"The game has just begun."
Now that she had lost her vision, Jiang Li's body uncontrollably began to tremble. The sticky and icy feeling on her neck filled her with panic. The sound of her collar flipping finally made her unable to hold back, and her eyes welled up with tears. "Let me go."
Her dignity was shattered into pieces the moment the distress message she sent was retracted. Her will and pillar to survive also crumbled at this moment.
Jiang Li wasn't sure if Xiao Yanzhi had seen the message, let alone whether he had noticed her disappearance.
Maybe he was still at the airport, patiently waiting for her with a bouquet of flowers in his hands.
Originally, she should have been at the airport by now.
He would hold her in his arms, hug her waist tightly, and kiss her lips passionately. He would ask her wickedly if she missed him.
Instead, she was now trapped in an underground water pipe passage with no sense of direction, suffering inhumane abuse and torture!
"Don't cry, baby." Shang Zewen said the most terrifying words in the gentlest voice. "Your eyes are so beautiful. They're not meant for tears."
Shang Zewen stared intently at her face. Seeing her finally drop all her defenses and panic like a normal, vulnerable woman, so fragile that she was on the verge of collapse, he finally felt a sense of pleasure.
At this moment, Shang Zewen had to admit that compared to those weak women who would scream and panic at the very beginning, Jiang Li, who would fight back, was more pleasing to him.
So her quick surrender made him feel that it wasn't enough.
"Baby, you're such a rare type." His fingers moved down and stopped at the buttons of her top. "It's so interesting. I haven't had enough fun yet."
His fingers let go of her collar, and he suddenly burst out laughing. "Come on, use your smart little head. Do you have any other games in mind?"
He wasn't satisfied yet. He wanted to watch her struggle half - dead.
Struggle for a meaningless hope of survival.
Jiang Li's body trembled. She also understood the hidden meaning in his words. Her face turned ashen. Physically and mentally exhausted, she still followed his lead and forced a smile. "What games can we play here?"
It was dark and empty here. There was nothing but the two of them.
Only despair remained.
Shang Zewen picked up her phone and twirled it in his hand. "How about leaving our fate to providence?"
Jiang Li's gaze was blank. Her vision had started to blur, and she could only see the faint light on the phone screen.
"I'm never soft - hearted towards women." Shang Zewen fiddled with her phone. "But beautiful women always get special privileges."
The phone rang, and the name "Granny Cheng" flashed on the screen.
"Who's Granny Cheng? Your family?" Shang Zewen asked casually and then reminded her with a smile. "She's calling you."
Jiang Li, whose spirit had already been severely hit, was on the verge of a complete breakdown at this moment. Her breathing was shaky.
She remembered that before she left, Cheng Yingchun had repeatedly told her to report her safety.
"She's my... grandma." Jiang Li paused for a second and then changed her words. A bold idea suddenly popped into her mind. "She's very old. Could you let me report my safety to her? I'm afraid she'll worry."
"Fine. You Chinese people are always very filial." Shang Zewen shrugged. He didn't think an old woman could do anything. "I'll allow you to answer this call, but don't ask for help. And you can only say one sentence."
Shang Zewen picked up the phone and pressed the speakerphone.
"Hey, Lili. Have you arrived in Beicheng?"
The moment Cheng Yingchun's kind voice came out of the speaker, Jiang Li's throat tightened, and tears almost fell.
She closed her eyes and forced the tears back into her eyes.
This was her last chance.
"Granny, I'm fine. Please also tell Uncle Sheng that you don't need to worry about me."
As soon as she finished speaking, the call was abruptly hung up. The man stared at her with a sinister look in his eyes, almost pressing his face against hers. "Who's Uncle Sheng?"
"He's my grandma's relative. He works in a factory as an ordinary worker." Jiang Li answered honestly. Then, looking worried, she pleaded. "They're just ordinary people. Could you please not hurt them?"
At first, Shang Zewen was skeptical, but her protection of them completely dispelled his doubts.
An old woman in her fifties and a factory worker who tightened screws didn't pose any threat.
Shang Zewen expressionlessly threw the phone on the ground, and it slid a short distance.
"What a pity. I thought Xiao Yanzhi would call you."
Shang Zewen laughed maniacally. "It seems that Xiao and I are of the same kind. He just treats you as a beautiful plaything."
He pinched Jiang Li's face again and found it interesting. "However, Xiao and I have different ways. He likes to spoil women with money, while I'm just the opposite."
...
The moment the call was hung up, Cheng Yingchun was stunned for two seconds. She looked up blankly at Sheng Shuocheng.
The speakerphone was also on here, so Sheng Shuocheng naturally heard what Jiang Li said. His face immediately darkened, but he didn't want Cheng Yingchun to worry. "Mom, there's something at the company. If there's nothing else, I'll..."
"Acheng, go quickly..."
Cheng Yingchun dropped her phone on the carpet. It made a dull sound. Her voice began to tremble with difficulty. "Go and save Lili..."
Sheng Shuocheng froze. He was shocked for a moment. "How do you know that Jiang Li..."
Cheng Yingchun burst into tears and wailed. "That child is crying! Go quickly!"
Even through the phone, she could tell that although Jiang Li was saying good things, she was clearly holding back her sobs and asking for help.
...
Thanks to that short phone call, Sheng Shuocheng's men quickly located Jiang Li's position. He immediately informed Xiao Yanzhi and said that he would also rush there as soon as possible and told him to start the search quickly.
According to the location feedback from the signal, the car drove to the most remote suburb of Huacheng, which was also the largest garbage recycling site in the city.
The air was filled with the stench of rotting food. Flies and other insects were flying everywhere. There was garbage and waste everywhere, making it extremely disgusting.
Xue An, sitting in the passenger seat, didn't even dare to make a sound.
It was hard to imagine what kind of treatment Jiang Li was suffering while being trapped in such a dirty and dark place.
The police also arrived quickly. The shrill siren was already ringing in the vicinity. Dozens of cars slowly surrounded the garbage dump.
Xiao Yanzhi got out of the car. His thin lips were tightly pursed. It seemed that he couldn't smell the stench in the air at all. His eyes were only searching for Jiang Li's trace.
"Mr. Xiao, the signal is over there!"