Because the mountain road was spiral-shaped, the car's headlights flashed in our direction briefly before disappearing again, but my gaze never left them. I could sense that the car was traveling very fast, which undoubtedly reflected their mindset; they seemed to be in a greater hurry than we were. What made me even more uneasy was that there was another car following behind them... This further confirmed Cao Jinbo's modus operandi. He couldn't possibly have done this alone; he would have brought several trusted confidants with him, so he certainly wouldn't have been driving just one car. Moreover, we had been traveling alone for half the day in these deep mountains, and suddenly encountering two cars would subconsciously lead us to assume they were a group.
Without a second to think, I opened the car door, pushed Ye Zhi into the car first, then quickly sat in the passenger seat and locked the door... At that moment, I inexplicably became clear-headed. I absolutely could not let Ye Zhi encounter Cao Jinbo in this remote mountain where there was no way out and no way back...
Here, we don't even have the possibility of calling for help. Once trapped, we will inevitably become fish on the chopping block, at the mercy of others... If I drag Ye Zhi down with me in order to rescue Yang Sisi, I will be the most foolish man in the world.
I held my breath, turned off the car, and whispered to Ye Zhi beside me, "I have a really bad feeling. I think it's probably Cao Jinbo's car coming from the other side... Unless it's something really urgent, most people wouldn't choose to drive this road at night."
"Well, but I think it's a bit redundant... If it really is Cao Jinbo on the other side, he won't fail to recognize my car."
Ye Zhi's reminder made me nervous. I whispered, "I'll go down and cover the license plate."
"It's useless. You can deduce that it's Cao Jinbo on the other end, and he can deduce that it's you too... I've always suspected Cao Xue's motives for calling you, because those who know you know that no matter what dangers there are, you will definitely go to Shangri-La to find Sisi... This road is deserted and there's no cell phone signal. Once you're blocked halfway, there's almost no way to get through... So, I think this is all part of a scheme... I even suspect that Cao Xiaobei's car doesn't have any so-called tracking location at all. Cao Jinbo just wanted to lure us here so he could 'coerce' us without restraint!"
Ye Zhi's words sent chills down my spine. I asked her in a low voice, "Why did you choose to take this risk with me if you already had such a suspicion?"
"If you don't come, you'll regret it for the rest of your life; if I don't come with you, I'll regret it for the rest of my life... We are both people who are particularly afraid of regret, which is why we have so many painful entanglements!"
My heart was filled with mixed emotions, and after a moment of silence, I replied, "There might be a conspiracy by Cao Jinbo involved, but I still choose to believe Cao Xue... because Sisi and I once went to Shangri-La, and we took this same route... She probably has some feelings about this place."
Therefore, when Cao Xue mentioned Shangri-La, I had no doubt at all… I felt it was too much of a coincidence. South of Dali is Pu'er, west is Tengchong, and east is Kunming… Why did Cao Xue specifically mention Shangri-La in the southwest?
"Um……"
Ye Zhi responded and was about to continue speaking when the headlights of the car on the other side pierced straight towards us again, and the sound of the engine was getting closer and closer. We estimated that it was only a few hundred meters away, which would only take a few breaths.
My hands were a little numb, and then my palms started to sweat. Of course I knew what the consequences would be if I ran into Cao Jinbo here... If I hadn't guessed that Yang Sisi might be in their car, I would have wanted to turn the car around immediately and run back the way I came.
Ye Zhi was also very nervous; I saw her swallow unconsciously. Only then did I consider her feelings. After leaving the larger environment, she was probably the one most afraid of Cao Jinbo, because Cao Jinbo almost killed her in Thailand... But once in this desolate place, there was no social status to speak of, nor any distinction between men and women. Here, whoever was more ruthless and more vile could suppress the other.
At this moment, besides being nervous, I was filled with guilt. I shouldn't have let Ye Zhi come along... She was no longer single; she was pregnant and about to start a family. If anything happened to her, even my life wouldn't be enough!
I suddenly feel a bit of hatred for this kind of "personality" that fears regret, because we are all deeply burdened by this "personality"!
...
To comfort Ye Zhi, I gently held her hand, without a trace of malice, like two comrades lying in a trench, waiting to face a hail of bullets... The moment I touched her, she visibly trembled, and then her sweaty hands mingled with mine, as if we could feel each other's heartbeats... The air in the carriage was simply too suffocating.
Under this immense pressure, I vaguely heard her whisper, "Michael... If only everything could start over! I don't want to be some CEO Ye, nor do I want to be born into this kind of family. We're just two ordinary people who met on a journey. I don't need to be adorned with a dazzling halo when I go home with you. I don't want to give your parents any extravagant gifts. I just want to cook a few of my best dishes to make them happy... I don't want any romantic gestures. Let's find an unknown small county town and live a quiet life... That place called Luxi would be perfect!"
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