Chapter 322: Escape 308
Tian Sangsang felt repulsed under Chen Biao’s relentless gaze, her expression icy as she asked, "What exactly do you want to do?"
Shui Lian laughed loudly, "What do we want to do? Initially, we planned to use your son and Nini to extort some money from you. But now that you’re here, Jinghuai will surely come looking for you as well. Once he’s here, the people from the military district will show up too. Am I right?"
She sighed softly, her water-colored eyes reflecting confusion, her tone ghostly and eerie, "Now, you’ve pushed us to the point where we don’t even know what to do anymore..."
Chen Biao began walking out, "I’m going to find a car; staying here is pointless. As long as we have them in our hands, we’ll have nothing to fear wherever we go."
"Just wait, once we’re safe, we’ll deal with all of you." Shui Lian smirked meaningfully and locked the door.
The room instantly became quiet, with only Tian Sangsang and Meng Shuyan left inside.
Tian Sangsang focused her attention, listening intently to the sound of footsteps retreating. When the noises ceased completely, she let out a temporary sigh of relief.
"Yanyan, give me your hands."
Meng Shuyan obediently complied.
Tian Sangsang immediately revealed a dagger from her hand and started cutting the rope binding him. Because her hands were tied, it took quite a bit of effort to sever the ropes.
As the ropes fell away, Meng Shuyan’s hands showed red marks. Tian Sangsang grabbed them and asked, "Does it hurt?"
"Not at all." The little boy turned around and hugged her tightly, worry etched on his face as he said, "Mom, how will you get rid of your chains?"
"I can’t for now." The chains were made of iron; if they were ropes, they could be cut, but iron was a different matter entirely.
The little boy buried his face in her arms, silent for a long moment.
"Yanyan." Tian Sangsang panicked slightly and softly called his name.
Meng Shuyan raised his dazed little head, forcing himself to stay calm, "Mom, I’m okay. I’m just a little hungry."
Tian Sangsang suddenly remembered her son hadn’t eaten anything since yesterday afternoon. It was now the second day, and Shui Lian and her gang certainly wouldn’t give him food.
"Mom doesn’t have much, but she’s got plenty of supplies." She pulled out a bottle of Nongfu Spring water and a cheesecake from her spatial ability, gently saying, "Eat up."
Meng Shuyan had long grown accustomed to her sudden appearances with supplies, but that was during regular times. Now, in a situation of extreme hunger, the appearance of food felt almost divine. The magical awe of it all returned and overwhelmed him!
Tian Sangsang watched him eat while keeping an eye on the sounds outside the door. Meng Shuyan also understood the danger of the situation and didn’t dawdle. He quickly ate a few bites, drank some water, wiped his mouth, and handed the rest back to his mother.
From the start, Tian Sangsang had been observing the dilapidated condition of the room, especially the window, which had long since deteriorated. The nails had come loose. She slowly stood up and carefully walked to the window, cautiously pushing it open. The rain outside had stopped, revealing the scenery behind the school.
This window was just the right size for Meng Shuyan’s small body to fit through.
"Yanyan." Tian Sangsang picked him up, decisively saying, "You’re going out through here to find your dad."
"Mom." Meng Shuyan furrowed his little brows and asked softly, "What about you?"
"Mom will stay here and wait for you to come back." Sending one person out was at least getting someone out. Although she was worried about her son being alone outside, her instincts told her he would be less safe staying here. Chen Biao and Shui Lian both had enough madness in them to hurt them.
"Go out through here. Don’t let Shui Lian and Chen Biao see you. Find your dad. If you run into someone, ask them for help and have them take you to the military district. The ground outside will be slippery from the rain, so be careful when you walk and stay safe." Tian Sangsang patiently instructed him.
Meng Shuyan nodded silently, his bright-black eyes glistening with tears.
"Son, you’re the strongest. Mom believes in you. Can you do this?" Tian Sangsang kissed his cheek gently.
"Mm-hmm." Meng Shuyan suppressed his urge to cry and kissed her cheek back with a smacking sound.
Meng Shuyan crawled out of the window. The window itself wasn’t high, so he landed on the ground without making much noise. His body was soon covered in mud and water, but he picked up his small feet and began walking steadily, step by step.
Tian Sangsang followed him with her eyes through the window, watching his small figure drift farther and farther away. Her heart, which had been racing violently, gradually calmed down. Now, all she could do was hope her son would make it safely to Jiang Jinghuai.
Just as this thought crossed her mind, the sound of a key turning in the lock came from outside. Shui Lian entered with a bowl of noodles, smiling sweetly. She glanced around the room, and her smile abruptly vanished, her voice shrill with fury, "Where’s your son!?"
Tian Sangsang remained silent.
Shui Lian’s eyes shifted to the window, and she laughed darkly. With a clatter, she smashed the bowl of noodles onto the ground. She had brought these noodles purely to humiliate Tian Sangsang; she knew her son hadn’t eaten in a long time and would be starving. Her plan was to force Tian Sangsang to beg her—to pick up the noodles piece by piece off the ground like a dog. Yet unexpectedly, Tian Sangsang had acted faster and managed to send her son away!
Chen Biao stormed in from outside, his clothes filthy, cursing loudly, "Damn it, I couldn’t find a car!"
Then his eyes bulged with rage, "Where’s that little brat?!"
"Escaped." Shui Lian replied coolly.
Chen Biao spat on the floor, stepped forward, and raised a hand to slap Tian Sangsang across the face, yelling furiously, "You damn bitch! You had the nerve to pull tricks right under our noses? I should kill you!"
Tian Sangsang, who had pampered herself since slimming down, was now soft-skinned and delicate, and had never been slapped before. Chen Biao’s slap left her cheek burning hot, her head slamming against the wall, leaving her dizzy and disoriented.
Chen Biao, being a violent thug, wasn’t satisfied with just one slap. He grabbed her hair and bashed her head against the wall repeatedly, his fists raining down on her in a brutal beating that lasted mere seconds. Yet in that short time, she was overwhelmed with pain and fear, tears streaming uncontrollably. Amidst her despair, she was immensely grateful she had sent her son away; her child would have never been able to endure Chen Biao’s violence.
"Alright, let’s move quickly." Shui Lian watched with schadenfreude before intervening to stop Chen Biao. "Now’s not the time for beatings; we’ll have plenty of chances later." She recalled how Tian Sangsang had once beaten her so badly her face swelled. Now, karma had come full circle.
Chen Biao pulled back, yanking the battered Tian Sangsang forward. A brutal glint flashed in his eyes as he ordered Shui Lian, "Go get that kid. If he’s too much trouble to keep, kill him. One hostage is enough."
Tian Sangsang snapped back to attention amidst her agony, suppressing her anxiety, and sneered coldly, "Nini may be adopted, but Political Commissioner Lin treats her like his own daughter. If anything happens to her, he’ll go to war with you."
Shui Lian was in no mood to create more enemies, especially at this critical moment. Besides, an alive hostage was always more beneficial than a dead one. Her eyes flickered with calculation, "Forget it then. We’ll take one hostage each; that gives us more leverage."
Chen Biao shrugged indifferently, "Let’s go."