Chapter 159: The Game

Liang Jinshang felt her legs go weak instinctively.

In a sober state, anyone could tell that this was a face utterly ruined by fire.

Yet, when the door was thrown open abruptly to reveal such a face with distorted features and blurred contours, anyone would be startled.

What was even more horrifying was that the moment he opened his mouth, his voice, hoarse from smoke, was as harsh and piercing as a night owl: "Are you Second Zheng's piece?"

Second Zheng?

Zheng Jue?

"N-No, I'm not..." Liang Jinshang replied, barely maintaining her composure. "You've got the wrong person."

"Hahaha!" The burned man sneered menacingly, spitting out, "Too bad you can't deny it!"

Before his voice had even faded, he lunged straight at Liang Jinshang!

Liang Jinshang was already alert enough. As he lunged, she slipped past him through the gap at the edge of the door.

Fortunately, she was wearing flat shoes.

However, before she had run two steps, the man was already in pursuit.

Suddenly, a hand with deformed knuckles reached out, and a piece of cloth reeking of a pungent chemical odor was violently pressed over Liang Jinshang's nose and mouth.

...

When Liang Jinshang struggled awake, she found herself in a swaying, enclosed space.

She shook her dizzy head and easily assessed her current location—a small van.

"Mmh! Mmh!" A strange noise came from beside her. She turned her head slightly and was shocked to see two familiar faces!

Gong Xueyuan and Gong Nian!

Gong Xueyuan's hands and feet were bound, and her mouth was sealed with adhesive tape.

Gong Nian lay collapsed beside her legs, seemingly still unconscious.

The question was, why were they here too?!

Especially Gong Xueyuan.

Just now at the auction venue, Gong Xueyuan had smashed her aged agarwood standing sculpture, and Liang Jinshang naturally could not let her off.

After teaching her a lesson herself, she immediately handed Gong Xueyuan over to the on-site notary officials.

The notary officials had taken Gong Xueyuan away, promising to give Liang Jinshang a notarized resolution.

So at this moment, shouldn't Gong Xueyuan have been detained at the notary's office?

Liang Jinshang could not figure out what exactly had happened in between.

She only knew that this van did not seem to be traveling on a wide, smooth highway.

The vehicle was turning this way and that, bumping violently.

This was not a good sign.

If these kidnappers took the three of them deep into the mountains and remote forests, the chances of being rescued would become extremely slim.

Even if she wanted to run away on her own, she wouldn't even be able to tell her direction!

Liang Jinshang barely managed to steady her nerves. Her hands were tied behind her back, and the thick hemp rope was terribly abrasive; even the slightest movement caused sharp pain.

Yet she did not hesitate for a second—she had to break free!

She rubbed her hands behind her back with all her might, searching for any slack she could exploit to break loose.

Fine beads of sweat quickly seeped out onto her forehead.

Gong Xueyuan had been cowering in the corner, staring wide-eyed at Liang Jinshang.

Does this person not feel pain?

It wasn't as if Gong Xueyuan hadn't tried to struggle just a moment ago, but she gave up after only two tries because it hurt too much!

Gong Xueyuan looked at Liang Jinshang as if she were some kind of monster impervious to pain. Just looking at those shoulders, she could tell how hard Liang Jinshang was struggling!

Yet Liang Jinshang actually pulled it off!

With her small frame and slender wrists, combined with her violent struggle, she threw the blood-stained hemp rope to the floor shortly after, and then untied the rope around her legs.

Liang Jinshang was free.

Gong Xueyuan, however, began to panic.

Liang Jinshang walked over to Gong Xueyuan and squatted down.

Pinishing Gong Xueyuan's face, she asked in a low, suppressing voice, "Was this your doing?"

Gong Xueyuan shook her head frantically.

Even if she really wanted to kidnap Liang Jinshang, how could she possibly drag herself and her younger sister along to suffer together?

Liang Jinshang was merely confirming it.

In her heart, she knew the probability of Gong Xueyuan orchestrating this was low.

Because judging by the burned man's demeanor earlier, he didn't look like someone acting under orders, but rather someone who had come to grab her spontaneously—no, wait, to grab "Zheng Jue's piece."

Liang Jinshang's gaze swept over the hem of her own skirt.

She knew she was most likely taking the fall for Le Quan because of this dress.

Then what about Gong Xueyuan?

A thought quickly flashed through her mind: could it be because of Zheng Shan?

Had the Zheng family offended someone, prompting someone to capture the two girlfriends of the Zheng brothers?

Liang Jinshang asked again, "Who has the Zheng family offended recently?"

Gong Xueyuan hesitated for a moment and shook her head.

Liang Jinshang's gaze turned icy. She reached out and violently ripped the tape off Gong Xueyuan's mouth in one swift motion.

With the strong adhesive yanked off forcefully, Gong Xueyuan's lips instantly began to bleed profusely.

She was about to scream in agony when Liang Jinshang forcefully clamped a hand over her mouth.

"If you dare to let out a sound, you're asking for death! Or I can just strangle you right now."

Gong Xueyuan dared not make a sound anymore, because the dark, glistening depths of Liang Jinshang's eyes were filled with absolute seriousness.

She really would strangle her.

Gong Xueyuan shook her head tearfully, signaling that she wouldn't make a sound.

Liang Jinshang let go, wiping her hand on Gong Xueyuan's clothes to transfer the blood back to her.

Enduring the pain, Gong Xueyuan awkwardly pleaded, "Can you help untie me first?"

How could Liang Jinshang possibly untie her?

If she wasn't afraid that slapping her would make too much noise, she would have already given her dozens of slaps to vent her anger.

Gong Xueyuan's hesitation earlier proved that she probably knew a bit of the inside story.

"Talk first. Who are the people that kidnapped us? How did you get kidnapped, and where are the people from the notary's office?!"

Liang Jinshang fired off a series of questions, but Gong Xueyuan refused to speak: "I don't know! Untie me first!"

This idiot proved with facts that even though they were now tied to the same rope, she had never once thought of cooperating with each other.

Since she wouldn't cooperate, Liang Jinshang was more than "glad" to oblige.

Slapping her would make a noise, but there was a ready-made "instrument of torture" right here.

Liang Jinshang picked up the hemp rope that had just bound her legs, yanked it tight with both hands, and said to Gong Xueyuan, "Why didn't you figure out a way to untie yourself? Because you knew it hurts terribly, right?"

Her tone was light, but her expression carried a suppressed, manic frenzy.

Gong Xueyuan was genuinely a bit terrified.

She shrank back, scooting further into the corner.

"Good, it's best that you're afraid of pain."

Liang Jinshang picked up a piece of dirty rag and tightly stuffed it into Gong Xueyuan's mouth.

Then, with a swift motion, she pulled up the hem of Gong Xueyuan's dress, revealing her two slender, fair, and tender thighs.

She pulled the hemp rope taut, pressed it against Gong Xueyuan's thigh, and dragged it back and forth forcefully, instantly leaving a bloody welt.

Liang Jinshang applied heavy force; it was vastly more painful than when she had struggled free earlier!

"Mm!" Gong Xueyuan jerked her whole body, and tears instantly gushed out.

An expression of genuine terror surfaced in the depths of her eyes.

Liang Jinshang didn't stop. She moved a bit higher and scraped out another bloody welt.

With her hands and feet bound, Gong Xueyuan couldn't move at all.

What a pity she couldn't pull her limbs apart; otherwise, the most tender flesh on the inner thighs could have been torn right off, skin and all, by that hemp rope.

Just before Liang Jinshang was about to strike a third time, Gong Xueyuan frantically signaled with "Mm-mm-mm!" sounds that she wanted to speak!

Truly cheap and spineless.

Liang Jinshang smiled sarcastically and yanked the dirty rag out of her mouth. Gong Xueyuan retched painfully twice.

This van must have been used to transport aquatic seafood; that rag was reeking with the stench of fish!

Without Liang Jinshang needing to ask again, Gong Xueyuan was already scared out of her wits. "I know who kidnapped us! I'll talk, I'll talk... Today's auction was rigged!"