[GB] Boss Ruan, your husband doesn't want you anymore.

Chi Xiao said with a somewhat speechless expression, "It's yours and Huo Jingmo's, who else could it be?"

Ruan Qian'an exhaled Bai Qi, whose long eyelashes were covered with white snowflakes, which turned into frost due to the moisture.

She gave a curt "oh" with a hint of indifference, her bare feet shuffling between the deep and shallow water.

"Let's go."

Chi Xiao looked at Ruan Qian'an, who was walking further and further away and dressed in thin clothes, and said, "Boss, we've gone too far. If we keep going, we'll be heading into the sea."

Ruan Qian'an stopped and walked up to Chi Xiao. Her expression was serious, showing no embarrassment at having come to the wrong place, and she stood motionless in front of Chi Xiao.

Chi Xiao sighed; this was asking him to lead the way.

Xiangxiang tilted her head and looked at Ruan Qian'an with curiosity. Although she was instinctively afraid, she was also curious about why this person was so close to her father.

And it was moving restlessly in Chi Xiao's arms, trying to grab Huo Jingmo in Ruan Qian'an's arms with both hands. It was also making "ah ah" noises.

Chi Xiao held Xiangxiang in his arms, letting her struggle wildly, and walked forward with heavier steps.

He glanced at Ruan Qian'an every now and then and asked with concern, "Boss, aren't you cold?"

Ruan Qian'an's eyes were vacant, and she looked blankly toward the source of the voice.

"Cold? Why am I cold?"

Chi Xiao keenly sensed something was wrong and said to Ruan Qian'an, "It's winter now, and it's snowing."

Ruan Qian'an was silent for a moment: "How long have I been gone?"

Chixiao: "More than a year."

"..."

Ruan Qian'an murmured, "How could so much time have passed? I thought only a day or two had passed at most."

Ruan Qian'an asked her assistant Lin to help Huo Jingmo into the car, as she couldn't see and was afraid of accidentally bumping into him.

With a thud, Ruan Qian'an fell to the ground.

Large snowflakes drifted down and landed on Ruan Qian'an's head. The snow-white snowflakes landed on Ruan Qian'an's loose hair, like crystal hair ornaments, making her look like an elf. Even nature favored her.

"Boss!"

"Ah!"

-

Lightning ripped across the sky, illuminating the dark sea with a blinding brilliance. Then came a rumble of thunder, like the roar of a god, making the creatures of the sea tremble, as if they were in the midst of apocalyptic terror, filling them with despair.

The giant waves rolled violently, crashing against the rocks as if they were about to devour everything.

Suddenly, a pale hand emerged from the depths of the sea, clinging to the rocks with bulging veins, pulling him out of the dark water.

Compared to the turbulent sea, Ruan Qian'an appeared much smaller at this moment.

The heavy rain washed over her still-growing flesh, making it look crooked and horrifying.

His eyes were vacant, and his ears twitched as if trying to hear something, but in this rainy night and amidst the raging sea, he could hear nothing at all.

The fish tail still dangled in the sea, a magnificent fish tail, the newly grown flesh not fully healed, not perfectly matching the intact skin.

She sensed something human approaching, and her fish tail and ears slowly began to change, a process of flesh and blood being reconstituted.

The torn flesh was more clearly visible and even more horrifying on her legs.

A bright beam of light shone on Ruan Qian'an, but she was unaware of it.

Even under the bright light, she stared straight ahead without blinking, feeling no discomfort whatsoever. She only felt the roar of the ship getting closer and closer.

She was caught in the net, and Ruan Qian'an tried to pull it off with her hands. The soft flesh on her body caused her immense pain, so she simply stopped struggling.

Several people worked together to pull her up.

Ruan Qian'an was surrounded by people, and someone said, "We've picked up a stunning beauty for free! We can finally report back. Heaven has truly spared us!"

Immediately afterwards, someone smirked and rubbed their hands together, saying, "Before we sell it, could we..."

Someone slapped him on the head and said, "What are you thinking? Do you know what kind of fetish that big shot has? If you want to die, don't drag us all down with you. We finally found someone who fits the bill, so don't mess around with him."

The lewd voice replied, "Yes, yes, yes," its tone laced with malice and disdain.

Someone else kicked something and said, "Lock this one up too, it'll probably fetch a good price."

He was probably unconscious; he didn't make a sound even when he was kicked.

Ruan Qian'an remained silent, hugging herself tightly as she gradually regained her strength, her body completely naked.

The group of men used nets to throw Ruan Qian'an and the other person into a certain place.

Ruan Qian'an keenly sensed that there were at least ten people in the room, scrutinizing her as if she were locked in a cage.

A soft female voice rang out: "Were you also tricked into coming here?" She was asking Ruan Qian'an.

Ruan Qian'an ignored her, only feeling her back was bent. She had just woken up when she was inexplicably grabbed.

A piece of clothing was draped over her.

"Put them on." His tone was somewhat stiff, as if he didn't often care about others.

Ruan Qian'an could still hear the clanging of the chains. She wrapped her clothes tighter around herself and remained silent.

The frail-looking girl then spoke up, "Aren't you blind?"

Ruan Qian'an frowned upon hearing this, and then she heard a clanging of chains, guessing that it was the sound of the girl waving her hand.

The soft female voice was tinged with panic: "I didn't mean to offend you. It's just that you're staring at me intently, but your eyes haven't been focused for a long time, so I asked you this. I don't mean any harm; I just want to help you."

Another female voice rang out; it was the same person who had thrown the clothes at Ruan Qian'an earlier. However, she was speaking to the weak female voice: "Xiao Xin, don't pay attention to her. Look at her cold demeanor, why bother with her?"

The girl called Xiaoxin said, "Xiaoyun, I was just asking. She looks much more pitiful than us."

Xiaoyun sneered: "That one isn't pitiful, so put away your worthless sympathy."

Xiaoxin: "And you're still talking about me? Didn't you help her too? You're just all bark and no bite."

Ruan Qian'an said calmly, "It's nothing." Her voice was clear and cold.

Xiao Xin was taken aback for a moment before realizing that Ruan Qian'an was answering what she had just said. Xiao Xin stared at Ruan Qian'an and smiled shyly.

Xiao Xin stared blankly, somewhat mesmerized, and said, "Your eyes are so beautiful, so beautiful."

Xiaoyun, who was standing next to Xiaoxin, nudged her through the cage and said, "Hey, what's wrong with you?"

Ruan Qian'an tapped her fingers lightly on the floor, then closed her eyes.

"Don't look into my eyes."

Xiao Xin felt something being injected into her body and then, as if regaining her senses, replied to Ruan Qian'an, "Okay...okay."

"What was wrong with me just now? I actually had the thought of dying for this person," Xiaoxin murmured.

Xiaoyun didn't hear what Xiaoxin was muttering, and said to Xiaoxin, "You looked like you were possessed just now, it scared me to death."

Xiao Xin shook her head at Xiao Yun's worried face: "I'm fine, I was just lost in thought."

She looked to the side and saw cages piled up one on top of another, and inside them were people, not livestock.

On the table in the very center of the room sat a man, his eyes wide open, unable to close, for he had already breathed his last.

This is the body of that disobedient man, who was repeatedly violated by several men, and his body parts were removed. He is just left here as a warning to those who want to make any rash moves.

Inside a protruding cage next to the table, a woman with blood streaming from her head was unconscious, barely breathing, and was clutching a man's hand through the cage.

There was another cage below hers, and as she recklessly moved forward, her cage became increasingly precarious. Fortunately, she grabbed the man's hand, preventing her from moving any further.

Despair, fear, dread, numbness—each person is locked in a cage, and she is one of those locked in a cage.

When Xiaoxin went to see Ruan Qian'an again, she was quietly asleep with her eyes closed, showing no sign of panic or unease.

Xiao Xin thought it was better not to be able to see, so she wouldn't be frightened by the scene.