Ning Anmiao coughed herself awake in a cloud of dust.
She forced her eyes open with difficulty and found herself in total darkness. The air was filled with the unpleasant smell of dust.
She couldn't help but cough a few more times.
There wasn't even a single window in the room. Only a sparse amount of sunlight shone in through the crack of the door, indicating that it was daytime.
Her memories slowly came back to her. She remembered what had happened before she lost consciousness, and her whole body bristled with fear. A chill ran down her spine.
Obviously, she had been locked up here.
Ning Anmiao was overcome with panic. She tried to struggle to her feet from the ground but found that her hands were tied behind her back and her feet were tightly bound with hemp ropes.
The possibility of escaping was zero.
Ning Anmiao felt even more desperate. Her eyes were fixed on the sliver of light coming through the crack of the door, and her body trembled uncontrollably.
Now she knew nothing. She didn't know who had kidnapped her, how many days she had been locked up, where she was, or where Yin Yiyan was...
These questions tortured her. She kept struggling, trying to make some noise to attract the attention of those outside.
Only if someone came now could she find out what was going on.
After struggling for about half an hour, still no one came. Ning Anmiao was exhausted and had to lie on the ground in a sorry state.
When the silence returned, despair gradually filled her heart. She subconsciously thought of Lu Yan.
He couldn't just sit back and do nothing when she had been missing for so many days. He was probably searching everywhere for her and would rescue her soon!
Thinking of this, she felt a glimmer of hope.
She couldn't give up. She had to wait for Lu Yan to find her.
About three or four hours later, someone finally started fumbling with something at the door. It seemed they were unlocking the iron chain.
The moment the chain hit the ground, the door was opened.
The blinding sunlight from outside shone in, making it hard for Ning Anmiao to open her eyes. She squinted slightly and her gaze fell on the person who had entered.
"Awake?" It was none other than the well - dressed man who had invited her to dance that night.
He was wearing more casual clothes. His long - sleeved shirt and trousers made him look quite capable. His wheat - colored skin and familiar face remained the same.
This time, he wasn't smiling. There was a hint of impatience in his eyes. "Get up and eat something."
After saying that, he took a steamed bun out of his pocket and simply threw it on the ground, not caring whether it would get dirty.
Ning Anmiao lowered her eyes, looking at the food on the ground. Then her gaze shifted to him. "Kidnapping someone without permission is a crime! You'll go to jail!"
Her voice grew louder and louder, trying to warn him.
The man didn't seem to be intimidated. He just sneered. "You're not the first one to say that. You city folks are so stupid."
"In this small place, and you're outsiders. Do you think anyone will know after you disappear?"
It was obvious that he was a repeat offender.
Ning Anmiao remained relatively calm and asked, "Where's my friend? Where did you lock her up?!"
"You're in such a bad situation yourself, yet you still care about your friend." He looked completely unconcerned and kicked the bun on the ground towards her. "Hurry up and eat. Keep your strength up."
Ning Anmiao keenly noticed that he kept emphasizing the need for her to keep her strength up. She couldn't help but have other thoughts.
It seemed that he was going to transfer her to another place to do something else, which was why he needed her to have some strength.
"I won't eat. If you don't let me out, I'd rather starve to death!"
The man was annoyed. Seeing that she was determined not to eat, he picked up the bun from the ground, roughly broke it into pieces, and stuffed them into her mouth. "This is your last meal. Eat it quietly!"
Ning Anmiao was choked and couldn't speak. The bun that she couldn't swallow in time made her cough uncontrollably. Her eyes glared at him angrily. "What on earth do you want by kidnapping us!"
It was obvious that the other party didn't intend to hurt her for the time being.
It was probably the same situation for Yin Yiyan.
The man was relieved to see that she had eaten a little. Just then, his phone rang in his pocket.
He knew that Ning Anmiao couldn't run away for a while with her hands and feet tied, so he answered the phone right in front of her. "Yes, boss. Don't worry. We caught two young girls this time."
"They're both healthy. There's definitely nothing wrong with their bodies. We can surely sell them for a good price!"
Ning Anmiao was stunned for a few seconds and accurately caught the information.
This group of people was very likely a gang of human traffickers who specialized in kidnapping tourists who came here to sell them for profit!
Thinking of this, she felt scared again.
She had read many news reports about human trafficking. If she was really sold to a remote mountain area, with the harsh environment, she would never be able to escape in her lifetime!
After the man put away his phone, Ning Anmiao didn't act as tough as before. Instead, she chose a roundabout way and her voice became much gentler. "You want money, right?"
"My husband is a big boss of a company. Let me call him and ask him to transfer a large sum of money to you. Then you let me and my friend go. How about that?"
Ning Anmiao tried to negotiate with him.
Anyway, human trafficking was for money. He shouldn't reject her.
The man looked at her skeptically and coldly asked, "What's your husband's name?"
"Lu Yan. He's the big boss of Xinghe Capital and the heir of the Lu Group."
Ning Anmiao answered quickly. "He has countless amounts of money. If you let me call him, he'll transfer the money to you right away."
She spoke very seriously, with a sincere look in her eyes. There was no sign of lying.
However, the man laughed. "Even if your husband is very rich, I can't agree to let you go."
"Why?"
The man looked at Ning Anmiao as if she were a fool. "If your husband is really as you said, a big boss, once I let you go, do you think he'll let us off?"
"Give up. You and your friend were just too eye - catching. You were chosen by the boss to be sold. Tsk tsk..."
What boss?
The more Ning Anmiao listened, the more something seemed off. It seemed that this wasn't a simple kidnapping case but something deliberately arranged?
"Who's your big boss?" Ning Anmiao asked sharply, with a hint of toughness.
But the man had obviously run out of patience. He didn't even bother to answer her. He just told her that someone would transfer her and Yin Yiyan in the evening, then went out and locked the door again.
Watching the wood - shed plunge into darkness again, the last glimmer of hope in Ning Anmiao's heart gradually faded away, and she sank into despair.
Lu Yan, where are you?