After taking the painkillers, Pei Ji's pain gradually subsided.
"How are you feeling?" Shen Qingqing asked with concern.
Pei Ji finally managed a smile. "Much better, thank you. If it weren't for you, he wouldn't have agreed to get me painkillers."
"Don't mention it. We're on the same side now."
Shen Qingqing used gauze dipped in water to wipe his face. The mineral water was at room temperature, slightly cool, which instantly cleared his hazy mind.
"When can we leave?"
Shen Qingqing glanced at the notebook beside her. "Soon."
Pei Ji moved slightly. She immediately asked, "What is it?"
"I want to sit up." Pei Ji had been lying down for the past two days and felt his back was stiff. He wanted to change his position.
Shen Qingqing helped him sit up and examined his arm.
It had been fractured before and then kicked again, worsening the injury. It now required professional facilities and medication, and the current treatment was too rudimentary.
"I'm fine."
Seeing the worry on her face, Pei Ji tried to comfort her, his smile seeming genuine, as if he were no longer in pain, if one ignored the sweat on his forehead.
Shen Qingqing almost believed him.
"You don't need to think about anything right now, just rest well."
Pei Ji sighed. "Speaking of which, I've dragged you into this."
"No."
Pei Ji's expression was complicated, tinged with guilt. "If you hadn't rushed to save me, you wouldn't have needed to come here. If you hadn't come here, you might have already reached your hometown."
Shen Qingqing tidied up the scattered gauze nearby and packed it neatly into the first-aid kit.
"There are too many 'ifs'. This is how things developed, and you're here just as I am. Since it's happened, we need to try and resolve it. Complaining to the heavens and blaming oneself is useless."
"You always see things so clearly," Pei Ji said admiringly. "Now I'm starting to believe what you said."
"What did I say?"
Shen Qingqing had said many things, so many she could barely remember them herself.
Pei Ji smiled. "We will definitely be safe."
"That's for sure."
Shen Qingqing had never doubted this.
As they were talking, Pei Xi entered. He seemed to be in a particularly good mood, a smile constantly on his face. He looked at Shen Qingqing and Pei Ji and said cheerfully, "You two are really carefree."
Shen Qingqing glanced at him and understood. "The transfer was successful, wasn't it?"
Pei Xi's eyes held a hint of admiration. "So smart, you guessed correctly."
Shen Qingqing replied, "There are still two pages left to copy."
"I'll give you only one more day," Pei Xi issued an ultimatum. "I want to see the complete book tonight."
Shen Qingqing said calmly, "I'll try my best."
Pei Xi looked at Pei Ji and didn't torment him further. Perhaps because everything was going smoothly now, he didn't find Pei Ji as unbearable.
He walked out the door with his hands behind his back.
"Keep a close eye on these two. At this final stage, absolutely no accidents can occur."
Several burly guards nodded in unison.
In the warehouse, Pei Ji pursed his lips. "I'm afraid by the time you finish copying the last two pages, it will be the end for both of us."
Shen Qingqing remained silent, leisurely flipping through the notebook.
"Aren't you in the slightest bit of a hurry?"
"What's the rush?" Shen Qingqing remained calm. "I was mentally prepared before I came. He wouldn't let us go so easily."
Recalling the man's behavior over the past few days, Pei Ji felt she wasn't someone who would sit idly by and let herself be bullied.
"Then what do you plan to do?"
Shen Qingqing's lips curved upwards, still unhurried. "Don't worry, when the bridge comes, the boat will naturally cross it. These last two pages aren't finished yet, are they?"
Pei Ji, influenced by her composure, felt his own panic subside. "If there's anything you need me to do, just say the word. I'll cooperate fully!"
"Okay."
In truth, he couldn't help much in his current state. With his injuries, not being a hindrance would be good enough.
However, Shen Qingqing still agreed.
It was, after all, to give him some peace of mind.
Throughout the afternoon, Pei Xi would occasionally check in, but Shen Qingqing copied very slowly.
Pei Xi grew impatient. "When exactly will you finish the last two pages?"
"Aren't I writing it right now?" Shen Qingqing tapped the paper with the tip of her pen. "I've been confined here for two days, copying this stuff day and night. My mind is a bit jumbled. If I write slower and more carefully, what if I make a mistake?"
Her reasoning was so sound and righteous that Pei Xi was momentarily speechless. He warned, "Hurry up! Don't forget the deadline I gave you."
"I know, stop bothering me."
By evening, with only half a page left, Pei Xi came in to take another look and brought them some food.
Seeing the rapid progress, he smirked. To their surprise, he didn't disturb Shen Qingqing further and walked out with his hands behind his back.
Pei Ji felt something was off. "Why is he suddenly so agreeable?"
"When things are too good to be true, there's a hidden danger."
Shen Qingqing put the notebook away, holding the pen in her hand, and turned towards the door. The area outside was very quiet. Through the crack, she could see four burly men standing guard at the entrance.
Just as she was about to turn back, she suddenly heard rustling sounds all around.
Footsteps were mixed in with them.
After about a minute, the sounds changed, sounding like flowing water.
But there was no river here. Even if there were, they wouldn't go into a river at a hospital to fetch water. Where was the sound of flowing water coming from?
No, it wasn't water!
The faint scent drifting through the door crack made Shen Qingqing certain of what it was.
It was the smell of gasoline!
Pei Ji, who had been sitting there, immediately noticed her changed expression and asked, "What's wrong?"
He had a vague feeling that something was unusual outside, and not wanting to alert them, he deliberately lowered his voice.
Shen Qingqing hesitated for a moment, then decided to tell him the truth. "They probably intend to burn us alive after I finish copying."
Pei Ji was enraged. "How cruel!"
Shen Qingqing's eyes turned cold, and she lowered her voice. "We must leave here as soon as possible."
"But how can I leave in this state?"
Pei Ji looked down at his leg. His left leg was fractured and still splinted with two wooden sticks. He hadn't recovered at all in these past few days.
It was a small mercy that it hadn't worsened without treatment.
"Listen carefully. I'll go out in a moment to draw their attention. You use that time to..."
"But my leg..."
Shen Qingqing interrupted Pei Ji. "From now on, you must remember every single word I say. Even if you have to crawl, you must get out of this place!"
As long as they got out of the warehouse, they would be surrounded by dense forest. Finding a hidden place to shelter would allow them to escape the men outside.
Not to mention, she was here.
"I'll do my best to attract their attention. There are quite a few of them, but I'll find a way to incapacitate them, or at least delay them." This was the best plan Shen Qingqing could come up with at the moment.