Attention Sir, I Have Your Heart Handcuffed!-Chapter 307 - 1. The third person on the list (2 more 1)

The afternoon sunlight of late autumn remained intense, yet seemed feeble. Shi Nian tightened her coat, standing by the roadside in a daze.

No, something must have happened to Xiong Jie!

.

In the suburbs, the forest remained lush. Among the shade of the trees were scattered independent cabins. These were mostly used by the city’s middle class for summer retreats. By this season, most of these houses were left vacant.

Yet, at this time, the scenery outside these cabins was still picturesque, golden leaves dancing in the wind, the sky a clear blue, and the distant mountains painted in hues like an oil painting.

Inside a locked cabin, a woman was tied to a chair, her mouth gagged, gazing out the window.

The window panes resembled a picture frame, with the scenery outside encapsulated like an oil painting, colors vivid and rich, emotions boldly and earnestly conveyed.

But the woman had no interest in appreciating it; her hair disheveled, eyes full of fear, tears lingering at the corners of her eyes, lipstick messily imprinted on the white cloth gagging her mouth.

She forcefully shook the chair, hoping the noise of it colliding with the floor could reach outside the door and be heard by passersby.

Unfortunately, the forest was serene, and not a single person passed by from morning till now.

In the end, she despaired, tears of pain flowing down her face.

Oh heavens, why did such a thing happen to her?

This woman was Xiong Jie, who hadn’t shown up for work in days.

She didn’t know where this place was or who had brought her here.

All she remembered was that night, she was writing an article. The next day was the opening of Mark’s trial; she had packed her briefcase, ready to head to court the next morning. The Mark case involved Shi Nian, Xiang Yuan, and Tang Yanqing. She could imagine how heated it would be; she was certain she would collect a lot of material, and she was thrilled by the prospect.

She couldn’t sleep because of her excitement, so she wrote until late. She remembered when she finally shut her laptop, her gaze flickered to the system time at the bottom corner of the screen; it was already two in the morning. Still sleepless, she headed to the bathroom, intending to run a bath to relax her excited nerves.

Being someone who pursued ambiance, she placed lavender essential oil, which aids sleep, by the bathtub before slipping into the tub.

The bath indeed took effect, perhaps thanks to the lavender aroma, making her drowsy as she lay within.

She remembered drifting off to sleep with a smile on her lips. But upon awakening, she was shocked to find herself in such an unfamiliar place!

When she woke, she was in bed, her hands and feet bound to the head and foot of the bed. She noticed she was even dressed, and quite neatly too, with buttons and straps all properly fastened. Even the colors and styles of her clothes matched perfectly, not at all like they were hastily thrown on.

Panicked, she turned her head to look around and noticed a large wardrobe opposite the bed, with a big mirror on its door. She looked into the mirror and let out a scream!

——Through the mirror, she could see her face had been made up with light makeup!

The ensemble of such clothing and light makeup was elegantly neat as if she were attending a date rather than being kidnapped!

.

She knew she had been kidnapped, but no matter how loudly she shouted, the person who captured her never appeared. She didn’t know the reason behind her kidnapping.

Having been a reporter for so many years, she had covered many cases of single women being kidnapped. The perpetrators usually had their own demands, either for money or for sexual purposes, or there were those with the peculiar goals of a psychopathic killer... So, in despair, she quietly waited, waited for the person to enact his purpose, whatever it was. As long as she could see him, she’d at least have a chance to flee or negotiate.

But her hopes were dashed. From the moment she awoke in this room, she had never seen the person’s face.

She was hungry, thirsty, desperate, and exhausted. By the third or fourth day, her mental state began to crumble.

She seemed to have fallen asleep from sheer exhaustion, and when she awoke again, she found herself tied to a chair!

The person had come while she was unconscious, so she still couldn’t catch a glimpse of him!

And while bound to the chair, she no longer felt hunger; she knew this was contrary to physiological norms, so her immediate inference was that she had been injected with nutrients.

The person who kidnapped her was like a ghost, appearing when she was defenseless to inject her with nutrition, keeping her from dying, yet refusing to show himself or give her any words of explanation!

To cry out to the heavens was unheeded, and to call the earth was futile. Without a way to rely on her professional skills to escape, she was verging on madness!

Now, the only thought in her mind was: Whatever the kidnapper wanted, let him have it. As long as after he took what he wanted, she could go free.

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Another day passed, still with no article or any news from Xiong Jie, Shi Nian became anxious, pulling out her phone to consider calling the police.

After thinking it over, she restrained herself, her fingers flicking past Tang Yanqing’s number, dialing Huangfu Huazhang’s instead.

It was turned off.

Shi Nian grabbed her bag, greeted Ye He, and left the company.

Previously, the car she drove was a Mini bought for her by Xiang Yuan. During the divorce, it wasn’t specifically divided, Xiang Yuan intending for her to continue using it.

When together with Xiang Yuan before, she was draped in fine clothes, wearing branded suits, driving the Mini to "Tang Dynasty"; even Tang Yanxi’s secretary once misunderstood her. In actuality, personally, she didn’t like that kind of attire; she preferred sweaters, jeans, and sneakers. Back then, it was to complement Xiang Yuan’s lawyer’s status, to fit his aesthetic. Now divorced, she could finally return to herself.

She sold the Mini, first intending to transfer the proceeds to Xiang Yuan’s account. Calling Xiang Yuan, he sternly refused. She thought about it and transferred it to Tang Dynasty’s account, as living expenses for Nisha’s two daughters. Not only this sum, but she also decided to transfer a fixed amount from her salary every month.

Though this money could not replace Nisha, she hoped it could somewhat comfort her spirit in heaven.

She also bought a fourth-hand Beetle; though a bit old, the cost-performance ratio was high, and it sufficed for driving around the city.

So, she drove the fourth-hand Beetle smoothly onto the road, heading straight up the mountain to Huangfu Huazhang’s castle.

The servant went inside to report, and soon, Xia Zuo came out. Upon seeing Shi Nian, his face was indifferent.

Shi Nian took a deep breath: "From your expression, it seems the gentleman doesn’t wish to see me?"

Xia Zuo’s expression darkened further: "If the gentleman really didn’t want to see you, it would be better. I wouldn’t even have to bother greeting you."

Shi Nian’s cheeks flushed: "So, the gentleman is willing to see me?"

Xia Zuo’s gaze was menacing: "But I must warn you, if this time you make the gentleman disappointed and sad again, then I hope you won’t appear before him in the future!"

He approached, closing in on Shi Nian: "Do you know? Before you appeared, the gentleman’s heart was as calm as still water; though not excessively joyous, at least he didn’t feel sorrow. But now his entire heart is in disarray. Every day from the moment he opens his eyes, he is thoughtful, even bothering to keep his phone within his vision, and every time it rings, he is filled with hope... only to be doubly disappointed when it turns out to be someone unconnected, until dusk falls.

Xia Zuo took a deep breath: "If you have no feelings for the gentleman equivalent to his, please don’t disturb his peace!"

Shi Nian was stunned: "I’m sorry, I never intended to disturb the gentleman. Moreover, I didn’t know he would be like this..."

Xia Zuo’s piercing eyes gazed at her; from this angle, they appeared a deep green, like a snake in the jungle.

"If you want to see the gentleman, please first promise me: don’t let him down, and above all - don’t hurt him."

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Shi Nian gazed long into Xia Zuo’s eyes, then resolutely turned away.

"I’m sorry, today, I came to visit the gentleman, not to make any exchanges, much less make any promises with anyone other than him. If, Xia Zuo, you want me to agree to this just to get in, then I must tell you, you’ve got me. I’m leaving, I won’t be restricted into anything unreasonable, least of all by someone overstepping their bounds."

With this, Shi Nian turned her back to the castle, walking away resolutely without looking back.

Her reaction left Xia Zuo somewhat surprised, watching her walk away, initially thinking she was just putting on a show; it was not until he saw her get into the car without looking back, immediately buckling her seatbelt, and starting the engine to depart.

Suddenly, a tall figure appeared, rushing from the doorway, splaying both hands in front of her car.

−

[Second update of the morning~]