Jiang Lai and Shen Ruxue didn’t know how long they had been walking.
By the time they were both physically and mentally exhausted, they finally saw the glow of a streetlight.
Only a single wall stood between them and their freedom.
“Let’s rest here for a moment. I’ll check if my phone has a signal…”
Jiang Lai looked at the height of the wall and realized it wasn’t something the two of them could scale.
Even with one person boosting the other from below, they wouldn’t be able to make it.
Aside from a brief nap earlier, Jiang Lai hadn’t had any proper rest for two days.
She was so weary that she felt like she could fall asleep the very next second.
‘It’s the first time I’ve realized that staying conscious is such a difficult thing,’ she thought.
But she couldn’t rest yet; if she stopped now, the chances of escaping would be even slimmer.
Jiang Lai checked her phone, but even this close to the perimeter, there was still no signal.
She couldn’t understand why her phone had been completely useless within the estate lately.
She refused to believe her luck was that bad.
Grasping her phone, she reached out through the bars of the fence, extending her arm as far as she possibly could.
When she couldn’t reach any further, she felt her phone vibrate.
The device, which had been as dead as a stone without a signal, suddenly came to life.
The notification chime for incoming messages rang out like a heartbeat.
It seemed she could only get a signal by reaching through the fence.
Jiang Lai quickly whispered to Shen Ruxue to watch their surroundings.
“Tell me if anyone comes. I’m going to message them now. We’ll be saved soon.”
There was uncontrollable excitement and agitation in Jiang Lai’s voice, but she didn’t slow down.
She forced her other hand through the bars as well.
Although the metal bars pressed painfully against her shoulders, she stretched her phone as far out as possible.
Jiang Lai knew her current posture was conspicuous, but it was the only way to send a message.
She had to take advantage of this moment before they were discovered to contact the outside world.
She looked at the person with the most messages in her chat list and tapped the name without a second thought.
She immediately sent her current location.
To save time, she followed it up with a direct phone call.
Jiang Lai expected it to take a while for someone to answer so late at night, but the person on the other end was incredibly fast.
The phone only rang twice before the call connected.
***
Chi Yingyu, who had been standing outside the estate, had found the main entrance impossible to enter.
She had been pacing along the perimeter wall, searching for a place where she could climb over quietly.
During this process, she heard her phone chime.
Without any hesitation, Chi Yingyu grabbed her phone, hoping it was from her brother-in-law.
When she saw a new message in the chat box that had been silent for over half a day, Chi Yingyu was overwhelmed with an indescribable rush of emotion.
Although it was only a location pin, it was enough.
Chi Yingyu was about to tap the location to see where her brother-in-law was when the phone call came through.
“I’m near the wall of the estate location I sent you. I can’t get out… the wall is too high, and I suspect there are many people on guard…”
Jiang Lai’s voice on the other end was extremely hoarse, filled with panic, and she sounded as if she were on the verge of tears.
Jiang Lai hadn’t had a drop of water for nearly a full day.
her mouth and throat had long since dried up, and every word she spoke felt like it was being scraped out of her throat.
Facing her brother-in-law’s plea for help, Chi Yingyu had so much she wanted to say, but she knew now wasn’t the time.
Recalling the large number of female bodyguards at the estate entrance, Chi Yingyu was certain her brother-in-law was in a very dangerous situation.
She didn’t waste any more words.
“I’ll be there. Wait for me.”
As long as she could confirm her brother-in-law was inside this estate, things would be manageable.
Chi Yingyu no longer cared about finding a place to climb over.
Originally, she had wanted to sneak in to investigate, but now that she was certain he was there, she would use any means necessary to get inside.
Chi Yingyu briefly comforted Jiang Lai over the phone, telling her to make her way toward the main gate of the estate as much as possible and wait for the right moment.
As for what that moment would be, Chi Yingyu didn’t even need to explain.
Jiang Lai would understand it when it happened.
After hanging up, Chi Yingyu practically sprinted back.
As she ran, she didn’t forget to call Xu Ruobing.
Aside from Jiang Lai’s family, Xu Ruobing was the most anxious person regarding her disappearance.
However, Xu Ruobing’s anxiety had been futile; she was currently away from the city for work and couldn’t make it back immediately, leaving her to worry from afar.
The only thing they could do about Jiang Lai’s disappearance was call in more people to help with the search.
If it were a simple search for a missing person, the police were already involved and wouldn’t need so many people.
However, what they were about to do next would be dangerous.
Chi Yingyu racked her brain and realized the only person who could truly provide the help she needed was Xu Ruobing.
On the other end of the line, even though Xu Ruobing couldn’t be there personally, she hadn’t slept at all that night.
She was waiting for news of Jiang Lai, hoping only to hear that she was safe.
“I know where Jiang Lai is now. I need people. I need a lot of people.”
Chi Yingyu had suffered several times due to being outnumbered.
If they had more people, this wouldn’t have happened.
***
When Jiang Lai made the call, she had been holding the phone far from her ear, so the volume was turned up quite high.
Shen Ruxue, standing right beside her, heard everything.
Shen Ruxue looked at Jiang Lai as she pulled her phone back through the bars.
“Are we going to the main gate now?”
Shen Ruxue wasn’t afraid of being caught.
Even if there were many people at the gate, she had already resolved in her heart that if they were discovered, she would do whatever it took to cover Jiang Lai’s escape.
Jiang Lai looked at Shen Ruxue, who had suddenly lowered her head in silence.
She gripped her hand tightly and whispered a comforting word, “We can escape soon.”
Until that moment, although she hadn’t shown it, Jiang Lai’s heart had been full of anxiety and fear.
She hadn’t known if her decision was the right one, and she was terrified that she wouldn’t be able to get Shen Ruxue out.
But now, victory was in sight, and hope had returned.
Despite being utterly exhausted, Jiang Lai pressed on, holding Shen Ruxue’s hand firmly as they ran toward the gate of the estate.
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