Xu Qingzhu was flipping through a blue-covered novel about war. As she read, she said, "To be precise, she doesn't want to see anyone. She planned this flawlessly, sacrificing her own life to get this opportunity to sentence Yang Jiani. She doesn't want her secrets to be revealed in our conversation."
“If I were Gu Xingyue, I would do the same,” Xu Qingzhu said. “Once I meet you, no matter what state I’m in, it will arouse suspicion.”
Liang Shi: "..."
Liang Shi held the opposite view, believing that Gu Xingyue should be willing to see her.
At the very least, I would talk to her about my feelings.
But she went to the hospital several more times in the following days, and the response she received was always that the patient was too weak to see guests.
Liang Shi, standing in the hospital corridor: "..."
In matters like these, Xu Qingzhu was always more accurate than her in guessing.
Yang Jiani, who was arrested and taken to the police station, did not truthfully confess her crimes. She even refused to eat or drink and did not utter a word.
They completely refused to cooperate with the police investigation.
On the third day, Yang Jianni finally told the police, "I want to see my Jiaojiao."
The police officer said coldly, "Qi Jiao was killed by you thirteen years ago. Where are you going to see her now?"
The room was deathly silent. After a moment, Yang Jianni said, "Then I need to see Gu Xingyue, otherwise I won't confess."
police:"……"
By this time, Gu Xingyue's health had recovered somewhat, and the police specially sent a car to pick her up. The two met through a transparent window.
Yang Jianni looked at her and sneered, "I really didn't expect that I would raise a tiger that would become my own enemy."
Gu Xingyue's eyebrows and eyes were indifferent, her face was as pale as paper, without a trace of blood, and she said coldly, "From the moment you treated Qi Jiao as your subordinate, you were wrong."
Upon hearing this, Yang Jianni suddenly roared, "What did I do wrong?! She's my daughter! She's mine!"
Gu Xingyue: "..."
"Qi Jiao is so pitiful," Gu Xingyue said. "She has never had a life of her own."
//
On the same day, Liang Shi felt unwell, probably because the temperature had dropped recently, and the window hadn't been closed properly at night, letting in a cold draft all night, which made her feel dizzy and lightheaded.
She slept all afternoon. As evening approached and the sky was ablaze with red clouds, Liang Shi poured herself a glass of warm water. She drank it all in one gulp but still felt thirsty. She raised her hand to touch her forehead but couldn't tell if she had a fever.
Liang Shi gulped down a few more mouthfuls of water and was about to pick up his phone to ask Xu Qingzhu when she would be back when a message popped up on the screen just as he unlocked it.
The picture was sent by Xu Qingzhu.
Liang Shi smiled to himself, thinking to himself that this must be the legendary telepathy.
She also thought that tomorrow would be her 100th day in this world, and from late summer to early winter, she still hadn't completed her mission.
It's possible... this mission won't be completed.
But it doesn't matter.
As Liang Shi thought this, she opened the chat box, and the picture appeared on the screen.
In that instant, Liang Shi's smile froze on his face, and his blood ran cold.
The water glass in his other hand fell to the ground and shattered.
She zoomed in on the photo—
It was none other than Xu Qingzhu, who was tied up in a dark corner!
Chapter 124
Winters in Kaishu City are shorter than in other seasons.
The late autumn winds blew fiercely for a long time, but winter had not yet arrived. Several autumn rains fell, followed by repeated drops in temperature and subsequent rises.
It's like riding a roller coaster.
Although it is already early winter according to the solar terms.
Last night's rumors were not unfounded. After a night of wind, it indeed rained in the evening. The red glow that filled the distant sky was instantly covered by dark clouds, and the change in the sky was just a matter of a moment.
The wind kept blowing against the window, making the bare trees outside sway and tilt.
Liang Shi didn't even notice the broken glass at her feet; she kept zooming in on the picture.
—Boom!
The sudden burst of light tore a huge gash in the dim sky, as if it were about to swallow the entire world whole, accompanied by deafening thunder.
The wind blew open the window, chilling Liang Shi's back.
To be precise, her whole body was ice cold.
In the photo, Xu Qingzhu's eyes are covered with a black cloth, her hands are tied behind her back with thick hemp rope, her mouth is wrapped with black tape, and she is wearing the same clothes she wore when she left home that morning, only now they are stained with dirt.
Xu Qingzhu's feet were tangled together with black power cords, as if she had just found something to tie them up.
She was curled up in the corner, her head drooping loosely, as if she were unconscious.
The cold wind and rain made her feel even worse, and she panicked and confused, so she made a video call to Xu Qingzhu.
But the other party hung up quickly.
A three-second voice message came through, the voice altered by a voice changer: "Want to save her?"
Just as Liang Shi was about to call the police, another voice message came: "Then come to the address I gave you. If you call the police, I'll kill the hostage right now."
A short video followed.
Xu Qingzhu in the video still didn't react, but a sharp knife was pressed against her cheek. The silver back of the knife contrasted with her skin color, making people shudder and fear that blood would be drawn.
The other party sent an address, located in the suburbs of Haizhou City.
That area is all land that hasn't been demolished yet. Haizhou Municipality plans to develop it extensively in a few years, and they should be building a new amusement park and shopping mall.
But now it's a desolate wasteland.
Liang Shi knew about this place because Xu Qingzhu told her. Xu Qingzhu said that if she wanted to buy a house for investment, she could wait for houses in that area, as they should have great potential for appreciation.
The voice messages kept coming in.
"She's still not awake. Do you think if I slowly torture her here, it might trigger her PTSD?"
"She seems afraid of being blindfolded, you know?"
"If you want her to live, do as I say."
"Get to the address I sent you within an hour, or... you'll find a corpse when you arrive."
"It could also be a naked body. Hehe."
Five voice messages followed, each one increasingly offensive, causing Liang Shi to clench his fists.
His previously drowsy mind was now clear, but he was constantly overwhelmed by anger, wishing he could beat the person to death through the internet cable.
But after a burst of anger, Liang Shi pressed his phone screen, trying to negotiate calmly: "What do you want? Do you want money?"
"Or do you want to get revenge on me? Then come at me, I can switch places with her."
"If you want to get revenge on me, it would be much easier to kidnap me, torture me, or kill me. Why would you kidnap a stranger?"
How much money do you want?
The time intervals between Liang Shi's voice messages were not short; she tried her best to keep a calm mind while thinking about the matter.
He also tried his best not to let the other party realize how important Xu Qingzhu was to him.
Despite her efforts, they were still within a rather uncontrollable range.
Her fingernails, which were pressing on the phone screen, had turned white. Her face, which had been flushed from being drowsy, was now as pale as paper, a shocking sight.
Liang Shi, however, did not notice.
She kept guessing who the kidnapper was and what their purpose was in kidnapping Xu Qingzhu.
If the other party wanted to kill Xu Qingzhu, they could have just killed her. But the fact that they contacted him through Xu Qingzhu's WeChat means they have other intentions.
They didn't mention money, but just specifically asked me to come over by name. What was the purpose of that?
Revenge on yourself?
Given that the original owner offended so many people, this possibility cannot be ruled out.
But how did the other party know that Xu Qingzhu had PTSD?
In just a few minutes, Liang Shi's mind went through a storm.
She searched her mind for possible characters, and finally only one came to mind—Chen Liuying.
Just as Liang Shi was about to send a voice message to confirm, the other party's voice, which had been altered by a voice changer, came again: "If you call the police now, I will make sure you receive a portrait of Xu Qingzhu."
Liang Shi didn't dare to take the risk. She didn't even have time to change her clothes, so she quickly changed into a pair of comfortable flat shoes and went out.
Outside, it was pouring rain, which matched the strong wind perfectly.
Even the fierce wind and rain carried tree branches onto the road. Liang Shi glanced at the navigation; it would take another forty-nine minutes to get there, and that was the shortest distance, not counting traffic jams.
After driving for a while, Liang Shi's mind finally cleared up, and he was able to find some space to think about the matter.
She didn't dare use the phone number the other party had used to contact her to call, but instead dialed Zhao Xuning using a phone number she had never used before.
Zhao Xuning answered slowly, but finally got through.
Her voice was hoarse and impatient, clearly showing signs of morning grumpiness. Liang Shi hadn't expected her to be sleeping at this hour, but since she had already gotten through, Zhao Xuning was the only person she could trust now.
"You'd better be in trouble," Zhao Xuning said through gritted teeth.
Liang Shi ignored her morning grumpiness. Her foot was trembling as she pressed the accelerator. She was cold all over, but she still persevered by instinct. Although her voice was trembling, she enunciated each word very clearly, "Zhao Xuning, listen to me."
"A kidnapping has occurred at a former abandoned chemical plant near the Xijiong Road 209 Provincial Highway, not far from the highway exit. The kidnapped victim is a woman, and the kidnapper has threatened to kill her if the police are called. The police can depart in ten minutes. Please make sure to turn off the sirens and quietly set up a perimeter in the surrounding area."
Liang Shi, maintaining his composure, told Zhao Xuning, "If I hear an alarm going off inside, I hope the police will respond immediately. I will do my best to cooperate from inside. The current kidnapping case seems more like a revenge plot than a robbery, so I will try my best to stall the kidnappers and buy time for the police to set up a control operation."
She finished speaking in one breath, and Zhao Xuning on the other end of the phone was stunned for a moment before quickly realizing, "Xu Qingzhu has been kidnapped?"
Liang Shi's voice trembled: "Yes, I'm on my way to rescue her, but it might be my own death, so I think I should call the police."