After ending my call with Nicole, I tried to contact Ye Zhi, but her phone was always switched off. I was a bit confused... But at this moment, I was really powerless, because Chen Jin and I were driving in the mountains where there were almost no people, and even the cell phone signal was intermittent. If Ye Zhi really encountered a big problem, what could I do for her?
Chen Jin, who was driving next to me, noticed my unusual behavior and said to me, "You'll be driving for the rest of the night... Why aren't you asleep yet?"
"Something happened."
"What's wrong? Is it serious?"
"Don't say anything yet, let me calm down."
Chen Jin glanced at me, then focused his attention back on driving. I turned on my phone again and checked my location on the navigation. I was already thinking about going to Sanya, but I didn't know how far it was from here to the nearest airport.
Compared to my eagerness to get to the airport, I wanted to contact Ye Zhi as soon as possible and find out what had happened. Blindly worrying would be useless.
I finally thought of Dai Qiang. Since Ye Zhi went to Sanya on business, there must be someone in their group who knows the situation. It would be much better to have Dai Qiang inquire than for me to make wild guesses here.
I told Chen Jin to stop at a service area with a relatively stable cell phone signal, and then I immediately called Dai Qiang. Before he could speak, I said, "I can't get through to Ye Zhi's phone. I can't contact her right now. She went to Sanya on business. I'm worried something might have happened to her. You should quickly find someone in your company who knows about her trip to Sanya and ask them what's wrong with her."
Dai Qiang didn't react for a moment. After a pause, he replied, "Are you kidding me? My sister-in-law's work phone is on 24/7. Everyone in our company knows that. How could we not get through?"
"That's why I'm worried that something might have happened to her. You should find out as soon as possible and call me immediately if you have any news."
"Alright, alright, I'll find out right away... Just wait for my news."
"hurry up."
At my urging, Dai Qiang hung up the phone, and I lit a cigarette in my frustration... I didn't even dare to leave the service area, because I was worried that my phone would lose signal once I got on the highway full of tunnels.
...
About ten minutes later, Dai Qiang finally called me back. I answered immediately and asked, "Did you find out?"
Dai Qiang's voice was low as he replied, "Brother, I told you not to worry... Sister-in-law's condition isn't good."
I felt a chill run down my spine, but I forced myself to remain calm and replied, "I'm not in a hurry, just tell me."
“We had a dispute with local villagers over demolition at our hotel in Sanya. Two hotel staff members were seriously injured by the villagers. My sister-in-law went there to deal with this matter… She has now been illegally detained by the villagers, and her phone has been confiscated… Apart from those villagers, no one knows what is happening to her.”
I was furious and asked, "How could she be detained? Don't they have security personnel at that hotel?"
“They have a lot of people over there! They had already illegally detained about ten hotel staff members before my sister-in-law arrived. My sister-in-law told those villagers that she could handle this matter and that detaining those staff members was useless. Then she used herself to exchange for those staff members… Don’t worry, my sister-in-law is such a smart person, she will definitely protect herself. Those villagers may not dare to hurt her. They may already be negotiating with each other.”
Did the local police get involved?
"I don't know about that... I'll call you as soon as I have any new information."
"Okay, I'm on the highway right now, and the signal is very unstable. If you can't get through to me by phone, just send me a WeChat message."
"I know..." After a slight pause, Dai Qiang continued, "Seeing how nervous you are... you can't possibly not care about your sister-in-law, can you?"
"I don't want anything to happen to her. I don't have the energy to think about anything else... I'll stop here for now. I need to book a flight to Sanya."
After saying that, I hung up the phone before Dai Qiang could respond, and then used my phone's navigation to locate myself again. At that moment, the nearest major city to me was Changsha in Hunan. I had to buy a plane ticket immediately and rush there. As for my plan to return to Dali, I had to put it on hold for the time being.
After buying the plane tickets, I said to Chen Jin, who had been by my side, "I have to go to Sanya. You can take me to the airport in Changsha later... After I finish my business in Sanya, we'll meet up in Dali."
"It can't be that bad... What on earth happened?"
“My girlfriend was illegally detained by the villagers in Sanya while she was dealing with a dispute between the hotel and the villagers… I’m extremely anxious and have to get there immediately.”
"This is way too serious!"
"I didn't expect it to be this serious... Let's get going. I booked a 1:30 PM flight. It's almost 200 kilometers from here to Changsha. I'm afraid I'll miss my flight."
"Okay, I guarantee I'll get you to the airport before 12 o'clock."
...
On the way to Changsha, Chen Jin drove very fast, while I kept checking my phone for a signal. I kept hoping that Dai Qiang would bring me good news that Ye Zhi was safe and sound... But things didn't go as planned. I waited and waited for his call, and I didn't receive his WeChat message.
I was extremely anxious, but I was completely helpless about this long journey. I didn't even know what use I could be even if I got to Sanya, but I was just so impatient.
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