A faint sound came from the dark corner of the wall. Then, a figure struggled to sit up and said in a hoarse voice, “Where, where is this place?”
“Zhuang Yu?” Shen Hanxing was a little surprised. Zhuang Yu’s position was blocked by something, so when Shen Hanxing briefly scanned the area, she did not see Zhuang Yu. She thought that the two of them would be confined separately and not together like this.
“Mrs. Ji?” Zhuang Yu, who was initially afraid, heard Shen Hanxing’s voice and could not help but feel a little more at ease. However, her voice still trembled as she said, “You’re here too. That’s great.” After she said that, she realized that her words sounded a little ambiguous. After taking a couple of deep breaths, she stammered to explain, “I-I didn’t mean it that way. It’s just that I’m very scared right now. Seeing you here with me, I feel less afraid…”
“I know what you mean,” Shen Hanxing nodded with a smile. Zhuang Yu being able to talk so much proved that she was not doing too badly.
Shen Hanxing’s hands and feet were tied up. She struggled to kick off the high heels on her feet. She stepped barefoot on the cold cement floor and slowly jumped to Zhuang Yu.
Zhuang Yu leaned against the wall. Seeing Shen Hanxing’s actions, she could not help but laugh. She said, “Mrs. Ji, you look like a big rabbit now.”
Zhuang Yu was much stronger than Shen Hanxing had imagined. Under such circumstances, she was still in the mood to joke. A hint of admiration flashed across Shen Hanxing’s eyes. She sat down beside Zhuang Yu and lowered her voice. She said, “Shh, lower your voice. Don’t let them know that we’re awake.” If they could buy more time, they would have more hope.
“Okay,” Zhuang Yu lowered her voice obediently and unknowingly leaned towards Shen Hanxing. She softly said, “Mrs. Ji, your body is so warm.”
Of course, those people were not so kind as to give Zhuang Yu more clothes to wear. At this moment, Zhuang Yu was still wearing a thin dress. This kind of get-up was fine in the warm banquet hall, but in this cold factory, it was so cold that she could feel chills to the bone. Zhuang Yu’s face was pale and there was dried blood on her forehead. Yet, she was still trying to smile at Shen Hanxing. Shen Hanxing’s heart ached.
Such an optimistic and strong young lady shouldn’t have to suffer like this.
Shen Hanxing sighed and sat down beside Zhuang Yu. She said, “It’s cold, right? Come, sit over here. It won’t be cold if we lean against each other.”
“Mrs. Ji, you’re so kind,” Zhuang Yu smiled. She leaned on Shen Hanxing’s shoulder and muttered, “It would be great if my big brother could marry a wife like you to be my sister-in-law in the future. Then I wouldn’t have to be envious of Ji Qian and Ji Ning.” No matter what happened, she had someone who would stand in front of her to protect her, and give her a shoulder to lean on. Was this the feeling of having a family?
Zhuang Yu looked like she had a noble status, but her grandfather wasn’t just her grandfather. Elder Zhuang was the chairman of the Zhuang Corporation, and he had a lot of work to do every day. He also had to teach his sons, grandsons, and granddaughters. All of these already exhausted Elder Zhuang. It wasn’t that Elder Zhuang ignored Zhuang Yu, but for Zhuang Yu who had lost her parents at a very young age, it was a very luxurious thing to receive the warmth of an elder.
“You’re having a fever?” Shen Hanxing sensed that something was wrong. Zhuang Yu’s skin temperature was too high. However, it made sense. She was wearing so little in this cold weather and she was also injured. It would be strange if she did not have a fever. However, they did not know how long they would be trapped here. If this dragged on, Zhuang Yu’s condition would take a turn for the worse.
Sensing Shen Hanxing’s worry, Zhuang Yu giggled, “It’s okay. It’s just a low-grade fever. If I have a fever, then I won’t be afraid of the cold anymore. You will be warmer if you lean on me, Mrs. Ji.”
“Don’t spout nonsense,” Shen Hanxing frowned, “This won’t do, something will happen to you if you’re like this.”
“It’s really okay. Mrs. Ji, don’t worry about it,” Zhuang Yu shook her head to comfort her. Instead, she felt dizzier after shaking her head. She frowned in discomfort. After a long while, she softly said, “Mrs. Ji, I’m sorry. It’s all my fault.” Actually, she had heard Shen Hanxing calling her earlier, but at that time, her mouth and nose were covered by the person in the cap as they hid in a corner, so she could not make a sound.
If it were not for her, Shen Hanxing would not have entered that alley and would not have been tied up here.
“It’s not your fault. Those people clearly planned it. I’m also their target.” As she spoke, Shen Hanxing saw something flashing on Zhuang Yu’s head, her eyes lit up. She said, “Zhuang Yu, you have a hair clip on your head, right? Take it off and let me use it.”