Chapter 46: Escape

The man followed the plan, avoiding attention as he carried Yang Qingyan to a secluded house. Inside, Li Ming was already anxiously waiting, excited at the prospect of finally getting his hands on Yang Qingyan.

As soon as he saw the man enter carrying Yang Qingyan, his eyes lit up with excitement, and he leered at her, muttering, “Little beauty, I’m here.” He hurriedly grabbed a nearby cup of water and splashed it onto Yang Qingyan to wake her up.

Yang Qingyan slowly regained consciousness, her head still a bit groggy. As soon as she opened her eyes, she was met with Li Ming’s disgusting, lustful gaze. A chill ran down her spine, and she instinctively tried to struggle, only to find her hands tightly bound by ropes, unable to move.

Seeing this, Li Ming’s smile grew even more reckless as he leaned in, grinning widely. “Little beauty, you’re awake! Now, just enjoy yourself.”

Yang Qingyan’s heart raced, realizing she needed to stay calm. She rolled her eyes and said to Li Ming, pretending to be composed, “If you release me, then I can cooperate with you. Otherwise, this is no fun.”

Li Ming thought to himself that Yang Qingyan was just a weak girl who had been drugged; he figured she wouldn’t pose much of a threat. It would indeed be more fun to play around if she was untied. So, he leered and stepped closer, quickly untying the ropes.

Yang Qingyan subtly loosened her hands, secretly reaching for the silver needles hidden in her pocket. She swiftly pressed down on several acupuncture points on her body while quietly channeling her abilities to gradually clear out the lingering effects of the drug. Once she felt a modicum of strength returning, she raised her gaze to Li Ming and smirked coldly, “Come here.”

Li Ming was taken aback by this sudden change, but consumed by lust, he didn’t think much of it. He assumed Yang Qingyan had surrendered, and filled with joy, he stepped forward, extending his hand to touch her face.

Seizing the opportunity, Yang Qingyan suddenly thrust the silver needle into Li Ming’s arm. He felt a sharp pain shoot through him, and shortly after, his hands turned numb and immobilized. His eyes widened in terror as he opened his mouth to call for help, but Yang Qingyan was quick to stab another needle into his mute point, silencing him completely.

After handling Li Ming, Yang Qingyan scanned the surroundings, noticing several thugs stationed at the entrance. Clearly, breaking out through the front door was not a wise move. Her gaze shifted to the window. Carefully, she made her way to the window, climbed onto the sill, and waited for the right moment to leap.

Inside the house, after being subdued by Yang Qingyan, Li Ming desperately knocked over nearby tables and chairs, causing a loud racket. The thugs lurking at the door heard the commotion and exchanged glances. One of the thugs with red-dyed hair teased, “From the noise, Brother Ming really is something, managing to handle that woman so quickly.”

Another thug with an ear stud chimed in, “Of course! Just a woman; she was easy to take down.” The group burst into laughter, remaining at their posts, completely unaware of the unfolding situation.

After a while, when the noise ceased, the thugs found it odd. The red-haired thug frowned and said, “Why is it quiet now? Something didn’t happen, did it?”

The thug with the ear stud scoffed, “What could happen? They probably just got tired from the struggle. Let’s wait a bit longer.” A moment later, the room remained eerily silent, causing the thugs to grow suspicious. They decided to enter and check it out.

Pushing the door open, a tense atmosphere hit them. They were met with the sight of Li Ming sprawled on the ground, his hands limp and unable to move, with his mouth silenced by Yang Qingyan’s pinning needle, his eyes full of anger and anxiety. The thugs panicked and scrambled to help Li Ming up.

Realizing their mistake, the thugs rushed out in haste, frantically searching for any trace of Yang Qingyan.

Meanwhile, Mu Nanhe was in his hospital room dealing with Li Fang and Bai Yiling, but his unease grew stronger. Unable to tolerate the charade any longer, he ignored their attempts to engage him and suddenly wheeled himself out the door, as if caught in a gust of wind.

The bustling corridor filled him with urgency, and he stopped anyone he could find to ask if they had seen Yang Qingyan, but each person shook their head, indicating they had no idea. Anxiety washed over him as beads of sweat rolled down his forehead; he gripped the wheelchair’s armrests so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

Just as he was about to despair, a passing nurse hesitated, then said, “I think I saw Dr. Wang heading towards the stairwell.” Upon hearing this, hope sparked in Mu Nanhe’s eyes. He didn’t have time to express his gratitude and swiftly made his way to the stairwell.

As soon as he entered, the dim light made his heart drop, an ominous feeling washing over him. He frantically scanned the area and suddenly spotted something familiar in the corner—a button from Yang Qingyan’s clothing, lying alone on the ground, silently telling the tale of her peril. Trembling, he picked up the button, filled with guilt and anger, knowing that something had indeed happened to Yang Qingyan.

“Qingyan, you must be okay!” Mu Nanhe silently shouted in his heart. He glanced down at his legs, which were not yet fully recovered, feeling the frustration of not being able to run and search for Yang Qingyan.

Time was of the essence, and he couldn’t afford to think too much. Gritting his teeth, Mu Nanhe decided to call for help. He pushed himself towards the nurses’ station as quickly as he could, nearly colliding with an orderly pushing a medicine cart. He hurriedly apologized and continued on his way.

Upon reaching the nurses’ station, he urgently addressed the duty nurse: “Nurse, please lend me the phone! It’s an emergency!” The nurse, noticing his anxious demeanor, quickly handed him the phone.

With trembling fingers, Mu Nanhe dialed Xia Tianyou’s number. As soon as the call connected, his voice was laced with the urgency of someone who had experienced fear before: “Tianyou, something has happened to Qingyan! My legs are still inconvenient, so hurry and bring people to the hospital; Yang Qingyan might have been abducted! You need to be quick!”

After speaking, he hung up the phone before Tianyou could respond, his eyes filled with determination and resolve. He cursed himself for not being healed yet.