During the few days away from Lu Jingze, Wang Xiuxiu lived a leisurely and carefree life.
She sleeps until late morning every day, and after waking up, she lazily leans against the window to bask in the sun, occasionally flipping through the storybooks she bought from the town's bookstore, or tending to the few potted plants she just bought in the yard. Her life is peaceful and comfortable.
But for some reason, a nameless unease lingered deep within Wang Xiuxiu's heart.
The feeling of being watched was ever-present, as if an invisible pair of eyes were always watching her every move from the shadows.
This was completely different from the surveillance she had experienced when she was protected by Lu Jingze's bodyguards. Although the surveillance made her feel uncomfortable back then, at least she knew that those people were there to protect her.
The feeling at that moment was more like being stared at by a venomous snake, cold and dangerous, sending chills down her spine.
A woman's keen sixth sense kept warning Wang Xiuxiu, reminding her that something bad was about to happen.
As a result, Wang Xiuxiu has been staying at home recently and hasn't gone out for several days.
She even locked all the doors and windows tightly, and stopped going to her favorite teahouse, trying to escape the unsettling premonition through this self-isolation.
However, the food stored at home is ultimately limited.
A few days later, Wang Xiuxiu discovered that the rice jar was almost empty and there were only a few wilted radishes left in the vegetable basket.
"It's just going to the market to buy some rice, flour, and vegetables. There shouldn't be any problem, right?"
But who could have predicted that this ordinary outing would lead to such an accident?
As soon as Wang Xiuxiu stepped out of the alley, she sensed someone following her.
Her heart tightened, and she subconsciously quickened her pace.
However, no matter how fast she walked, the footsteps behind her always followed her at a steady pace.
She tried to turn into a familiar alley to shake off the man, but found herself cornered in a dead end.
At the end of the alley was a high wall. As Wang Xiuxiu turned around, before she could even call for help, a piece of cloth with a pungent smell was covered over her mouth and nose.
She struggled desperately, and the smell entered her nasal cavity more and more quickly, causing her consciousness to gradually blur.
Before she completely lost consciousness, she only vaguely saw an unfamiliar face with a sinister smile.
When Wang Xiuxiu woke up again, she was already imprisoned.
She lay on a simple wooden bed, surrounded by mottled walls, the air thick with a damp, musty smell.
Looking around, I found that it was a secluded little courtyard. The windows were boarded up and only a few rays of light shone through the cracks.
A low murmur of conversation came from outside the door; it seemed to be two men talking.
"Is the girl awake yet?" a rough, hoarse voice asked.
"Not yet, but the dosage of the drug isn't large, so it should be soon."
Wang Xiuxiu's heart sank; she knew she had fallen into the hands of evil people.
She forced herself to calm down and began to think of a way to escape.
However, Lu Jingze's image involuntarily surfaced in her mind.
She bit her lip, inwardly cursing herself: "Wang Xiuxiu, now you can only rely on yourself!"
---
In the small courtyard, only a mute old woman comes to deliver meals to Wang Xiuxiu every day.
The old man was hunched over.
She would always silently place the food on the table, then turn and leave, never exchanging any words with Wang Xiuxiu.
Wang Xiuxiu initially tried to strike up a conversation with her, but after discovering that her mother-in-law was indeed mute, she gave up the idea of getting information from her.
Faced with such a predicament, Wang Xiuxiu behaved unusually obediently.
She eats on time every day, without making a fuss, and even gives a faint smile when the mute old woman brings her food, as if she has no complaints about the situation.
She did not resist or cooperate in any way, and did not even utter a single word of complaint.
But all of this is just an appearance.
In fact, Wang Xiuxiu has always believed in the principle that one's destiny should be in one's own hands.
This compliance was merely a ploy to lull her guards into a false sense of security and lower their guard.
While pretending to be nonchalant, she secretly observed her surroundings, looking for an opportunity to escape.
After some secret observation, Wang Xiuxiu guessed that the mastermind behind her kidnapping was probably related to the families involved in the Liangzhou incident.
These families suffered heavy losses in the Liangzhou incident and hated Lu Jingze to the core, yet they were powerless to do anything about him.
So they set their sights on her, intending to use her as leverage to coerce Lu Jingze into submission.
Wang Xiuxiu was well aware of these people's intentions and had her own self-awareness. She was not naive enough to think that she had such great charm that Lu Jingze would abandon millions of people to choose her.
Wang Xiuxiu could only devise her own plan on how to escape.
Recalling similar experiences in the past, he came up with a plan to set fire to create chaos and then take the opportunity to escape.
To do this, she spent two whole days secretly using a piece of wood that she had broken off from the bed board to pry open the wooden planks that were nailed shut, bit by bit.
Her fingers were cut by splinters, and blood flowed freely.
Wang Xiuxiu gritted her teeth, remained silent, and endured the pain to continue her work.
Once Wang Xiuxiu figured out the mute old woman's routine for delivering meals, she set fire to the quilts in the room.
Flames quickly shot up, and thick smoke filled the entire room.
She covered her mouth and nose, hid, and waited for her chance.
At this moment, the three people guarding Wang Xiuxiu at the second gate are having a very comfortable time lately, thanks to her.
These men, having nothing better to do, set up a stove and started drinking with some side dishes.
One of them said with a hint of grumbling, "Brother, what's the point of us just hanging around with this little girl every day?"
Another person chimed in, "Who can argue with that! We just don't understand what the higher-ups are really planning."
Then he sighed deeply, "Ah, it's been so many days since I've been keeping watch over this young lady, unable to look at her or touch her, it's really..."
The man called "Big Brother" pointed at the two of them in the air and then warned, "Don't you dare try anything with that one inside. The higher-ups said to treat her well and keep her safe. She'll be very useful in the future. Once this is over, Big Brother will definitely take you to a brothel in the capital to have some fun!"
"Alright! I'll do whatever you say, brother!" The man said, bowing as he stood up, his face full of fawning smiles, ready to clink glasses with the other person.
Just then, he suddenly sniffed hard, "Hey? Big brother, can you smell something?"
"What flavor could it possibly have? Look, it's just the strong liquor we're drinking!"
"No, no, brother, I feel like something's on fire!" The man became more and more anxious as he spoke, and even a layer of fine sweat appeared on his forehead.
Upon hearing this, the leader's expression instantly turned serious.
He stood up and took a deep sniff of the air around him.
Sure enough, a faint smell of burning could be smelled.
His expression changed drastically. "This is bad! Go check it out quickly!"
When the three rushed into the room, the fire had already spread to the bedside.
After a flurry of activity, they finally managed to extinguish the fire.
Before they could even catch their breath, one of the henchmen suddenly cried out in terror, "Boss, we're done for!"
"What nonsense are you spouting, you brat! You're the one who's doomed, can't you say something auspicious?!" The leader was so angry that he raised his hand to slap him.
"No, brother, that girl... ran away!" The younger brother said, his face contorted with grief, pointing to the empty bed and stammering.
"ah!"
With a gasp, they fixed their gaze on the pried-open window.
"It ran out the window! I told you to check it every day, and you didn't even know when the window was pried open. You've been checking until you've found the dog's belly!"
The leader was so angry that veins bulged on his forehead, and he raised his leg and kicked his brother hard.
"What are you all standing there for! Hurry up and chase after them!"
So the three of them stacked themselves like acrobats, and after a lot of effort, they finally climbed over the wall and rushed into the street to start looking for the person.
The street wasn't long, but the three of them ran for quite a while without seeing a single person.
Just then, the leader suddenly slapped his forehead, his face full of regret: "Damn it! We've fallen for their trap!"
"Huh? What did you say, bro?" The other two looked at him blankly.
"You lot! You're all so brainless! Think about it, if that woman ran away, why did you have to set a fire to warn us?"
Upon hearing this, the two were taken aback at first, then scratched their heads and said in unison, "Yeah, why is that?"
"The back wall is so high. Even those of us with some skills have to help each other to barely climb out. She's a woman who can't even kill a chicken. Even if she's exhausted, there's no way she could climb out!"
Meanwhile, Wang Xiuxiu had already run wildly away through the main gate.
She exerted all her strength, daring not to stop for even a moment, with only the desire to survive sustaining her to continue forward.
If she can escape this street and this town, she will have a chance to regain her freedom.
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