The room was bare, empty of everything. Upon entering, she was about to ask why they had summoned her when someone shoved her towards the center of the room and shut the door with a blank expression.
Tong Anan realized the danger and rushed to the door, banging on it, but there was no response from outside.
She couldn't understand why she, a foreigner and an ordinary citizen, would be locked up here.
With no signal on her phone and no one to consult, she could only wait anxiously in the room.
She waited for an entire day.
No one brought her food. As dusk began to fall, movement could finally be heard outside.
The door opened, and the person with three stripes on his shoulder entered, surrounded by a group of people.
Tong Anan stood up, watching them warily, and asked in English, "What do you want?"
The man with three stripes walked up to her, scrutinized her from head to toe, and then spoke, "Chinese?"
"Yes. What do you mean by locking me here?"
"Help us with a small favor." He gestured, and immediately several people rushed forward, grabbed her arms, and forced her into a chair in the corner.
A bright, glaring light was turned on, and a camera was pointed at her. The man with three stripes handed her a piece of paper.
"I know your English is good. Read this."
Tong Anan quickly scanned the paper. It essentially said she was in trouble and hoped the embassy would come to her rescue quickly. However, the embassy had to make a deal with them and acknowledge their international status.
It was preposterous.
They were engaging in internal conflict, and why should it involve the Chinese people?
And with an ordinary citizen at that!
"I don't understand what you mean."
The man with three stripes said, "You don't need to understand. If you want to live, just read it."
Now that she understood their objective, Tong Anan was no longer afraid.
"You mean, if I don't read it, my life will be in danger?"
"You know that. During special times, accidents can happen. Who knows if you'll encounter an accident? Even if an accident occurs, and no one witnesses it, can it really escalate to international relations?"
Tong Anan understood his meaning.
They needed international recognition, which the embassy would surely refuse. So, they decided to use a hostage to threaten them.
If Tong Anan refused, they would simply kill her, claiming it was an accident.
Even if everyone knew it wasn't true, without evidence, they couldn't do anything to them.
Tong Anan had seen similar plots in movies before, never expecting it to happen to her.
Although she desperately wanted to live, she knew she couldn't do as they asked.
"I'm sorry, I don't have the authority. And I'm not that important. I won't read it."
From the moment the internal conflict began, the embassy had been working on rescue efforts.
Zhan Group also submitted a list of their employees working in the country and their residential locations immediately.
Therefore, even though they hadn't contacted the embassy, the embassy had managed to reach their dormitory area as quickly as possible through various means.
Upon arriving on the floor and hearing that one employee was injured and another had gone to rescue them but hadn't returned for so long, they knew trouble had arisen.
They urgently contacted the occupying forces.
After a day of investigation, they finally determined the locations of Tong Anan and Manager Li.
Negotiations were underway to secure their release.
The other side had also made demands: they would release them, but only if they acknowledged their status during an interview.
This was sternly refused.
The embassy stated, "Your current actions have severely crossed our bottom line. If our people are harmed while in your custody, the consequences will be dire. We will not rule out the use of force to defend our dignity."
News of Tong Anan's predicament had spread within Zhan Group, causing widespread concern, especially for Jiang Jingyu.
He monitored the situation closely and became furious upon hearing from the embassy that Tong Anan had been detained.
He wished he could grow wings and fly there immediately.
However, impatience was useless; he couldn't go there now.
For the first time in his life, he became superstitious, hoping there really was a God in heaven, or deities, who could protect Tong Anan's safety.
Negotiations continued, and Tong Anan had been confined to the room for two days.
After fruitless negotiations and facing threats, the leader in charge became furious and increased the pressure.
If all else failed, they would record a video and post it online. Even the admission of an ordinary citizen could stir up public opinion.
The man with three stripes again stormed into the room with his subordinates, demanding Tong Anan record a video.
Tong Anan remained silent. After a while, the man with three stripes, enraged, slapped her.
"Don't forget, your colleague just had surgery. You don't want to live, but does he?" If you don't speak, I'll immediately order them to stop his medication!"
Tong Anan wasn't afraid for herself, but the thought of how desperate Mrs. Li and her young son would be after losing Manager Li filled her with grief and indignation.
Reluctantly, she agreed to record a video, but insisted on speaking in Chinese.
The other party gave her time to prepare. Tong Anan mentally rehearsed for about two minutes, then nodded. The other party turned on the camera.
She looked into the lens, paused for a few seconds, and then began to speak softly.
"My name is Tong Anan. I am Chinese. I am currently in a certain country. The people here are very warm and hospitable. I have been working here for half a year and I truly love the culture and people here."
"I hope everyone can live a beautiful and peaceful life, not be involved in any disputes. I wish for world peace."
"I love my country and my family. If this is the last time I speak with you, I hope you remember that my love for you is eternal."
"Jiang Jingyu, I'm sorry. But I have no regrets about this business trip. We will meet again in the next life. I hope I can meet you again in the next life."
After speaking, she looked at the person beside her.
Knowing she had finished, the other party turned off the camera.
"Did you read what was on the script?"
"Yes."
"I'll find someone to translate it now. You'd better have said everything correctly."
With that, the group noisily left the room.
Tong Anan prepared herself for death.
She knew her lies would soon be exposed, and they would return in a furious rage to trouble her.
She stood by the window, gazing into the distance, her heart filled with longing for her small town of Shuangqiao.
Her parents with their limited worldly knowledge, her brother, and Jiang Jingyu, who was always so attentive to her.
But as she had said, she had no regrets about coming on this trip.
Everything one experiences in life is predetermined.
She even felt fortunate to have gone through these experiences, considering it a splash of vibrant color in her otherwise ordinary life.
It was just a pity for Jiang Jingyu.
But he was so outstanding; he would surely meet a better girl in the future.
"Jingyu, I hope you won't hate me."