Su Ding's eyes widened abruptly, her mind struck by a bolt of lightning. She used all her might to look behind her!
By the moonlight, she saw a small figure hiding at the corner of the steel bed.
Xiao Rui!
Her daughter!
Tears instantly streamed down Su Ding's face. She sobbed, the sound muffled by the cloth in her mouth.
"Mmm mmm!" Xiao Rui!
The small shadow in the darkness moved again. "Mommy?"
Su Ding let out a heavy "Mm," her body causing the stool beneath her to creak.
She felt her head pounding, blood rushing backward, and her body trembling uncontrollably.
Xiao Rui was still alive.
The small shadow moved with great difficulty, yet it was still trying to approach Su Ding.
Finally, Su Xiao Rui reached Su Ding's feet.
Only then did Su Ding see that Xiao Rui's hands were also bound behind her. Her face was dusty, with some dried bloodstains.
Her nose stung, and she couldn't help but shed tears, drop by drop.
She had never made Xiao Rui suffer like this. After so many days apart, her daughter had become much thinner. The usually clean and pretty little girl had turned into a ragged little child.
"Mommy, woo woo..."
Su Xiao Rui could no longer hold back. She threw herself at Su Ding's feet and sobbed.
These past few days, the bad guys had locked her in a small dark room, giving her one meal a day. No one spoke to her. She thought she would never see her mother again.
Finally, Mother came after all.
Su Ding felt immense heartache and wanted to hug her daughter, but the current situation was very precarious.
"Sweetheart, don't cry. We need to find a way to get out."
Su Ding's hoarse voice tried to keep low, comforting her daughter, afraid that any noise would alert someone and put them in danger.
Su Xiao Rui remained silent. In the dark room, her fearful expression was invisible.
She quietly leaned against her mother's feet, suppressing her sobs and trembling intermittently.
Feeling her daughter's warmth, Su Ding's excited emotions gradually calmed, and her despair instantly transformed.
She had to survive!
She signaled Su Xiao Rui to be quiet, then listened carefully for sounds outside...
It was quiet outside, as if no one was nearby.
Only then did she relax slightly, gently nudging Xiao Rui with her knee and making eye contact.
Su Xiao Rui looked up and quickly understood her mother's intention.
She got up and moved behind Su Ding. Su Ding's hands were also bound behind her. Mother and daughter stood back to back. Su Ding calmed herself, calmly allowing Xiao Rui to untie her ropes.
After her hands were freed, Xiao Rui quickly untied Su Ding's ropes as well.
With her hands unbound, Su Ding sighed with relief. Instinctively, she picked up her daughter and hugged her tightly, feeling her broken heart slowly mend.
Su Xiao Rui was held obediently by her mother, sniffling and sobbing, "Mommy..."
"Yes, Xiao Rui, Mommy is here. Don't be scared."
After holding her daughter for a while, Su Ding slowly stood up. Her head was still a little hazy, but the effects of the drug had mostly worn off.
She stood up, stretched her muscles, and asked in a low voice, "Xiao Rui, when will they come?"
Su Xiao Rui thought for a moment and timidly said, "The bad guys bring me food every day. They haven't come today yet, they should be coming soon."
Fear and trepidation flickered in her eyes. Su Ding tenderly stroked her hair, "Good girl, Mommy will protect you."
Su Xiao Rui rushed into her mother's embrace, "Xiao Rui isn't scared."
Su Ding held Su Xiao Rui on the bed and looked at the window, which was welded shut with iron bars, giving up any hope of escape from there.
She felt herself all over; her phone had been taken.
However, Jin Ye should discover her disappearance soon. She didn't know how many people were guarding this place. If she couldn't handle them, Xiao Rui might be implicated.
She dared not act rashly for now.
She could only wait for an opportunity. If there weren't too many people, she could still manage.
Su Ding found a wooden stick in the room, an old clothes rod that had fallen from the wardrobe. It was not light, and if aimed correctly, it could knock someone out in one blow!
Su Ding made Su Xiao Rui lie down on the bed, while she herself clutched the blanket, trembling.
Although she knew her mother had studied martial arts in America, she was still worried about her mother getting hurt, especially since those men were tall and strong.
If only someone could save them.
Su Xiao Rui watched her mother nervously, while Su Ding gripped the wooden stick and stared intently at the door. Her sharp gaze was piercing in the darkness, like a predator poised to strike.
At that moment, heavy footsteps echoed from the corridor outside, approaching their location...