September 8, Wednesday
“Still nothing?” Lily asked Bei Tian the moment she arrived in what seemed to be a second-hand shop at Tsing Yi Island. Her eyes roamed around the store and she was not surprised to see that it looked like a typical run-down shop. No one would suspect that it had a secret prison downstairs.
Bei Tian shook his head as he eyed Zhuo Jingren, who was in his usual position by Lily’s side. “This way,” he said as he turned around to lead them below.
Hand in hand, Lily and Zhuo Jingren followed him without a word.
The interior of the shop was more authentic than Lily expected it to be. She could see boxes and mirrors encrusted with shells, in addition to hand sewn dolls that were too scary to even look at. She instantly wondered if the creepy items for sale were placed here deliberately to scare possible customers into leaving quickly. There were also macabre-looking large books stacked in the corner with a miniature porcupine on top. Bei Tian…just… wow.
She followed Bei Tian into the manager’s office and waited for him to open a door using an iris scanner.
“Inside,” Bei Tian said as he extended his hand towards the elevator door. In response, Lily raised an eyebrow at him as she stepped inside the elevator with her husband. The elevator was completely out of place in this shop. It looked too modern. It was very high-tech with pale blue lighting on its walls. Bei Tian followed the couple inside and closed the elevator door.
After a few seconds the elevator door opened again, and the first thing Lily saw was an old library with dusty books on the shelves. She instantly wondered what the purpose of this old library was. Of course, this was just a passing thought as she continued to follow Bei Tian inside.
“This is it,” Bei Tian stopped in front of a metal door. Next to it was a man who was standing like a statue while staring straight at them. “Wei… open the door,” he ordered the guard who was so tall even Zhuo Jingren had to look up at the man. Upon being given an order, the man used a key to open the door, revealing a small concrete room.
The noise of the door being opened instantly attracted the eyes of the woman who was sitting in the corner of the room, hugging her knees. Her eyes were already swollen, her lips pale. Her once beautiful black hair was an absolute mess.
“I am not talking,” the woman who was obviously He Xinlan said hoarsely. She did not have the energy to squint her eyes to look at the people outside of the room. “Leave me,” she demanded as she shifted her head towards the floor, her simple movement creating a small clanking sound from the chains on her hands and feet.
“You sure about that?” the cold voice, instantly made He Xinlan lift her head. She looked at the woman standing a few feet away from her who was wearing a beige knee-length coat As expected, seeing Lily again sent fury down her spine. However, He Xinlan did not show this on the outside. All she wanted right now was for this b*tch to walk closer to her, close enough for her to use her chains to strangle Lily.
However, this thought did not last long when she noticed another person enter the room.
Zhuo Jingren.
As expected, these two were the ones responsible for her captivity. She watched as Zhuo Jingren calmly brought a chair and placed it behind Lily. In response, the latter elegantly took a seat with a small smile on her face.
“He and his friend suggested more than ten ways to torture you,” Lily said as she shifted her gaze back to He Xinlan. This statement only made He Xinlan swallow a mouthful of saliva. She already expected them to torture her, maybe even cut a finger or two. “But that would be too bloody.” Lily continued.
“I hate blood,” she added. “I hope you have been eating well?”
Lily’s words only earned a snort of derision from He Xinlan. However, this did not affect Lily’s smile.
“Mu Lihua is already suffering.” As expected, these words were enough to make He Xinlan look at Lily. “Your husband and daughter were kicked out of their own company. Yesterday, the investors elected a new CEO.”
“If you think you can use Mu Lihua against me then you are seriously mistaken, b*tch,” He Xinlan spouted.
“Calm down,” Lily lifted her hand, her voice obviously gentler this time as she looked at the man standing behind her. “I have been called worse,” she smiled before looking back at He Xinlan.
“Really?” Lily lifted an eyebrow.
“Authorities are already looking for you, by the way. Of course, they will never find you… alive. But that is not the point.”
“Then kill me! What are you waiting for? Kill me!” He Xinlan screamed. If Lily wanted to kill her, then she should just do it and stop talking!
“I would love to do that. After what you did to my mother and unborn child, you deserve to die the most painful death possible,” Lily countered. Her eyes were in crescents, but the ice in her tone was patently obvious. It made He Xinlan shiver inwardly. “However… I know that you, your sister, and Yang Lina have all been used by someone else. So… would you be so kind as to tell me who wanted my mother and me dead?
A burst of crisp laughter echoed through the room as He Xinlan tried to stop herself from laughing so much. “Ah…. Why do you think that someone asked me to kill you and your mother? It was all me! I killed your mother and your child. It was me. Why are you looking for someone else? Why don’t you kill me instead? Or don’t you care about your mother at all? How about your fetus?”
Contrary to He Xinlan’s expectations, her taunting words did not have any effect on Lily. At least not on her face as Lily continued to smile at her. “Fool,” Lily uttered before she crossed her legs and stared intently at He Xinlan. Then she held her hand towards Zhuo Jingren. Without saying anything, Zhuo Jingren handed Lily a phone.
“I know torture won’t make you talk,” Lily said. “I mean… I have no personal grudge towards your daughter. But… I know a person who does,” she said as she slowly turned the screen towards He Xinlan. “For every two minutes that you chose not to talk… You will watch as Mu Lihua suffers in the next room.”
