After a good tour around the inside, Dong Jian finally had him stop in front of a dilapidated house.
"This is it, thank you, sir."
Shang Jincheng remained seated, waiting for him to push the car door open himself.
However, Dong Jian couldn't even find the handle and fumbled for a while without being able to open the door.
Tian Tian saw his predicament in the rearview mirror and voluntarily got out to open the door for him, then helped him out of the car.
Dong Jian thanked her repeatedly, hobbled to the entrance of the shack, and while fumbling for the key to open the door, sincerely invited them.
"Why don't you come in and sit for a while? Although my house is humble and not worth dirtying your feet, you are my benefactors after all. Let me treat you to a cup of water to express my gratitude, otherwise I truly won't feel at ease."
Tian Tian said, "No need, no need to feel uneasy. As I said before, in life, who doesn't encounter difficulties at some point? Take care of yourself, and your life will get better and better. We still have things to do, so we won't disturb you any longer."
Dong Jian was afraid she would leave and quickly called out again.
"Wait a moment. Miss, it's like this. I have nothing to offer you as thanks. My mother liked to grow flowers and plants. She had a potted orchid that she loved very much and had raised for many years. It has some ornamental value. If you don't dislike it, I'll give it to you. It's at least a token of my appreciation."
Tian Tian thought that since it was left by his mother, it wouldn't be right to take it, so she tried to refuse.
Unexpectedly, Dong Jian knelt down with a thud.
"Just let me do something to repay you! Otherwise, I truly won't be able to live with myself! Miss, please do me this favor!"
It was the first time in her life that such a tall man had knelt for her. Tian Tian felt it was just a small favor and was very embarrassed, so she quickly helped him up.
"Don't be like this. Alright, alright, get up first. I'll take it, okay?"
Dong Jian was helped up with difficulty again, and they entered the dark house together.
Shang Jincheng watched from the car and thought: a pampered young lady, unschooled in the ways of the world, is indeed pure and innocent. If it were anyone else, they would try to avoid such a person. The Zhan family's upbringing is truly remarkable.
After waiting for a minute, they didn't come out. After two minutes, still no sign of them.
Five minutes passed, and there was no movement from the dark house. Shang Jincheng couldn't help but become suspicious.
"Why aren't they out yet? Five minutes, and for such a small house, one could walk back and forth several times. What exactly are they doing?"
Worried about Tian Tian, he turned off the engine, pushed the car door open, and followed her out.
As soon as he stepped inside, a wet towel was pressed over his nose and mouth.
He felt a pungent odor, and before he could react, he lost consciousness.
Dong Jian had prepared a large amount of ether beforehand, knocked them both out, and dragged them into a very old, 20th-century cellar behind the shack, which was specifically used for shelter.
After tying them up, he taped their mouths shut and covered the opening of the cellar.
He called Zeng Hui: "It's done. When do we make our move?"
Zeng Hui was very pleased: "I'm on my way over now. Wait until I arrive before making a move. Keep an eye on them for now."
Tian Tian's mind was hazy, and she kept dreaming. She felt uncomfortable all over and wanted to wake up from her dream but couldn't open her eyes.
She tried hard to remind herself to wake up, to wake up quickly, she still had to attend Ge'er's party, and there were many things left undone. Suddenly, a chill ran through her entire body.
It was a chill that reached the crown of her head. She finally opened her eyes.
Her hair was dripping water, and her clothes were soaked through.
It was the height of summer, and although the sun was glaring outside, she felt an icy chill.
Someone had poured a basin of cold water over her head.
In an instant, she remembered what had happened before she lost consciousness.
Her heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively turned to look for Shang Jincheng.
As soon as she saw him lying to her left, covered in ropes, his mouth also taped shut,
Another basin of water was poured from above with a splash, drenching Shang Jincheng's head.
Tian Tian looked up along the flow of water. They were currently in a hole that resembled a basement.
The hole was about two to three meters high. Two people were leaning over the opening, their faces obscured.
One of them was holding a red basin; the water had likely been poured by him.
Tian Tian never imagined that her good intentions to help someone would lead her into such a predicament.
Where was this place? Why was this person tying them up? What did he want to do?
She instinctively opened her mouth to call out, only to realize her mouth was also gagged.
Shang Jincheng beside her also woke up from the cold water. He shook his hair vigorously, clearing the water from his face.
Opening his eyes, he saw Tian Tian in such a state and was also startled by the scene before him.
After two seconds of reaction, he made muffled sounds and forcefully moved closer to Tian Tian.
The two of them suddenly became like trapped grasshoppers on the same string. Tian Tian had never felt such a need for him.
She also made muffled sounds and moved closer to him.
As soon as they managed to touch each other with all their might, the two people at the opening threw down a soft ladder and climbed down.
The first to descend was the lame man, followed by a woman.
Although the light was poor and they were looking down, their faces unclear against the light, Tian Tian recognized her at a glance.
Zeng Hui.
No wonder she had met a lame man for no reason and had been tricked into coming here.
It turned out everything was her arrangement!
She was quite cunning and understood her well.
She had gone to great lengths to trick her into coming here!
It was only now that Tian Tian realized how terrifying a woman's jealousy could be.
Although Chen Dongyang had given her ten million yuan in settlement, and although Chen Dongyang had not had an easy life over the years, separating from Zeng Hui was a mistake.
She didn't realize Chen Dongyang's sacrifices and only hated him for abandoning her, and by extension, she hated Tian Tian.
She and Chen Dongyang were both too naive and trusted Zeng Hui's character too much.
Zeng Hui, sensing Tian Tian's recognition from her eyes, let out a cold laugh and slowly squatted down.
A smug smile played on her lips as she met Tian Tian's gaze.
"Jiang Jing Tian, Miss Zhan, I bet you didn't expect to meet me here."
Indeed, she hadn't expected it.
Tian Tian now only regretted her overly saintly nature and falling for her scheme.
Was she scared? Of course, she was scared. She didn't know how much Zeng Hui hated her or how she would deal with her next.
But what she feared more was Shang Jincheng being implicated along with her.
He was innocent and shouldn't have been dragged into this!
Tian Tian mumbled incoherently, wanting them to remove the tape so she could talk to Zeng Hui.
Zeng Hui was overjoyed to see her in this state.
"You have something to say to me? You want me to remove the tape for you? Heh, dream on!"
"Before, I wanted to talk to you, to tell you about my story with Chen Dongyang, did you give me a chance? You two tricked me and toyed with me time and again, thinking I was a pig, that I shouldn't have a temper no matter how you manipulated me. Now you know I'm not, right?"