Chapter 17
When Huo Zheng was with Song Zhiyi, he was someone who would pluck the stars and the moon from the sky for her. He would say sweet words just to her to coax her.
It was a good thing that Huo Zheng had matured, but he could not be too reserved in front of his girlfriend.
Qiao You’an recalled the time when she met Lin Xiaowan in the summer. At that time, Lin Xiaowan had looked downcast as she said that Huo Zheng did not seem to like her. She could not help but feel distressed for Lin Xiaowan again when she thought this.
Qiao You’an finally said, “Anyway, the matter is over now. When Xiaowan comes back, you must have a good talk with her. If she’s angry, just bear with it. You were wrong in the first place. Let me know if you need my help.”
After a brief moment, Qiao You’an added, “Don’t always be so secretive. You told her about your previous relationship, right? This time, you have to make things clearer so there won’t be any more misunderstandings.”
Huo Zheng raised his head and said, “I didn’t tell her anything.”
“You didn’t tell her?”
Qiao You’an frowned. She thought about Lin Xiaowan’s words at that time, which clearly indicated that Lin Xiaowan knew Song Zhiyi. She asked, “If you didn’t tell her, then how did she know Song Zhiyi?”
Huo Zheng could also sense that something was amiss. He asked, “Didn’t you tell her about it?”
Qiao You’an’s eyes widened. “I didn’t. Why would I tell her about it? Wouldn’t that just make things difficult for the both of you?”
Huo Cheng looked at the two of them in confusion and asked, “What are the both of you talking about?”
Qiao You’an patted her husband’s arm and said, “I’ll tell you in detail tonight.”
Her woman’s intuition was telling her something was wrong. Then, she and Huo Zheng began to analyze the conversations they had with Lin Xiaowan at that time. The more they spoke, the deeper their frowns became.
…
After Dong Xianghang settled down in the abandoned farmhouse, his assistant rushed over and whispered to him, “Boss, we found her.”
Only two hours had passed since Dong Xianghang ordered his men to find Lin Xiaowan.
“So fast? Where is she?”
“We found her at the train station north of Sheng City.”
“No one noticed anything, right?”
“That’s right.”
…
Lin Xiaowan was jolted awake by some movements. As soon as she regained consciousness, the excruciating pain from the back of her head assaulted her, causing her to feel dizzy. She could hear faint voices talking next to her.
At this time, someone casually tossed Lin Xiaowan to the ground. She was already injured at the back of her head. When she hit the ground, she could not help but cry out in pain. She tried to move but discovered that her hands and legs were retrained by hemp ropes.
“Oh, you’re awake?”
The man who tossed Lin Xiaowan to the ground walked over and sized her up. When he saw the frown on her face and the beads of sweat on her forehead, he let out a whistle and said lecherously, “Your skin is so fair and tender. It’s soft and smooth as well…”
Lin Xiaowan shrank back in fear.
Fortunately, the man did not do anything else. He only said, “Alright, stop moving around. It won’t be easy for me to explain myself to the boss if something happens.”
‘I’ve been kidnapped…’
This was Lin Xiaowan’s first thought.
‘But why?’
Lin Xiaowan tried her best to recall what had happened.
She remembered walking out of the train station. There was no fixed taxi stand so she walked around, trying to hail a cab. At that time, someone called out to her from behind. When she turned around, she saw her uncle waving at her from a distance.
Ever since Lin Xiaowan’s mother passed away when she was in high school, she had not seen her uncle again. Although years had passed, he did not seem to change at all. Since they bumped into each other, she went over to greet him. At that time, her uncle said that he had already called for a cab and suggested that they share a cab. However, not long after that, he suddenly said that he had left something at the train station. He pointed to a place and told her to wait for him there before he hurried away. Soon after that, she was knocked unconscious.
‘Who was it?’
Lin Xiaowan only felt her head ache when she tried to think about this matter.
She did not know anyone in Sheng City except for Huo Zheng and his family. She did not have any good friends from university as well. She really could not figure out who would want to kill her.
It was no winter. During winter in Sheng City, the temperature could drop to as low as -10 degrees Celsius. Unsurprisingly, there was no heater in the abandoned farmhouse.
This was a nightmare for Lin Xiaowan who was tied up and lying on the ground. The chill from the cement floor passed through her thick clothes, freezing her. Due to the cold, one would become more sleepy. However, sleeping would only make one colder. To make matters worse, she could not move at all. Coupled with the excruciating pain, there were many times when she almost lost consciousness.
Who knew how much time had passed when the old wooden door suddenly creaked open.
Song Zhiyi, who was bundled up warmly, followed Dong Xianghang in as she complained, “Why is it so cold in here?”
“Why are you so delicate?” Dong Xianghang asked. He looked at Song Zhiyi’s pouty lips and licked his lips. She was rather experienced in bed, arousing his interest. As such, he treated her much better than before.
Dong Xianghang shifted his gaze to Lin Xiaowan who was lying on the floor and said to his subordinate, “Go find a stove and bring some coals over. It won’t be easy for me to negotiate if she freezes to death.”
Dong Xianghang crouched down to check on Lin Xiaowan’s condition as he asked his assistant casually, “Have you made the call?”
“Yes. I’ve already made the call, and Huo Zheng has already received the news. He said as long as we don’t touch Lin Xiaowan, everything can be discussed,” the assistant replied.
Dong Xianghang nodded. When he felt the huge bump on the back of Lin Xiaowan’s head, he pressed it with twisted curiosity. Then, he said, “Such a huge bump. Be careful you don’t beat her silly.”
Lin Xiaowan was quickly awakened by the pain when Dong Xianghang pressed the bump on the back of her head. She groaned in pain as she struggled to open her eyes. She did not recognize Dong Xianghang who was crouching in front of her, but she recognized the woman standing behind Dong Xianghang and looking down at her.
“It’s you…” Lin Xiaowan looked at Song Zhiyi in disgust.
Dong Xianghang looked at Lin Xiaowan before he looked at Song Zhiyi. “Oh, Huo Zheng’s new love and old love know each other?”
Dong Xianghang, who had yet to remove his hand from the back of Lin Xiaowan’s head, touched the bump again. He clicked his tongue and said, “Your uncle is really ruthless. He’s really not worried about killing you at all…”
“My… uncle?”
Lin Xiaowan could not wrap her head around these words for a moment.
Song Zhiyi laughed mockingly. “That’s right. For ten million, your uncle betrayed you.”
Lin Xiaowan’s heart sank, but she was not very sad. She did not have any feelings for her uncle. After all, she did not have much contact with him when she was young and even more so after she had grown up.
At this time, Lin Xiaowan was more focused on Huo Zheng. They had mentioned him earlier. Based on their words, she could guess that she had probably caused trouble for Huo Zheng.
Dong Xianghang rose to his feet and said to his assistant, “Take a few photos of her and send them to Second Young Master Huo. Make sure she looks miserable.”
However, before the assistant brought his phone out, Song Zhiyi said in a gentle voice, “No matter how you take the photo, it won’t look that miserable…”
Dong Xianghang raised an eyebrow and asked, “What bad ideas do you have now?”
Song Zhiyi poked Dong Xianghang’s chest with her slender finger and said, “What do you mean by bad ideas?” She smiled sweetly before she continued to say, “Don’t you mean good ideas?”