Chapter 1 Kidnapped

Bai Zhi has been feeling troubled lately.

Her older brother, Bai Jun, is about to get married, but her future sister-in-law does not seem to like her very much.

The siblings had only just reunited last year. Before then, she had no idea that her biological father was actually the president of the Bai Group, or that she had a half-brother of the same father. Her mother had raised her singlehandedly until she had passed away of an illness. It wasn’t until later that her brother found her and took her in.

However, she didn’t like the atmosphere within the Bai family and didn’t feel any close ties towards that critically-ill biological father of hers. So, after she graduated from college, she left the Bai family manor, started working as a temp in a small company and rented a studio apartment in the big city by herself.

Her life returned to its original simplicity, yet not everything was the same— she was no longer alone in the world— she gained a gentle elder brother who frequently checked in on her. In this regard, she will forever be grateful.

“Ah-Zhi, there’s no way I can come over today. The preparations for the wedding banquet are a hot mess, and Gu Hong is always losing her temper,” Bai Jun sighed over the phone.

“Okay, it’s not a problem.” Bai Zhi sat down on the little sofa in her home. “How’s sister-in-law’s condition right now?”

“She’s fine. It’s only the second month into her pregnancy; she hasn’t shown any symptoms yet— she’s just a bit more stubborn than before,” Bai Jun’s voice seemed a little distant.

Three heavy knocks sounded from the door.

“What is it? Who’s at the door?”

“Oh, it should be the express deliveryman… There’s no need for you to come over until you have more time on your hands, so don’t worry about it, alright? I’m hanging up first,” Bai Zhi said, standing up and walking over to the door.

“Ooph, I feel like I’ve just been handed a restraining order. Okay then, I won’t keep rambling. You go fetch that express package.”

“Bye, see you this weekend.”

Bai Zhi put down the phone with a smile and opened the door.

Outside were two brawny men in casual clothing. Their physiques looked much bigger and more powerful than the average man.

“Are you Bai Zhi?” the fair-skinned man with glasses and respectable looks asked her while glancing up from his cellphone screen.

“Yes.” Their gazes met and Bai Zhi’s heart felt unsettled seeing those dark, inscrutable eyes.

The other, darker-skinned man wearing a baseball cap smiled widely showing off a row of pearly whites, continued, “Very good, you’re under arrest.”

A pair of silver handcuffs clamped around her wrists. The two men bracketed her from the right and left, and led her down the stairs. In an instant, their dominant masculine power engulfed her.

“You guys… Who are you?” Bai Zhi struggled, but it was useless because both of her hands were cuffed together.

“We’re the police.”

“W-Where’s your badge? And also… the arrest warrant?”

The two men glanced at each other and smirked. A cold, hard, cylindrical object dug into her back.

The man wearing glasses pressed his lips next to her ear, “You ask too many questions.” His numbingly hot breath coupled with the glacial words sent shivers down her entire body.

“Let’s go.” The dark-skinned man, in one fell swoop, gathered her by the waist, pulled her cellphone from her pocket and chucked it into the trash can.

Bai Zhi felt chilled to the bone from the gun digging into the small of her back. She could do nothing but follow them down.

They’re not cops at all… she’s been kidnapped.

The dark-skinned man threw Bai Zhi onto the backseat of the van. Her mind felt dazed, but she still tried to make sense of it all.

“You guys… Who are you really? Who made you do this? I have nothing. You have nothing to gain from kidnapping me…”

“Do you know of Yongze Private Prison?” The dark-skinned man sat in the driver’s seat and took in her uneasy expression from the rearview mirror. He kindly explained, “You messed with people you shouldn’t have messed with.”

A large figure pressed in and the door slammed shut with a bang. The tinted windows cast dim shadows throughout the interior of the van. The body that slid in next to her was none other than the bespectacled man.

“Who says you have nothing?” The glasses-wearing man lightly smiled, his eyes narrowing slightly. The penetrating eyes behind the lenses made her feel violated. They slid over her tightly clasped hands; over her ample bosoms covered only by her thin, white blouse; over the delicate, alabaster skin of her face; and finally rested on the trembling petals of her pink lips.

She didn’t have time to make herself up today. Her delicate, pale face radiated pureness while her soft, pink lips enticed. She possesses a face that stirred up men’s thirst to dominate and her restless apprehension only made them want to ruin her.

Bai Zhi bowed her head to avoid his gaze. Her teeth gnashed together and she subconsciously shrank further into the corner.

“Come over here,” the man said with amusement in his voice. “I have to check if you’re carrying any prohibited items on your body.”

Bai Zhi trembled more acutely.

“Come here.” This time, the man’s voice contained a trace of coldness.

Bai Zhi straightened up and weakly said, “I won’t.”

The glasses-wearing male raised his brow.

The dark-skinned man, who was currently driving, shot a glance at the scene in the rearview mirror. “You’ll suffer if you’re not obedient in the prison.”

The glasses-wearing male laughed, “No problem, I’ll come to you, but just this once.” He scooted next to her and pulled her onto his lap.

“What are you doing? Let me go!” Bai Zhi struggled vigorously, but to no avail. The glasses-wearing male caught her arms that were haphazardly swinging around and gently caressed them before lifting them over his head. With a clink, the handcuffs joining her two wrists were secured to a hook on the roof of the van. She could do nothing but maintain this posture while dread and panic coursed through her.