Shang Jin Cheng’s mouth was freed, and with a strong survival instinct, he put on a fawning expression as he spoke to Zeng Hui.
“I only met her by chance on the road and gave her a ride. I’m not familiar with her at all, nor do I know anything about her affairs. Miss, look at me…”
Zeng Hui did not know Shang Jin Cheng and was unaware of his background. Hearing him speak, she sized him up and raised her eyebrows meaningfully.
“Not familiar with her? According to you, you don’t care if she lives or dies?”
Shang Jin Cheng knew perfectly well that in this situation, he had to oppose Tian Tian to have a chance of escaping. If he wanted to save Tian Tian, he had to escape first. His immediate priority was to please the two people in front of him.
“Of course, I don’t care. To tell you the truth, I dislike her too. She always looks down on me, acting like she’s some Zhan family young lady, and I resent her quite a bit.”
“Because of her parents’ status, everyone praises her, but she’s just average looking and really thinks she’s a fairy. I think you’re much prettier than her.”
“If I had known she would get into this kind of trouble outside, I wouldn’t have given her a ride in the first place! Miss, I am innocent. Whatever grudges you have, feel free to deal with her as you please. I was blind and didn’t see anything. Can you let me go first?”
Since they had captured her and seen her true colors, and now knew what had happened, letting him go would be asking for trouble, wouldn’t it? Zeng Hui wasn't that foolish. It was the first time in her life that a man had submitted to her and begged for mercy. Instead of letting him go, she wanted to savor the joy of controlling someone else's fate a little longer.
“Since you dislike her too, then we are on the same side. If you want to live, you can, but you have to help me with something.”
Seeing a glimmer of hope, Shang Jin Cheng became even more obsequious. “Tell me, tell me.”
Zeng Hui said triumphantly, “If I’m not mistaken, you want to be the Zhan family’s son-in-law, right? She never even looked you in the eye, and you never had a chance to touch her. Now that she’s right in front of you, you can do as you please. Aren’t you tempted?”
Shang Jin Cheng turned to look at Tian Tian. Her expression was calm, her emotions unreadable. The composed and brave demeanor she displayed when facing trouble was exactly like Ge’er’s. It was hard to say he wasn't moved, but Shang Jin Cheng couldn't show it. He even put on a lecherous expression.
“How could I not be tempted? She’s the apple of the Zhan family’s eye, and countless men in the entire Southern City desire her. If it weren’t for your kindness, Miss, I probably wouldn’t have had the chance to do anything to her in this lifetime. Does Miss mean you want to fulfill my wish?”
Heh! The object of desire for countless men in the entire Southern City? The apple of the Zhan family’s eye? Today, I’m going to ruin her, chop this apple of their eye into mince meat! Let’s see if anyone will still dote on her after that! Let’s see if Chen Dong Yang will still want her when he sees her like this!
“That’s right. I want to fulfill your wish and let you have what you desire. Are you excited?”
Whatever she planned to do, he would agree for now.
“Thank you, Miss. Thank you, Miss.”
Shang Jin Cheng bowed and smiled obsequiously at Zeng Hui, then cast a lascivious glance at Tian Tian.
“But, here? Isn’t it a bit inappropriate here?”
Before Zeng Hui could speak, Dong Jian stepped forward and roared at him.
“What? Are you being picky now?”
Shang Jin Cheng quickly retreated. “No, no, no, I wouldn’t dare. It’s just that, here, with her like this, and me like this…”
Zeng Hui understood and nodded at Dong Jian. Dong Jian walked up to Shang Jin Cheng and patted his face.
“Behave yourself. Don’t think about playing any tricks, or you’ll regret it!”
With that, he opened the switchblade again and cut Shang Jin Cheng’s ropes. Shang Jin Cheng was tall and sturdy. After being confined there for over an hour, his entire body had gone numb. The first thing he did upon regaining freedom was to stand up and stretch his limbs. As soon as he stood up, he was several centimeters taller than Dong Jian, which made Dong Jian suddenly panic, and he took two steps back.
“Miss Zeng…”
Zeng Hui also stood up, looking sternly at Shang Jin Cheng.
“I’m warning you, don’t try anything funny, or he won’t hesitate to use that thing on you. We’ll do it right here. I’ll record a video. Let’s begin!”
“…”
He was not old, and he looked presentable, yet he was so cruel. Shang Jin Cheng inwardly scorned Zeng Hui, but outwardly, he said, “Alright, alright. Thank you, Miss. Thank you, Miss.”
Shang Jin Cheng faked smoothing his wet hair and began tidying his damp clothes. While tidying, he quietly looked for an opportunity to approach Dong Jian.
“Miss, look at her like this, I can’t really perform. Why don’t you untie her too?”
“You have quite a few demands.”
Dong Jian impatiently kicked Shang Jin Cheng.
“Stop the nonsense! You’re a grown man, and you can’t even handle this small matter? If you can’t, let me do it!”
“Keep talking and I’ll…”
He brandished the switchblade again. Shang Jin Cheng pretended to be scared, covering his head.
“No, no, no, don’t be angry. I was just making a suggestion. Fine if you don’t untie her, I’ll do it now.”
He finished tidying himself and started walking towards Tian Tian. Tian Tian knew that Shang Jin Cheng would not harm her and met his gaze calmly. Unexpectedly, as soon as Shang Jin Cheng reached her, he slapped her without a word.
“What are you looking at? I’ve disliked you for a long time! I never thought I’d get my hands on you one day! Behave yourself!”
Zeng Hui behind them watched this straightforward scene and smiled happily, taking out her phone to start recording.
“Very good, just like that. Begin.”
Shang Jin Cheng roughly grabbed Tian Tian’s hair, pushing her wet hair back, and his hand caressed her cheek, his face moving towards hers. He nudged her with a look of impatience. Seemingly finding the tape uncomfortable, after a few nudges, he suddenly and roughly grabbed the edge of the tape and yanked it down hard.
Tian Tian let out a muffled groan. Although it hurt, at least her mouth was freed. Shang Jin Cheng played along to appease them. “Before, I dreamed of kissing you, but today, my dream has come true!”
“Jiang Jing Tian, you’d better not dodge, or I’ll pull your tongue out!”
He roughly pushed Tian Tian to the side and buried his face in her neck. Zeng Hui couldn’t get a clear shot of Tian Tian’s face, so she stepped forward to record from a different angle. Shang Jin Cheng nuzzled Tian Tian while keeping an eye on them from the corner of his eye. Noticing that Zeng Hui and Dong Jian had moved apart, his heart tightened. In a flash, he released Tian Tian, turned around, and lunged towards Dong Jian’s bad leg. His movement was so swift, it was like a leopard pouncing on its prey.
Dong Jian felt a heavy weight land on his leg, causing him immense pain. He grunted and swung the knife he was holding, intending to stab Shang Jin Cheng in the back, but his leg involuntarily bent. Shang Jin Cheng pushed him down with another surge of strength, his knee pressing onto his chest. He pinned Dong Jian’s right wrist with his left hand and reached for the knife with his right. The two immediately began to wrestle.
Zeng Hui, the real one, had not expected Shang Jin Cheng to pull this move. With a scream, she immediately put away her phone and went to help Dong Jian.