After Redeeming the Cold, Aloof Heroine, I Ran Away - Chapter 4

The gap between the villas was surrounded by people dressed in blue-and-white uniforms. One by one, they craned their necks and peered into the narrow space, cautiously discussing something in low voices.

After hearing Jiang Xian’s footsteps, everyone stopped talking. They turned their heads slightly and bowed to her, then immediately parted down the middle to make way for her.

Jiang Xian strode quickly to the gap and looked up. It turned out that the villa’s designer had a rather unique style. Two red brick walls had been left standing there, without any plastering or decoration. Only cement lines filled the gaps between the bricks, stacking them into walls twenty meters high. It seemed to be meant to give the European retro-style architecture more artistic value.

The space between the two walls was only about twenty centimeters wide. It was very dark inside and difficult to see clearly. Someone handed over a flashlight. Jiang Xian switched it on and shone it straight in. The white beam landed on Jing Lian. She was squeezed sideways in the deepest part of the gap, her pure white clothes, stained with blood, pressed tightly against the wall. Her head was slightly tilted upward, and her arms hung naturally at her sides. She did not struggle or move. She looked like a white crane that had accidentally fallen into a crack.

Artistic. It was truly too artistic.

Those who did not know better would think this was a shoddy construction project made by the engineering department to cut corners. Those who did know, such as Jiang Xian, understood the architect’s intention. It was as if, for all the years since the villa had been designed and built, it had been waiting for this exact moment—the moment a white crane fell between the buildings.

And that moment was now.

“Come out.”

Jiang Xian spoke irritably, shaking the flashlight. She moved the light upward, shining it on Jing Lian’s jawline. That way, she could see her expression clearly without shining it directly into her eyes.

“I’ll say it again. Come out.”

Her voice grew more forceful, as though she were still that powerful person in a high position, able to summon clouds with one turn of her hand and rain with the other.

Jing Lian finally showed an expression. Her delicate brows seemed to smile yet not smile, and the corner of her mouth seemed to lift yet not lift. She did not turn her face over. She merely glanced sideways at Jiang Xian with a pair of eyes soaked in frost, as if saying that Jiang Xian finally had no way to deal with her.

Jiang Xian was so angry she laughed. However, her expression remained calm, her eyes solemn as she stared straight at Jing Lian.

Very good. If Jing Lian would not come out, did that mean Jiang Xian could not go in?

She tossed the flashlight, and the beam of light arced into her left hand. Holding it high above her head, she turned sideways and reached her right hand into the gap between the villas.

The narrow gap just happened to leave enough space for one arm. Jiang Xian’s arm was wedged between the two walls, and her fingertips just managed to touch Jing Lian’s hair. But it was not long enough. She could only stroke it lightly. She could not grab her, nor could she reach her properly.

The smile at the corner of Jing Lian’s mouth became even more obvious. This time, she turned her head over. The incandescent light happened to fall on her lips. Those pale lips suddenly moved closer, softly pressing against Jiang Xian’s fingertips, like touching a ball of soft white cotton. In the next second, Jing Lian bit down with her silver teeth, as though the sound of finger bones snapping could be heard.

“Ah!”

Jiang Xian yanked her hand back and instinctively curled her bitten middle finger, trembling as she clenched her fist.

She glared back angrily and roared at Jing Lian, “You’re dead.”

You’re dead.

Everyone held their breath and looked straight ahead. They all understood what the big boss meant by those words. They exchanged glances, some feeling contempt, some sympathy, and some taking pleasure in the misfortune of the soft person trapped in the wall gap.

However, the person inside seemed long used to such threats. She once again raised her proud neck and looked up at the strip of sky between the walls. A slant of sunlight spilled onto the mottled red bricks. Though the light was faint, it was not completely gone.

At that moment, the gloating Auntie Wang found an opportunity for revenge. Just now, because of Jing Lian, she had suffered a slap from Boss. This time, she had to perform well and make that Jing Lian unable to get out of this gracefully!

In their eyes, the big boss changed women as easily as changing clothes. It was servants like them who could accompany Boss for the long term.

With great respect, she handed over a ginger-yellow hemp rope as thick as a thumb.

“Boss, use this. First loop it around her neck, then drag her out hard. Wouldn’t that be easy?”

Jiang Xian was currently vexed over how to gently invite Jing Lian out, but the people under her had no sense at all. They went straight for whatever method was most violent.

They truly did not understand how to cherish beauty.

Naturally, she would not use the hemp rope. Instead, she shot Auntie Wang a sharp look and said through gritted teeth, “Who asked you?”

Zero people had asked her!

She had called them over to help, not to add fuel to the fire.

Although Jiang Xian had to act violent, she could not actually be violent. Maintaining this fierce-on-the-outside, timid-on-the-inside persona was truly not easy.

She turned to Xiao Ya. “Do you have any good ideas?”

Xiao Ya held both hands in front of her abdomen and nodded with a smile. “Boss, the reinforcements I called will arrive soon.”

Speak of Cao Cao, and Cao Cao arrives. In less than the time it took to drink half a cup of tea, a housekeeper walked over carrying a small green snake as thick as a little finger with fire tongs. Caught off guard, Jiang Xian suddenly found it thrust in front of her. The little green snake shot its thumb-sized head fiercely toward her, hissed, and flicked out its tongue. Its black-bean-sized eyes instantly narrowed into two black slits.

Jiang Xian was so frightened that she held her breath.

Needless to say, they wanted to use the snake to force Jing Lian out.

What kind of hatred-pulling move was this?

Xiao Ya and Auntie Wang, this pair of “crouching dragon and phoenix chick,” were trying to get her killed.

She helplessly sighed through her nose.

“Are you trying to poison me to death?”

Her face stiffened, her pupils contracting as she glared fixedly at the two of them.

The two looked at each other, instantly rendered speechless.

Jiang Xian exhaled, blowing her side-parted bangs into disorder. She lifted her eyes and looked into the gap. Jing Lian still maintained the elegant posture of a white crane in broad daylight, standing unmoving.

She had not been frightened by the rope or the snake either.

They could not violently drag her out.

Jiang Xian moved the flashlight downward. The beam passed over Jing Lian’s French-style dress stained red with blood, passed over her fair little ankles, and landed on her toes.

Her insteps were covered in blood and sand. Her two reddish feet trembled slightly, held taut.

She was pretending to be strong.

A sudden idea came to Jiang Xian, and she said, “In the end, people still have to eat, drink, and relieve themselves. I don’t believe you can live in there. Half a day might be fine, but what about a whole day? Also, the wounds on your body need to be treated within twenty-four hours. Otherwise, they’re very likely to become infected, leave scars, or even develop tetanus. You don’t want to die so soon, do you? I won’t force you. You’ll come out on your own.”

Retreating in order to advance, Jiang Xian dismissed the servants and withdrew cleanly, leaving Jing Lian there alone.

The sound of footsteps gradually faded until it could no longer be heard.

Had they finally left? Jing Lian let out a breath from her chest. Her tense body slowly softened, and her entire back casually leaned against the cold wall. Her bones were thin, and her protruding shoulder blades pressed against the hard wall, causing some pain.

But she felt extremely at ease.

Although this place was dark and cold, it gave her a greater sense of security than the soft velvet quilt inside the villa. Even if it was only for a short moment, as long as she did not have to see that demon, then this was complete freedom.

She was too tired. Her entire body ached and tingled with pain. So she leaned against the red brick wall like that, her eyes looking at the only long, narrow strip of light. Slowly, slowly, her eyelids fell like the curtain at the end of a play, and the world went completely dark.

Jing Lian had only just fallen asleep when she dreamed that her small body fell down and smashed hard onto a huge deck.

The pain made her lose all five senses. After a moment, she finally heard the sea wind howling all around her. Raindrops as large as hailstones pounded against her body. Her soaked dress was lifted by the wind, flapping like a flag.

When she opened her eyes, she was on a medium-sized cruise ship. The sky was gray and dark. Several waterspouts rose from the sea toward the heavens. The seawater churned, waves crashing over one after another. The cruise ship shook violently, throwing her toward the railing.

Jing Lian rolled several times across the ground before finally stopping with her back against the railing.

At that moment, there was no one else on the deck. Because of the severe extreme weather, everyone had hidden inside the cabin. Only she was here.

“Mom.”

Jing Lian cried out while struggling to run, wanting to find the mother who had come with her.

Her mother had already been gone for half an hour, yet Jing Lian still had not seen her return.

She was extremely anxious. Even in such extreme weather, she still did not give up. Instead, she held onto the railing and dragged herself forward with difficulty.

Step by step, she pulled along her paper-thin body, walking alone through the wind and rain.

The night was deep, and the violent wind lashed against her face. This made her already nearsighted vision even worse. Vaguely, she heard the voices of two people talking through the downpour. Judging by the sound, one of them was her mother.

Jing Lian bent over and moved forward. Just then, lightning flashed across the sky and struck the deck not far away, perfectly illuminating the two people nearby.

Although it lasted only one second, she still recognized them. The one wearing a suit was her stepfather, and the one wearing a blue dress was her mother.

They seemed to be arguing about something.

“Mom, Uncle, come back quickly.”

Her voice was swallowed completely by the raging wind and rain. By the time it reached the two people’s ears, it was already as faint as the buzz of mosquitoes.

“It’s dangerous.”

She stretched out her hand and waved at them.

How could they be so arrogant and reckless? They had walked outside the guardrail. In such extreme weather, the slightest carelessness could cost them their lives on the spot.

For some reason, her stepfather suddenly reached out and grabbed her mother by the neck, lifting her high into the air and holding her out beyond the deck. Then he gently loosened his hand, and her mother fell into the sea like an unidentified white object.

Because the surrounding noise was far too loud, a life disappeared so easily, like an insignificant scrap of plastic waste paper, vanishing silently without a trace.

A shocking bolt of thunder struck down onto the deck, shaking Jing Lian’s heart. She immediately stood frozen in place. She felt as if all the blood in her body had rushed toward the ends of her limbs. Her face turned as pale as wax paper, and her pupils seemed filled with black paint, reflecting the well-dressed man in the distance.

Her stepfather, who was usually refined, elegant, gentle, and approachable, finally removed his disguise at that moment. He revealed his hideous face, baring his teeth as he looked toward her.

Jing Lian’s heart suddenly clenched, and she woke from the dream.

When she woke, her whole body was wet. She thought she had broken out in cold sweat. Dazed, she lifted her head and saw that a dark cloud had drifted across the sky. Fine rain stabbed her body like needles, falling in a steady drizzle with the salty taste of sea salt. At this moment, this scene once again dragged her back to the day her mother had met with disaster.

She felt no sadness and no fear.

All she had was hatred.

A sound came from the distance. It was the sticky noise of leather shoes stepping on damp, soft soil. It came closer and closer before stopping on her right side.

A white figure stood in the darkness. She turned on a flashlight and shone it toward Jing Lian, her voice low and cold.

“A whole day has passed. Are you still not coming out?”