Chapter 669: The Plot

Ye Xilan forced a smile and quickly shook her head. “It’s nothing, what’s wrong?”

She waved her hand. “Oh, I was just talking to myself. It’s my Old Li. He just had to argue with me first thing in the morning.”

The two women didn’t suspect a thing. They just smiled and said, “You and your husband have such a great relationship.”

Ye Xilan gave a reserved smile, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She asked, feigning nonchalance, “What were you two talking about just now?”

“Oh, we were just getting food from the mess hall and heard some of the special forces guys talking. They said their comrade’s fiancée had been found.”

“Yeah, we heard Su Li was brought back. Looks like the wedding can go on as planned. What a mess this whole thing was…”

The two women happily shared the latest news.

Ye Xilan’s face, however, instantly turned ashen. She couldn’t hide it, no matter how hard she tried.

The two women belatedly noticed something was wrong and cautiously fell silent. “Madam, are you all right?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine. I just find it strange.” Ye Xilan forced a smile, then turned and went back inside.

The two women exchanged a look, and then a look of sudden understanding dawned on their faces.

“I heard the Madam has always felt that Su Li isn’t good enough for Wu Sheng. She probably wasn’t too happy to hear this news.”

“Probably… But I really don’t get it. Why is she so nosy about other people’s business…?”

The two women walked away, muttering under their breath.

Meanwhile, Ye Xilan, now back in her house, paced back and forth restlessly.

‘Impossible, impossible, how could this be…’

Her face was a mixture of disbelief, indignation, and a hint of panic.

‘The plan failed just like that? How could it? I… I put so much effort into this…’

Ye Xilan stopped abruptly. ‘No, I don’t believe it. I have to go see for myself!’

Ye Xilan turned to leave, but then she hesitated at the door and came back. She took two deep breaths, made a phone call, then changed her clothes, freshened up, and grabbed her purse before finally heading out.

The sky was gradually brightening. Everyone was getting up early for work, and the families and children were rising along with them.

On her way, Ye Xilan ran into several people. She greeted each of them, saying she was going shopping with an old friend.

Ye Xilan walked out of the family courtyard and got into a car parked at the entrance, failing to notice the figure tailing her from behind.

Su Li didn’t know how she had made it through another day.

When night fell again, she still hadn’t made enough progress scraping and chipping at the wall. She still couldn’t climb out. She wanted to keep trying, but no matter how she tried to rally her spirits, she couldn’t summon a shred of strength.

Her hands were completely frozen stiff—numb, aching, and rigid.

Finally, utterly spent, Su Li curled herself into the tightest ball she could, lying motionless in the corner. Her entire body was frozen stiff and numb.

She knew she couldn’t just lie there. She knew she should get up and walk around, but she couldn’t get up.

The strength was draining from her body, bit by bit. No amount of self-encouragement could help anymore.

Unsure if she was unconscious or asleep, Su Li passed the night like that.

She had been terrified she wouldn’t wake up, desperately trying to stay conscious, but she failed. Instead, she fell into a long dream.

It was a nightmare.

A nightmare Su Li struggled to wake from but couldn’t.

It was as if she had returned to her past life. One moment she was crying, the next she was looking for Tang Mo. Then it was Tang Yuanxiao, his eyes bloodshot as he choked her.

Tang Yuanxiao had gone mad, but he was still familiar. Wu Sheng, however, the one who should have been the most familiar, had become a complete stranger. No matter how she called to him, he wouldn’t answer. It was like he didn’t know her at all.

Su Li screamed until her throat was raw, but it was no use.

And Tang Mo had suddenly grown up. She was familiar yet strange. Everything was fine, except she could no longer speak.

Tang Mo wasn’t speaking again. Su Li cried and begged her to say something, but Tang Mo just wouldn’t, she just wouldn’t speak…

Su Li woke from the nightmare to find her face streaked with tears.

She was dazed for a long while, only snapping back to reality when she heard a familiar, scolding voice.

She let out a long breath, unsure if she felt relieved or something else.

Everything in the dream had been a nightmare, but waking up, she was still trapped in one.

Su Li’s whole body was frozen. Her nose was stuffy, her head throbbed, and she was wracked with alternating waves of cold and heat.

The cold and fever had finally caught up to her, now that her guard was down and she had no resistance left.

‘This is… the third day.’

It was the third day. The third day since she had been kidnapped and thrown in here.

Su Li knew with perfect clarity that she was on the verge of death. She knew her situation was critical.

Dehydrated and now sick, she might… she might die from dehydration very soon.

It was only the third day, yet she could already feel the familiar aura of death.

This feeling was not unfamiliar to Su Li. She had endured it in her past life. Back then, after being driven out of the Tang Family and Su Family Village, Su Li had suffered even more than this.

If it hadn’t been for Su Xing back then, she would have starved or died of thirst.

Life is so fragile. In her past life, she had heard that a healthy person could survive for six to seven days with water but no food.

But without water, an ordinary person only had three to four days.

“Wu Sheng… Tang Mo… I’m sorry…” Su Li’s chapped lips moved, but only a faint whisper escaped. She couldn’t form proper sounds anymore.

‘I’m sorry, Wu Sheng, Tang Mo. I couldn’t save myself.’

Su Li tried to move, but in the end, she could only twitch her fingers. With all her might, she managed to lift one hand, only for it to fall limply back down.

Meanwhile, the grating noise by her ear continued. The familiar curses and threats made Su Li feel as if she were in a trance.

She was far too familiar with Mrs. Tang’s scolding. In her past life, that voice had tormented her for so, so long.

In her past life, because of that scolding, because of Tang Mo, she had died an early, painful death from stomach cancer.

‘She thought she had escaped it in this life. To think she still couldn’t get away in the end. Am I fated to die at her hands, so many years ahead of time?’

‘What kind of twisted fate is this?’

‘Did Mrs. Tang not die early in this life just because she hasn’t killed me yet?’

As Su Li’s mind drifted groggily, this thought struck her, and she suddenly felt a desperate urge to laugh.

‘Tang Yuanxiao’s shout of “My mom will never hurt you guys again” was still ringing in her ears, yet the very next moment…’

Heh, heh, heh…

Su Li’s lips twisted into a weak, mocking smile.

“Su Li, I know you’re still in there! Don’t play dead. You’ve only been starving for two days, you won’t die that easily. Don’t think I don’t know you’re in there just because you’re quiet!”

“Let me tell you, today is your last chance. So? Have you considered my offer? Give the factory and the car back to the Tang Family. If you agree, I’ll get you out of here. Otherwise, your wedding is the day after tomorrow. You’re not going to make it.”

Su Li pushed with all her might and finally managed to make a sound.

“Fine, I’ll give it to you. Go and take it!”

“What? What did you say?” Her voice was too quiet. Mrs. Tang couldn’t hear clearly and couldn’t stop herself from cursing again.

“Are you giving it or not? That factory belonged to our Tang Family in the first place…”

Mrs. Tang was in the middle of her tirade and didn’t notice someone approaching.

“Who are you? What are you doing here?” When she heard the question, Mrs. Tang was so startled she almost fell over.

“Who are you people? What are you doing here?” Caught in the act, Mrs. Tang immediately shot the question back, her eyes filled with terror as she looked at the noble-looking woman before her.

“Didn’t you say there would be absolutely no one here? Go check if she’s still there!”

The distinguished woman, her face etched with irritation, didn’t even bother to look at Mrs. Tang as she gave the order.

A look of realization dawned on Mrs. Tang. “Ah, you’re the one who kidnapped Su Li and brought her here… AHH!”

A scream like a pig being slaughtered erupted from Mrs. Tang’s mouth, and the next second, chaos broke out.

In her daze, Su Li thought she heard Wu Sheng’s voice.