The sting of the whip on her flesh brought Zhao Jingchi back to her senses. She was suspended, and Xu Jingmo stared at her from not too far away.
"A'mo, you remember, don't you? Let me go quickly, save me. You aren't like this, you were always so good to me."
"Heh, it's a waste you're not an actress. The business at Xilou was your doing, wasn't it? I really underestimated you, I didn't expect you to be so capable."
Zhao Jingchi immediately shook her head, completely flustered.
"A'mo, what are you talking about? I don't understand. How could you do this to me? Do you know what kind of days I've had these past few days? I missed you so much, but they wouldn't let me see you. Wuwuwu~"
"Oh, you missed me! You're not going to say you like me, are you?"
Zhao Jingchi nodded vigorously, "A'mo, you finally believe me, I really didn't lie to you. We were husband and wife in our past lives..."
Before she could finish, she let out a scream. Xu Jingmo was too impatient to waste more words with her.
He had just signaled to the beast beside him, and Zhao Jingchi's thumb and index finger were severed with a single slash.
"Are you clear-headed now? Stop spewing that useless nonsense to our boss. How do you know about Xilou, and how did you transmit the information? Without the specific situation inside the building, how could the cops have gotten in so quickly?"
Zhao Jingchi hadn't recovered from the pain yet, looking at the two burly beasts beside her.
Miraculously, she didn't make a sound, only tears flowed. Blood continuously poured out, staining her right hand red.
Seeing the beast's whip about to fall on her again, she said in a weak voice, "I really didn't call the police, nor did I tell anyone about Xilou."
"Little lady, think before you speak. We know your background like the back of our hand. While you may not have many relatives, you must have one or two close classmates, right?"
"You... you better not do anything reckless. I'll only talk about this with Xu Jingmo. You all get out."
Xu Jingmo nodded, and the two beasts immediately bowed and left, closing the door.
"Speak."
"I am a reborn person."
Xu Jingmo sneered, "Are you sure you want to waste this opportunity like this? Bring out whatever tricks you have. Reborn? You're trying to fool a ghost."
"How can you not believe me? What I'm saying is true. My ability to find Xilou is the best proof, and you were the one who had my mother killed."
"Oh, you mean Dr. Shen, right? I didn't kill her. She didn't know about Xilou either, so at least try to make your lies believable."
"Impossible, how could this be?"
Zhao Jingchi's pupils dilated, her face filled with disbelief. Her expression didn't seem like a lie, which made Xu Jingmo frown slightly.
"Tell me, what else do you know?"
Zhao Jingchi racked her brain, trying to recall. Xu Jingmo had no distinguishing features.
Otherwise, she would have mentioned them long ago. Her memories were filled with their sweet times together.
She also couldn't clearly remember the locations of several strongholds; the dream gave her a vague feeling.
However, she still remembered the names of a few of Xu Jingmo's subordinates and some of the stronghold names were quite accurate.
Xu Jingmo remained silent. Zhao Jingchi couldn't figure out what he was thinking and felt very uneasy.
As time ticked by, Zhao Jingchi was covered in a cold sweat. She couldn't stand steadily, and it was only the pain in her hands that kept her conscious.
Xu Jingmo walked out of the small room with a somber expression. Zhao Jingchi cried out in panic.
"A'mo, don't go, you have to believe me! You can investigate, my mother really didn't tell me these things. My interactions at school were also limited, no one could possibly know you."
"You have to believe me, don't leave me alone. Otherwise, you'll regret it, you definitely will."
The sound of the door closing completely plunged Zhao Jingchi into despair. She gasped for breath and fainted.
...
San Mao: "Boss, you don't believe her?"
Xu Jingmo: "Heh, I don't know who came up with such an unoriginal, cliché plot. It seems someone in the group is hiding very deeply. We won't get anything from Zhao Jingchi. A bunch of old foxes."
"Then how should we deal with her?"
"This woman is very stubborn. Get her something good."
"Yes."
When Zhao Jingchi woke up, she was lying on a hard wooden plank bed. She immediately lifted her right hand to her eyes.
It was wrapped in several layers of white gauze, looking very crude. Zhao Jingchi covered her mouth and burst into tears. Her hand hurt so much.
How could she have fallen to this point? Why was the gap between reality and her dreams so vast? He loved her so much, why couldn't he believe her just once?
Facing her mutilated right hand, the terrible environment, and her painful life, she wished more than anything that it was all fake, and she could wake up and return to her school days.
After crying for a while, a beast pushed the door open and entered.
Zhao Jingchi instinctively flinched back. The beast was dark and stout. It grinned, baring its teeth as it laughed at her.
"Sister, don't be scared. Brother's brought you something good. I guarantee you'll be hooked after one try, feeling like an immortal."
"I don't want it, I don't want it, please don't do this to me. Wuwuwu~ Mom save me, Mom save me! Ahhh! Let go of me, you can't do this, I don't want it..."
The beast grabbed her hand, pulled her forward, and thrust the needle in, injecting all the contents.
Zhao Jingchi slumped onto the bed, her eyes vacant and unfocused. She didn't react even when the beast left.
After a while, she felt dizzy. She struggled to crawl to the corner of the bed and vomited disgustingly. Her body was cold and covered in sweat.
She writhed on the bed in discomfort, her body completely out of control. Her mind was filled with anxiety and restlessness, and she wanted to smash things.
The bed was a mess from her thrashing. After a while, she stopped moving. Her body started to feel hot, and she developed a high fever.
Her mind was crystal clear. She knew what that thing was and knew that she might become more addicted in the future.
Why did such disgusting things exist in the world? Why couldn't they all be eradicated?
What would her future be like, following the examples in the propaganda pamphlets? How could she live? Who could save her? How could she quit?
"Mom, I miss you so much. Can you help me and protect me from wherever you are? I don't want to come to you so soon. Please forgive me. I was forced to do this, you'll forgive me, right?"
She closed her eyes, shedding her last tear. Swaying, she put on her shoes and walked out.
Unable to bear the torment, she chose to succumb. Now, the only thing she could sell was herself.
Even if she didn't need that substance temporarily, she still had to eat, still had to live.
She didn't want to die like this without understanding anything. She kept cheering herself on in her heart. She had to live, live well, and wait for the day Xu Jingmo would regret it.