As Lu Xingyan went to the mall together with Han Xukun, she wasn't able to gain any information about Qin Bai from him so she decided to message his younger brother, Han Yehan for help which he replied with a 'sorry' since he wouldn't be able to go since he had other things to do.
In the end, things were quiet between Han Xukun and Lu Xingyan.
Exam week came. Lu Xingyan and Lu Weichun had to stop in helping Nian Jiezhen out with the investigation. They had to study and also fix their schedule since Fan Xiao Yao and Lu Mengjie's birthdays were during that week.
Wednesday. After taking their exam, the twins went to see their brother and helped him prepare the birthday surprise for the woman he liked which was successful.
As usual, Lu Weichun and Shi Enxi we're not getting along with each other. Lu Xingyan had to drag her sister away from Shi Enxi just to avoid any war from happening.
It was only a small birthday party with only them as the guests but it was how Fan Xiao Yao wanted. She only wanted to spend her birthday with the people she knew. They roamed around from going to an arcade to a movie theater to visiting a zoo and an amus.e.m.e.nt park.
"Xiao Yao, why don't we try that ride?" Shi Enxi pointed at the roller coaster.
Lu Weichun scoffed, as usual, she suggested something different, "Yaoyao-jiejie, let's try that shooting booth instead!" She even clung to Fan Xiao Yao's arm possessively just to take her away from Shi Enxi.
"We can try that later! Let's try the roller coaster ride first!"
And as usual, Lu Mello would try to save Fan Xiao Yao from the two girls who were dragging her back and forth. "Why don't you decide by playing rock paper and scissors?"
And in the end, Shi Enxi would always win. They began enjoying the rides and booths at the end of the day.
...
"Ah! I'm so tired!" Lu Weichun exclaimed as she flopped on her bed. "Today was so fun!"
Lu Xingyan chuckled seeing her sister that way since one second ago, she was complaining. "You can't go to sleep yet. We have to study for tomorrow's exam."
She groaned and pouted, "Can I have at least 30 minutes nap? To rest and refresh my mind?" She clasped her hands together as she begged her sister.
Lu Xingyan sighed helplessly, "Fine. 30 minutes." She took both their phones and placed an alarm.
She decided to leave her sister and take a shower. She changed her clothes into her comfy's after taking a bath before she went to the kitchen to prepare dinner but found out that there was not much food in the cabinet or the refrigerator anymore. They weren't about to refill their food stock that week so Lu Xingyan decided to go to a nearby 24/7 convenience store just so she could buy eggs and other ingredients available so she could prepare their dinner.
While she was on her way back, her nose and mouth were suddenly covered by a handkerchief with the scent of chloroform coming from it. She tried to struggle but the strong arm that was wrapped around her kept her still.
She never really thought that the place was dangerous especially when it was only nearby the apartment. She should have been more careful. She was too distracted earlier that she wasn't able to notice anyone sneaking behind her.
In the next second, everything went dark and her body fell limp.
...
Lu Xingyan was woken up by the sound of a ship's horn. The stench of rusted metal entered her nose together with the scent of the sea. Her blurry sight began to clear up and she shortly realized that her wrists and legs were tied up.
She wasn't alone in the room, there were six more people inside the room, all tied up. From the looks of their dirty, worn-out clothes, they must have been in this room earlier than her. It could even be days.
"Where... where am I?" She asked, looking around. She already knew the answer to that but she couldn't help but ask in reflex.
No one answered her though. It was as if they gave up finding a way to escape. Their eyes were dead, there was no hope in them.
How the hell did she end up being in this place? No matter how she looked at it, it was as if this was some kind of slave trades that she saw in movies.
A creak was heard the moment the door was pushed open. There she saw a familiar face, entering the room.
Her eyes widened in disbelief, "T-Teacher... Teacher Yan?" It was her History subject professor.
The woman was wearing a tight leather suit and had her hair tied up into a ponytail. Unlike her usual approachable face, she had a menacing look in her eyes. "I'm sorry, deary. I don't have a choice. I can't be captured by the police or that bastard, Han Xukun."
The clicking of her heels was heard as she began approaching Lu Xingyan. She sat in front of her and held her chin, smirking. "You really are a smart one, aren't you? I've been monitoring you for a while now. You were able to see through the suicides." She snickered and released her chin as she straightened her back and stood up again.
"I thought... It was Mr. Qin Bai..."
"Ah, that's where you've been mistaken, sweetheart. I never really doubted him back then but who would have thought that he's actually working with Han Xukun?" She frowned. "And you. You seem pretty close to that boy, Han Yehan. He was supposed to be the one here, not you. Although you seem to know about the Murong family too."
Murong family? What did that family have to do with this? Could it be possible that... Teacher Yan was actually connected to the family? She remembered one time showing her the sketch of the family crest. That must be the day where the woman in front of her started looking out on her.