The Devil CEO’s Reborn Lover

The room was dark, bathed in the silver glow of moonlight that filtered through the sheer curtains. Qin Yanzhou lay beside her, his arm slung possessively over her waist, his chest rising and falling with steady breaths. Wu Mei stared at the ceiling, unable to sleep. The events of the day replayed in her mind—the party, He Sheng, the way Qin had kissed her like a man desperate to claim what was his.

But even with his warmth beside her, she couldn't quiet the voice in her mind. The one that whispered of blood, betrayal, and revenge.

She carefully slid out from under his arm, moving inch by inch until she was free. He murmured something in his sleep but didn't stir. Her feet touched the cold floor. She padded silently to the closet, pulling out a long black coat and slipping it over her nightdress. Then, she opened a drawer, retrieving the black mask she had hidden there days ago—just in case.

Wu Mei didn't look back as she stepped into the hallway. Her heart thumped with purpose. She was no longer the naive girl who had once trusted her stepsister. In her past life, she had loved her like family—only to be betrayed, poisoned, and left to die alone.

Tonight, she wouldn't make the same mistake.

Outside, the city lay in silence, shrouded in the kind of stillness only midnight could bring. Wu Mei moved quickly, her heels silent against the pavement as she slipped into the shadows. The cab ride was short—too short. Every passing streetlight flickered memories of her former life. The pain. The betrayal. The suffocating terror of realizing she had been murdered by someone she had once called sister.

Now, reborn with knowledge and strength, she would be the one to deliver fear.

The mansion loomed ahead, tall and silent behind iron gates. Her stepsister had always been one for grandeur—sponsored by her wealthy father and nurtured by envy. Wu Mei scaled the wall with practiced ease, landing lightly in the flowerbeds. She slipped through the side entrance she remembered, knowing the servants would be asleep at this hour.

Inside, the hallways were eerily unchanged. Cold marble floors, expensive art on the walls, and that same sickeningly sweet lavender perfume lingering in the air.

She moved like a shadow—soundless, precise—until she reached the room at the end of the hallway.

Her stepsister's bedroom.

She crept through the hallway until she reached Wu Yue's bedroom.

The door creaked slightly as she opened it, but Wu Yue remained deep in sleep, her face peaceful and oblivious. Wu Mei's lips curled coldly.

"You look so innocent when you sleep" she whispered.

From her backpack, Wu Mei pulled out small boxes containing locusts and spiders.

She scattered them across the floor, the bed, and even on Wu Yue's dressing table.

Satisfied, Wu Mei cast one last look at her stepsister's slumbering form.

"Sweet dreams, Wu Yue."

She slipped out the way she came, vanishing into the night.

It was past 3 a.m. when Wu Mei returned to the penthouse. She slipped through the door, discarding her coat and mask in the hallway closet. Her feet were sore, her body tired, but her heart—

It beat with a strange kind of peace.

She turned the corner, heading toward the bedroom—and froze.

Qin Yanzhou wasn't in bed.

He was sitting by the front door, dressed in a robe, arms crossed, eyes stormy.

Her heart sank. "Yanzhou..."

He stood slowly, stepping toward her. "Where were you?"

"I—"

"Don't lie," he said softly, but the threat in his tone was unmistakable.

Wu Mei looked into his eyes. He wasn't just angry—he was hurt. Afraid. She realized then he had woken up alone and thought she had left him.

"I had something I had to do," she said carefully.

"At three in the morning? Dressed like a shadow?" His jaw tensed. "Do you think I wouldn't notice you were gone?"

She hesitated. "It wasn't about you. It was something I needed to do—for myself."

"Are you in danger?"

"No. Not anymore."

He stepped closer, his hands curling at his sides. "Tell me the truth, Wu Mei. I can handle anything—except losing you."

Her lips trembled.

He reached for her, pulling her into his arms. She collapsed against him, burying her face in his chest.

"I didn't leave you," she whispered. "I swear. I just needed... closure."

He held her tighter. "Whatever it is—next time, take me with you. I'll fight your demons if you let me."

"I know," she said. "But this one... I had to face alone."

They stood there in the silence, wrapped in each other.

Until Qin Yanzhou lifted her chin.

"I thought I'd lost you again," he said. "Don't ever do that to me."

"I won't," she promised.

But deep down, she knew this was only the beginning. Vengeance came with a cost—and her past still had many shadows left to face.

[Next Morning – Wu Family Villa]

A blood-curdling scream tore through the air.

Wu Yue sat up in bed, her eyes wide with terror as she swatted at the dozens of spiders and locusts strewn around her room. One fell from her pillow, another was wrapped around her makeup mirror.

"She's here! She's back! Someone's trying to kill me!" she shrieked.

She bolted from the bed, slipped on a locust, and tumbled to the floor with a loud thud before scrambling up and dashing out of the room.

"MOM! DAD!!"

Her parents came rushing from their room.

"What is it now, Yue?" her mother gasped, seeing her daughter disheveled and pale as snow.

"My room—there are spiders!"

The maid ran to check and returned moments later, frowning. "Miss, I will clan the room. Don't worry."

"WHAT?!"

Wu Yue looked horrified.

" Not to worry, there are insects everywhere?!"

She couldn't think straight. Her hands trembled. Her mind spun. Was it Wu Mei? A sick prank? Her thoughts refused to settle.

And that's exactly what Wu Mei wanted.

What do you think that will happen in chapter 12