Ah Sha held her breath and listened carefully to the sounds on the phone.
A different voice sounded. “This is Lin Musheng! Are you out of your mind?”
“Shut up!” yelled the first voice. “Move your a.s.s and load him into the car.”
“Where to?”
“Li Hua hotel!”
There was the sound of a car engine being started. Then, she heard an ear-piercing, crackling sound, like electric sparks. Obviously, someone had smashed the phone.
Ah Sha stood up, and then sat back down.
“If he gets killed, then n.o.body would know that I’m the poison queen,” Ah Sha mumbled.
“But… d.a.m.n it!” Ah Sha gritted her teeth and ran out.
She called Wan Qingsi as she drove, but he didn’t pick up. She left Wan Qingsi a voice message and then drove on towards Li Hua hotel. She spent the entire drive cursing Lin Musheng.
She arrived at the hotel’s entrance just in time to see two men walking into the lobby while supporting Lin Musheng on each side. Taking a closer look, Ah Sha noticed that Lin Musheng’s hands had been tied behind his back. She waited until the two men had entered the elevator before she rushed into the lobby. She watched the floor indicator of the elevator until the numbers stopped changing at 11.
She got into the elevator. Inside, she called Wan Qingsi again. There was no answer. “Better play it safe,” Ah Sha thought, sending out a quick text. The elevator arrived at the eleventh floor. Ah Sha walked along the quiet hallway until she suddenly heard a man’s harsh voice somewhere to her right.
“Open the f*cking door. He’s about to wake up.”
Ah Sha crept foward, making sure to stay as close as possible to the wall. Peeking out, she saw two men dragging Lin Musheng into the room. She was just about to head over when she saw the door opening. A grouchy man walked out of the room, mumbling and cursing as he moved towards the elevator. Ah Sha watched the man until he finally entered the elevator. Then, she made a quick plan in her mind.
“There’s only one person guy left,” she thought. “Should be fine.” She walked up to the door and pressed the door bell.
A hoa.r.s.e voice sounded from inside. “Who’s there!”
Ah Sha lowered the pitch of her voice: “I’m here to fix your toilet.”
Footsteps sounded from inside. A man opened the door. “These motherf*ckers. How dare they give me this room when the toilet is f*cked up?”
The man’s face changed when he saw Ah Sha. “Who are you?”
“n.o.body!” Ah Sha jabbed a needle into his chest. The man’s body was convulsed and twitched before crumpling to the floor.
Ah Sha entered the room and saw Lin Musheng on the bed. “Hey! Hey! Wake up! I can’t carry you!” Ah Sha yelled at him as she worked on his hand restraints.
The man on the bed shifted a little. “Be gentle. That’s a dead knot.”
Ah Sha froze. “You’re awake?” Then, she took out a Swiss Army knife from her pocket. “Don’t move. I’m going to cut the rope.”
When Ah Sha was done, Lin Musheng rolled over and sat up. “Ah Sha!”
“Hey, why are you looking at me like that?” Ah Sha backed away from him. “Hurry up and get out of here. Who knows the kidnapper’s accomplice might return.”
“You came for me! I’m so happy!” Lin Musheng stood up. “It means that you care about me too!”
Ah Sha was just about to tell him to get over himself when she heard another voice. This time, the voice belonged to a woman. “Since you’re here, why don’t you stay and keep my brother company!”
Ah Sha turned and stared at the door. An Ru sauntered in looking as smug as ever. Behind her, Ding Quan limped into the room too.
Ling Musheng’s eerie voice filled the room as he, too, stared at the people walking through the door. “Ding Nu, the only reason I saved your life from Wan Qingsi and decided to cripple only one of your leg is because of the amount of time you’ve served me. And this is how you chose to repay me? By setting me up?”
An Ru stared at Ling Musheng with a hurt look on her face. “Brother! I’m only doing this for you! You’re interested in this woman, right? So I brought her to you.”
Lin Musheng ignored her and kept talking to Ding Nu instead. “She doesn’t know the rules, but it’s impossible for you not to know. You know d.a.m.n well the kind of punishment that awaits you back at the Triad for your actions!”
“B- Boss, I’m sorry,” Ding Quan said with a conflicted look. “But I can’t leave Xiao Ru alone. I love her!”
Ah Sha, who hadn’t said a single word since An Ru’s arrival, suddenly kicked Lin Musheng’s shin. “What’s it that they say? Right. The fish rots from the head down. You must be a sh*tty boss to have such a follower.”
An Ru glared at Ah Sha. “If it weren’t for Qingsi, I would never have allowed you to become my sister-in-law!”
“No thanks! I’m not interested in your brother.” Ah Sha headed for the door. Then, she saw An Ru smiling at her. Suddenly, An Ru pulled out a canister and sprayed something into the air. A quickly moment later, she and Ding Quan were seen making hasty retreats out of the room.
A dark look formed in Ah Sha’s eyes as she took several steps back as well.
“Got this thing from the black market,” An Ru said. “It’s a very powerful aphrodisiac. Good luck, brother! Time to take advantage of this opportunity.” Then, just when An Ru was about to leave with Ding Quan, a group of people charged in through the door.
“Boss!”
“Ah Sha!”
An Ru’s face went pale. “Qing… Qingsi? What are you doing here?”
Wan Qingsi pushed An Ru aside to get to Ah Sha, but Ding Quan pounced on him with a knife. At the same time, Lin Musheng’s henchmen formed a circle around their boss. “Boss! Are you alright?”
Lin Musheng covered his mouth and glanced at Ah Sha, who was bent over the windowsill to breathe in fresh air. Lin Musheng’s eyes narrowed into slits. He raised his hand and struck the back of his neck. Then, he picked up Ah Sha’s limp form and ran.
“Ling Musheng!” Wan Qingsi roared. “Let her go!”
“Hold him back,” Lin Musheng ordered his henchmen. Wan Qingsi was held back by Ding Quan and several other guys at the same time. It was impossible for him to free himself quick enough to get to Ah Sha. He watched in despair as Ah Sha was taken away right in front of him.
By the time Wan Yi and Wan Er got there, Lin Musheng was long gone.
“Young master, Lin Musheng had already boarded a plan,” Wan Er said after hanging up his phone. Then, he pointed at the other guys in the room. “What about these guys? Do we kill them?”
Wan Qingsi’s eyes swept across the room, scanning over Lin Musheng’s henchmen. The henchmen shuddered and leaned closer to each other.
“Get out of my sight! And you go back and tell Lin Musheng this. If he so much as touch Ah Sha, I’ll level the entire Triad and turn you f*ckers into dust!” The henchmen ran (crawled, even) off as if their a.s.ses were on fire, leaving only Ding Quan and An Ru in the room. Ding Quan had a gun held to his head by Wan Yi while An Ru was knocked out some time during the commotion.
“Kill the guy,” Wan Qingsi said.
Ding Quan flinched. Wan Yi pulled the trigger at the exact moment Ding Quan opened his mouth to speak. Ding Quan’s body slumped over An Ru’s unconscious body, his eyes opened wide even in death.
The added weight on her body roused An Ru. She opened her eyes, and blinked her fogginess in her mind away. Ding Nu’s bloodied form was the first thing she saw when her vision cleared.
“Ah!!!!” An Ru screamed and scrambled backwards. When she noticed Wan Qingsi, she pounced but was kicked away by Wan Qingsi. “Take this woman back to base.”
“Yes, sir,” Wan Yi said. Then, he asked, “What should we do with her?”
Terror filled An Ru’s eyes as she waited for Wan Qingsi’s answer.
“Whatever you want,” Wan Qingsi growled. “Just make sure she keeps breathing.”
When Ah Sha woke up, she realized that she was lying on top a huge, luxurious bed. Outside the window, the ocean stretched out endlessly towards the horizon. She glanced around and studied her surroundings. “Too extravagant,” she thought. “Definitely not Xunxun’s style.”
The door opened. When she saw the person walking in, Ah Sha closed her eyes. “Where am I?”
“My home!” Lin Musheng had a gla.s.s of milk in his hand. “How is it? Not too shabby, right?”
Ah Sha looked at her. “Hong Kong? The Triad?”
“Where else?” Lin Musheng handed the milk to her. “I told you you’re at my house, didn’t I?”
“How long was I out for?” Ah Sha took the milk gla.s.s. Her stomach was basically empty right now. Even if she planned to run, she needed to eat first.
Lin Musheng sat down beside her bed. “Not long,” he said. “We arrived last night. It’s ten o’clock in the morning right now.”
Ah Sha finished the entire gla.s.s of milk in one sitting. “Did you plan this?” Ah Sha asked coldly. “The kidnapping? Calling me on purpose so that I’d hear the kidnapping? Did you plan all that just so you could bring me to Hong Kong?”
“Of course I didn’t!” Lin Musheng said. Then, he raised his hand. “Fine! I’ll tell you.” He opened the French Window; the salty scent of the ocean wafted in. Unable to help herself, Ah Sha took a deep breath.
“I really was set up by Ding Quan.” Lin Musheng sat himself down on a chair on the balcony. “He came to see me, saying that An Ru is planning to take her own life. When I let my guard down, he knocked me out. But I was already conscious when they were moving me into the car.”
“Then why did you let them drag you into the hotel like a dead dog!” Ah Sha felt an impulse to kill whack him to death with the pillow.
Lin Musheng laughed. “Because I heard them mention something about luring you here. “I wanted to see if you’d actually come for me.”
“I wouldn’t save you next time even if you are dying in front of me.” Ah Sha sneaked a sidelong glance at him. “Please bring me some clothes.”
She realized that she was currently dressed in a pair of cottom pajamas. Lin Musheng laughed when he noticed her frown. “Don’t worry. The maids were the ones who changed your clothes.” Lin Musheng approached her slowly. “Look, I really am happy that you came for me.”
“Stop giving me that sappy look.” Ah Sha pushed him away. “Bring me a change of clothes.”
Lin Musheng opened the wardrobe. “Pick!”
“Give me some privacy.” Ah Sha stared at him.
“Fine!” Lin Musheng shrugged. “I’ll be waiting for you downstairs.”
Ah Sha waited until Lin Musheng left before moving towards the wardrobe. She lost her temper when she reached the wardrobe. “F*ck!”
Every single item of clothing inside the wardrobe came in the Lolita fashion. Be it dresses or pants, every one of them were covered in lace.
“This pervert,” Ah Sha growled. She pulled out a long dress and put it on. Then, a sudden thought occured to her. She touched her face a few times, and then bolted into the bathroom. Indeed, she saw her real face in the mirror.
She ran back to the bedroom. There was a dressing table beside the head of the bed. On it, she saw an expensive looking box. Picking up the box and opening it, she saw her mask inside.
“At least you’re sensible enough. I would’ve given you a permanent erectile dysfuction if you damaged it!” Ah Sha went on to curse Lin Musheng inwardly for a billion times. After that, she walked through the French window and stepped onto the balcony. She checked out the surrounding and realized that this place was a huge, beachside villa. In fact, the ocean was directly below her feet. A stretch of lush forests enclosed the area.
Ah Sha frowned. It had already been a day since she was taken. Xunxun would definitely arrive before dark. She just had to guard herself against Lin Musheng until then!
Her heart eased at the thought. She descended the stairs slowly. When she arrived at the large living room, she immediately noticed two rows of neatly-dressed men in dark suits.
Lin Musheng was sitting on the couch between the two rows of men.
“Ah Sha! Come here,” Lin Musheng said.
Ignoring his outstretched hand, Ah Sha sat down on the couch directly across from him.
The “Men in Black” were all shooting glances at her, some were even whispering to each other.
“Welcome to the Triad!” Lin Musheng opened his arms. “You haven’t been to Hong Kong, right? Want me to take you on a tour? What do you say, Ah Sha?”
Ah Sha looked at him. “Aren’t you afraid that I’d try to run?”
“Haven’t I told you already? This is my territory. You can’t get away even if you had wings,” Lin Musheng said confidently. “Come on. Let’s go!”
“I’m not going.” Ah Sha remained seated in the couch. “I’m hungry.”
Lin Musheng grinned at her. “Which is why I’m taking you to a nice place you can eat!” Ah Sha just stared at him warily without saying a word. Lin Musheng sighed.
“Ah Sha, you seriously don’t remember me?”
Ah Sha’s eyes went wide. “What do you mean?”