The kitten calmed down, but its sharp claws remained.
Meng Yan's gaze toward her held a deeper meaning.
“What’s outside…” Huo Jiayuan also heard the noise and looked at Meng Yan. Meng Yan nodded slightly to her.
Strange, how did he know that what she wanted to ask was—were those people outside the ones who kidnapped her?
Meng Yan whispered in her ear, "It's Sister Mei and Fatty. They came here on purpose to test us."
Huo Jiayuan was confused. What were they testing? Those two were clearly human traffickers, weren't they? Xiaoman was bought by them!
"Hey," the man asked again, "can you scream?"
"What...is your name?"
Meng Yan smirked, then suddenly scooped her up in his arms and tossed her onto the bed. Huo Jiayuan was startled, her head accidentally hitting the headboard, instantly making her dizzy.
But the next second the man pressed down on him!
Huo Jiayuan screamed and kicked desperately in resistance, but it was no use. Only then did she understand the idiom: "An ant trying to shake a tree."
She is the little insect, and he is the strong tree!
Meng Yan placed his hands near her ears, signaling with his eyes that it was okay, to stop screaming. But Huo Jiayuan had never experienced such fright before; in that moment, all reason and intelligence vanished. She was determined to scream; she was terrified!
Meng Yan frowned and casually pulled out a clean handkerchief to cover her mouth.
Feelings of grievance and shame erupted like a torrent, turning into large tears that welled up in Huo Jiayuan's eyes.
Meng Yan suddenly felt a tightness in her chest.
He took a deep breath, growled a few times, and his breathing became noticeably heavier. Huo Jiayuan stopped crying and stared blankly at him.
She didn't quite understand what he was trying to do by shouting and panting like that.
Meng Yan braced himself on the bed, looking at the girl beneath him. She lay there quietly, tears streaming down her face, her large eyes clear and innocent, her small hands raised defensively in front of her chest. Her skirt had been lifted, revealing her fair and slender legs.
His panting and growling just now were intentional, meant for the people outside to hear.
Yet at this moment, as he looked at her, a sudden restlessness stirred within him. Something inside him began to stir uncontrollably.
Meng Yan bit his lip hard. The brief pain brought him back to his senses, and the restless place shrank back.
Huo Jiayuan's mind went blank, and she just stared at him blankly. He seemed reluctant to let her see, and after confirming that she would not scream again, he gently took the handkerchief out of her mouth and then covered her eyes with the handkerchief.
Then, Huo Jiayuan felt a gentle, large hand pat her head twice, right where she had bumped her head.
After an unknown amount of time, when there was no more movement outside, Meng Yan slowly got up. Huo Jiayuan stood up in a daze for a while before getting up, pulling off her handkerchief, and turning her head slightly to see the sweat stains on the sheets.
He did planks in front of her for a full half hour.
Huo Jiayuan took a deep breath and looked up to see the man take off his shirt and change into clean clothes. She gasped and covered her eyes with her hand.
Meng Yan turned to look at her and chuckled twice.
"Never seen a man naked before?"
Huo Jiayuan sat on the edge of the bed, hugging her knees, without answering.
"I only took off my shirt, I haven't even taken my pants off yet, you're really going to make a big deal out of this."
"you……"
"Drink water."
Meng Yan handed over a cup.
Huo Jiayuan looked at him, and although she was very thirsty, she did not take it.
"There's no medicine inside," the man said calmly.
"If I wanted to violate you, that was the best opportunity. Why would I wait until now to drug you?"
Huo Jiayuan remained alert. At that moment, she caught a glimpse of the dagger on the ground out of the corner of her eye and rushed over to pick it up.
Meng Yan had already anticipated her actions.
The man kicked the dagger away, then scooped the little girl into his arms, grabbed her shoulders, and slammed her against the wall!
Huo Jiayuan instinctively flinched, but the moment her back hit the wall, there was no pain as she had expected. It felt like she had bumped into something thick and soft, and when she came to her senses, she realized that the man's large hand had separated her from the wall.
She was unable to move, meeting the man's cold gaze.
"Who sent you?" Meng Yan asked in a deep voice, each word like a shard of ice. "Trying to kill me?"
“You’re in cahoots with them!” Huo Jiayuan said without fear.
"What?"
"Hand over Xiaoman!"
This time, it was Meng Yan's turn to stare wide-eyed, completely bewildered.
What Xiaoman? What gang? He'd never even heard of that name before!
"There seems to be some misunderstanding between us. I don't know the person you're talking about." Meng Yan spoke each word clearly and deliberately. "If you're willing, we can sit down and talk it over. If you insist on killing me, then I can send you into reincarnation sooner. The choice is yours!"
He exuded a powerful aura and an unyielding sense of authority.
Huo Jiayuan had never seen this kind of aura that could intimidate everyone emanate from a stranger. She felt that her grandfather, maternal grandfather, and father were already among the best of men.
The man before them, though less refined than the others, possessed a distinctly thuggish air.
Huo Jiayuan, not wanting to suffer a loss, nodded slightly, "I...I'll talk to you properly."
Meng Yan narrowed his eyes slightly. He slowly released her, picked her up in one swift motion, his movements not small but very gentle, and then placed her on a chair.
Actually, this step is completely unnecessary.
She wasn't injured, so there's nothing wrong with her sitting down on the chair.
But he didn't know what came over him; he just wanted to hug her.
Seize every opportunity to hug her.
His rough, large hands didn't touch her skin directly; he deliberately hugged her through her dress. Even so, he was quite satisfied; her dress was already very soft and silky.
A smile, unnoticed even by himself, appeared at the corner of the man's mouth.
"Tell me your name first, then tell me who this Xiaoman you're looking for is."
"Can we change the order?" Huo Jiayuan stared at him with her big eyes. "Xiaoman is my best friend. She was sold here by her father... and the information I found out is that man and woman who just saw her!"
Meng Yan frowned slightly. "So, you, a young girl, ran to a place like this just to save your friend?"
Huo Jiayuan pursed her lips and didn't say anything more.
She is not alone; she has bodyguards.
"Yes." After a long pause, she nodded and said, "I really did it to save her... We grew up together, and I want to find her!"
"But do you know where this place is?"
“I know, that’s why I appeared in front of those two.” Huo Jiayuan’s calmness surprised him. “Aren’t the best hunters always the ones who appear as prey?”
Meng Yan was slightly taken aback.
"So... you deliberately let them capture you? You first turned yourself into the prey, then fantasized about catching them all and rescuing your friend?"
"Miss, are you out of your mind?!"
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