Kidnapping?

The Liu family case is over. Renjitang, having weathered the storm, has emerged stronger and its business is thriving. However, the reopening of Xinglin Medical Clinic, which was originally scheduled to close for seven days, has been repeatedly delayed.

Wang Chunsheng, who had originally only returned to Xinglin Garden to rest for a few days, was summoned back to his hometown of Nanyang by a letter from home, with no return date set. Erhei, who was left without a place to go, stayed at the Yong'an Marquis's residence under Lin Yi's arrangement.

Wang Chunsheng left in a hurry, without having time to say goodbye. He only repeatedly instructed Erhei to convey his apologies to Miss Qiu on his behalf.

So the stubborn and taciturn big-eyed younger brother, not knowing how to express his apology and gratitude for being taken in, simply took on many tasks from top to bottom in the Marquis's mansion.

As Xie Chengnan lay sprawled on the couch reading a storybook, he inadvertently caught sight of the boy wiping the window. The wooden lattice, worn smooth by years of cleaning, shone with a gleaming shine. The accumulated dust and grime of the past years had been removed, revealing the golden grain of the wood itself—it was spotlessly clean. Though he didn't say anything, he was inwardly very satisfied.

This is free, eager-to-work labor; why not use it? After a moment's thought, Xie Chengnan assigned him an even more important task—to let him out three times a day to keep an eye on the spiders and scorpions that the wind was now bringing in again.

When Lin Yi found out about this, she gave him a severe scolding. Xie Chengnan wasn't angry; he just leaned against the door frame, a smile playing on his lips, his gaze following her puffed-out cheek as if he were looking at a cat with its fur standing on end.

Amidst his joking and perfunctory responses, Lin angrily led the person away.

“I really don’t know what he was thinking. There’s no money in this mansion to hire day laborers—”…Fine, everyone knows Xie Chengnan is poor. He’s used up all his remaining savings on her homecoming gift. He probably really can’t afford to hire any. But he won’t back down verbally. “I let you stay here temporarily because the mansion is quiet. It’s not for you to do hard labor.”

Lin Yi looked at Er Hei and tapped his forehead with a finger, sounding exasperated: "And you, you did whatever he told you to do? You cleaned the windows, and you went to feed the scorpions. What if you got bitten? Did you feed them or did you feed them yourself?"

Erhei's face was flushed, his lips clenched and unclenched, but he still couldn't utter a word.

He is like this most of the time, silent and unsure how to respond the more he feels the kindness of others.

He doesn't like to talk much. He listens to whatever others say, but he can barely manage to say a few words to Lin Yi because they are relatively familiar with each other.

Moreover, you have to ask him proactively; he won't tell you unless you ask.

It was during these interactions that Lin Yi learned that Erhei actually had a proper name: Chongxuan. He didn't have a surname; the name was given by a fortune teller. Xuan means black, so it seems that Wang Chunsheng didn't just randomly name Erhei.

Although Wang Chunsheng was absent, the clinic couldn't remain closed indefinitely. After all, it was a business; the hard-earned popularity in the city couldn't withstand repeated delays. The downfall of Renjitang was like a building collapsing to the ground. Although it had regrouped, it gave hope to many small clinics in Mingzhou City, and within a few days, new shops sprang up like mushrooms after rain. Such is the way of the business world; today's glory is forgotten in the blink of an eye. Lin Yi dared not be arrogant enough to think that Xinglin Clinic would be an exception.

Even the best general needs soldiers to fight. There's no rush to find a doctor to hold the clinic; they promised Wang Chunsheng he'd be the face of Xinglin Medical Clinic. But finding a few guards is still essential. Judging from the previous troublemakers' demeanor, their current force wouldn't be able to hold them off for even a short while.

Lin thought that perhaps he could go to the West Market to take a look.

The West Market of Mingzhou City was the most bustling, with not only vendors hawking their wares but also job seekers offering their services.

At first glance, it looks a lot like a job market during college graduation season, with students full of aspirations and experiences, like precious gems waiting to be sold.

However, upon closer inspection, the situation is different. Most of the job seekers who apply for positions are not very important. If a wealthy family is looking for a butler or head chef, they will usually post a notice in front of their own residence, and experienced and interested individuals will come to apply.

Most of those who came to the West Market to recruit workers were wealthy families looking for servants or waiters/waitresses, or large restaurants like Zuixianlou looking for waiters/waitresses.

Most of these events are organized by people in groups of eight or nine, arranged in a predetermined order for the host to choose from. The organizers collect booth fees, similar to recruitment agencies in the 21st century.

A few scattered individuals displayed signs in front of them, signifying that they were unfortunate people who had sold themselves into slavery.

As Lin walked and looked around, he couldn't help but feel a little emotional. Indeed, no matter where you are, working people have the hardest time.

If she hadn't transmigrated here as a rich young lady, facing graduation season in reality, the graduation project and job search would have been a real headache.

Lin Yi walked in front, with Er Hei following behind, not far away.

As Lin Yi passed a stall, he leaned down out of curiosity to look at the signboard. Just as he was about to examine it more closely, he caught a glimpse of a figure flashing by in the distance. The bustling city was never short of people, yet Lin Yi felt a chill run down his spine for no apparent reason.

She straightened up and looked around, but didn't see anyone suspicious. "Let's go back first."

Lin Yi felt uneasy and walked a little too fast, almost causing Chong Xuan to fall behind her.

It's not like we're walking at night; bad guys wouldn't be so heartless as to kidnap someone in broad daylight. Lin Yi reassured himself in this way.

She suddenly realized that she and Erhei shouldn't be so far apart; they were connected and could look after each other.

She stopped at the corner, but in the instant she turned to wait, a pair of large hands covered her mouth! Her broken screams were stuck in her throat, and before she could make a sound, she was pulled into the alley!

Erhei's anxious shouts and hurried footsteps came from around the corner. Lin Yi had never heard him sound so panicked before. She wanted to respond, but she couldn't.

It was a man's hand, tightly covering most of her face below her nose, blocking out all her words from his large, broad palm. The person behind her half-embraced and dragged her back. Lin Yi struggled, but found that her frail body lacked even the strength to break free of her restrained arms. She had no time to regret her repeatedly delayed physical training; unable to free her arms, she considered stomping on the man's feet.

In her panic, she stumbled and thrashed about, but couldn't even touch the tips of her shoes—in her struggle, she was practically being dragged along.

Who is it?! Lin Yi's mind raced.

Is she one of the Crown Prince's people? Or a competitor of the medical clinic? Or perhaps Lu Yanran, who refuses to give up?

Lin Yi told himself to calm down.

The person behind her walked quickly, leading her into a deserted alley. Erhei's shouts seemed to disappear into another street, gradually fading into the distance.

The man moved with practiced ease, clearly having made thorough preparations beforehand; a spur-of-the-moment robbery was impossible.

Moreover, the man didn't even cover his eyes—he wasn't afraid that he would remember the way he came, which meant he was certain that he wouldn't run back the way he came!

It's all over. Lin Yi felt increasingly chilled as he thought about it.

Qiu Qing has so many enemies, what if this person kills me? If I die outside, will anyone find me? Will Er Hei catch up with me? If he does, won't I be silenced? If my body is dumped in the suburbs, will Xie Chengnan be able to find me?

As she struggled, a lot of thoughts raced through her mind.

Two children ran across the alleyway laughing and playing. Lin Yi suddenly straightened up and unexpectedly broke free from the man's grip, revealing a gap between his covered hands that was enough to let out a sound!

A cry for help almost escaped his lips, but Lin Yi swallowed it back down.

She did not see the adults following the child.

If this person really wanted to kill her, and if her cries for help attracted the two children, two more young lives would be lost for no reason.

Damn it! Why didn't anyone pass by and see her, to lend a helping hand? Was she just supposed to wait to die like this? Would Erhei go back and tell Xie Chengnan if he couldn't find her? He definitely would. But could she wait that long?

Calm down, calm down, stop overthinking!

The journey of being held captive was agonizing, yet it was also far too short—so short that she couldn't even think of a way to escape before she arrived at the place the man wanted to take her.

When he was thrown into the carriage with his back to her, Lin Yi was still in a state of panic and confusion.

At that moment, a familiar voice rang out from inside the carriage.

"Qingya!"

—Zhao Binglin!

After the initial shock, Lin Yi's gaze turned colder than ever before.

Facing Zhao Binglin, he's unlikely to harbor hatred for her out of love. Her life is spared, but her predicament hasn't eased. There's no guarantee Zhao Binglin won't try to force himself on her. If he really intends to do this to her… then she must fight to the death to prevent him from succeeding.

The next moment, Zhao Binglin excitedly grasped her hand, "Qingye, I missed you so much! Did you...did you miss me?"

Lin Yi's coldness faded, replaced by a gentle, shy smile: "Of course I've thought about it."

We can't afford to break off relations yet; let's keep him calm for now!

Zhao Binglin's fat head swayed slightly, his tone somewhat dejected: "Qingye, I know you're lying to me. You laugh like this when you're lying."

When did he become smart?

Lin Yi gave him an awkward, forced smile. "I haven't been feeling well lately, so I haven't had time to think about you."

"I guessed so. I heard your clinic hasn't been doing so well lately. It's all Lu Yanran's doing. She even approached me wanting to cooperate. She wanted me to drug you and force myself on you while you were asleep. I know she's trying to use me as a pawn, but no way!"

Sure enough… Lin Yi’s back was ramrod straight, and he subtly shrank his neck back. To avoid attracting attention, Zhao Binglin had prepared a standard-sized carriage, which was a bit cramped for two people. Lin Yi’s movement almost made him press against the carriage wall. “So that’s not what you thought?”

"Of course! If I really did that, you would hate me to death."

It wasn't entirely stupid that he knew Lu Yanran had ill intentions. However, Lin Yi naturally didn't dare to trust him easily; this might just be a trick to lower her guard. But she also had a feeling that with Zhao Binglin's intelligence, he couldn't be so perfect in his disguise, so she needed to observe him more closely.

Zhao Binglin stammered, unable to speak, his face turning red. After a long while, he finally mustered his courage and called out to her, "Qingye, come with me!"

With that shout, the rest was easy to say. Zhao Binglin pressed on, "I believe you have feelings for me too. Xie Cheng... I admit, Young Marquis Xie is a little more handsome than me. But the Yong'an Marquis's mansion is in such a state of disrepair, how can it compare to my Zhao family? A man like him is unreliable; only I am truly sincere towards you! You come with me first, let's go to Linchuan to lay low for a while. After some time, I'll go home and confess to my father, and have him request an imperial decree to transfer your marriage to me. Then, we won't have to hide anymore; you will be my lawfully wedded wife!"

Lin Yi was somewhat amused and exasperated. He had some self-awareness, but not much.

Seeing Lin Yi's expression, Zhao Binglin felt increasingly uneasy and cautiously called out to her, "Qingye?"

Lin Yi turned her head to look out the car window. The man who had kidnapped her was now guarding outside, his tall and strong figure visible through the curtain. There was no way she could escape from him on her own.

Lin Yi slowly exhaled. If there were a better way, she really wouldn't want to do it this way.

"I'm willing to go with you. But there's one condition."