The living room was dimly lit, and the clock on the wall pointed to 5:50 in the morning.
Ruan Xi huddled in a corner of the sofa, hugging a pillow, her eyes occasionally glancing towards the door.
As if waiting for something,
It also seemed like he was hesitating.
She had already washed herself and changed into clean clothes.
The resentment she felt from being disliked by Zhou Heng had long since dissipated from her heart.
All that remained was a smug sense of satisfaction and scheming.
"In the end, it still depends on me,"
She murmured to herself, her eyes fixed on a set of spare keys in the corner of the living room.
She had deliberately lingered near the counter a few times last night while the maid was tidying up.
A position to remember firmly.
She smiled and quietly crept over.
"If she leaves, Ah Heng will only like me."
"He'll definitely thank me... I'm saving him."
Ruan Xi muttered to herself as she picked up the keys.
She could almost picture Zhou Heng gently thanking her.
"Anyone trapped in a place like this would have gone crazy by now..."
"Only I am willing to stay by his side and never leave him."
As she spoke, she pulled a badly worn door card lock plate from her pocket.
Fingertips unconsciously rubbed the edge.
This was a technique she secretly learned to "surprise Chuyao"—
At that time, she often evaded the eyes and ears of the Chu family's servants.
sneaking into Chu Yao's room late at night
All for the doting words, "Xi Xi, why are you here?"
At that time, she thought that these little tricks were a seasoning for love;
Now, she feels that this little bit of "cleverness" can still come in handy.
Carrying the key and lock, she tiptoed upstairs and knocked on Chu Wuyang's door.
His face was full of "savior" expressions.
"I didn't come here specifically to help you,"
She spoke softly, confidently unfolding the keys in her hand.
"I just felt... you definitely wouldn't be able to leave without me."
"But don't flatter yourself and think I'm helping you..."
"I did all this for Ah Heng. I saved his life, and he will thank me sooner or later."
Chu Wuyang took the key from her hand, stared at it for half a second,
He didn't say anything, only whispered,
"Do you have a solution?"
Ruan Xi raised her eyebrows smugly and nodded, remaining silent.
Led by Ruan Xi, the two walked through the corridor to an inconspicuous side door.
Ruan Xi crouched down and carefully fiddled with the door lock.
Chu Wuyang carefully observed her surroundings.
Ever since Zhou Heng left her room, she had been on guard, and under the pretext of going downstairs to get a drink of water,
Hearing the bodyguards' shift change time and that Zhou Heng seemed to have left half an hour ago,
So we need to hurry!
She urged him on.
"Hurry up a bit!"
"Fortunately, this isn't the main control system... it should be the same as before."
Ruan Xi muttered to herself, her expression as serious as a clumsy thief.
Chu Wuyang frowned, checked the surroundings for anything unusual, quickly walked over, and whispered...
"What's the meaning?"
Ruan Xi was startled and turned around to explain in a low voice.
"I was just testing if the lock still worked... Your brother's room had this kind of lock before, and I learned how to pick it—"
"My brother?"
“…Chu Yao.”
Ruan Xi blinked.
"Back then, I would always sneak into his room to 'surprise' him, and that's how I did it..."
She seemed to be showing off, or perhaps justifying herself.
His voice carried a hint of pride.
“I even bought locksmith tools to practice, just to surprise him. I never thought they would come in handy now.”
Chu Wuyang was stunned for a moment.
He quickly realized what was happening and gave her a deep look.
"What, is it still not enough?"
Ruan Xi frowned.
"Of course!"
Chu Wuyang saw her take a thin metal piece out of her sleeve—
He skillfully handled the metal sheet, muttering to himself as he did so.
"This is universal; with a key and this device, you can bypass the mechanical lock cylinder..."
Chu Wuyang urged,
"Hurry up!"
The door lock area has been reinforced on the door frame.
However, Ruan Xi skillfully handled the security chain in less than a minute.
The whole process was so quiet that the only sound could be the beating of their hearts as they held their breath.
The bodyguard handover at the end of the corridor is scheduled for 6:00 PM sharp.
There is a five-minute break before the shift change.
Taking advantage of the gap, Chu Wuyang quickly crossed the corridor and went down the stairs to the back door.
The downstairs lights were off, and the dim morning light seeped through the glass.
It was shadowy and indistinct, like the edge of a nightmare.
The moment the door opened, a gust of wind rushed in.
It has a salty, fishy smell.
She had just taken a step when she suddenly heard an unknown sound coming from behind the house.
Ruan Xi was startled.
He instinctively grabbed her, his tone betraying some regret.
"Maybe we shouldn't..."
"Shut up."
Chu Wuyang interrupted her in a low, decisive voice.
Ruan Xi was so frightened that she grabbed Chu Wuyang's hand, but Chu Wuyang pushed her away instead.
"Run back and draw their attention away!"
"Huh? You said... what did you say?"
"Aren't you the best at 'creating surprises'?"
Chu Wuyang's voice was calm.
"This time, let's create a big enough 'surprise' to wake them up."
After saying that, she jumped down the small hill in the woods without hesitation.
A few steps later, it disappeared into the morning mist.
Ruan Xi stood frozen by the door.
The footsteps grew closer.
Just as she was about to escape, a dark figure grabbed her at the doorway—Zhou Heng.
Where is she?
"I don't know... I just wanted to open the door and try, I... I didn't mean for her to escape!"
Zhou Heng stared at her, at the key and metal piece in her hand, anger surging in his eyes, then he sneered.
Where did you learn your "good lock-picking skills"?
“I…I used to…I wanted to surprise Chu Yao back then…”
Ruan Xi explained incoherently, and the more she spoke, the more something seemed off.
But we don't know where the problem lies.
Zhou Heng stopped listening.
He turned abruptly and rushed into the forest path.
Ruan Xi felt her legs go weak.
Meanwhile,
On the highway below the mountain, a convoy of black cars drove into the depths of the morning mist...
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