Perhaps it was due to exhaustion, but despite her worries, Quan Jiu slept soundly until five o'clock. Fortunately, she had no dreams, and her sleep quality was decent, leaving her without any fatigue.
After a simple wash and tidy, she was driven to the film set by Chu Rong.
On the way, Quan Jiu ate milk and bread and said to Chu Rong, "The next two days are outdoor shoots, and we'll be going to another city. I'll bring the bodyguards, so you don't have to come. Tomorrow is the weekend, and if neither of us is home, the children will definitely be sad."
Chu Rong paused briefly before nodding in agreement.
"How do you plan to resolve last night's incident? Is there direct evidence proving Liu Zhi Xi was behind it?" Quan Jiu asked again.
"I believe, with the Quan family's capabilities, it shouldn't be difficult to find the answer. The four cars that intervened last night belong to the Quan family; they should be the bodyguards the Quan family sent to secretly protect you."
Quan Jiu felt a surge of emotion. She had to admit, her biological parents and brother truly cared about her. And if it weren't for those people last night, she and Chu Rong might not have escaped safely.
...
Upon arriving at the film set, filming continued intensely. From six-thirty until noon, the crew finally took a break.
As usual, Chu Rong brought lunch for Quan Jiu. After watching her finish, he personally escorted her to the lounge and only left quietly after she had fallen asleep.
The entire film set was hushed at this time. Due to the high-intensity work, everyone was seizing the brief lunch break to catch up on sleep.
The lounge had air conditioning, and Quan Jiu slept comfortably. Suddenly, she woke up, feeling as though she had slept for a long time. In a panic, she checked her phone and realized only ten minutes had passed.
Everyone was on lunch break at this hour. After waking up, Quan Jiu got up, drank some water, and began memorizing her lines.
However, as she recited her lines, her vision gradually blurred, and her head felt heavy. As the dizziness intensified, she felt a jolt of alarm. She reached out to knock over the cup on the table to attract the attention of the bodyguards outside, but her hand felt too heavy to lift. She tried to call out, but her throat felt blocked, rendering her speechless.
Quan Jiu bit her tongue hard, trying to maintain the last shred of consciousness, but her awareness was uncontrollably slipping away. After an unknown amount of time, she suddenly jolted awake. Her eyelids twitched slightly, but she didn't rush to open them. Instead, she used her gradually returning consciousness to sense her surroundings.
She was sitting in a chair, her hands and feet bound, her mouth gagged, and a hood covering her head, which made the light she perceived very dim, preventing her from judging the specific time.
But this was perfect for her to open her eyes.
Quan Jiu remained still, opened her eyes, and listened carefully to the sounds around her.
To her front right, four to five people were chatting about women. Judging by the echo of their voices, she could tell she was in a very spacious and large area.
She might be locked up in an abandoned building, Quan Jiu thought, continuing to listen to the sounds.
Perhaps because her other senses were restricted, her hearing became particularly acute. Holding her breath, she could even hear the sounds of car horns outside.
The honking was dense, and it was Friday today. Quan Jiu was almost certain it was the rush hour for people leaving work, between five-thirty and eight o'clock. She had been held captive all afternoon.
A wave of panic washed over Quan Jiu. It wasn't that she was worried about herself, but about her children and parents, and Chu Rong, and the film crew. Her sudden disappearance from the set must have caused a frenzy everywhere.
Liu Zhi Xi, I was indeed too soft on you.
Quan Jiu's panic gradually gave way to anger. She forced herself to calm down and continued to assess her surroundings.
She wasn't held in the suburbs. An abandoned building in the city... there was a half-finished building reported in the news, but she couldn't be sure it was that one.
Her hands and feet were tied with ropes. If no one were around, it wouldn't be difficult for Quan Jiu to break free, as she had learned such self-rescue techniques when she studied boxing.
The problem was that someone was guarding her.
"Still not awake?"
Just as Quan Jiu was carefully listening to discern her location, a cold voice sounded about two meters in front of her.
Quan Jiu remained motionless. One of the men to her front right replied, "She hasn't woken up. I've been watching her the entire time, and she hasn't moved a muscle."
The cold voice approached step by step. Soon, Quan Jiu felt someone standing in front of her.
Judging by the height of the light blockage, the heavy footsteps, and the pitch of the voice, her intuition told her this person was at least 1.8 meters tall.
Quan Jiu moved at the opportune moment. After a moment, as if just waking up, she began to grunt and struggle with her hands and feet.
Qu Yi reached out and removed the hood from Quan Jiu's head. A stunningly beautiful face immediately came into view.
Her luminous eyes, filled with tears, looked at him in terror, like a frightened little rabbit. Yet, those eyes seemed to possess a captivating charm. As he gazed directly at her, his heart was stirred.
What a stunner. A flicker of amazement and surprise flashed in Qu Yi's eyes. He instinctively reached out and removed the gag from Quan Jiu's mouth.
Without the gag, her face looked even more beautiful.
A subordinate consciously brought a stool and placed it behind Qu Yi.
Qu Yi sat down lazily. "Do you know who I am?"
Quan Jiu bit her lip lightly, shook her head, and tears also slid from her eyes. She looked pitiful and harmless, evoking a sense of pity.
Qu Yi, having seen countless women, still found it difficult to resist this pure yet alluring charm. A wave of heat surged from his lower abdomen, rushing to his head.
However, his self-control was excellent. He suppressed the restlessness in his heart and looked at Quan Jiu playfully. "You staring at a man so intently, especially given your current situation, is very dangerous."
Quan Jiu's face flushed red. Embarrassed and angry, her voice, though tinged with grievance and fear, was as pleasant as a warbler's song. "Who are you? Why did you tie me up here? I haven't offended you."
Qu Yi chuckled softly, shifted into a more comfortable position, half-reclining, half-sitting. "Clearly, you've offended someone else."
Although she had suspected it, Quan Jiu's anger flared upon confirmation.
She tried to control herself, maintaining a pitiable demeanor. "Then what do you want from me? Tell me, and I'll cooperate. As long as you don't hurt me, I'll agree to any condition."
"Any condition?" Qu Yi raised an eyebrow slightly.
Tears streamed down Quan Jiu's face, her voice trembling like a sieve, but her tone was firm. "Yes, any condition. I only beg you not to hurt me; I'm afraid of pain.
Besides, forcing yourself on me or on me would be bad for both of us. It's better if I cooperate willingly, and you'll be comfortable, and I won't be in pain. I'll consider it mutual consent. I have only one request: wear protection. It's safer for you, isn't it? Because if I have an infectious disease, or if the police test your bodily fluid samples from me afterward, it would be disadvantageous for you. What do you think? I'll cooperate willingly in exchange for you not hurting me. After it's over, you'll let me go, okay?"
Qu Yi looked at the beauty, who was clearly terrified but still trying to negotiate with him, and couldn't help but burst into laughter.
He stood up, his tall, slender frame of nearly 1.9 meters casting Quan Jiu entirely in shadow.
Gently lifting Quan Jiu's chin, Qu Yi examined every inch of her skin as if appraising a work of art. Feeling the smoothness of his fingertips, his eyes were filled with amusement. "Are you truly willing?"
Quan Jiu nodded slightly. "Yes. Your attire, your demeanor, you clearly come from a wealthy family. I guess the possibility of robbery is not high. Of course, if it is indeed robbery, I'm even more willing to cooperate. I'll transfer money to you immediately, without hesitation. I swear."
Qu Yi gently rubbed the corner of Quan Jiu's lips. "You're quite good at assessing the situation."
A hint of ambiguity flickered in his eyes. "I am indeed not short of money. And I never force anyone in bed. But if you are willing, such a beauty, why should I refuse?"
Quan Jiu's lips trembled slightly. Her lowered eyes seemed to weep, but the gaze hidden in the shadow was as sharp as a knife.
"Okay," she replied softly, with a hint of a murmur, as beautiful as the most tender and captivating flower.
Qu Yi no longer suppressed his desires, and an ambiguous aura emanated onto Quan Jiu's face. "This place is also quite interesting. Entrust yourself to me, and I will ensure tonight becomes a memorable night for you.
But before that, I need you to tell me definitively, are you truly willing?" The last sentence was spoken with an unconsciously gentler tone.
Quan Jiu shyly bit her lip and nodded almost imperceptibly, obediently murmuring, "Mm."
Qu Yi's breathing quickened.
He allowed the desire to grow within him and reached out to untie the ropes binding Quan Jiu's hands and feet.