Lin Xi awoke from her drowsy state to a hazy, gray world around her. The tables and chairs were all askew. Her shoulders and wrists ached terribly. She frowned and tried to move, but found herself completely paralyzed.
Lin Xi was startled and fully awake. Her mouth was gagged, and she could only gurgle a few meaningless cries for help. Thankfully, she wasn't tied to anything. Lin Xi tried to sit up, her shoulders against the ground.
But after several attempts, she couldn't. She tried lying down, using her bound hands for support. She slowly walked to the wall and leaned against it, finally having the strength to look around. Lin Xi realized:
She was in an empty room with only one window, containing two or three tables and chairs. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the walls were filthy. Lin Xi turned her head, her gaze fixed on the peeling paint and the lush mold.
There were no curtains, and the trees outside completely blocked her view. It was a cloudy day, and with the darkness, Lin Xi guessed it was probably evening. The space wasn't large, but you could see the whole thing at a glance.
Lin Xi blinked, remembering she had missed her grandfather's funeral, her heart burning like fire. She remained quiet for over ten minutes before the room suddenly brightened, the light so intense Lin Xi instinctively closed her eyes. When her eyes adjusted, she opened them and found a security camera in the corner.
She stared at it intently, showing no fear. Chen Jingyi smiled behind the monitor, turning to Ke Yu and saying, "She should guess who kidnapped her." Ke Yu glanced at her:
"If you want to hit or yell, go now. Time waits for no one. The longer you delay, the easier it is to be found. Don't underestimate such a powerful opponent." Since kidnapping Lin Xi, Chen Jingyi had cut off all her escape routes. Just as she was about to move, Ke Yu's phone rang.
Chen Liangyi looked at her warily: "Whose call was that?" Ke Yu turned her phone over to show her: "It's Duan Zheng. We agreed to go to Canada together after his father's funeral." Chen Liangyi looked at her: "Are you going to answer?"
Ke Yu hung up on Duan Zheng's number in front of her and blocked him. Chen Liangyi got up satisfied, went downstairs, and entered the abandoned garage. Lin Xi stared intently at the door; the moment she saw Chen Liangyi, her heart sank.
Chen Liangyi walked over, sat down opposite Lin Xi, and directly peeled the tape off Lin Xi's mouth, saying, "Aren't you surprised at all?" Lin Xi looked up and asked, "How much do you want?" Chen Liangyi laughed, leaned down, and whispered in Lin Xi's ear:
"I don't want money. I'm mentally ill. Do you think I'd die if I killed you?" Lin Xi trembled, a cold wind blowing against her cheek. She truly heard the ruthless killing intent in Chen Liangyi's tone. Lin Xi clenched her fingers, and under Chen Liangyi's playful gaze, she retorted:
"Then why didn't you kill him?" Chen Liangyi pinched her chin and slapped Lin Xi across the face: "Because I haven't had enough fun yet." Blood trickled from the corner of Lin Xi's mouth. Staring at the dirty ground, she said, "You'd better pray I don't get rescued."
Ke Yu filmed several videos of the surveillance footage. Before she could send the videos to Duan Yiheng, a series of unknown numbers rang. It rang once and then hung up. Ke Yu paused, then got up and went to the edge of the dilapidated French windows.
Duan Yiheng frowned as he watched An Qi hang up the phone. "For Lin Xi," he said, "even if you're just a kid, I won't hold back." An Qi timidly replied,
"You threw away my smartwatch. My mom never answers unknown numbers, but we made an agreement that if I need to use someone else's phone to call her, I should hang up after the first two rings. She'll know it's me, and she'll answer the third time."
Duan Yiheng raised his chin. "Call again." Ke Yu stared at the phone; sure enough, it rang once and then hung up. She suddenly remembered Duan Zheng's call. Could something have happened to An Qi? When the phone rang a third time, Ke Yu answered without hesitation:
"Hello, An Qi?" Duan Yiheng took the phone and said in a deep voice, "Ms. Ke, good evening." Ke Yu was startled but didn't dare say Duan Yiheng's name aloud. She glanced back; the bodyguards were dutifully guarding the stairwell.
But she couldn't let her guard down. If it were revealed that Duan Yiheng had called her, that lunatic Chen Jingyi would definitely suspect she was planning a private meeting with Duan Yiheng. If that provoked her, and she killed Lin Xi, everything would be for naught.
The speed of the police and Duan Yiheng would only prevent her from leaving the country. "Anqi," Ke Yu called stiffly, "What's wrong?" Duan Yiheng had clearly noticed as well, saying:
"Anqi is in my hands. Duan Zheng brought her back from Canada to pay respects to Grandpa. Did you kidnap Lin Xi?" Ke Yu cursed Duan Zheng in her mind, closing her eyes angrily and replying through her throat, "Where's Anqi?"
Duan Yiheng put the phone on speakerphone and said to Anqi, "Say hello to your mother." Anqi obediently replied, "Mom, I miss you." Ke Yu clenched her fists, only relaxing them after a long while. That useless Duan Zheng.
Duan Yiheng gestured for the bodyguard to cover An Qi's ears before saying, "Location? Don't try anything funny, otherwise An Qi will have to endure everything Lin Xi suffered."
Thinking of the video on her phone, Ke Yu suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness she hadn't rushed to send it. "Funeral—" Ke Yu froze. In the summer heat, wearing only a thin layer of clothing, she clearly felt the sharp point at her waist.
She turned her head and saw it was Brother Shan. Startled, she let out a short scream. The phone fell to the ground, and Ke Yu's mouth was immediately covered. In her struggle, she saw the bodyguard lying on the ground. When did this happen? She kicked in terror, but she was no match for Brother Shan's strength.
She was tied up, just like Lin Xi. Seeing Chen Liangyi coming upstairs, Ke Yu was shocked. Brother Shan released her and hung up the phone. Chen Jingyi's smile was malicious. Ke Yu asked, "What are you going to do?"
Shan Ge silently handed the phone to Chen Jingyi. Seeing it was an unknown number, Chen Jingyi asked Ke Yu, "Who called?" Ke Yu said, "My daughter. She lost her watch and borrowed a stranger's phone."
Chen Jingyi scanned the phone against Ke Yu's face, noticing she hadn't enabled facial recognition. She said, "Here, take the phone. What's the password?" Ke Yu remained silent, pursing her lips. Chen Jingyi gave Shan Ge a look.
Shan Ge immediately dragged the unconscious bodyguard over like a dead pig. Ke Yu's brow furrowed; a bad feeling washed over her. "What are you going to do?" she asked. "I'll ask one last time, what's the password?" Chen Jingyi's face was grim. Ke Yu still didn't answer.
Chen Jingyi took the dagger from Shan Ge's hand and shoved it into Ke Yu's hand, gripping it tightly. "What are you going to do?" Ke Yu asked, both shocked and terrified. Chen Jingyi glanced at Shan Ge, who grabbed Ke Yu's hand and, without a word, plunged the dagger into the bodyguard's neck.
The bodyguard's eyes snapped open; his carotid artery had been pierced, and blood gushed out, splattering Chen Jingyi's face. "Ahhhhhh..." A piercing scream echoed through the abandoned villa, reaching Lin Xi's ears through the broken glass and dilapidated walls.
Lin Xi's body trembled; she instinctively knew something was wrong. Just as she was losing control of her panic, a slight noise came from the window. A blurry outline appeared behind the glass, indistinct due to the dirt and grime.
But Lin Xi knew Duan Mingxuan well; when the figure raised a hand to signal her to be quiet, Lin Xi abruptly fell silent.