Plip... plip... plip

Lu Mengjie was woken up by the sound of water, dripping near her. It was cold. She was inside a dark room with the windows sealed and yet, a small light escaped through the small holes, entering the room, making the darkness in the room bearable.

At the aching mixed with the numbness of her body, she couldn't help but knit her brows together. She must have remained in the same position for quite a while. She tried to move but failed to do so. That was when she realized that both her wrists and legs were tied together, restricting her from moving. Ah… no wonder her body was aching.

She tried to squirm through the knot around her wrists but it was well tied. She sighed heavily in defeat. All she could do right now was wait for the opportunity to escape. For now, who could possibly be behind her kidnapping? Could they be one of the men that were after Yong Liwei? She did remember his warning on her but… no matter how she thought of it, this was a well-planned scheme.

The only people who were able to see her being all 'lovey-dovey' with Yong Liwei were the people at the party. There could be a possibility that one of those guests was the one behind her kidnapping. The timing, everything was perfect. They took advantage of her vulnerable state back then at the highway.

Just then, she heard footsteps from outside. She listened to faint voices of men but she couldn't make out what they were talking about.

The moment she heard a creak coming from the door that was about to be opened, she instantly shut her eyes and pretended to be unconscious.

"Still not awake?" One of the men asked.

"No. She has been quiet since earlier." Another man answered. He was the man who was assigned to guard the room from outside.

Lu Mengjie wanted to roll her eyes under her lids but she had to remain still. Kidnappings were one of the lessons she was taught by Yun Che a.k.a Pride. He was the teacher her father personally assigned for her and her brother when it came to self-defense.

"Always stay calm no matter how anxious you are inside." This was the first rule he thought if ever they were put in a tight situation. Keeping a calm mind would help her analyze things easier. Never panic. That was the first rule, lesson taught to them.

If she had shouted earlier when she woke up, groaned, and tried to yell for help, she would have easily caught the attention of the man outside the room. It would only hasten her demise by gaining the attention of her kidnappers. She didn't want that. As much as possible, she was trying to survive her situation. One thing was sure, the person behind this didn't want her to die, at least not yet. Either they would start torturing her or do worse if they have found her awake.

A sigh was heard, coming from the man who inquired if she had woken up. "I was ordered by the boss to untie her if she is still unconscious. You, go grab her some food to eat once she wakes up."

Footsteps came closer until it stopped a foot away from her. The next thing Lu Mengjie knew, the ropes around her wrists and legs were removed from her. Even so, she remained unmoved. She was not going to try and escape yet. This man could be stronger than her, it would be wrong to underestimate the people who captured her. Aside from that, she doesn't have an idea of how many people were waiting for her outside. She would still be at a disadvantage.

She waited patiently until the other man came back with the food.

'Not yet,' she reminded herself.

Once she was left alone in the room, she finally opened her eyes. Her sight adjusted from the darkness of the room. Well, it was not completely dark in the first place. Her limbs were numb so she waited for a few seconds until she was able to stretch them out. She slowly sat up and tried to look around the room before she stood up. She stepped forward as quietly as she could, carefully approaching the window. She touched the wood that was hammered against the wall. Through its small holes, she tried to peek at it.

Green and brown. Trees. That was all she could see. They must be in the middle of the forest.

She tried to remove the woods but failed to do so until an idea entered her mind. She went back to where the food was placed. When she tried to feel what kind of utensils were given to her, they were chopsticks, fork, and spoon. Good. Luck was on her side. She took them all. They were useful for her. Anything could be useful in her situation. She could use the chopsticks to stab someone if ever they caught her, the fork to try and pull out the nails, the spoon to… she paused at the thought. She has no idea where she could use the spoon but maybe it would come in handy for her escape.

This time, she returned to the window and used the fork to pry out the nails. With success, she was able to remove the plywood that used to block the window. She smiled proudly at herself. Did they think that they would be able to contain her so easily? Even if there was no window in the room, she could just play the art of seduction and gain the trust of one of those men. If not then, she was not going to give up. She knew that one way or another, an opportunity to escape would come to her. She wouldn't give them an easy time!

Lu Mengjie loved the dress that she wore at the party but sadly, she had to tear the skirt just so she could move easier. She gently, carefully opened the window and a small rusty creak was heard, making her graceful brows turn into a frown. She glanced at the door. There was no response from the outside which made her sigh in relief.

She climbed but as she did, the door was pushed open and a bulky man saw her, his eyes widened in surprise. "Y-You!!"

"Bye-bye!" She waved at him with a smile plastered on her lips before she jumped down from the window.

"SHE'S ESCAPING!!! QUICK, FOLLOW HER!!!"

With full speed, Lu Mengjie dashed forward into the forest. She could feel the hard ground with the palms of her feet. She cared less at the stinging pain whenever she stepped a few small stones every now and then. Her feet were already bare when she woke up so she had no choice. It was not like she could complain at that moment. All she had in mind was to run for her life. Run as far as she could, away from her pursuers.

"Don't kill her! We need her alive!" She heard one of the men cry from behind.

She was cursing under her breath as she kept on running. Turning here and there, not knowing where it would bring her until… it began raining. Loud thunderclap was heard from above, making her flinch.

Luck was really at her side. She thought. Thanks to the rain, her pursuers would have a hard time keeping her in sight but… it was not only them. She ran and ran until she stumbled when she began running downhill. She fell on the muddy ground, her body rolled until it hit a certain tree. She groaned, her body was badly aching. She earned a few scratches and wounds, she was completely covered in mud.

"Where is she?"

"Shit! We need to find her or else boss will kill us!"

"You! Look for her down there!"

She pushed her body up, tolerating the excruciating pain in her body. She tried to reach out for the utensils she kept earlier but it so happened that she dropped them when she rolled down. She was only able to find the spoon nearby. She had no choice. She took the spoon and held it as her weapon. She stood up, hardly, and began limping away from the place before she could even be seen by others.

She prayed inwardly, hoping that she could successfully escape. Hoping to survive the place.

A hand grabbed her arm all of a sudden which startled her. She turned and faced the man, raising the spoon to stab him but her wrist was caught.

"Mengjie, it's me."

...

Lu Mengjie woke up from the dream. Her breathing was ragged and cold sweat dripped down her forehead. She could still clearly remember the nightmare. Even after waking up, she could feel her body tremble, the heaviness, and all the pain she felt from her injuries.

That man who was trying to help her… who could he be? Could her dream be actually a memory of what happened during her capture?

She almost escaped. Almost. Almost?

She weaved her brows together at the sudden thought.

She sat up and got off the bed. She felt her throat dry, maybe from all the gasping while she was in a bad dream earlier.

She couldn't remember who the man was. Even in her dream, his face was blurry but… she found his body familiar. He was a tall man with a well-built body. What happened to that man after? What if everything in her dream was real?

As she opened the door, she was startled by the tall man she almost bumped into.

Bai Jingye blinked a few times in surprise when he saw her open the door. "You're awake."

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AN:

I have listed most of the characters in my discord so if you want to check it out, join my discord fam~ I will be revealing the new cover for the book in my IG too so if you want to check it out, follow me in IG and keep updated~

IG: @berriapplepi

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