Her mind raced through the people she had recently seen, and she finally remembered the restaurant she had visited not long ago. At first, there were only a few people, but later it was packed. When she hurriedly left, she accidentally knocked over someone's handkerchief that was on the table. When she picked it up, she saw that familiar face.
There's no such thing as a coincidence in the world. Rather than a coincidence, Zhou Paihuai was more inclined to believe that it was all designed and arranged by someone. Thinking of this, a chill ran down her spine, and she felt a chill run down her spine.
"I... I might have low blood sugar!" Zhou Paihuai's voice was very low, but just enough for these people to hear. After saying this, Zhou Paihuai turned around. She dared not walk down this path anymore; she needed to leave this place as soon as possible and go to the police station.
As Zhou turned around, she felt a sharp pain in her arm, but she didn't even have the courage to look at it. She left the place as quickly as possible.
After getting into the taxi, Zhou Paihuai originally wanted to go directly to the police station, but with her strong imagination, she couldn't believe the driver and could only pretend to give him the hotel's address normally.
The first thing Zhou Paihuai did upon returning to the hotel was to take off her clothes, revealing a clear needle mark on her right arm. She immediately recalled what the kidnappers had said earlier that day; the "how much" they mentioned likely didn't refer to money, but rather something she possessed.
Zhou Paihuai doesn't feel any discomfort in her body right now, and there are no other obvious wounds or marks on her body, so it shouldn't be that her liver or kidneys were removed. But the thought of this possibility still makes her feel scared, and she wishes she could leave City B as soon as possible.
When Xiao Heifen called again, Zhou Huapai realized he had forgotten to call her back.
As soon as she answered the phone, she heard Xiao Heifen's anxious voice: "Zhou Paihuai, where did you go?"
Before answering the phone, Zhou Paihuai wanted to explain things to Xiao Heifen so that she could have an explanation. However, she was currently in City B and had not yet reached a truly safe place. If she told Xiao Heifen, it would only cause her to worry. Thinking of this, Zhou Paihuai said, "I'm fine. I went out today, but my phone ran out of battery halfway through. I just finished charging it now."
When Ji Anxi heard her say that, she finally felt relieved. She didn't doubt Zhou Paihuai's flowers and talked to her for a few more minutes before hanging up the phone.
After hanging up the phone, Zhou Paihuai picked up her phone and started searching for news related to City B. Judging from the kidnappers' modus operandi, this shouldn't be their first time doing something like this, so she should be able to find quite a few clues.
However, after some searching and research, Zhou Paihuai discovered that City B was small in size and population, with one of the lowest crime rates in the country, making it ideal for those who prefer a relaxed lifestyle. The police here mostly dealt with domestic disputes, and kidnapping cases were practically nonexistent, not just recently, but even going back more than a decade.
In a place where doors are practically left unlocked at night, how could she have been kidnapped? Zhou Paihuai was utterly baffled. And if these kidnappers had already abducted her, why did they send a few people to tell her that she hadn't been kidnapped, but had just fainted on the roadside? Were they so sure that she would believe it was a dream, or that she really had a dream?
As Zhou began to doubt herself, she wandered around and accidentally tugged at her arm again. The pain in her right arm seemed to tell her that she wasn't dreaming, but had really been kidnapped.
… …
The Zhou family's old residence in City A.
"Dr. Zhang, have the results come out yet?" The speaker was none other than the matriarch of the Zhou family—Madam Zhou.
Dr. Zhang took the results out of the file folder and said, "Madam, the results are in!"
After glancing at the results, a smile finally appeared on Old Madam Zhou's serious face. She said, "I knew it! Xueyao must be my granddaughter. How could I be wrong about a child I've loved for so many years!" Dr. Zhang had been the Zhou family doctor for decades and was someone Old Madam Zhou trusted very much.
Dr. Zhang adjusted his glasses and said, "Now the old lady can finally rest assured."
"Yes, Dr. Zhang. You can take this report with you, but remember to dispose of it cleanly. I don't want Xueyao to know about this!"
Dr. Zhang nodded to indicate that he understood. He picked up the documents, got up to leave, and would destroy them when he got back.
After Dr. Zhang left, Madam Zhou summoned the housekeeper and said, "Go and invite Xueyao back to the old house tonight. I'm cooking for you myself."
"I'll go right away. Miss Xueyao will be so happy to see the old lady cooking for her herself!" The housekeeper burst into tears of joy upon hearing this, as if she herself were enjoying this treatment as Miss Xueyao.
"Don't tell her yet, wait until she gets back!"
"Yes, Madam!"
After leaving Madam Zhou's room, the butler called Zhou Xueyao directly: "Miss Xueyao, the old lady invites you to dinner at the old house tonight."
Zhou Xueyao, who was working, received a phone call and said, "I understand. Tell Grandma I'll be home on time tonight!"
"Yes, yes, Miss Xueyao."
After inquiring about Madam Zhou's health over the phone and waiting for the housekeeper to finish speaking, Zhou Xueyao hung up. After hanging up, she opened a drawer, glanced at its contents, seemed to smile slightly, yet also seemed not to, before locking the drawer.
After dialing the internal line and contacting her secretary, Zhou Xueyao told her about her plans for the evening and then immersed herself in her busy work again.
Chapter 58 Return to City A
Fearing that someone was still watching him, Zhou Huai suppressed the urge to call the police. Instead of leaving City B in advance without a ticket, he stayed in City B for a few more days according to his original plan before heading to City A.
The journey back to the city took several hours. Normally, she would have fallen asleep long ago, but lately she had been in a state of extreme tension and couldn't sleep at all, managing to stay awake until the train arrived. After getting off the train, Zhou Paihuai finally breathed a sigh of relief; she was finally safe. After leaving the train station, Zhou Paihuai didn't go straight home; instead, she took a taxi to the police station.
"Miss, we've arrived at the police station!"
Zhou Paihuai paid the fare, picked up her luggage, and headed towards the police station. The officer on duty, seeing she was alone, quickly asked, "Young lady, is there anything I can help you with?"
"Officer, I need to report a crime. I was kidnapped in City B a few days ago!" Zhou Paihuai, still holding the water the police had given her, recalled the terrifying events of that day, still somewhat shaken. "After they kidnapped me..."
The police listened patiently to Zhou's story. When she finished, the police asked her, "You mean you were kidnapped, but the kidnappers released you after only a few hours and even tried to cover up the truth, assuming you could forget that you were kidnapped?"
Zhou Paihuai nodded and said, "Although it's hard to believe, it's true."
"On the day you were kidnapped, didn't you call the police or rush back to City A immediately?" the police officer asked her in return.
Although Zhou Paihuai now recalls that her behavior was strange—not calling the police immediately, nor leaving that dangerous place immediately—she trusted her intuition. She knew that if she had done anything at the time, whether it was calling the police or rushing to leave City B, something bad would have happened.
"I don't know how to tell you this, but I can guarantee that everything I'm saying now is true. The needle marks on my body have disappeared now, but before they disappeared, I took photos, which I can show you now." Zhou Paihuai took out the photos he had taken a few days ago and showed them to the police. The needle marks in the photos were still very obvious.
But to her surprise, the police officer's gaze changed, and he said, "You need to register first, and then go for a check-up."
Zhou Paihuai didn't think much of it. She left her personal information and followed the police to the hospital for examination. She was anesthetized and lost consciousness, completely unaware of her surroundings. Therefore, she was unaware that the police officers outside the ward frowned upon seeing her examination results.
“Sister Lin, you guessed right, she definitely has a history of drug use. Her current physical condition clearly indicates that she has ingested an excessive amount of hallucinogens.” A junior police officer from the police station said from the side. “Her identity has been confirmed. She is an actress, but she hasn’t been filming much lately. Maybe it’s because of a drug overdose that she can no longer film.”
Pei Lin listened to her colleagues talking and suddenly said, "If she really did take drugs, why did she dare to come to the police station?"
"Isn't it obvious? She absorbed a lot of hallucinogens this time, and maybe the effects of the drugs haven't worn off yet, which is why she came looking for us. If you ask me, when she wakes up, we should just detain her and see if we can catch a big fish."
Pei Lin thought for a moment and said, "Okay, let's leave it at that for now. By the way, you just said she's an artist. I was wondering why she looked so familiar. Since she's an artist, let's contact someone from her company."
"Okay, Sister Lin, I'll go right away!"
... ...
Cheng Minxin was accompanying the newcomer Ji Anxi to her audition when she saw an unfamiliar number calling. She didn't want to answer, but for some reason, she ended up answering the call.
"What did you say? Where is she? I'm coming right now!"
Cheng Minxin received a phone call and, upon hearing the news of Zhou Paihuai's accident, didn't even say goodbye to Ji Anxi before heading straight to the police station. How come Zhou Paihuai had gotten herself into trouble with the police station after only a few days? That girl really is a handful.
After Ji Anxi finished her audition, she found that Cheng Minxin was nowhere to be seen. She looked at her assistant, Mu Mu, and asked, "Did Sister Cheng leave because of something?"
Mumu said, "Yes, I just got a phone call. It was quite urgent, and I left without saying a word."
"Why the rush?" Ji Anxi handed the script to Mu Mu. "What's the matter?"
Mumu hesitated for a moment and said, "I think I heard something about the police station and Zhou Paihuai."
"Who did you say?" Ji Anxi grabbed her hand. "Are you sure you heard Zhou Paihuai? She's in the police station?"
Mumu was startled by her performance and stammered, "I... I... that's what I heard."
"Did you hear clearly which police station it is?" Ji Anxi asked anxiously.
Mumu shook his head blankly.
"Never mind, you go back first, I'll walk by myself!" Ji Anxi said as she walked out, making a phone call. "Second brother, you have to help me this time, help me investigate something."
"What's wrong?" Ji Anbo rarely heard his younger sister sound so anxious, and he changed his usual nonchalant attitude. "Tell your second brother, and I will definitely be able to find out the truth for you."
"Help me find someone. She's at the police station right now, but there are so many police stations in City A, I don't know where she is."
Who is it?
"Zhou Paihuai!"
"Zhou Paihuai, why do you suddenly want to investigate her?"
"Don't ask any more questions, just help me find out quickly, I'm in a real hurry!" Ji Anxi was already anxious. "Find it quickly, and tell me the address when you're done, I'll go there right away."
Ji Anbo was very efficient and quickly sent over the address where Zhou Paihuai was being detained. Ji Anxi received the address and rushed to the police station immediately.
When Ji Anxi got the address, Cheng Minxin had already arrived at the police station. At this time, Zhou Paihuai also woke up. She was very sensitive to the fact that the police officers' attitude towards her had changed, and the accompanying police officers were also very rude to her.
What exactly happened during the time she was unconscious? Zhou Paihuai was very puzzled until she saw Cheng Minxin.
"Sister Cheng, what brings you here?"
Cheng Minxin looked at her irritably and said, "You still have the nerve to talk? Didn't you go to City B to relax? How did you end up in the police station? And what's with the hallucinogens in your system? Did you touch anything you shouldn't have?"
"Hallucinations, things I shouldn't touch?" Zhou Huai asked, puzzled. "How could that be? How could I possibly have hallucinations in my body? These police officers wouldn't think I'm using hallucinations, would they?
"Otherwise what? Based on what you said to the police, the kidnappers were so kind that they kidnapped you, did nothing, and then released you, even setting a trap to pretend they never kidnapped you?" Cheng Minxin herself thought it was absurd. She never expected Zhou Paihuai to actually come to the police station and say such a thing. If she didn't believe Zhou Paihuai, if she didn't still have clear eyesight, she would have suspected that Zhou Paihuai had really come into contact with something he shouldn't have.
Zhou Paihuai felt like she had fallen into a trap, but she couldn't figure out what was going on. How could there be hallucinogens in her body? From the time she was kidnapped, she hadn't been unconscious for long. Counting the time she was knocked unconscious twice, plus the time she was awake, even if someone had given her some kind of hallucinogen, she couldn't have remained so normal.
"Sister Cheng, do you believe me? I haven't touched anything I shouldn't have. That's my bottom line, and I know it better than anyone else." Zhou Paihuai had no way to defend herself, so she could only say this: "I don't know what the situation is right now either. If it's causing you any trouble, you don't need to worry about me. After all, my relationship with the company is now just a formality."
"What nonsense are you talking about? Putting aside the fact that you're still an artist in the company, given our relationship, I certainly wouldn't let you be wronged. But the situation is a bit special right now, and it will take some time for you to be released on bail." Cheng Minxin certainly couldn't really give up on her, but the matter of hallucinogens wasn't something she could easily suppress. Right now, she could only try to find a way to get Zhou Paihuai released on bail.
"Okay, no problem. I really have been kidnapped. Maybe I'll be safer in the detention center!" Zhou Paihuai said, partly to comfort Cheng Minxin and partly to comfort himself. "Sister Cheng, you should go back first!"
After Cheng Minxin left, Zhou Paihuai rubbed her temples. She was truly impressed with her sixth sense. Now, even reporting the incident to the police in City A had caused such a big problem. If she had acted impulsively in City B, she probably wouldn't be alive today.
Not long after, Zhou Paihuai saw the policeman named Pei Lin again.
Pei Lin looked at her while registering her and said, "You seem to have a pretty good mental fortitude. You don't really look like someone who has taken an overdose of hallucinogens. What exactly happened?"
"Have you ever considered that the reason you can't see my problem might be that I don't have a problem at all, because I don't have any motive whatsoever?"
“You’re not without motives,” Pei Lin interrupted her. “As a former nationally famous star, you’ve been out of the public eye for a very long time. Using your kidnapping as an excuse to re-enter the public eye might be a very good strategy.”
"Isn't the law based on the principle of 'innocent until proven guilty'? What, now the police can convict ordinary citizens based on their imagination? If you insist on saying that, then I will definitely sue you."
“Imagine? We only believe in facts when handling cases. The fact is that there are still a lot of hallucinogens in your body, and even all your current actions may be influenced by hallucinogens.” Officer Pei Lin was also very firm, convinced that what she said was the truth.
"Officer Pei, come out here for a moment!"
Chapter 59 Bail
Officer Pei Lin was called away, but when she returned, she brought Zhou Huaihuai some good news.
"Zhou Paihuai, you can leave now."
Zhou Paihuai knew she wouldn't be in the detention center for long, but being able to leave so quickly was still a bit unexpected. When did Sister Cheng become so capable? Although she thought this to herself, she didn't show it. Instead, she looked at Pei Lin and said, "You can leave, but what about my things?"
"Come with me!" Zhou Paihuai had been suspected of using hallucinogens, so her belongings naturally needed to be checked. However, her luggage was quite normal; besides essential clothes and toiletries, she also had a few books.
After getting her luggage, Zhou Paihuai should have left obediently, but she was still a little unwilling to give up, so she went up to Officer Pei Lin and asked her, "Officer Pei, I remember there are quite a few police stations in City A. Surely not everyone will arrest me like you do here, treating me like a drug addict?"
"... ..." Pei Lin didn't expect her to want to go to another police station. "Don't think that just because someone can bail you out, you can so recklessly provoke the dignity of the police."
Zhou Huapai was unwilling to take the blame for such a huge mistake. She was also a child who grew up in an orphanage. She was able to live and grow up thanks to her own country. Therefore, she has always loved her country and the soldiers and police who protect it. How could she possibly provoke the dignity of the police?