Chapter 15
In less than ten minutes, the entire hotel was roused awake. Seeing General Manager Fang who had arrived today, ordering her subordinates to search the hotel’s surveillance footage and look for someone with great fanfare, many people curiously poked their heads out to inquire.
Before long, everyone knew—Teacher Xie, the expert guiding the set design, had gone missing.
“Why make a move today?!” Tang Xuan shrank into the bathroom of his own room, turning on the shower to mask his voice, while roaring angrily at the person on the other end of the phone.
“Xiao Xuan, didn’t you tell me to seize an opportunity? That Xie Zhi has always had someone by his side, and today he was alone. If I didn’t act today, when would I?” The person on the other end was puzzled. She had been staking out for days, finally accomplishing the task—why wasn’t Tang Xuan pleased?
“Wei Xiaoxiao, listen carefully. This is your doing alone—it has nothing to do with me!” Tang Xuan barked sharply at the person on the phone. “If you get caught, you’re not allowed to rat me out.”
“How could I possibly get caught?” Wei Xiaoxiao scoffed with a smirk, brimming with confidence. “Xiao Shi Zong has already arrived, and there’s a camera set up in the room. No man would make a fuss over something like this.”
“Stop talking nonsense. You’re not allowed to give me up, or don’t expect me to forgive you in this lifetime!” Tang Xuan’s trembling hands shut off the phone, his heart pounding as if it might leap out.
If it weren’t today, it might have been foolproof.
But why did it have to be today, of all days? Fang Xianxing was here, with so many people in tow, causing such a commotion. Sooner or later, they’d find him.
Xie Zhi might not speak up, but that didn’t mean Fang Xianxing would let it slide.
Tang Xuan paced uneasily on the slippery bathroom floor, his foot slipped, and he crashed heavily to the ground, letting out a loud thud.
*

Bad news came—the hallway surveillance had been tampered with, making it significantly more likely that Xie Zhi had been kidnapped.
Fang Xianxing’s face darkened, her ten fingers moving so fast on the keyboard they blurred into afterimages, lines of code whipping across the screen.
Song Longsha didn’t dare speak, holding her breath as she stood to the side, silently praying that Xie Zhi wouldn’t be harmed so soon.
Who could it be? These past few days, she’d had people watching him. Xie Zhi was just a temporary expert brought in—there hadn’t been any conflicts with anyone.
Soon, the surveillance was restored. Fang Xianxing saw Xie Zhi in the hallway, knocked unconscious and carried off by a woman dressed in black clothes and a black mask. Her face grew so dark it could drip ink.
Standing up, she ordered her subordinates to track the route shown on the surveillance and distributed enlarged photos of the woman, one for each of them.
Xu Mi, far away in Hai City, hurriedly took the photo to investigate the woman’s identity.
After arranging everything, Fang Xianxing joined her subordinates, retrieving footage from nearby public cameras along the way. After several twists and turns, they finally located a small hotel in Nige Film City.
The hotel receptionist, seeing their imposing arrival, didn’t dare conceal anything and quickly shared suspicious details.
Fang Xianxing raced upstairs, fearing that a moment’s delay might mean harm to Xie Zhi.
In her heart, she silently chanted, Wait for me, hold on.
*
Xie Zhi’s mind was a foggy mess. He wanted to wake up but couldn’t. Not far off, he heard voices, and the sound of footsteps grew closer.
A wave of fear surged through him. Xie Zhi wanted to curl up, to retreat to somewhere he felt safe, but he’d long since been knocked out, lying motionless on the floor.
“Passed out? How am I supposed to enjoy this?” Xiao Shi Zong, who had been eagerly summoned, was displeased, twirling her long chestnut curls and shooting Wei Xiaoxiao a glare.
Wei Xiaoxiao had pimped for Xiao Shi Zong more than once—they were well-acquainted. She knew Xiao Shi Zong’s tastes and quickly flashed a placating smile. “I didn’t use much sedative. A little pain will wake him up.” With that, she walked toward Xie Zhi and stomped hard on his right ankle without hesitation.
How Xiao Xuan’s ankle got fractured—Xie Zhi should pay for it.
The pain shooting from his ankle made the unconscious Xie Zhi cry out.
Xiao Shi Zong’s expression shifted. She strode forward, shoving Wei Xiaoxiao aside, her brows furrowed in anger. “What are you doing? I haven’t even started, and you’re already ruining him?”
Wei Xiaoxiao steadied herself, inwardly cursing Xie Zhi as a vixen. Still, with his ankle stomped, even if it wasn’t broken, she’d vented some anger for Xiao Xuan. Not a bad deal.
“Would I dare? I just wanted to wake him up. Look, he’s awake now, isn’t he?” Wei Xiaoxiao nodded toward Xie Zhi.
Xie Zhi’s trembling lashes fluttered open. Seeing his hands bound behind him, lying on the floor with two unfamiliar women before him, panic filled his eyes. He struggled to sit up, laboriously inching away from them.
But the sedative’s effects lingered. Xie Zhi couldn’t muster strength and barely moved far. Forcing calm, he snapped at them, “Who are you? Kidnapping is a crime!”
Xiao Shi Zong chuckled, ignoring his struggles entirely. Beaming at Wei Xiaoxiao, she praised, “Where’d you find him? He’s even prettier with his eyes open.”
Wei Xiaoxiao chimed in, “If he weren’t good-looking, I wouldn’t have brought him to you.”
“Well done!”
Xiao Shi Zong squinted, pulling a square packet from her pocket. She tore it open, tipped out a pill, and smiled at Xie Zhi. “He looks a bit feisty. Here, try this new pill I got.”
Xie Zhi clamped his mouth shut, eyeing the pill warily. He shrank back again, leaning against the wall, trembling as he tried to stand.
“What are you dodging? It’s a palace recipe—effective and nourishing. Good stuff.” Xiao Shi Zong winked, thinking herself charming. “I hear the men in the palace developed it themselves. Tsk, must be fun, huh? Men—such lustful creatures.”
Understanding her implication, Xie Zhi’s eyes reddened. He retreated desperately, trying to escape.
But how could Xiao Shi Zong and Wei Xiaoxiao let him? Wei Xiaoxiao pinned his shoulders, while Xiao Shi Zong gripped his chin, forcing the pill into his mouth.
Xie Zhi thrashed his head, pushing with his tongue to spit it out, but Xiao Shi Zong laughed carelessly, “Melts on contact, doesn’t it?”
Despair crashed over him. Eyes red, teeth clenched, Xie Zhi stood, shoving Wei Xiaoxiao off with force. He then recklessly charged at Xiao Shi Zong. As she stumbled back, he turned and, heedless of consequences, hurled himself at the nearby wall.
“What are you doing?!” Fang Xianxing burst through the door just in time to see Xie Zhi about to slam into the wall. Her pupils shrank as she shouted to stop him.
Xie Zhi froze mid-motion, halting abruptly and collapsing heavily to the floor. The despair from moments ago melted into boundless grievance. Helplessly, he turned to look at Fang Xianxing rushing toward him.
“Who are you?” Xiao Shi Zong, already annoyed by Xie Zhi’s feint, grew furious seeing him attempt to end it all. She was about to yank him back and teach him a lesson when someone stormed into her hotel room.
Anyone’s fun being ruined would spark anger, and Xiao Shi Zong was no exception. She glared, shouting her question.
“Seize them.” Fang Xianxing didn’t spare her a glance, leaving her to the subordinates behind. She went straight to Xie Zhi, kicking aside Wei Xiaoxiao, who still tried to grab him, and pulled Xie Zhi into her arms.
“It’s alright now, don’t be afraid, it’s alright.” Fang Xianxing patted his back gently. Seeing him mostly unharmed, she breathed a huge sigh of relief.
Xie Zhi buried his face in her neck, pressing himself into her embrace, tears streaming uncontrollably.
Feeling the heat against her neck, Fang Xianxing’s heart ached and flared with anger. Holding him, she turned, glaring coldly at the now-subdued Xiao Shi Zong and Wei Xiaoxiao.
“Lock them in the basement of Hongsheng Villa. Within 24 hours, I don’t care how you do it—I want their motives.”
Her subordinates obeyed, departing. Song Longsha, who’d been lurking invisibly nearby, sidled over. “Sis, I called 110.”
“For a missing person. Now we’ve found him—so what?” Fang Xianxing replied confidently.
Song Longsha mimed zipping her lips.
She really wished her mom and dad could see her sister like this.
Fang Xianxing’s right hand soothed Xie Zhi’s head, her left untying the ropes on his wrists. Seeing the red marks on his skin deepened her frown. She bent down, scooped him up in her arms, and urgently ordered Song Longsha, “You drive. To the hospital.”
Song Longsha agreed hastily.
But Xie Zhi suddenly struggled, lifting his head, eyes red as he refused, “No, I’m not going! Fang Xianxing, I won’t go to the hospital!”
Fearing she’d drop him, Fang Xianxing tightened her hold, soothing him. “Alright, alright, we won’t go. Can I call a doctor instead? There’s sedative residue in you—it’s better to get checked.”
Xie Zhi lowered his gaze, thought for a moment, and slowly nodded.
Fang Xianxing glanced at Song Longsha, who understood instantly and went to fetch a doctor.
The trio didn’t linger at the small hotel or return to the crew’s booked one. Instead, they headed to another five-star hotel in Nige Film City.
The unfamiliar, clean, safe atmosphere, free of prying questions, gradually calmed Xie Zhi. He nestled into Fang Xianxing’s arms and fell into a deep sleep.
But it was clearly the sedative’s lingering effect.
Fang Xianxing resolved to make those two pay dearly.