In a small villa.
The room was small and nearly empty.
The walls were plain, painted a dull, off-white color, with no decorations or windows—only a single overhead light casting a dim glow.
The floor was cold, hard concrete, and the only pieces of furniture were a thin mattress pushed against one wall and a rickety wooden chair in the corner.
There was no clock, no personal items—nothing that gave a sense of time or place.
Li Xiyan sat on the mattress, holding Shen Rui close.
The little girl had long stopped crying, but she clung to Li Xiyan tightly, her small fingers curled around the fabric of her sleeve.
It had been half an hour since they arrived.
Ever since they switched cars, Li Xiyan had lost track of where they were. Her eyes had been covered when they brought her out of the vehicle, leaving her disoriented.
But she knew one thing.
They were in a villa.
The faint echo of footsteps outside the door, the occasional murmur of voices, and the stillness of their surroundings told her that much.
Her mind worked quickly, assessing their situation.
How many people were here? Was there security? Any chance to escape?
But for now, she remained calm, keeping her breathing steady.
The door was locked. No surprise there.
She had no weapons, no way to contact the outside world. But she had two things: time and observation.
Her captors had left them alone for now, but for how long?
She needed to test their limits.
Carefully, she knocked on the door.
Just once. A quiet, hesitant sound.
Then she waited.
Silence.
She tried again, this time speaking, deliberately making her voice sound weak.
"Excuse me… Shen Rui needs water."
A pause. Then, a muffled, impatient voice from the other side.
"Just wait."
She didn't respond. She didn't need to. That single exchange told her enough.
There was someone standing guard, but they weren't coming inside. They didn't want her seeing their faces. Which meant they weren't completely reckless.
Good. They had a guard, but he wasn't coming inside.
They didn't want her seeing their faces. That meant caution, possibly inexperience. A weakness.
And she could use that to her advantage.
For now, she would wait. Observe. And the moment the opportunity came—
She would take it.
Li Xiyan had been counting the hours.
Two meals. No windows, but the stale air and deep silence told her it was late. She glanced at her wristwatch—3 a.m.
Carefully, she shifted, glancing at the bed where Shen Rui had been sleeping.
Her short white coat lay neatly beneath the child, a thin barrier between her and the questionable mattress.
She went up to the child and pressed her fingers lightly against Shen Rui's forehead.
Burning hot.
A deep frown settled on her face. The child's fever had worsened. Her tiny body trembled slightly, her breathing uneven.
Damn it.
The kidnappers had given them a single pill for the fever, but nothing more. It was clear they didn't actually care about the child's condition—only that she stayed alive.
If this kept up, Shen Rui could go into febrile seizures.
They need to escape now.
Slowly, she reached into the pocket of her jeans, her fingers brushing against the cold metal of the hemostat she had slipped inside her white coat earlier.
They had searched her before transferring her to the car, taking her phone and anything else they deemed a threat. But she had managed to hide the hemostat from them.
A simple tool, but it could be her way out.
Shen Rui didn't have time to wait for a rescue.
Taking a steadying breath, she shifted carefully, making sure not to jostle the child too much as she studied the door. An old turn bolt lock.
Good.
She inched forward, curved tip of the hemostat into the narrow space between the door and the frame, feeling for the bolt mechanism.
Click.
The first attempt failed. She adjusted her angle, wiggling the tool gently, applying just enough pressure.
Click.
A sharp intake of breath. Almost.
She twisted the hemostat slightly— there.
Click. The lock shifted.
Her heart pounded, but her hands remained steady.
Slowly, she turned the handle. The door creaked open.
Wasting no time, she moved quickly to Shen Rui, lifting the small girl into her arms. The child stirred but didn't wake fully, only sighing softly as she instinctively nestled against her shoulder.
Before stepping out, Li Xiyan reached for her short white coat.. She shook it out swiftly, making sure the clean inner lining faced inward.
Carefully, she wrapped it around Shen Rui, shielding her small frame from the cold air. She pulled the edges close, ensuring that only the untouched fabric pressed against the child's skin.
No matter what, she would keep her safe.
Then, with Shen Rui secure in her arms, she went out the room.
Time to go.
The moment Li Xiyan stepped out, her breath caught in her throat.
She was on the second floor.
From where she stood, she could see the grand expanse below—high ceilings, polished marble floors, and a chandelier suspended in the center, its crystals glinting under the dim lighting.
The sight sent a jolt through her, her feet locking into place.
Not because someone was there.
But because she knew this place.
Too well.
Her father had given it to her when she turned sixteen. It had once been hers.
Until they cast her aside. Until they took everything.
And now, she was back.
Why?
Her pulse thundered in her ears as questions raced through her mind.
Was this just a cruel coincidence, or was there something more?
Was this connected to Shen Rui's kidnapping?
Then—footsteps.
Heavy. Close.
Her body reacted before her mind could catch up.
She ran.