I saw the message, my previously aching heart turned into sweet bubbles again. My lipsHer cheeks were flushed, unable to contain her smile as she buried her face in her phone, unwilling for her driver...Zhaoting came to knock on the door: "Come downstairs for dinner."

He stood at the door, wearing simple casual clothes. He seemed younger than his previous strict and formal appearance in Morizho, where he wore suits and ties.

He showed no awareness of being a kidnapper, neither restricting her freedom nor speaking harshly to her. She, in turn, had no sense of being kidnapped; she remained calm and even appeared content, taking in the beauty of nature. Their interaction resembled that of good friends on vacation in this secluded mountain hideaway. They went down the stairs one after the other and sat at a simple table set with a pot of white rice porridge, a dish of salted vegetables, and several preserved duck eggs.

The old woman was frugal by nature, and taking out a salted duck egg was her sincerest way of welcoming guests.

Lu Yaoyao couldn't tell what region this cuisine belonged to. She had never seen that pickle before. She was quite picky about her food, so she only took small sips of white rice porridge with a spoon, not touching the pickle at all. As for the salted duck eggs, she usually only ate the yolk and let the aunt at home deal with the whites. Here, she felt embarrassed to waste it, so she simply didn't eat them.

She's the one who was kidnapped, how is she still concerned with manners at this point She shouldn't even hesitate to eat the enemy's food so she has the strength to escape, right

On the opposite side sat Zhao Tingxing, calmly and attentively peeling a salted duck egg. He carefully separated the white from the yolk, placing the white in his own bowl and scooping out the yolk with a clean spoon before pushing it toward her on a plate. Throughout the entire process, he didn't even glance at her, let alone speak a word.

Lu Yaoyao reacted and realized that the yolk was for her to eat.

He was doing some confusing things, and she didn't quite understand it. The old lady next to her kept smiling.

After finishing breakfast, the old woman carried the dishes to the outdoor water tank to wash them. She stared at Zhao Tingxing and said, "You brought me here, aren't you just going to let me travel around and enjoy the scenery"

"Can't you"

"According to the usual procedure, you should have already called Gu Ruantong and asked him to bring the ransom to save me; or ask him to do something for you and only let me go after he achieves his goal."

Zhao Tingxing's behavior was erratic, and she couldn't figure out what he was thinking at all. In this isolated place, she felt like her eyes had been gouged out and her ears plugged; she didn't know anything, so she could only guess and guide him to say more, to glean some information.

Because she missed Gu Ruandong too much and worried about him.

Missing him

Obviously, Zhao Tingxing saw through her little tricks at a glance and directly exposed them, stomping heavily on her heart.

It almost made her heart skip a beat, throwing her off balance.

He suddenly stood up from across the humble dining table, looking down at her with pity, even a sense of great mercy as he said: “Rest assured, he’s better than you imagine. We’ve had a very pleasant collaboration.”

This statement offered no comfort, and instead had the opposite effect. Her heart suddenly leaped: "What did you do to him"

"He's Young Master Gu, have some confidence in him, alright I can't just do anything to him, it's just a simple collaboration."

After that, he pushed his chair back and went upstairs.

The real villain is someone like Zhao Tingxing. They don't glare menacingly or speak cruelly, but they can precisely slice at your heart with their words.

She was most afraid that Gu Ruandong would go to extremes to save her, and Zhao Tingxing cooperating with him would surely not be for good.

She got up and chased after him, stopping him at his bedroom door. He stood in the doorway, looking down at her.

She knew she couldn't fight him head-on, so she pleaded, "Let me just contact him once, that's all I ask."

She just wanted to let everyone know she was okay.

Zhao Tingxing, after hearing this, ignored her and walked straight into his room from beside her, closing the door.

Lu Yao yao got anxious and, in a hurry, squeezed through the door gap that was about to close. She reached out to grab his coat pocket, but the door behind her slammed shut with a bang.

At that time, she was so focused on finding a communication device from him that she didn't bother with the closed door, nor did she realize she was trapped between the door and him.

Until he controlled her hands with one big hand, and pinched her jaw with the other, she instantly became like a chicken waiting to be slaughtered, its throat pinched by someone, awaiting the fatal blow.

Zhao Tingxing was incredibly strong, and he showed no mercy. He gripped her hands and cheeks with such force that it caused excruciating pain. All she could manage were whimpers, unable to utter a single sound.

I suggest you conserve your energy and avoid exertion. If you're truly bored, let's make a bet: how long will Gu Ruandong take to find us

"If you want to keep this up, I don't mind playing some games with you to pass the time."

And with that, she flung her, flapping like a chicken, out the door.

Lu Yao knew that making a fuss would only anger him and be useless, so she sat dejectedly at the foot of the stairs, as if in a dream, somewhat dazed. She truly hoped this was all just a dream.

During that time, Zhao Tingxing went downstairs once and saw her sitting at the foot of the stairs. He didn't let her give way and walked straight past her.

Around noon, there was a faint wisp of smoke coming from the kitchen on the first floor. It must have been the old lady cooking lunch. She suddenly stood up and rushed downstairs to the kitchen with quick steps.

The kitchen is the only room in this wooden house with three walls made of brick. Behind the large stove, there is a whole wall of firewood.

The old woman saw her come down and chatted with her casually: "Are you hungry It'll be ready soon."

Lu YaoYao sat in front of the stove, watching the flames jumping inside. Her little face was flushed red by the heat, and many thoughts flashed through her mind.

Beside it was a whole wall of firewood. If it caught fire, how long would it take for this wooden house to burn to ashes If the house burned down, would Zhao Tingxing arrange for them to live somewhere else Or if it burned to the outside forest and caused a wildfire, someone would definitely come to put out the fire.

My mind is racing, I just want to get out of here.

Her dark eyes flickered with the flames from the stove, and she blinked, startled by her own dangerous thoughts.

"Miss Lu"

"Miss Lu"

The old woman called out twice in succession before she suddenly came to her senses.

"Here's some chicken soup I made for you, have a bowl. It's from chickens raised in the mountains, very nutritious." The old woman handed her a bowl filled with a drumstick and some rich, savory-looking chicken broth.

She was about to reach for it when a figure suddenly flashed over, scooped her away from the stove, almost knocking over the old woman's chicken soup in her hands. It was Zhao Tingxing.

She angrily said, "What are you doing"

As soon as she finished speaking, a sharp pain shot through her foot. Looking down, she was horrified to find that her pants leg was on fire. Zhao Tingxing acted quickly, grabbing a bucket of water from the nearby pool and dousing it over her leg. Thankfully, it was a small fire and the bucket of water extinguished it.

She got stung early, only two small blisters appeared on her calf, but they hurt terribly., with no contrast. The focus of the public is on whether the Lu family, which has always been upright and honorable, has harbored or participated in illegal criminal activities in this incident.Just...