“Madam, you can call me Aunt Zhou. Master Beiming has instructed that you can leave after you eat something,” Aunt Zhou said with a calm smile on her face.
“I don’t wish to eat. I haven’t been in contact with my mother at all. She must be really anxious. I have to go home immediately,” Gu Qingxin replied.
How could she possibly have any appetite after going through such a traumatic experience?
“Madam, this is what Master Beiming has instructed. If you don’t obey his wishes, I’m afraid…” Aunt Zhou looked like she had been placed in a difficult position.
“Fine, I’ll eat!” Gu Qingxin blinked and resigned herself to her fate. She followed Aunt Zhou to the dining room.
There was a sumptuous spread on the table. Gu Qingxin quickly took a few bites and set her chopsticks aside.
“Madam, please consume this,” Aunt Zhou said as she placed a bowl of a concoction before Gu Qingxin.
“What is this?” Gu Qingxin asked, perplexed.
“This soup has contraceptive functions. Since it is Chinese medicine, you will not experience any side effects,” Aunt Zhou explained to her.
When Gu Qingxin heard that the soup had contraceptive functions, she immediately lifted the bowl and gulped down its contents without hesitation.
This saved her the hassle of having to go to the pharmacy for contraceptive pills.
Aunt Zhou was speechless.
…
It was already the afternoon when Gu Qingxin returned home.
Her mother was not around when she walked through the door. Gu Qingxin quickly gave her mother a call. The call got through almost immediately, and her mother’s gentle voice was heard without a trace of anxiety in her tone. “Hello? Qingxin, you’re back?”
Gu Qingxin was taken aback. “What’s going on? I’ve been missing since last night, but my mother isn’t worried at all?” she thought.
“Qingxin?”
“Yeah, I’m here,” Gu Qingxin quickly answered.
“Did you have fun with Qianqian?” Lin Yin asked with a laugh.
“Yes, I did!” Gu Qingxin still had a dazed expression on her face. Despite that, she was rather relieved that her mother had not been anxious about her disappearance.
“That’s great to hear,” Lin Yin said with another laugh.
“Mom, go ahead and get busy. I just got home. I’m quite tired,” Gu Qingxin replied as the tension in her heart finally eased.
“All right, go and get some rest. I’ll cook something delicious for you tonight.”
After hanging up, Gu Qingxin immediately gave Bai Qianqian a call.
“Qingxin? Where are you? I’m so sorry. It’s all my fault for not protecting you. You were abducted, and I was forced to lie to your mother and tell her that you were with me,” Bai Qianqian blurted out the truth of the matter before Gu Qingxin even said a word.
It turned out that after Gu Qingxin was abducted last night, a few men forced Bai Qianqian into a vehicle. They did not hurt her. Instead, they made her give Lin Yin a call.
Those men alternated between using gentle and forceful tactics on her. They repeatedly assured her that Gu Qingxin was in no danger and that she was acquainted with the man who had abducted her.
Bai Qianqian was aware of Lin Yin’s poor health. Worried that she might grow ill from anxiety, she had no choice but to compromise in the end and give Lin Yin a call.
“Qianqian, I’m fine. Thank you so much,” Gu Qingxin said.
“I’m thankful that my mother does not know what happened and that she’s fine,” Gu Qingxin thought.
“Why are you thanking me? Don’t do that. I almost died from fright. Gu Qingxin, who exactly is that man? Are you really acquainted with him?” Bai Qianqian asked, feeling some lingering fear as she thought about what had transpired.
“I don’t know him. I’ll explain it to you in the future when I get the chance to,” Gu Qingxin replied. They exchanged a few more sentences before she hung up the call.
…
In the blink of an eye, one week went by.
Beiming Han did not make any more appearances. Gu Qingxin’s initial uneasiness finally subsided.
“After what happened, I think our debt is cleared,” she thought.
“After all, Mingcheng is such a big city. I don’t think we’ll ever meet again.”
Gu Qingxin consoled herself and continued to live her normal life.
However, she would often be awakened by terrible nightmares at night.