Chapter 10: A New Destination
Long Qinxin had been gone for a long time, and Lu Zhiyin had been alone at home for a long time.
Her left hand had been tied for so long that it had become numb, and saliva continuously overflowed from her mouth, dripping down her face, onto her body, and the sofa.
Head bowed, Lu Zhiyin felt an unspeakable shame, but she could not utter any complaints.
She looked at a dark red patch of fabric on the sofa, where her blood had stained it the previous night.
Now, she could only hope that Long Qinxin would be a little gentler in the period to come, at least not to make her bleed all the time.
Time passed minute by minute, and Lu Zhiyin spent the entire morning bound like this.
During this time, she heard heavy footsteps in the hallway, but they were not Long Qinxin’s.
Lu Zhiyin thought the owner of the footsteps was probably Qin An.
And as she expected, the only person to pass her door the entire morning was Qin An, carrying a box of instant noodles.
“Tsk… I don’t have much money left.”
In her own home, Qin An looked at the instant noodles she had thrown on the coffee table with a troubled expression.
She began to consider whether she should try to find a job.
“…”
While Qin An was thinking about unrelated things, Lu Zhiyin was almost falling asleep.
She remained like this until the afternoon, and it was not until the sun was about to set that Long Qinxin finally returned.
“I’m back.”
Pushing the door open, Long Qinxin announced her return in a muffled voice.
If she could, she would like to hear a welcome home when she returned, but this was likely just her wishful thinking.
Walking slowly to the sofa, Long Qinxin removed the gag from Lu Zhiyin’s mouth.
“Cough… Hah…”
Panting, Lu Zhiyin took deep breaths.
After wearing the gag for so long, Lu Zhiyin felt as if her jaw was about to dislocate.
“I’ve found a place, I’ll take you there right away.”
As Long Qinxin spoke, she untied Lu Zhiyin’s collar.
She didn’t want anyone else to know Lu Zhiyin’s current relationship with her.
In front of outsiders, Long Qinxin still wanted to spare Lu Zhiyin a little dignity.
After taking off the collar, Long Qinxin also helped Lu Zhiyin untie the ropes that bound her.
“…It’s a bit numb.”
Her wrists had been tied for too long, showing a bluish-purple color, and Lu Zhiyin’s entire arm felt numb.
She shook her hand, and it took a while for her to recover, wiping the saliva from the corners of her mouth and chin with her sleeve.
“…”
Long Qinxin watched her without speaking until Lu Zhiyin stopped.
“Get used to it, you might experience this again.”
Her thin lips parted, uttering the words Lu Zhiyin expected.
Lu Zhiyin knew that Long Qinxin would not let her go easily, nor would she make things easy for her.
“…Mm.”
She nodded.
“Let’s go, I’ll take you downstairs.”
Looking at the quietly nodding Lu Zhiyin, Long Qinxin felt a little uneasy, always feeling as if the Lu Zhiyin in front of her was not genuine.
She suppressed her unhappiness and reached out to pick Lu Zhiyin up, then carried Lu Zhiyin out of the living room and into the hallway.
“The driver is my person, don’t think about seeking help, do you understand?”
Long Qinxin instructed as they walked.
Lu Zhiyin’s head rested against her chest, making her heart flutter, but she hadn’t lost her reason.
Carrying Lu Zhiyin downstairs, she opened the door of the car driven by her driver and took Lu Zhiyin into the back seat.
“Let’s go.”
As Long Qinxin’s words fell, the driver started the car, the engine roared, and then the car slowly started, gradually increasing its speed.
“…Zhiyin.”
Placing Lu Zhiyin on the seat, Long Qinxin caressed Lu Zhiyin’s face.
Lu Zhiyin was indeed obedient and didn’t seek help, but Long Qinxin felt something was missing, feeling empty inside.
She thought she shouldn’t feel this way.
Long Qinxin gently kissed Lu Zhiyin’s cheek. Because they were in the car and the driver in the front seat was equivalent to Long Qinxin’s elder, Long Qinxin did not act too out of line.
“…I’m here.”
Lu Zhiyin nodded.
She played with her right hand’s fingers with her left hand, occasionally looking out the window.
There was nothing interesting to see outside. The streets after the rain were still desolate. The only difference was that there were slightly more police officers on the streets.
Lu Zhiyin had a bad premonition, but she quickly dismissed the strange feeling in her heart.
Thinking more now was useless; she had to focus on the present.
“…So well-behaved.”
Looking at Lu Zhiyin, who was sitting obediently beside her, Long Qinxin sighed. Her heart felt empty, but she couldn’t help but want to hold the fragile, exquisite girl who looked like a doll and play with her.
“…”
Silently looking at the driver in front, Long Qinxin suppressed the desire in her heart.
It wasn’t time yet. Once they returned to her newly purchased property, she could do whatever she pleased.
“…Hm…? I’ll be good until you’re not angry anymore.”
Continuing to play with her fingers, Lu Zhiyin leaned her head on Long Qinxin’s shoulder, no longer looking out the window.
The car was not moving very fast, but not too slow either. About an hour later, the car left the city and arrived at the outskirts.
When leaving the city, the car was stopped by the police. Long Qinxin’s driver said something to the policeman who stopped them, and the policeman quickly let them pass.
Lu Zhiyin’s ominous feeling grew stronger.
“…It’s been a long time since I’ve been outside the city.”
Casually finding a topic to distract herself from the premonition, Lu Zhiyin looked out the car window again.
At this moment, outside the window were wheat fields flashing past.
Most of the golden wheat fields had been harvested, leaving half of the land bare, not as beautiful as in movies.
But Lu Zhiyin could still feel the rustic charm contained within the wheat fields.
Compared to golden wheat fields, Lu Zhiyin preferred green wheat waves.
In her previous life, when she visited her grandmother in the countryside, she would occasionally see wheat waves rolling past.
Thinking of her grandmother, Lu Zhiyin’s eyes darkened; she had one more reason to go home.
“Does Zhiyin like wheat fields?”
Long Qinxin noticed Lu Zhiyin staring blankly at the wheat fields and gently stroked Lu Zhiyin’s hair.
Speaking of which, although Long Qinxin knew that Lu Zhiyin’s parents were dead, she hadn’t yet investigated their previous jobs.
Perhaps her Zhiyin came from a farming family?
“Miss, we’re here.”
Just as Long Qinxin was about to ask, the car stopped. The driver got out and opened the car door for her.
Long Qinxin carried Lu Zhiyin out of the car. She swallowed her question.
What met the eyes of Long Qinxin and Lu Zhiyin was a small courtyard, with a cement floor and red brick walls. The courtyard was very clean, and the road was right at the entrance.
Except for the occasional passing vehicles, it was indeed very quiet here.
“From now on, you will live here, Zhiyin.”
Long Qinxin carried Lu Zhiyin into the house.
“If you like wheat fields, you’ll be able to see enough of them from now on.”
