After reaching the outskirts, there was only a small house beside the warehouse and a large strawberry farm nearby. As they were not in the strawberry season, the whole place was deserted, with empty plots and grey hills, the surroundings cold and empty. Shen Qianshu alighted the taxi and shivered.
She felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
It was as if she had she had seen it somewhere before. Yet, she couldn't remember it at all.
Shen Qianshu took out her phone and dialed 110.
"I want to call the police." Shen Qianshu looked at the small house suspiciously and checked the address once again. She had watched many dramas with this similar kind of cliché storyline too many times to count: a deserted area without a soul to be seen and the more frightening aspect was that no one would be around to hear you, let alone save you if anything were to happen. She would not take any chances. Her voice on the phone was as innocent as a child. "Mr Policeman, I'm lost and can't find my way anymore, please save me…"
"Little one, don't panic. Tell me slowly, where are you now? Do you remember where you lost your way?"
"There is a huge strawberry farm and a small house beside Mei Lin Valley in Long Qiao District. I don't know the way anymore." Shen Qianshu had a voice that was innately young and tender, when she was distraught, her childlike voice wavered and she immediately gained the trust of the policeman on the other side of the phone.
After calling the police, Shen Qianshu crept towards the small house. Although she tried to be as quiet as possible, the moment her fingers clasped the rusty handle of the door, it suddenly opened and two dangerous-looking men came out and hauled her inside.
At that moment, Shen Qianshu only had one thought running through her mind.
Damn, why are my instincts so strong! It's just like I predicted. Thank goodness I called the police!
The tiny house was even narrower inside than it looked from the outside, its interior shabbily furnished. It seemed to be a warehouse for a type of chemical fertilizer. Shen Qianshu wrinkled her nose in disgust as a strong smell attacked her nostrils, the pungent, almost acidic smell permeated throughout the entire building and through the entire room. It seemed to seep through the walls, floors and scant furnishings. Her eyes finally settled on the figures in the room. Yuan Hui and Gu Xiaoli were forced to kneel on the floor, bound by ropes and looking extremely pathetic. Yuan Hui was dressed in an expensive suit but the usual confidence he exuded that was always present on his face, from being in the elite circles, was missing. Gu Xiaoli was wearing a long shimmery gown, her face was drawn and miserable and she looked as though the world had collapsed around her.
A man with a thick gold chain on his neck was seated on the only clean chair in the room, arms and legs spread open as though he owned the place. Many strong-looking thugs stood around him in an imposing manner, arms folded and emotionless. The innocent and pure Shen Qianshu was like a rabbit that had stumbled upon the wolves' den, caught unaware and in a complete daze.
Her boyfriend and her close friend.
"Yuan Hui, Xiaoli?" Shen Qianshu was quite shocked and her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What is going on?"
Gu Xiaoli averted her gaze, but shook herself and shuffled her knees towards Shen Qianshu. She didn't care about anything else at that moment. "Qianshu, save me, save me…"
"You are their friend?" Gold-chain man gave her a sideward glance as he lit up a cigarette, revealing a muscular arm smothered with scars and tattoos.
Shen Qianshu nodded, her thoughts running in her mind ly, her clear eyes contemplating her surroundings suspiciously. Firstly, why were they held captive? Secondly, why were Xiaoli and Yuan Hui even together? Xiaoli was her high school classmate, her personality showy and provocative and she dressed in revealing clothes that matched her flirtatious nature. Yuan Hui had never been able to get along with her as he could not stand her reckless behaviour.
Gold-chain man stared at Shen Qianshu. This woman is really beautiful. He had never studied before and did not know any fanciful terms, only two words surfaced and ran repetitively through his mind — Really beautiful! Gu Xiaoli was already a stunning woman, with her head of chestnut brown curls that cascaded like flowing water down her back, she had womanly curves and a pretty face, but she was incomparable to the plainly dressed woman who now stood in front of him. This woman was like a rose, strikingly beautiful with creamy white skin and an unspeakable charm. She was like a breath of fresh air and he found it hard to look away.
"Since you're their friend, help them settle their debts." Gold-chain man said gruffly, gesturing at the two bound figures.
Shen Qianshu looked at Yuan Hui. His shoulders were slumped, his whole countenance downtrodden and embarrassing, but he was beyond caring about his appearance. "Qianshu, save me and give them the money!"
She frowned, lips pressed together and looked questioningly at the imposing man. "What debt does he owe?"
"Your friend gambled on soccer and owes us five million. Including interest that's eight million. Pay up and we'll consider his debt settled."
Shen Qianshu was shocked. Yuan Hui had an annual salary of one million dollars, he was a high-ranking white collar worker and had a promotion coming up in the yeardue. He normally did not have any bad habits, why would he suddenly owe these loan sharks money? Let alone such a ridiculous amount. How would she even get the money? As she stood silent and contemplated, Yuan Hui started to get exasperated. "Qianshu, what are you hesitating about, give them the money!"
Her eyes flickered to him again.
You owe money and I have to pay?
What kind of logic was that!kind of logic is that?
Do you think I am a cash-printing machine?!
Gold-chain man struck him hard across the face and stood up, grabbing Yuan Hui by the collar and hauling him up with his fist, "CEO Yuan, why are you are so irresponsible? Are you even a man? I've given you more than two months to cough up the money you owe us. All you do is make your pathetic excuses. Do you think I am stupid? If we weren't smart enough to catch the two of you in bed, where, how would I get back the money if you two escaped? You better p—"
Shen Qianshu interrupted, "Wait, wait, what… catch the two of us in bed?"
Yuan Hui and Gu Xiaoli both blanched and their expressions changed rapidly, looking at Shen Qianshu in trepidation. Their mouths opened and closed soundlessly, like goldfish gaping against the glass with no words. If the situation wasn't so serious, she would have laughed.
Instead, Shen Qianshu felt stupid and cheated.
"We received a tip that CEO Yuan planned to escape, so I brought my brothers along to stop him. How lucky we saw him going at it with his girlfriend, screwing around on the bed like there's no tomorrow. CEO Yuan, you sure are a social elite! You had to go for a round even before going on the run."
The more Shen Qianshu listened, the more she felt it was just… unbelievable.
From the moment they met, Yuan Hui had criticised Gu Xiaoli, openly despising her wanton ways, her frivolous nature and scorning her ability to change boyfriends as quickly as she changed her skimpy clothing. Gu Xiaoli retaliated strongly against his hostility, accusing Yuan Hui and attacking him for his pretentious decency. The two people who had never seen eye to eye before… had actually hooked up and gotten together? It was ludicrous.
This had to be the most ironic thing she had heard all year.
"Qianshu, it's not like what you're thinking…" Yuan Hui scrambled closer to grasp at her hands and explain.
On her other side, Gu Xiaoli cried, hot tears streaming down her face dramatically and smudging her makeup and tainting her cheeks. "Qianshu, I'm sorry. Yuan Hui and I truly love each other."
Ha! True love? Which cheating person did not scream of true love when being exposed?
It was always the same.
Shen Qianshu smiled at them, a disconcerting smile, her expression hiding a multitude of negative emotions behind false pretences. Shock, resentment, disgust and disappointment… all were forced underneath and shrouded behind her raised pink lips. It clashed with the mocking jeers shuttering behind her lucid eyes. "True love I see, then I'll leave it to you to clear the debt!"
"Where will I find eight million?"
"Buying eight million worth of dog food to feed stray dogs is better than spending a single cent to save you two." Shen Qianshu had a radiant smile, her looks becoming enthralling. She looked sweet as sugar, her voice gentle and alluring and her smile even sweeter. She was like the sweetest piece of caramel cake, but she would never let herself be taken advantage of. Although appearing gentle and soft, she was not a fool.
Gold-chain man was starting to get impatient, his annoyance shown with the urgent tapping of his foot and his crossed arms. "Young lady, you pay the damn money and I will release them. It's as simple as that."
"Big brother…" Shen Qianshu's honey-like voice almost softened gold-chain man's heart into a melting pot of oblivion. "Thank you for helping me realize what a jerk he is. I will not pay a single cent and it doesn't concern me. He will settle his own debt."
Yuan Hui was embarrassed, however he put on a bold face, "Qianshu, I am your boyfriend, how does it not concern you?"
A boyfriend who climbs onto her close friend's bed? Yuan Hui, you have got to be kidding me.
It was as if gold-chain man and his subordinates were watching the unfolding of a ridiculous live drama. This dramatic turn of events left even them, dumbfounded.
"Young lady, I do not care about the relationships or whatever between you all. He said you have the money, so you pay the debt. Settle whatever scores you all have by yourselves."
"The debt is between you and Yuan Hui, you two settle it yourselves. It is none of my business."
Gold-chain man stood up abruptly and said calmly, "I have no choice."
His subordinate whipped out a knife and passed it to him, while another grabbed Yuan Hui's hand over, grinding it against the concrete floor. "Young lady, if he is your boyfriend, it is only right for you to pay. If you don't pay, I will chop off his hand."
Gu Xiaoli started screaming, tears continuing to stream down her face in an ugly way, while Yuan Hui struggled, trying to get out of their tight grasp, but he was held down relentlessly. His eyes raked over Shen Qianshu, becoming more and more agitated.
Shen Qianshu smiled her honey-sweet smile, eyes shining like stars in the night sky. "Chop it off. I have no money."
Yuan Hui face paled, his mouth twisted up and he barked like a rabid dog, "She has money! Her son, Tong Hua, is the most famous child star in the country. He earns more than eight million dollars a drama! How can she not have any money!"
Shen Qianshu turned her attention to Yuan Hui, eyes narrowed to slits and gaze deadly, piercing through him like stakes hurled into a scarecrow. Yuan Hui shook off her animosity and looked at her pleadingly, his face mashed into the ground and all pride gone. "Qianshu, save me. Please. I will do anything you ask!"
"I could buy many thousands of things with eight million dollars, I don't need you." Another smile blossomed upon her face, but she could only feel her heart bleeding inside. So this was the reason why he had been proposing so persistently. Tong Hua had once said, "Mommy, although you have bad taste, I will never look down on you."
She finally understood the meaning behind his words.
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