After waiting for a long time without seeing Anning return, Shen Muqing couldn't help but ask, "Uncle, how much longer until Anning comes back?"
Seeing that it was almost time, Old Man An arrogantly said, "You'll be able to meet soon."
The atmosphere was strange. Ye Chuqing was the first to notice the problem: "There's something in the clear water. I feel so dizzy."
After saying that, he collapsed onto the table and fell into a deep sleep.
Shen Muqing slowly closed her eyes. "How dare you? This is illegal."
The sound grew fainter and fainter until it disappeared.
Old Man An greedily stared at the two girls who had fallen asleep on the table, then excitedly took out his phone and spoke to the person on the other end:
"Brother Liu, I have two top-notch girls on hand this time, and they're both female college students."
When are you coming?
"What do you mean, a few more days? No, no, come at midnight today. I'm afraid things might get complicated if we wait too long."
"Okay, okay, we'll split it 50/50 then."
Mother An sat down beside her son, numbly holding him in her arms, and asked, "Yu'er, are you hungry?"
An Yu blinked her bright, large eyes, her face innocent:
"Mom, why are these two older sisters sleeping on the table? And where did my sister go?"
"Yu'er, they were too tired and fell asleep. Your sister has married into another family and is no longer your sister."
An Yu's small face was filled with sadness, and tears quickly welled up in his eyes.
"I want my sister, my mom, my sister, waaaaah!"
The child's cries were loud, and Old Man An, fearing that Shen Muqing would be woken up, gave Old Man An's mother a warning look.
“Keep an eye on your son. If you lose what you’ve got, I won’t let you off the hook.”
Mother An, trembling, reached out and covered An Yu's mouth, softly comforting him.
"Yu'er, be good, don't cry, Mommy will take you to find your sister."
"Really?" An Yu asked, hiccuping.
"Really, Mommy isn't lying to you."
"good."
Old Man An leaned down, his ugly face scrutinizing the two young girls before him. His mouth gaped open in a greedy, lustful rage, and he twitched his nose in ecstasy.
"No wonder they're from the city, their arms and legs are so thin and delicate."
"Chunfeng, come here and tie these two girls up and throw them into the room."
An's mother dared not disobey his orders, so she found two thick hemp ropes and tightly tied their hands and feet together.
In the dimly lit room, Anning, who hadn't eaten in a long time, licked her dry, chapped lips. She stopped resisting; the more she resisted, the worse the beatings she would receive. She wanted to accept her fate.
Perhaps someone like her shouldn't have been born at all.
The door was suddenly opened, and Old Man An and his mother helped Shen Muqing and Ye Chuqing in, leaving them near An Ning.
Anning never expected her father to be so audacious, not only selling his own daughter but also daring to traffic other people.
The couple didn't say much. After finishing their task, they closed the door, and Old Man An continued to drink heartily from his bottle, celebrating his big order that day.
In a corner they didn't notice, An Yu peeked out and observed everything in the room. Although he was young, he was in the first grade.
He vaguely knew that his parents' actions were wrong, especially since he saw his sister, whom he hadn't seen for many days, in the room.
The door closed again, and An Ning, using the moonlight, saw the two people who had fallen asleep. Her pupils contracted; it was actually Shen Muqing and Ye Chuqing.
How did they get here? And how did they get tied up?
The ground was damp and cold. Shen Muqing's white dress was already stained, and Ye Chuqing's pink dress was blackened by the dust on the ground.
Anning searched the room for any clothes that could cover her up, but unfortunately it was a storage room with only farm tools.
With no other option, she could only try to get closer to the two of them. Her hands and feet had been bound for so long that the ropes were vaguely embedded in her flesh, but she seemed not to feel anything at all.
At ten o'clock, Shen Muqing opened her eyes with difficulty. It was pitch black, and she could only feel the warmth around her.
"You're awake."
A familiar voice rang in her ear, and she exclaimed in surprise, "Anning?"
"Um."
Shen Muqing tried to twist her hands, only to find that they were bound, as were her feet.
"Don't waste your energy. This is a rope specially designed to tie people up. The more you struggle, the tighter it will be tied, and it will eventually dig into your flesh."
An Ning stretched out her bound hands for Shen Muqing to see.
In the dim light, Shen Muqing could only vaguely see that the blood on the wrist stretched out in front of her eyes had dried, and further down, she could see the bone.
Why are you here?
Shen Muqing didn't know how to explain it to her. Should he say that he had the ability to foresee the future and knew that she was in danger so he could come to save her?
This is ridiculous, especially in this age of technology.
"Shen Muqing, I'm very curious. You seem like a different person. In my memory, you weren't this vibrant before."
"Why would you help me for no reason? What benefit can I bring you?"
"Or do you prefer to rise above the suffering of others, reaching out from a superior position to act as their savior, making them grateful to you?"
"Answer me."
An Ning's emotionless voice made it impossible to know what she was thinking; it seemed she just wanted an answer.
An Ning was undoubtedly very clever, which made it impossible for Shen Muqing to fabricate lies to deceive her; he couldn't and didn't want to deceive her.
"If we hadn't come, would you have wanted to kill yourself tonight?"
Shen Muqing did not answer her question, but instead asked her a question in return.
An Ning hesitated for a moment, then lowered her eyelids, covering her once bright eyes. "Yes."
"Why? Are you just going to accept your fate like this?"
"Why? Haha, Shen Muqing, if you were to take my life, I don't think you would be stronger than me."
The tone was melancholic, with self-deprecation and disdain, but no will to survive.
"No one in the world wants to live more than I do."
Shen Muqing had not experienced her suffering, so she would not deny or judge it.
"Now I'll tell you, I want you to live. You should be free and unrestrained, not like this."
"Why?" Anning asked, puzzled. She didn't understand.
"You can think of it this way: I came into this world for you, and I want you to be happy more than anyone else. I don't want you to be trapped here at such a young age."
"No matter the outcome, we have to give it our all. The worst that can happen is death."
The girl's resolute and bright eyes illuminated An Ning's heart. She lowered her head and murmured, "Coming for me? Am I really worth you risking your life for?"
"It's worth it. You have to believe that you deserve all the best things, whether it's people or objects."
Shen Muqing nodded solemnly.
Anning thought she would probably never forget this moment in her life, when someone told her with absolute certainty that she deserved the best.
"good."
Shen Muqing smiled faintly; she knew the chosen one wouldn't give up so easily.
"Now we should think about how to escape."
"How did you and Chu Qing become like this?"
Shen Muqing's lighthearted voice seemed to be comforting her, "Oh, it must have been your father who gave us water laced with a sleeping potion, and that's how it happened."
"sorry."
“It’s not your fault, Anning. You and your father are two separate individuals.”
As they were talking in hushed tones, the door slowly opened a crack, and a small, delicate hand reached out, holding a small knife that slid gently across the floor.
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