Deadly Trap.

Chapter 5. Hanging by a Thread

The incandescent light was blinding. Su Li was momentarily distracted when the POS machine for payment was already being handed out through a tiny window, a cold voice urging her on:
"Are you going to pay or not? If you don't pay this month's bill, your surgery appointment will be canceled. Have you thought it through?"

Su Li swallowed hard. Did she have the right to cancel her mother's surgery?
Wiping away tears, likely stung by the light, Su Li clenched her trembling hand, gripping her last remaining card in the slot. The long queue behind her cast curious yet impatient glances. If she swiped, she would lose everything.

Is she really ready?

It turns out that people really do laugh awkwardly when they're speechless.

Her palms were sweaty as she gripped her phone: Should she start now... coaxing Gu Mufeng to spend money on her?

She and he had only known each other for a week; she should have taken things step by step. But clearly, medical insurance was one thing, and cancer treatment was another. Even if Gu Mufeng were willing to help her just a little bit, just a little bit, it would be enough for her to pay back the deposit and at least schedule the surgery.

The hospital payment confirmation was right at her fingertips, urging her to pay quickly and leave as soon as possible.

"Pear Blossom!" Hearing someone call from afar, Su Li instantly withdrew her hand from swiping the card. Amidst the cashier's disdainful glances and the crowd's contempt, Su Li quickly retreated.

"How are you? I've come to visit you!"

Immediately, a warm hand embraced her tense back, while the other hand carried a heavy thermos.

Su Li trembled, startled by the thoughtfulness, like a fish suddenly pulled from cold water: "Yu He..."

Slightly aggrieved, Su Li nestled softly into her best friend's arms, acting coquettishly. She breathed a sigh of relief.

But with a "bang," Su Li received a heavy blow to the forehead.

"You were hospitalized and didn't tell me?"

With his two slender hands draped over his long, neat waist, Yu He's posture made it seem as if he were about to sentence Su Li: "Do you know that there are rumors circulating at school that you were in the emergency room because of a man, and they are considering canceling your scholarship?"

Seeing Yu He's concern, Su Li smiled inwardly. The hospital was bustling with people, and she suddenly felt grateful to have Yu He as a friend. Otherwise, she didn't know how long she could have held on.

“I’ve never been hospitalized, okay? I’m going to sue them for defamation. As for the scholarship…”

When has the competition not been like this? She has a clean background; if she's capable, she should compete. Su Li pouted.

"He Bao, what delicious food did you bring me when you 'visited' me? I really haven't had dinner yet."

"Taro balls." Yu He's eyes lit up as he handed over the thermos.

"Why don't you go out to dinner with that handsome guy who's pursuing you, that 'Minjiang University of Finance and Economics God' Senior Gu? Doesn't he call you every day? These days, there are still people having pure campus romances."

Pure campus romance?

Please. Su Li was both amused and exasperated. Indeed, that morning, under her vibrating phone was a note: eleven digits written in a slender, elegant script using lapis lazuli and blue ink, their sharpness radiating. It was his phone number.

Immediately following was his phone call. Gu Mufeng, like a paranoid, had no concept of other people's privacy and made sure Su Li answered the call.

But his tone was light and distant, completely devoid of emotion, as if Su Li had suddenly gained a boss. He simply asked her how her day was, listened to her few words of tender fishing, and said, "Tell me if you need anything."

hang up.

Phantom.

Even Gu Mufeng's phone call only displayed two cold words: "Unknown".

Why did he hide his number? Why did he have to call her? Su Li frowned slightly.

Her fingers traced those two words inch by inch, and she vaguely felt that something was very strange. It was as if Gu Mufeng was completely hidden behind the "unknown," not wanting her to grasp him at all.

But he made a point of leaving her his phone number.

Su Li couldn't help but think about the note: a man's wariness and approach were so contradictory, which made her feel both resistant and suspicious.

Su Li was looking down, a damp cloth covering her mouth and nose. She saw Yu He's figure receding into the distance, and the hand gripping her throat made her lose her strength…

"Hmph, maybe Senior Gu has a huge 'fish pond' (meaning he has a lot of fish in his pond)."

Walking ahead, Yu He casually spread his hands: "But he's handsome, rich, and caring. If you ask me, you should just keep him. What do you say?"

After saying that, Yu He turned around lightly. Su Li was gone from behind him.

"Pear blossoms? Pear blossoms??" Yu He was at a loss. Immediately after, Su Li sent a text message: "Urgent. Gotta go."

This is so unlike Su Li. But he couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong, and Yu He stared blankly into the empty corridor.

>>>>>
Waking up in the darkness, Su Li felt as if her head had been split open, one half cold and numb, the other half burning and throbbing. Incandescent light shone into her pupils through the crack. Her face was pressed against the cold ground, her temples throbbing, her throat felt like it had swallowed a razor blade, and her tongue tasted the texture of a tattered rag.

Su Li's heart stopped for a second, then she desperately suppressed her fear. She couldn't die, she wouldn't die...

Her wrist was suddenly tightened, and she couldn't help but cry out in pain.

"Hey, you're awake?" The man's voice came straight over.

Squatting behind her, the man held a short knife in one hand and tightened the hemp rope around her wrist with the other.

Suddenly, Su Li recalled everything that had just happened:
"Su Li, Miss Su, right?"

She was following Yu He when someone suddenly asked for directions. A wet cloth was immediately placed over her mouth. Before Su Li could even react, another hand was already gripping her throat.

At this moment, Su Li sprang to her feet from the ground. She was trembling, but somehow she found a surge of strength and kicked the man's vitals with all her might, making muffled cries for help.

The man hastily pinned her down, who was bound in a single rope, and whispered through gritted teeth, "Shh! I'm the one who saved you! Scream if you miss! There are three kidnappers nearby. I can't handle this by myself."

He had barely finished speaking when he heard two faint, distant voices outside the door say, "Did you hear that? He and his men can't have gone far."

"Leave no one alive."

Su Li and the man held their breath in unison. But Su Li felt a chill run through her, as if she had been stabbed: a kidnapper?
Just kidding, her entire net worth is less than four figures.

Behind her, the man pressed the tip of his knife against her wrist, then swiftly raised it. The hemp rope cut into her wrist bone, and Su Li gritted her teeth in pain, letting out a soft "uh," tears welling up in her eyes instantly.

Thud, the rope fell to the ground between the two.

Gently rubbing her bleeding wrist, Su Li immediately pulled a rag from her mouth, deliberately wiping it near the man's ear before slamming it against the storage room wall. She reached for her pocket. She had to call the police.
The phone is missing.

Before her stood a man in a baggy hoodie, his knife drawn, eyeing her with disdain as if she dared to even think of looking for her phone. His agitated expression suggested a sense of utter annoyance, as if he was only maintaining his patience with Su Li because of some kind of order.

Su Li's heart sank with anxiety: without a cell phone, she was completely isolated and helpless.

Perhaps Yu He noticed her disappearance and reported it to the police. But where exactly is she, and how will the police find and rescue her?

Anxiously, Su Li rubbed her burning face back and forth with both hands. Her fingertips touched her earlobe. The tip of her earlobe was hard, and the cheap crystal stud dug into her heart.

These earrings weren't real diamonds; they were usually dull and lacked luster. Just before she lost consciousness…

Quickly, Su Li picked the last one.

Before the man's suspicious gaze, Su Li lay prone on the ground. Silently, little by little, she tentatively probed the earring against the sliver of light at the bottom of the doorway.

"what are you doing?"

The man gritted his teeth and questioned, but Su Li ignored him. Her fingertips, as if driven by unwavering determination, reached towards the door and finally kicked out the earring. Rolling.

Su Li could no longer reach it.

“He Bao. Please, just be careful this once…”

She prayed silently. For some reason, another, completely unrelated, handsome face inexplicably appeared in her mind.

No matter how outstanding they are, what can an ordinary university senior do?
"Hmph. Such a petty trick." The man scoffed silently.

Su Li, however, disagreed.

Half fearful and half wary, she had no choice. Keeping a watchful eye on the strange man's intentions, she seemingly casually picked through the usable "trash" in the storage room.

A... steel nail brush?

The man still gripped the dagger, threatening her, and pointed it at the doorway. He sat there casually, anxiously watching only a glimmer of light emanating from his sleeve.

Su Li was suspicious: the man had a cell phone and untied her, yet he didn't call for help?
Who has kidnapped her? And who is the man?
The man frowned. He swiped and sent a message: "Quenxus, Miss Su is in danger. Provide immediate assistance! Location: [Hospital Name]!"

Damn. Why is the team positioning system failing? It's never happened before in two years. This shouldn't be happening.
The man fidgeted anxiously, his dislike for Su Li growing stronger with each passing moment. The situation was urgent because of a woman. If the team couldn't find them, they would truly be…

"Leave no survivors."

>>>>>
The elevator went directly to the conference floor. The door was knocked three times urgently and then flung open. The personal assistant, Quenxus, strode into the room, his expression grave.

"Boss."

Before the French windows at dusk, the diamonds on Gu Mufeng's starry watch gleamed. Among several business tycoons, his hand, clad in a white shirt and gold silk vest, held a financial report, suspended in mid-air. His aloof, deep-set eyes glanced back, and a brooch chain swayed, revealing his ethereal, handsome face.

He raised an eyebrow. He silently beckoned the tall man in the black suit to step forward.

Quenxus lowered his voice and leaned straight into her ear: "Boss. Kai, whom you sent to keep an eye on Miss Su, reports: they've been surrounded."

Gu Mufeng's voice was low and cold: "Where is he?"

Quenxus's expression changed drastically: "The team's location tracking is malfunctioning; we can't find Miss Su—"

Gu Mufeng immediately interrupted in a cold voice:

"Find."

Quenxus gasped. Gu Mufeng casually tossed the financial report aside. Amidst the falling sheets of white paper and the K-line chart, unprecedentedly, he strode forward, leaving behind an entire conference room full of bigwigs.

His voice was icy, carrying a murderous intent: "Tell the old geezers I'm busy tonight. Immediately, the whole team heads straight to the hospital."

Su Li's life was in danger, and he hadn't been entirely unprepared. That kiss on the riverbank... that tiny bit of luck he had!
Gu Mufeng gritted his teeth:
"Search for me!"

>>>>>
Next chapter: Find her before killing her

[Author's Note | Chapter 5]

From shattered self-esteem in the hospital to a sudden kidnapping, Su Li might really be having a run of bad luck lately (Bad luck: She flirted with me first!).
Gu Mufeng was extremely anxious, but Su Li was calmly trying to save herself. How will Su Li escape this predicament in the next chapter? Will she and Gu Mufeng "run towards each other"?

The author can only guarantee that Miss Su's surname is Su, but she is definitely not a softie.

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(End of this chapter)