Without a second thought, she found a set of work clothes. Ducking into a stall, she hurriedly took off her evening gown and changed into them. Then, she ssed up her hair and haphazardly put on a janitor’s cap.
In the mirror, she looked exactly like a cleaning lady.
Then, she swiftly took out all the credit cards and loose change from her bag. She even removed the battery from her phone and put it in her pocket.
Once everything was ready, she stuffed her evening gown into the bottom of the trash can. After checking that the coast was clear, she stealthily slipped out, keeping to the shadows of the corridor.
It was late, and the revelers, n and won alike, were in high spirits and sowhat tipsy. Naturally, no one spared a glance at a cleaning woman passing by.
In the distance, Wan Donglin was deep in conversation with a short, chubby man and others, completely oblivious to this scene.
Yan Xixi forced herself to remain calm as she walked out. Not daring to wait for the elevator, she raced down the stairs and finally made it through the main entrance. She desperately tried to appear composed to avoid attracting the security guard’s attention, continuing to walk until she had crossed the street. Only then, upon spotting a line of taxis, did she sprint over, fling open a car door, and gasp, "Driver, please hurry! I have an ergency..."
"Where to?"
"I..."
She hesitated. Habitually, she almost blurted out Wan Donglin’s address, but then it dawned on her. Isn’t this just escaping the tiger’s den only to walk right back into the wolf’s lair?
On second thought, she quickly said, "Take downtown."
It was late at night, and the traffic was smooth. The taxi sped away, but her heart felt as if it were sinking into an icy abyss. She clutched her chest. What should I do now? Will Wan Donglin let this go? Will he search for ?
With his resources, will he find imdiately?
She got out of the taxi downtown. The sight of a few pedestrians in the night market and patrolling police officers gave her a sliver of reassurance.
She stopped, suddenly realizing she was in front of a familiar residential complex—the one where Huang Xiaojue had arranged for her to temporarily stay with a friend.
Desperate and with nowhere else to go, she had instinctively returned here. It felt like the last safe harbor.
In the blink of an eye, a year and a half had passed.
That friend might have returned by now.
She turned and walked away.
The tropolis was a whirl of neon lights and nightlife. Occasionally, drunk vagrants sang on lawns covered with spread-out newspapers, like ghosts haunting the midnight hours. There were also streetwalkers in miniskirts, openly soliciting, their bodies covered in needle marks... How terrifying. One wrong step, and a person could end up like this.
After wandering around for a while, feeling like an inept detective, she hailed another taxi.
This ti, the taxi stopped in front of a chain hotel.
Once inside the hotel room, Yan Xixi imdiately locked the door. She collapsed onto the bed as if she had narrowly escaped death, her back soaked with sweat.
She didn’t care about her dirty work clothes or the fact that she hadn’t showered; she just lay there, sprawled on the bed.
She took out her phone but couldn’t muster the courage to turn it on, let alone call for help.
Who could I call? Huang Xiaojue? Xu Xiaoya?
At this hour, past one in the morning, who would have the energy to deal with my problems?
Huang Xiaojue?
No. He has a girlfriend now, soone who works at the tax bureau. How could I possibly have the nerve to ask him for help?
She dejectedly put her phone down and just lay there, gasping for breath.
How could I possibly sleep tonight?
She turned on all the lights in the room, her eyes wide open, not daring to close them even for a second.
She struggled to stay awake until dawn. Finally, she drifted into a hazy sleep. But almost imdiately, a chilling sensation touched her neck. The cold barrel of a dark gun was pressed against her throat.
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