When Si Yue woke up, she felt pain all over her body. When she opened her eyes, she found that her hands and feet were tightly bound by ropes and she could not move.

She tried to struggle, but the places where the ropes had abrasions on her hands suddenly hurt. She had not noticed the wounds on her hands before, but when she moved, they were abrasions again. She could not help but suck in a breath and hiss softly.

She frowned and endured the pain and discomfort, no longer trying to break free.

At this moment, her mind was clear and there were many things that she could think about.

She sat on the ground and carefully organized her thoughts.

She tried to recall and suddenly remembered the smile on the woman's face before she fainted.

At that time, she felt that there was something wrong with the woman's expression. After that … she moved her neck and there was still a dull pain at the back of her neck.

Si Yue guessed that one person must have lured her to a secluded place, while the other person waited in the dark for an opportunity to strike.

She understood that her current situation was not good. This time, someone must have deliberately arranged to kidnap her.

Calming himself down, he braced himself to see where he was.

She was now locked in a room.

The room was dark. Si Yue squinted her eyes and reluctantly surveyed her surroundings.

This was a small and damp room. There seemed to be no extra furniture and it looked empty.

The room was surrounded by walls on three sides and there were no other exits. There was only one door, which seemed to be locked and sealed tightly. Almost no light could pass through.

She did not know how long she had been unconscious. Because there was no light, she could not tell what time it was.

Si Yue did not like this feeling.

She curled up her body and leaned against the corner of the wall, trying to warm up her body.

Her heavy clothes had been taken off at some point and she did not know where they were placed. Now, she was only wearing a few thin layers.

Leaning against the wall, she only felt a chill on her back.

She exhaled. Her numb hands and feet that were tied up were cold. The cold air came in from the outside, as if it wanted to drill into her bones. Her originally very pale face was now blue from the cold, and her teeth could not help but chatter.

It was very cold.

She had not felt this in a long time.

She had a poor life, but she had the body of a delicate young lady. What was this?

She thought.

***

"My Lord," Bai Lan hurried over, stopped beside Xiao Shijing, and called out.

"Do you know which direction they went?" Xiao Shijing heard the voice and turned to look at Bai Lan.

When he sent Bai Lan to Si Yue, he asked Bai Lan to put a special kind of perfume on her.

This was because ordinary people couldn't smell the scent. Only the specially bred Guiding Butterflies could smell it. Once they smelled the scent, they would be able to find their way. They had never made a mistake in finding people.

Bai Lan hesitated. "My Lord, I followed the Guiding Butterfly to the outskirts of the city in the west, and then the scent was cut off... It seems that the other side has noticed it and deliberately used some method to isolate it." She said her own judgment, while carefully watching Xiao Shijing's expression.

Xiao Shijing's heart sank. "I understand. You may leave." He waved his hand. He knew that she had done her best and had no intention of blaming her, so he gestured for her to leave.

His mind was in a mess, but he forced himself to remain calm.

The Duan residence was not a place where ordinary people could easily sneak into. It was either the Duan residence's doing, or someone else had done it deliberately.

The Duan residence had nothing to do with Si Yue. Although Duan Linlang had a grudge against Si Yue, he would not do such a thing. This was not her style.

From the looks of it, it was very likely that someone had deliberately arranged to kidnap Si Yue.

Perhaps it was someone related to him.

He frowned, and a trace of ruthlessness flashed across his eyes.

After a moment of contemplation, he took a pen and paper from the desk and wrote a few words. Suddenly, he paused and tapped the knuckles of his left hand, as if he had thought of something.

It was a dark night outside the window. Thick clouds blocked the moonlight, and only a few pitiful strands of light leaked out.

***

Si Yue's bound hands and feet were numb. She had been in the same position for a long time, so her bones had become stiff.

She felt cold and hungry. She did not know how long she had been in this room, but the coldness in her body was slowly eating away at her. In addition, it seemed that she had not eaten for a long time, so her entire body was drowsy.

She half-closed her eyes and suddenly heard something outside the door.

There was movement, as if someone was walking around outside.

When she heard it, she thought it was just her imagination, but she still harbored a trace of hope and forced herself to stay awake.

She listened carefully and vaguely heard the footsteps outside gradually getting louder. She finally confirmed that someone was coming.

And she could hear that the footsteps were very frequent.

There should be more than one person coming.

She thought.

There was the sound of the door being unlocked.

Si Yue guessed that perhaps the real mastermind had arrived. Who could it be?

She could not think of it, and did not know whether this was a good or bad thing.

She looked at herself and smiled bitterly, thinking that it was better than waiting here aimlessly.

At least she could find someone to eat. Otherwise, she really would not be able to endure this.

With a creak, the door that had been tightly shut finally opened.

She heard the sound of footsteps gradually approaching, and she struggled to open her eyes.

She had been in the dark for too long, so when she suddenly saw the light of the fire, it immediately lit up the room. Her eyes were not used to it, and tears seeped out of her sore eyes.

She vaguely saw a person standing in the middle, surrounded by a group of people who seemed to be his bodyguards.

That person was short and dressed luxuriously. From his posture, it was clear that he was not a commoner.

She squinted her eyes, and her vision cleared a little. She finally saw that person's face clearly.

It was an ordinary face. Because he was old, his face had a few more wrinkles, and his hair was white. His facial features were put together, and he seemed to have a kind aura. He looked like an ordinary old man.

But the strange thing was that this person had a white face and no beard. When he walked towards her, his walking posture was slightly different from the servants beside him.

She remembered what her father had told her and guessed that this person might be a eunuch in the palace.

When that person came closer, she could smell the faint scent of cosmetics coming from his body, making her even more certain.

"I never thought that the prostitute Xiao Shijing fell in love with was Pei Yushan's daughter." The old man looked at her pitifully curled up appearance and said with a chuckle.

His voice was sharp and ear-piercing. She raised her eyes to meet his gaze. Although he was smiling, his eyes were gloomy and sinister. There was no trace of a smile in them, and the calmness on his face was completely torn apart.

When she heard him mention her father's name, her heart was shocked.

He actually knew her father, and from the way he spoke, he seemed to be quite familiar with him.

Her heart was filled with doubts. Something seemed to flash through her mind, but she could not hide it.

She suppressed her impatience and did not speak rashly. She remained silent.

He did not continue to speak like she expected. Instead, he slowly walked towards her and bent down, becoming even more old.

He looked at her face carefully and slowly raised his skinny hand to touch her cheek, gently caressing it.

His wrinkled old face entered her eyes. She felt that the places his hand touched were as cold and sticky as a poisonous snake slithering past. She couldn't help but shiver.

Seeing her like this, he suddenly smiled. He stood up and looked down at her.

"You're very similar to your father."

He spoke as if he was reminiscing. Without waiting for her response, he continued, "Ah, if the world knew that the once famous Prime Minister Pei's only daughter had been living in a brothel for several years, that would be very interesting." His eyes flashed with pleasure and ridicule, and the gaze he looked at her with was filled with false pity.

"What Prime Minister Pei, I don't understand what you're talking about." She forced herself to be calm as she spoke. She acted like she didn't know anything, but her heart was a mess.

"You don't understand?

Un? "He pinched her chin with so much force that she couldn't help frowning.

He looked at her expression and seeing her frown, he suddenly smiled as his face trembled. "Then it's good that you don't understand."

Without saying anything more to her, he took a step back and took out a clean white handkerchief from his sleeve. He slowly wiped the hand that touched her.

Seeing her open her mouth to say something, he laughed and threw away the handkerchief in his hand. "Little girl, don't try to play tricks with me. You're still too inexperienced."

"Oh, that's right, when did you say your lover would come looking for you?"

Just as he was about to walk out the door, he suddenly thought of something. He turned around and said this with an expectant expression on his face. His eyes were filled with a sinister smile as he waited for her reply. It was as if he wanted to see her panicked expression.

She was silent for a moment before looking up with a calm gaze. "I'm hungry. If there's nothing to eat, then he won't have to come looking for me soon."

Probably because he didn't expect her to say this, the old man's expression froze. He didn't react for a moment, and then his face darkened. "Send her some food later. If she dies, I'll take your worthless life." He scolded the person standing next to him.

That person acknowledged and hurriedly left to pass down the order.

The elderly man turned around and looked at her again. His expression was unreadable as he rubbed his chin and chuckled. "I kind of like the way you beg for your life."

The door closed once again.

Si Yue lay on her knees without making a sound. It was as if she was quietly embedded in the darkness, all alone.

Her expression was completely unreadable.

***

Ah Shi, can you find me … please?