"Nian Nian..."
After a long silence, Huo Jingnan tentatively approached her. He knew something must have happened to her, but if she didn't want to talk about it, there was nothing anyone could do.
He was extremely anxious, but he could only suppress his emotions.
The slap didn't hurt; as long as it eased her grievances, he was willing to let her hit him.
"I'm sorry..." Pei Nian hugged herself, curled up into a ball, and didn't dare to look him in the eye, apologizing repeatedly, "I'm sorry, Jingnan, I'm so sorry..."
"You seem off today. What happened?"
Pei Nian clutched her head, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably.
"Niannian! Please tell me, I can help you!"
I want to be by myself for a while.
Huo Jingnan's outstretched hand suddenly stopped.
He could almost touch her head. He could almost hold her in his arms again, comforting and cherishing her as before.
But that tiny distance became an insurmountable chasm when the words "I want to be by myself for a while" were uttered.
He felt as if there was the greatest distance in the world between him and her.
Huo Jingnan painfully closed his eyes and then opened them again, letting out a deep sigh.
He slowly got out of bed, picked up his coat from the floor, glanced back at her before leaving, and then reluctantly started walking.
The sound of a door lock clicking outside sent a jolt through Pei Nian's heart, followed by a sharp, throbbing pain that brought tears to her eyes.
She didn't know how long she sat on the bed, but once she calmed down, she quietly walked to the living room. The two-tiered cake was still in the center, the floor was still covered with rose petals, and the pink diamond Huo Jingnan had given her was sparkling.
This should have been a beautiful and romantic night.
But time can never be turned back.
With red eyes, Pei Nian cleaned up the place, cut the cake and put it in the refrigerator, carefully put the diamond ring in the drawer, and then lay down on the carpet, exhausted.
A chill crept up her spine. She closed her eyes, thinking how wonderful it would be if she could just fall asleep like this and never wake up again.
*
When Ning Meng arrived at the hotel looking for Ding Daming, Ding Daming was sneaking into the hotel lobby carrying a bottle of liquor. Ning Meng called out to him, and he stiffened like a thief, slowly turning his head and giving Ning Meng an awkward smile.
Ning Meng saw the wine he was carrying.
It's the kind of cheap liquor that costs just a few yuan a bottle, sold at roadside convenience stores.
Ning Meng scoffed lightly. So it's true that a leopard can't change its spots.
The wines she gave him cost thousands of yuan a bottle, but in Ding Daming's eyes, they were nothing compared to the potency of inferior wines.
“Some people are just born to be despicable,” Ning Meng said with a sarcastic tone.
Ding Daming didn't ponder her meaning and nodded with a smile.
"Miss Ning, you...came to see me today?"
Ning Meng glanced at him, gesturing for him to go to the hotel's backyard to talk.
This place is quiet, and one of the security cameras is broken, so no one will notice if they talk here.
“This is…” Ding Daming looked at the photo Ning Meng handed him, feeling quite confused.
“This is Huo Junyu’s child, the eldest son of the Huo family,” Ning Meng said with a smile. “The little guy’s mother is Lu Xiaoyou, the daughter of the Lu family.”
Ding Daming's hand trembled slightly.
During his time in Yangcheng, he had heard some things about the Huo and Lu families. The Lu family not only controlled half of the entertainment industry, but also had alleged underworld connections.
"Heh..." Ding Daming chuckled, "The baby's not very big, but he's got quite a background. He's really lucky to have been born into such a family!"
Ning Meng was engrossed in looking at her newly done manicure, ignoring him.
“Miss Ning,” Ding Daming revealed his yellow teeth, “what do you want with this photo?”
"You need to think of a way to steal this child."
"ah?"
Ding Daming almost fell to the ground.
"What's wrong?" Ning Meng turned to look at him, her eyes crinkling. "As far as I know, your village is a major hub for human trafficking, everyone there is a master at stealing children and women! Even your wife was trafficked there, right? Heh, stealing a child is a piece of cake for you, isn't it?"
"You..." Ding Daming didn't know what to say, his smile freezing on his face. "Heh, Miss Ning, you're making it sound too simple! There are many women and children abducted from our village, but there are professional human traffickers who do this. How would I know how!"
"Ding Daming," Ning Meng looked at him seriously, "Are you comfortable staying here?"
"Comfortable……"
“If you want to stay here, you have to do things for me. You said that before.”
"But Miss Ning..."
“Stealing this child is not difficult at all.” Ning Meng sneered and patted his shoulder. “The child is eight months old now, can roll over and crawl. The Huo family has always valued education, so this child has already started attending special early education classes.”
Ding Daming didn't understand what early childhood education was; he felt completely lost.
“I’ve already bribed two of the Huo family’s bodyguards.” Ning Meng looked him in the eye. “All you need to do is work with them from the inside to get the child. I’ll give you a large sum of money!”
Ding Daming's eyes lit up when he heard the word "money".
"How much money do you have? Enough to build a new house in our village?"
Ning Meng scoffed, her face full of mockery, "Enough! Enough for you to buy the entire village. Even your village chief would have to kowtow to you!"
Ding Daming felt a loud bang in his ears, and he felt all the blood rush to his head.
The village chief owns pigs and sheep and is the richest man in the village. If even he has to kowtow to him, then he can do whatever he wants in the mountainous area!
"Okay, I'll do it!" Ding Daming got carried away, rolled up his sleeves, picked up the photo and examined it carefully. "This, this is a boy, right?"
Ning Meng gave him a look that said, "You're blind. This is a girl."
"Nuwa?!" Ding Daming was shocked, then lowered his head dejectedly. "What's so great about stealing a girl? She's worthless!"
"What did you say?"
“Hey, Miss Ning!” Ding Daming lectured her earnestly, “Girls aren’t worth much, we don’t steal those! If you want to steal a child, I’ll steal a boy for you! I guarantee you’ll get a good price for him!”
"you……"
Ning Meng stared at him for a long time, feeling as if she were talking to a lunatic.
"Miss Ning, if we're going to do something, let's do something big!" Ding Daming said excitedly, spitting as he spoke. "I've been observing these past few days, and there are quite a few boys in this city! Hey, right here in this hotel, there's someone with a pair of twin boys, I..."
"Ding Daming!"
Ning Meng's hysterical roar startled Ding Daming, turning his face pale.
"You!" Ning Meng gritted her teeth, enunciating each word clearly, "Are you sick in the head?!"
"What are you saying, Miss Ning?" Ding Daming said innocently. "I'm trying to help you! Boys are more valuable anyway! This girl is a money-loser, I won't steal her! Don't think I'm naive, I'm smart, I won't do a losing business!"
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