When Cheng Zhiwen entered the room, Shen Qing was still awake, lying on her side thinking.
I had a feeling he would sneak in, and we should have had a big fight, but I was too tired from traveling these days to argue with him.
The hairpin knife was placed under the pillow, and the person remained in a side-lying position with their hand also under the pillow, ready to draw the knife if he made any improper moves.
Cheng Zhiwen came into the room but didn't do anything. Shen Qing heard him walk towards the dressing room, and then she heard the sound of water dripping from the bathroom.
Soon after, the sound of water stopped, the bathroom door opened, and the sound of slippers slowly approached the bed.
Shen Qing woke up with a start and reached under the pillow.
The mattress shook, and Cheng Zhiwen sat on the bed.
Shen Qing gripped the hairpin knife under her pillow and warned in a low voice, "You'd better not touch me, or don't blame me for being ruthless with this hairpin knife!"
"Okay." He didn't touch her, only saying wearily, "Go to sleep."
"Aren't there any other rooms in this villa? Why do you insist on squeezing in with me?"
“I came back unexpectedly, so Zhang Ma didn’t tidy up the other rooms much.”
Shen Qing coldly scoffed: "A clumsy excuse!"
She told herself that it would only last one night at most, and she would have to find a hotel tomorrow.
Otherwise he'll go even further!
In the UK, they would just sleep on outdoor sofas, but now they're sleeping right in the bed!
If she doesn't resist, he'll probably be sleeping on top of her tomorrow night!
Shen Qing was afraid that Cheng Zhiwen might do something to her, so she stayed alert like an owl and dared not fall asleep.
But he couldn't hold on for long. Just after midnight, his eyelids grew heavy, and he drifted off to sleep.
I slept soundly until dawn.
When Shen Qing woke up, she was still holding the hairpin knife in her hand.
First, she checked her pajamas to make sure they were intact before turning to look at her side.
Cheng Zhiwen slept peacefully, her brow, which was usually furrowed, now relaxed.
His eyelashes were thick and long, and curled upwards; the area from the bridge of his nose to the tip was like a sculpture, smooth and exquisite.
This face is truly exquisite.
Shen Qing made a judgment in his heart.
My gaze traveled down his face and I realized that he wasn't wearing a shirt; he was shirtless.
A thin blanket hung loosely on his chest, revealing his bulging pectoral muscles.
Shen Qing swallowed hard, closed her eyes briefly to suppress her emotions, and got out of bed.
She had to get up quickly to wash and change her clothes so she could meet the girls she had rescued from England that morning.
Emerging from the dressing room, he glanced at Cheng Zhiwen, who was still fast asleep, and tiptoed to the door, unlocking it from the inside.
There was someone standing outside.
Shen Qing was so frightened that she took several steps back.
Upon recognizing Zhang Ma, she quickly blocked the door with her body and whispered, "Zhang Ma, is there something you need?"
Aunt Zhang glanced inside and asked, "Has Mr. Cheng not gotten up yet?"
"Still sleeping."
Aunt Zhang nodded, stiffened her neck, and turned to go downstairs.
After the person left, Shen Qing belatedly realized that what she had just said seemed a bit off.
...
After finishing breakfast, Shen Qing and Jiang Shen headed straight for the outskirts of Shanghai.
A month ago, He Fei sent all the girls to Shanghai and rented a house in the suburbs to settle them in.
Shen Qing alighted from the carriage. The two attendants guarding the courtyard nodded to her and Jiang Shen, saying, "Boss Shen, Brother Shen."
Shen Qing took out a few gold coins from his purse that he hadn't spent in England and gave one to each person: "You've all worked hard, here's a little money to buy some wine."
The attendants laughed and said, "Protecting these children is easier than following Mr. Cheng."
Shen Qing nodded in agreement: "I know Cheng Zhiwen is difficult to please."
He Fei rushed out of the house, and upon seeing her, his eyes immediately filled with tears: "Boss Shen, you're finally back! If you hadn't come back, I would have gone crazy!"
Shen Qing smiled and tossed him two gold coins: "Thank you for your hard work. Take these and buy some wine!"
After finishing speaking, he went up the steps and asked, "What about the children?"
He Fei led her inside: "They're playing upstairs! I'll take you up!"
Shen Qing went up to the second floor.
A dozen or so little girls were sitting in the living room chatting, while others were daydreaming in their rooms.
Shen Qing walked in and asked, "Have you all had breakfast?"
The girls turned around and stared at her blankly.
He Fei quickly said, "Hurry up and greet Boss Shen! If it weren't for Boss Shen, how could you have returned to the country?"
These words immediately caused an uproar at the scene.
Some of the older girls, around ten years old, rushed out of the room and ran to Shen Qing, pleading, "Boss, we want to go to England, please have mercy and send us back..."
"Yes, we want to go to England..."
"I also want to go to England..."
This was a situation Shen Qing hadn't anticipated.
She thought these girls would be happy to be rescued and brought back to their country, but unexpectedly, they were looking forward to going to England.
It seems the human traffickers' brainwashing was very successful; they all thought going to England would be wonderful.
Jiang Shen and He Fei stepped forward, separated the girls, and protected Shen Qing behind them.
He Fei looked at the girls sternly: "You've all been bought by Boss Shen! You can't go back to England! I advise you to give up on that idea!"
The girls immediately burst into tears.
Shen Qing looked at these girls who were just over ten years old and felt a bit of a headache.
At this age, they're more sensible and not so easy to manage.
But they can't let them go back to their parents; if they do, they'll just be sold a second time.
Thinking of this, she asked Jiang Shen and He Fei to leave, and had the girls sit around her. She patiently asked, "Why do you want to go to England?"
"Because you can make a lot of money in Britain!"
"The person who took us there said that England is full of gold, and we want gold!"
"We can eat our fill in England, but we have no food to eat back home..."
Shen Qing smiled helplessly: "In the end, you only know the good things about going to England, but you don't know that there are also bad things waiting for you."
The girls looked at each other, puzzled: "What bad thing could happen if we go to England?"
Shen Qing pondered whether or not to speak up.
She didn't want the girls to know that dirty and cruel side, but they had been brainwashed to such an extent that she had no choice but to fight fire with fire.
Do you know what kind of work you'll be doing in England?
The girls shook their heads.
“You will be sold to child prostitutes to serve those perverted old British men.”
The girls turned pale with fright and started chattering, accusing us: "You're lying! The person who took us there said we were just going to work as maids for rich people, not as prostitutes!"
"Yes, you're talking nonsense!"
Shen Qing smiled and asked, "Do you speak English?"
No one spoke.
“You don’t even have basic communication skills, how can you be maids? Maids are supposed to understand what their masters say. And what job doesn’t require communication? Prostitution. Prostitutes communicate with their clients using their bodies, they don’t need language.”
The girls understood and burst into tears.
No girl travels abroad to become a prostitute; they simply want to earn some money through their own efforts.
Shen Qingsong took a breath, softened his tone, and reassured her, "In Shanghai, there are also jobs where you can earn money."
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