"Tsk, who would have thought that a rough farmer's daughter would have such tender and fair skin." The rough voice of the man holding her floated to Xiao Qingya's ears.
"Why does it matter? The most important thing is that we can sell this baby for a good price since she looks so good."
"You don't understand. If this kid has such good features at a young age, don't you think her siblings will be even more outstanding goods? Even the mother…"
Listening to the outrageous discussion coming out of the two kidnappers' mouths, Xiao Qingya's heart boiled with anger. Suddenly, she jolted. She forced herself to maintain calmness despite her uneasiness.
The man had roughly changed the way he was holding her. He clutched her small baby waist. She tensed slightly before her body went limp.
[Host, don't be tense. Relax, continue to pretend to be asleep.] The System encouraged. It was able to see things more clearly than her and assess the situation.
Xiao Qingya followed the System instruction, full of trust.
Once they knew she had woken up, they might tie her up. Only by pretending to be asleep would they lower their guard, and she might be able to slip away when they became less cautious.
As she thought about this, she couldn't help but harbor some doubts.
Although she sometimes slept like a log, she certainly would wake up when people treated her so roughly. These two didn't seem to be surprised by her state either—they weren't in a hurry to tie her up.
Obviously, they weren't afraid she might run away.
"Don't be greedy, let's deal with this one first…" The other man said in a disapproving tone. "Although this is a remote village, this place doesn't seem to be simple either."
"Why? Are you afraid, Liu Hei?" The man holding her sneered.
"We have to move cautiously, He Lang. Or you might not realize you have already stepped into a landmine." Liu Hei warned, his eyes meaningful, tinged with some worry and fear.
He Lang gave a disdainful snort, not taking Liu Hei's words to heart at all. He clutched Xiao Qingya tighter and walked forward faster, his hand accidentally pulling some strands of her hair.
A sharp, tearing pain rose from her head, and her scalp went numb as she tried to hold back a cry from the pain.
The man abruptly stopped, looking down at the few strands of hair. He shook them off his hand and checked Xiao Qingya's head. She almost couldn't hold back a wince.
"He Lang, she might be qualified to be a premium product once we deliver her. Don't treat her so roughly or we might lose money if she develops some flaws," Liu Hei reminded him, glancing at his companion's hand with a frown.
He snatched Xiao Qingya from He Lang's grasp, and the latter didn't refute him at this moment. He Lang merely cursed under his breath. "You are too anxious."
Then, he fell silent. Although he was somewhat disdainful of Liu Hei's cowardly yet money-loving nature, the latter made a point.
It was unknown what this man had experienced. With such a cowardly personality, he was still willing to do anything and made a risk for money.
Of course, the opinion that Liu Hei was a coward was merely He Lang's own prejudiced thought. He sometimes just disliked how Liu Hei handled things—he had too many considerations even for a small action.
They were the complete opposite of each other.
"Walk faster," He Lang ordered in annoyance, taking quick and long steps forward.
Although Xiao Qingya couldn't find useful information from their conversation, she somewhat managed to figure out her kidnappers' personalities.
At this moment, the System also took its time to teach her. [Little Ya, humans are complex beings. Even if someone looks kind and caring, it doesn't mean they are good people.]
In other words, she couldn't lower her guard even when it was Liu Hei who was gently holding her. Compared to He Lang, he definitely knew how to hold children.
Xiao Qingya took the System's words seriously.
Because… she also sensed that Liu Hei didn't seem to be a simple character. There was something dangerous about him she couldn't put her finger on.
No one spoke again.
After what seemed like forever, the two finally stopped. They had arrived at the place where they would hide Xiao Qingya. The sun made her face flushed red.
Once the hot feeling on her exposed skin was gone and the temperature changed, she knew that they had entered some sort of shelter or maybe stopped under a huge tree. It was the former.
The entire time, she didn't even dare to take a peek, exercising the ultimate control on herself.
Fortunately, the System was there to remind her, working as her eyes and ears.
"When will they arrive?" He Lang asked.
[Little Ya, there is another bad guy inside, keep your eyes shut.] The System reminded her.
Xiao Qingya could already guess that He Lang was speaking to the third person. He wouldn't speak to Liu Hei without that condescending tone of his.
There was a brief silence. An intense eyes fell upon Xiao Qingya's figure.
A moment later, a slightly arrogant voice rang out. "You managed to snatch a good one."
"We have some help," He Lang replied, his tone laced with slight pride.
Xiao Qingya could feel Liu Hei handing her over to the third person. The latter seemed to be inspecting her, touching her face and neck, as if he was assessing an item.
"In a day or two, people will arrive to fetch this one. If you can find other goods, it will be better. Keep her alive and make sure she won't suffer any defect when she is in your hands," he said.
He Lang and Liu Hei responded, "Yes."
One of them took Xiao Qingya back, and then left her alone in a room. There was no movement for a long time.
Until…
She didn't know there was another person inside the room.
"Little baby, are you awake?"