Chapter 160 - Important Chess Piece

The whole lobby was filled with reporters, the men shoved their cameras and microphones to Zhang Lili's bleeding face, her face pale and eyes filled with terror.

"Miss Zhang, what are you doing here in this state?"

"Is it true that you were trying to climb into an influential and rich man's bed?"

"It is rumored that you are a rich middle aged man's mistress? Is it true?"

"Miss Zhang, who were you with? Are you really a mistress?"

"Go! Go away! Please.. Go away!", Zhang Lili's shrill and pleading screams were terribly frightening.

Ethan didn't bother and strode out of the hotel shortly after Zhang Lili woke up from her dazed state.

Ethan, as sharp as he was, had an inkling that she was probably framed by the sly Zhang Hongmin however he was too lazy to think about anything else right now.

Zhang Lili held her head in her hands and mumbled incoherent words, eyes closed shut she looked like a deranged street woman.

The reporters were called especially by Assistant Chen on Ethan's orders.

After they had gathered enough breaking news for the day, with a satisfied smirk on their faces they left her lonely distraught figure in the lobby and went away.

Dragging her miserable and wretched self, Zhang Lili entered the restroom on the ground floor under scrutinizing, condemning gazes of people around her.

"Aah.. Why! Why did I fall into such state!", she bawled her eyes out looking at the reflection in the large mirror on the wall.

Her kohl rimmed eyes were red, the blood running from the gash on her forehead had dried looking ugly and her chest had another long gash which looked hideous just like the other tears on her satiny smooth body.

- - - - -

Zhang mansion

Early morning at breakfast, Zhang Lili was waiting for her father, Zhang Hongmin who had called her to discuss something on the breakfast table.

She was extremely happy, her eyes were sparkling with a huge grin on her rosy, plump lips. It was probably the first time she was called out by Zhang Hongmin to have breakfast with him, she was beaming.

"Father!", she called out in a cheery voice when he entered the dining room with his usual cold, frigid demeanor.

"Lili, sit down..", his words cut through her heart as she looked at him, her eyes glistening with tears.

It was the first time in her whole life of 22 years that Zhang Hongmin had called her name so intimately, full of fatherly affection, Zhang Lili was overwhelmed with emotions.

"Yes, father..", she choked a little from excitement.

"Eat my dear.. I shouldn't have released my anger on you! Regardless, you're still my daughter..", he spoke with a calm voice, his eyes shrouded with malice.

"I'm sorry father, it's my fault! You didn't scold me for nothing, I was incompetent, I am sorry.. please forgive me father..", she cried gripping the hem of her white dress.

"It's okay, I forgive you..", saying that he passed her a glass of juice made from fresh imported red grapes, a hint of evil in his eyes.

"Thank you father..", she smiled sweetly looking at the glass in his hand, within seconds she gulped down the glass of juice.

"Useless imbecile.. trash!", he spat with a venomous expression on his face looking at Zhang Lili who was collapsed on the dining table.

"Come inside..", he ordered in a gruff voice and a group of people dressed in black emerged from the main hall.

"Get her drugged and change her out of these plain clothes.. What a useless thing! Just like her mother..", he turned around to leave.

"Do not dare try anything funny!", he stopped in his steps and glared at the men and women with a warning gaze before walking away.

- - - - -

Present

Zhang Lili was crying sprawled on the bathroom's floor, her dry lips and parched throat were aching for water, she was wailing loudly even if her throat was hurting, her lungs were hurting too.

*knock* *knock*

There was a knocking sound followed by loud banging on the door, Zhang Lili was dead tired to pay attention to anything around her and leaned against the bathroom wall with half-closed eyes still conscious.

"Lili.. Lili? I'm Liu Li.. open the door..", Liu Li was continously knocking on the door calling out Zhang Lili's name.

After a while the door was unlocked by the hotel staff and Liu Li barged in, she was holding a large white sheet in her hand to cover Zhang Lili's bare body.

"Lili.. open your eyes! Lili?", she wiped away the wet long strands stuck to her forehead covering her face.

"Liu Li?", her hoarse almost inaudible murmur evoked pity in Liu Li.

"Yes, come on.. let's get out of here first!", she tried to help her up.

Liu Li was not able to carry the heavy Zhang Lili hence her bodyguards had to rush in, they carried the half conscious, woozy woman out of the bathroom.

They arrived at a suite under Liu Li's name, her body was carefully placed on the fluffy bed by the bodyguards.

Liu Li waved her hand and dismissed them, her eyes fixed on Zhang Lili's small face with a contemptuous gaze.

"What a burden!", she threw a vicious glare at her before picking up the hotel's landline.

Liu Li called the hotel staff and arrange someone to help Zhang Lili clean up and change her clothes to something modest and presentable.

Liu Li also called a doctor to check on Zhang Lili's wounds. She was running a fever after getting drenched in ice cold water and infection from the cuts on her body.

"If only father didn't ask me to tend to you, I wouldn't bother looking at your wretched self!", she squeaked at the unconscious Zhang Lili, her eyes apathetic and cold.

Liu Chenmin had called Liu Li to find Zhang Lili as soon as he got the news that she was ripped off her haughty and arrogant, princess reputation and reduced to ashes.

"She could be an important chess piece..", Liu Chenmin had told Liu Li on the phone before hanging up.