Chapter 118 : Are Your Eyes Feeling Better
"Where... is this place?"
Ling Ning slowly opened her eyes, looking around at the unfamiliar surroundings. She found herself in a large room, the main light source being moonlight streaming in through a window placed very high up. Ling Ning estimated that she wouldn’t be able to reach it even if she jumped. There was also a door, and through a small crack at the bottom, a faint light filtered in. The air was thick with an unpleasant odor.
By the moonlight, Ling Ning could see many children and young girls lying on the ground. She could also hear the sound of soft sobbing. Instinctively, she looked down at her own clothes. Finding nothing wrong with them, she let out a small sigh of relief.
Holding her still-dizzy head, Ling Ning tried to recall what had happened.
After dinner, she had taken leave from Yang Bing, intending to visit Ye Xuan in the hospital. On her way, she encountered a middle-aged woman asking for directions. She remembered speaking with the woman, and then... she must have been drugged and lost consciousness, because the next thing she knew, she was here.
Thinking back to the recent news reports about human traffickers, Ling Ning realized she must have been kidnapped.
"Ling Ning!"
Just as she was piecing things together, a familiar voice called out. She turned her head to see Li Qian, looking anxiously at her. From the redness around Li Qian's eyes, it was clear she had been crying.
"What are you doing here?"
"I... I went to the shopping mall after school yesterday. It was already quite late when I finished shopping, so I decided to take a shortcut home. On the way, I met an older lady who asked for directions. I hadn't even said much to her when I suddenly felt dizzy, and then I ended up here." Li Qian explained, her voice trembling.
"Ling Ning, what are we going to do? I'm so scared..." Li Qian's expression suggested she was about to burst into tears again.
"Alright, alright, don't cry just yet." Ling Ning pulled Li Qian into her arms and spoke to her in a soothing voice.
Feeling the warmth of Ling Ning's embrace, Li Qian felt an even stronger urge to cry. But she didn’t want Ling Ning to see her being vulnerable, so she tried her best to hold back her tears.
In the end, she couldn’t. Her tears began to pour out like a flood.
Feeling the dampness against her chest, Ling Ning sighed helplessly and gently stroked Li Qian's hair, whispering comforting words in her ear.
After what felt like a long time, Li Qian slowly pulled away from Ling Ning's embrace. She wiped her face and said quietly, "Ling Ning, nothing happened just now. You imagined it. I definitely didn’t cry."
Ling Ning chuckled softly, "Sure, sure. How could the goddess-like Miss Li Qian ever cry? It must have been my imagination, and the wet patch on my chest is just drool. Happy now?"
"That's better." After a good cry, Li Qian felt much better.
After a moment of silence, Li Qian asked, "Ling Ning, what are we going to do?"
Ling Ning smiled wryly, "Even if you ask me that, I have no idea either."
Whether in her previous life or in this one, Ling Ning had never faced anything like this before. She had no plan, no idea what to do. For now, all they could do was wait for help. Though she outwardly seemed calm, inside, she was just as terrified as Li Qian. After all, she was only human.
"Do you know what time it is now?"
"No idea. They took away my watch and phone." Li Qian sighed.
Ling Ning nodded. It made sense—no way the traffickers would let them keep anything useful.
"By the way!" Ling Ning suddenly thought of an important question, "How... how do we go to the bathroom here?"
Li Qian frowned at the thought and pointed to a corner. "Over there. But trust me, once you've used it, you’ll never want to go back a second time."
As someone with a slight germophobia, Ling Ning shivered at Li Qian's words. She suddenly understood where that strange smell in the air had come from.
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Outside the iron door.
A young man with dyed yellow hair lay on the ground, covered in blood, his condition unknown. Next to him stood Er Gouzi, his head hanging low, not daring to utter a word. Surrounding them were a group of others, all with the same expression—utterly terrified.
"Damn it. I was only gone for a few days, and I told you to keep a low profile. But look at what you've done! You brought in more people. Did you think my words were just hot air? Do you really think I won't do anything? Do you even understand what will happen if this place gets exposed? We'll all be finished!"
The bald man was furious, veins bulging on his smooth head. His prominent scar seemed to pulse with his anger. He kicked the young man on the ground again, clearly not satisfied.
"B-boss, Yellow Hair thought the two girls looked pretty and figured we could sell them for a good price. Remember the rich guy from that village who paid big money for pretty girls?" Er Gouzi mustered the courage to speak on behalf of Yellow Hair, who was barely conscious.
"I don't care about that! The heat from the cops was just starting to die down, and now you've stirred things up again. Now we'll have to lay low for even longer."
"This is my last warning—if any of you cause trouble again, it won't end with just a beating." The bald man's voice was full of menace.
The people around him nodded quickly. They hated Yellow Hair for dragging them into this mess.
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Ling Ning and Li Qian sat close together, leaning against each other. Ling Ning couldn't help but think about her daughter. What would happen to her if Ling Ning didn't come back? She must be so worried. And Ye Xuan... she had promised to visit her in the evening, but she hadn’t shown up. Ye Xuan must be so disappointed.
"Are you asleep?"
Li Qian's voice suddenly broke the silence.
"No... I can't sleep."
Given their current situation, how could Ling Ning possibly sleep? Even if she wanted to, her mind was far too restless.
"What are you thinking about?"
Li Qian's voice sounded muffled.
"My little... my sister. I'm thinking about my sister."
"You have a sister?" Li Qian asked, surprised. She had never heard Ling Ning mention having a sister before.
"Yeah, I guess I never told you. I'll introduce her to you once we get out of here."
"Alright..."
Thinking of her daughter gave Ling Ning a sense of calm amidst her fear. She had to get out of here. She had a daughter waiting for her, waiting for her to come home, to cook for her, to watch her grow up. She couldn’t give up now.
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Author's Note:
Well, wasn't that a surprising Christmas twist? Hope you all enjoyed it (yes, really).