Meanwhile, on East Ring Road,
A delicate voice came from Tang Xiaowan inside a speeding SUV.
"Big brother, I’m thirsty."
The man gripping the steering wheel furrowed his brows.
He was Du Jiahao, a professional assassin, 35 years old, 180 cm tall, and proficient in various hand-to-hand combat techniques.
Tang Xiaowan neither cried nor made a fuss, always maintaining a smiling demeanor because the man was so strong that she felt a bit scared—his arms seemed even thicker than her thighs.
She had no intention of hitting a stone with an egg; showing weakness was the wisest choice.
Leng Lingxiao had reminded her more than once that when it came to a life-threatening situation, a girl couldn’t physically compete with an adult man.
One punch could end the fight.
"Big brother, where are we going?" Tang Xiaowan asked cheerily.
"Is the place very far away?"
"It seems we are going to pass a toll station soon. What should we do? My appearance... doesn’t seem quite right, eh? People will surely suspect you."
"Big brother, why don’t you take off your coat? Cover me with it, to hide me a bit?"
Tang Xiaowan knew there were treasures inside, not only a cellphone but also keys, so she prattled on and on.
Du Jiahao, out of patience, stamped on the brake and nimbly unlocked the handcuffs.
This was already his second concession.
When they left Chunlei Street, Tang Xiaowan’s mouth had been sealed with tape, but her watery, puppy-dog eyes made the man go soft-hearted.
Just a few tears shed, and the humiliating gagging was over. The rıghtful source is nοvelfire.net
"If you want to live, shut up."
"But big brother, I’m really thirsty."
Du Jiahao glanced at Tang Xiaowan’s pitiful look and hesitated. There was actually a whole case of mineral water in the trunk.
But for safety reasons, he didn’t want to fetch it.
"Don’t worry, big brother, I won’t run away. I am afraid of dying, so I’ll be very good."
With those words, Du Jiahao got out of the car.
Immediately, Tang Xiaowan glanced at the rearview mirror and sneakily eyed the black travel bag on the back seat, stuffed to the brim.
It seemed like equipment.
Was this direction heading to Jin City?
Related to Li Zishen?
Just as she thought of this, Du Jiahao was striding back.
Tang Xiaowan quickly composed herself and sat up straight.
"Drink a little, we won’t stop along the way." Du Jiahao twisted the water bottle cap and handed it to her, his voice low and carrying a hint of warning.
Not stopping, what did that mean?
Drink a little? Oh, I get it, afraid I’d use the excuse to go to the bathroom to escape.
Ha, as if I’d just sit and wait for death!
"Big brother, how much longer will we be driving?" Tang Xiaowan took a small sip of water and said with a cheerful smile.
Then she quickly turned and looked out the window.
"Hey, it’s so stuffy in here, why can’t the windows open?"
"Big brother, can we get some fresh air?"
Du Jiahao ignored her and continued driving until, a few minutes later, the SUV slowly entered the toll station, breaking the silence.
"You better be smart about this."
While saying this, Du Jiahao’s eyes were extremely cold, yet his lips bore a smile.
Tang Xiaowan knew he was armed.
That morning when she had sneakily followed her grandmother, he had pressed a weapon against her back as they went into the study, and subsequently, she had no choice but to jump out of the window to escape.
Therefore, she wasn’t going to confront him head-on.
During the process of Du Jiahao paying the toll, Tang Xiaowan blinked her eyes non-stop, hoping to draw the attention of the staff.
However, the person was too busy making change to notice the distress signal from the passenger seat.
Tang Xiaowan’s heart sank in an instant.
"Hey, are you made of wood?"
"Look over here, look over here, quick, take a look at me."
She bit her lower lip, clenched her fists, and endeavored to stay calm. Coincidentally, at that moment, a police car approached from behind.
Tang Xiaowan’s eyes lit up, and she stealthily moved closer to the car window, attempting to catch the attention of the police.
Sadly, separated by the car window glass, those outside couldn’t see her at all. Whatever she did was in vain, merely a waste of expression.
The SUV slowly left the toll station.
Who would have thought, just as Tang Xiaowan was losing hope, that police car actually sped up and passed them, and then a police officer got out and knocked on the car window glass three times.
Hope for rescue ignited once again.
"Please show me your identification, thank you." The police officer saluted with utmost seriousness.
Du Jiahao said indifferently, "Is there a problem?"
"Is this car imported and then modified? Has the color been changed too? Do you have all the paperwork in order?"
"Yes, everything is complete."
Du Jiahao presented the relevant documents, and the police officer proceeded to check and verify them one by one.
Tang Xiaowan watched the police officer intently the whole time, hoping he would notice something was amiss. Unfortunately, the police officer’s attention was entirely focused on Du Jiahao’s documents and whether the SUV complied with regulations and failed to notice her.
After the check was complete, the police officer waved at Du Jiahao, signaling that he could leave.
Tang Xiaowan’s heart sank once again.
"Ah, television is nothing but lies!"
"All those who can see through the details, yet here I am, almost making faces until my eyes deform, and not even a glance my way."
"Huahua, Huahua, where are you?"
"Come and save your Little Tangtang, I’m about to be taken to Jin City."
In an attempt to gain Du Jiahao’s sympathy, she deliberately talked about her miserable childhood. For instance, being left at home by her grandmother and having to fill her stomach with water, making it seem as though she was a wild child.
But after a few minutes, she fell asleep.
Du Jiahao shook his head with a slight smirk.
"What an exhausting little girl, finally asleep, what a headache!"
"What does Li Zishen like about you?"
"Your little mouth... babbling away. If it wasn’t for pity, I’d have thrown you in the trunk already."
He was grumbling when a burst of urgent ringtone sounded. Du Jiahao hesitated for a moment, clearly reluctant to take out his phone from his coat pocket.
Aren’t we not allowed to make calls? Could it be... a change in plans?
So, he quickly pressed the answer button.
A young man’s voice came through from the other end, it was the hacker W, Lei Ziyi.
"Brother Hao, the plan is exposed. Tang Mei already knows our intentions. The boss says we must guard carefully, don’t let that girl escape."
Du Jiahao’s expression turned solemn.
He turned his head to glance at the passenger seat and noticed Tang Xiaowan was still asleep, then took a deep breath.
The SUV continued to race down the highway.
Two minutes later, his phone rang again, still Lei Ziyi.
There were sounds of rushing keystrokes on the line.
"Brother Hao, I forgot to mention, do not unlock the handcuffs. That girl is very crafty, and she’s exceptionally fast, got first place in the school sports meet."
A sly glimmer flickered in Du Jiahao’s eyes as he suddenly remembered Tang Xiaowan’s previous lamentations.
Failed physical education, punished by grandmother!
First place in the school sports meet?
Hmm, indeed very clever, very crafty!
After hanging up the call, he slowed down the car and took handcuffs out of the left side coat pocket, planning to place them back on Tang Xiaowan, to make absolutely sure everything was foolproof.
However, at that moment, Tang Xiaowan inexplicably opened her eyes.