"Phew..."

When Zhong Tingyue woke up, all she could see was darkness. There was a cloud of dust that had been gathering dust for a long time around her nose. Her soft breathing echoed around her. She seemed to be locked in an old, abandoned, and cramped room.

Where is this?

How did I get here?

"Was it the taxi driver who kidnapped me and brought me here?"

Why did he kidnap me? Was it for money or sex?

Zhong Tingyue touched her body; her clothes were still on, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

Just then, a ray of light shone in, and Zhong Tingyue saw someone who was both unexpected and not so unexpected.

"Ye Zhijie".

Indeed, the newcomer was Ye Zhijie, wearing a large raincoat, his rain hat pulled low, a few strands of wet hair sticking to his forehead, and his rubber shoes covered in mud.

"You kidnapped me."

Ye Zhijie, shining a flashlight, said, "You have hands and feet, how did I kidnap you?"

"What do you want to do?" Zhong Tingyue asked calmly. Because she was drugged, she couldn't stand up. Facing Ye Zhijie's approach, she curled up and backed away.

“Because of you, I’ve suffered a lot. I spent eight years in prison, and not long after I got out, your husband beat me. What do you think I want to do? Of course, I want to kill you. Let’s see if your rich husband can bring you back to life.”

"Are you short of money? I can get Chu Fang to give you money, one hundred million, two hundred million, one billion, or even ten billion."

"What's the use of money? I don't want money, I just want your life! You deserve to die!"

Rumble...

Lightning ripped through the night sky, illuminating Ye Zhijie's狰狞 (zhengning - ferocious/hideous) face, making him look extremely terrifying.

“I deserve to die? No, you deserve to die!” Zhong Tingyue said calmly. “You deserve all the things you’ve been through. You’re a scumbag, a disgrace to society, or you’re not even a disgrace.”

Bang!

Ye Zhijie threw the flashlight in his hand and smashed it around, making a crisp sound.

Zhong Tingyue knew that she was locked in an iron box, and the only way out was through the door behind Ye Zhijie.

"Say it again!" Ye Zhijie's voice was full of murderous intent.

"Fine, I'll speak then." Zhong Tingyue ignored Ye Zhijie's murderous intent and maintained her calm voice. "You shouldn't have come into this world. Your existence has polluted it. Your only advantage is to die quickly, and then leave your body for scientists to study. What kind of despicable body could contain such a despicable soul... ..."

"I kill you!"

A flash of lightning revealed a cold glint inside the black iron box—it was a knife.

The knife was raised high.

"It's the perfect time."

Zhong Tingyue grabbed a thick handful of dust and threw it directly at Ye Zhijie, instantly blinding him.

She said those things just now to provoke Ye Zhijie, to lower his guard, and to find an opportunity to take advantage of him.

Upon seeing Ye Zhijie covering his eyes, Zhong Tingyue immediately stood up and ran outside.

Men and women have huge differences in individual aspects.

A normal woman cannot defeat a normal man, let alone someone like Ye Zhijie who has served eight years in prison.

Knowing she couldn't defeat Ye Zhijie, Zhong Tingyue decided to take advantage of the situation and escape.

... ...

Epiphyllum Residential Area.

The atmosphere in the room was frozen, making it hard to breathe.

Yang Meina and He Yi looked at each other, their eyes filled with worry.

There has been no further news about Zhong Tingyue.

Chu Fang sat on the sofa, running his fingers through his hair, trying to keep himself calm.

But he really couldn't calm down.

He checked the surveillance footage from the building where the studio was located and saw that Zhong Tingyue got into a taxi and left. The footage clearly showed the taxi driver's face, which was Ye Zhijie.

Ye Zhijie even gave the surveillance video the middle finger, seemingly mocking his incompetence.

Chu was filled with regret.

Ye Zhijie is a mentally unstable person, so why should I let him off so easily?

I should do everything in my power to send Ye Zhijie back to prison.

If they had done that, this wouldn't have happened today.

"If anything happens to Zhong Tingyue, I'll make sure you die a horrible death," Chu Fang vowed in his heart.

"Chu Fang is fine. The police station will be able to find out where that taxi went soon," Yang Meina said softly.

Chu Fang mobilized all his connections to search for the taxi's whereabouts, but still found nothing.

Chu Fang remained silent.

Searching is easy these days, with cameras and internet footprints everywhere, but whether there's enough time is another question.

Just then, a phone call came in: "Brother Chu, we have a lead."

Chu Fang was greatly encouraged.