Li Mei didn’t notice the change in Wang He’s demeanor. She opened her phone and saw a message from a recruiter, so she was busy replying.
But in the mountains, the signal was weak, sometimes strong, sometimes absent. This made Li Mei, accustomed to the fast-paced life in Sea City, feel very uneasy.
Wang He exchanged glances with the man driving in front and saw the man’s warning look.
Wang He took a deep breath, suppressing his impatience, and looked at Li Mei gently.
"What’s wrong? Are you carsick?"
Li Mei shook her head, "No, someone wants to apply for a job. I’m chatting with him, but the phone keeps losing signal."
Wang He glanced at the phone tossed aside and picked up his own, "Indeed, there’s no signal in this area. Don’t worry, you’ll have a signal when we get home. You can contact him then."
Li Mei felt a bit wronged, "I guess that’s all I can do."
Gradually, night fell.
The van kept driving, winding up and down the mountain roads...
Previously, when she was asleep, she didn’t feel uncomfortable.
Now, being awake, the winding roads made Li Mei feel nauseous.
"Meimei, drink some water, hold on a little longer, we’re almost there."
Li Mei’s face was pale. She regretted agreeing to come here to meet Wang He’s parents.
She could have waited longer!
At this moment, Li Mei, tormented by carsickness, suddenly became clear-headed.
She didn’t understand why she rushed to meet his parents after knowing Wang He for just a few days.
She did like Wang He, but how could she have agreed to visit his family so easily?
But it was too late for regrets; she was already here.
The van stopped on a narrow path.
The man driving turned around, revealing a mouth full of yellow teeth.
"Xiao He, sister-in-law, we can’t drive any further on this road. Let’s get out here."
Li Mei: "Are we there?"
However, after getting out and seeing the dense forest, Li Mei’s heart sank.
She looked at Wang He, unable to muster a smile.
"I want to go back."
Hearing this, Wang He flashed a cold gaze, scoffing internally. Go back? Ha! That’s no longer an option!
However, before they reached their destination, no changes could happen.
Wang He continued to patiently coax Li Mei, persuading her for quite a while before she relented.
The driver leaned against the car, smoking a cigarette, his eyes greedily scanning Li Mei’s figure.
"Let’s go, we’re almost there."
Wang He wrapped his arm around Li Mei’s shoulders, comforting her as they walked forward.
Li Mei was drenched in sweat, her mental state completely collapsed.
"I’m not going any further!"
Ignoring the dirt on the ground, Li Mei plopped down on the ground.
She felt as if her legs and feet were done for.
From childhood to now, she had never been so desolate.
Wang He stood still, looking coldly at Li Mei.
He exchanged glances with the other man.
"Oh, there you are!"
Suddenly, a voice appeared from the front.
The three of them looked up to see a middle-aged man leading a donkey, slowly walking over.
"Mr. Shan!"
The men called out respectfully.
The middle-aged man nodded. His gaze fell on Li Mei, quickly assessing her with a satisfied smile on his face.
"Your parents thought the mountain roads would be tough, so they sent me with the donkey to pick you up."
Mr. Shan looked at Li Mei on the ground and smiled, "Miss, it’s not easy to walk here, is it?
Come, sit on the donkey and let it carry you."
Seeing the newcomer, Li Mei felt a bit embarrassed.
She stood up, glanced at the donkey but was still averse to it.
"Come on, hop on and head back home quickly. There are wolves and wild boars on the mountain at night; it’s dangerous."
Hearing this, Li Mei found herself in a dilemma and had no choice but to sit on the donkey and continue their journey.
...
At that moment, He Qi’an had already teamed up with Li He and Xiang Rong.
The local police had also arrived.
Besides the police, a group from the armed forces was present.
He Qi’an gazed at the endless mountain peaks with a serious expression.
The local police chief approached, holding a map, "Captain He, Xiaolian Village is at this location."
He Qi’an looked over, quickly scanning the surrounding terrain with his gaze.
"This place is at the mountain’s peak, and few people come down from there. Those who do are usually strong young men.
They work elsewhere, while women, children, and the elderly stay on the mountain."
"How many people are there?"
He Qi’an asked.
The police chief replied, "During the census seven years ago, it was around fifty-eight people."
He Qi’an: "Seven years ago?"
"Uh... yes."
He Qi’an said no more and approached the armed forces, spoke with their leader, and then they set off.
The police chief, seeing such a large-scale operation, felt uneasy.
Wasn’t this supposed to be a search for someone? Why was the armed forces here?
He Qi’an looked at the shadowy mountain ranges and thought about the content of Lin Xiaoyan’s report.
He suspected that the place where Li Mei was abducted might be a human trafficking hub.
This place was at the border between Yun Province and Jiao Mian Country.
Jiao Mian Country has always been a place for human trafficking and trading illegal goods.
Therefore, upon learning of this incident, He Qi’an immediately contacted the local armed forces.
...
Meanwhile, Lin Xiaoyan, who had spent the day making milk tea, was completely unaware of Li Mei’s situation.
Her arms were sore, unable to lift.
Her feet ached from standing too long.
Upon returning to her place, she drew a basin of water to soak her feet.
Half-lying on the sofa, Lin Xiaoyan opened her phone, thinking of buying a bathtub to soak and relax after work.
Maybe buy some lazy sofas...
Should she get some kitchenware?
Lin Xiaoyan browsed Taobao, adding what she liked to her cart, comparing shops before making a final decision.
"Ding dong"
A message from Gao Qing.
Lin Xiaoyan opened it; it was two property sale listings.
She checked the house details and replied to Gao Qing.
"Qingqing, I’m currently in Sea City and can’t go back for now. I’ll ask my parents to take a look."
"I’ll let my parents know and contact you afterwards, okay?"
Gao Qing: "ok!"
Lin Xiaoyan checked the time; her parents should have finished dinner by now.
Lin Xiaoyan made a video call to her dad.
The call was quickly answered, unsurprisingly, her dad must be on his phone.
As expected, Lin Xiaoyan saw her dad already lying in bed.
"Dear, have you eaten yet?"
"Not yet, I just got off work. Did you and mom finish eating?"
"Yes, we just finished and are getting ready for bed.
Why are you off work so late? It’s already nine o’clock..."
Lin Mu, having washed up, heard her husband’s voice. She walked into the room and saw their daughter on the phone.
"Yanyan, have you eaten?"
Lin Fu immediately said, "Our daughter just got home from work and hasn’t eaten yet."
Listening to them, Lin Xiaoyan quickly brought up what she wanted to say; otherwise, this topic would not be ending anytime soon.
"Dad, mom, I want to buy a house in our hometown."
"What?"
"Buy a house?"