything. I never promised you anything. And kidnapping is illegal.”

“I’ve been missing for three days. If you don’t release me now, someone will report it.”

His words pierced like fine needles.

It hurt more than being burned alive.

What he could not accept most was Wen Ruyu’s attitude.

As though he were a plague.

He Tianhao stared into those distant eyes, his voice hoarse.

“If you didn’t like me, you could have said so directly instead of stringing me along.”

“I’m not someone who clings desperately.”

Wen Ruyu met his gaze.

He did not avoid it.

He did not hesitate.

Each word was clear.

“I don’t like you.”

He Tianhao’s fingers clenched violently. His knuckles turned white.

His voice was low.

Obsessive.

“I don’t believe you.”

Chapter 50

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