The white rose I picked up cried and said she liked me.

Old Li lay on the ground, panting heavily.

His eyes were fixed on Xu Xi, who was cutting the rope.

"You...you little bitch...I'm going to...I'm going to skin you alive!!"

As Li Laogui wriggled closer and closer to her, Xu Xi felt increasingly panicked.

Finally, she cut the rope around her ankle.

Xu Xi quickly stood up and ran towards the tightly closed door.

She frantically tore the tape stuck to the iron gate.

The tape was peeled off layer by layer, leaving only three sturdy padlocks.

"You'd better...you'd better pray...you don't get caught!!"

Old Li glared angrily, adjusting his breathing.

Perhaps because he hadn't drunk much of the medicinal soup, he seemed to regain some strength after catching his breath for a while.

Seeing Li Laogui slowly crawling towards her, Xu Xi was extremely anxious.

The key...where is the key hidden?

Her gaze lingered around the room, searching for the key.

"Hehehe...you can't escape...cough cough cough...you can't escape!"

Old Li revealed a sinister smile. Fortunately, he had already locked the door and hidden the key in a place only he knew.

He coughed a few times, felt his breathing become easier, and then stood up unsteadily.

Unable to find the key, Xu Xi quickly began to look for other ways to escape.

She noticed a window next to her.

Although the area in front of us was piled with clutter, compared to the other windows which were almost completely sealed off, there seemed to be a glimmer of hope here.

But how to move all these miscellaneous items became the biggest problem.

"You little bitch...you've got nowhere to run, haven't you...hahaha..."

Old Li saw Xu Xi squatting by the pile of junk under the window, laughing wildly.

His eyes radiated endless resentment and venom, as if he wished he could devour Xu Xi alive right now.

Xu Xi's heart was pounding at its fastest, and blood was gushing from the wound on the back of her head due to the accelerated blood flow.

She squatted down under the pile of clutter, intently watching Li Laogui's movements.

Old Li slowly approached Xu Xi and opened his arms.

In his eyes, Xu Xi was already a lamb to the slaughter.

He chuckled and, when he was still two steps away from Xu Xi, suddenly lunged forward.

It's now!

Xu Xi seized the opportunity and used all her strength to dodge to the side.

Old Li couldn't react in time and plunged headfirst into the pile of debris.

Boom boom boom!

The pile of debris collapsed under the force, and countless pieces of garbage and boxes fell on Old Li.

"You fucking!"

Old Li screamed and was instantly buried.

Xu Xi broke out in a cold sweat, climbed onto the collapsed pile of debris, and pushed the window open forcefully.

Fortunately, the window wasn't locked.

Fresh air rushed into Xu Xi's nostrils, and she struggled to climb out of the window, stepping onto the hard ground.

Before she could catch her breath, she heard a noise coming from the pile of debris behind her—the sound of Old Li struggling to break free.

"You bitch! You think you can escape my grasp?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Old Li climbed out the window.

However, he lost his balance and fell heavily to the ground with a loud thud.

Xu Xi sensed something was wrong and quickly started walking.

However, her legs had been bound for too long, and she could no longer run.

The constant flow of blood from the back of her head made her feel somewhat disoriented.

Xu Xi bit her lip tightly to keep herself somewhat conscious, and limped forward.

I heard unsteady footsteps behind me; it was the sound of Li Laogui chasing after me.

Perhaps because the effects of the medicine had worn off, Li Laogui's discomfort symptoms decreased, and his pace quickened.

The distance between him and Xu Xi was getting closer and closer.

Xu Xi's physical strength has reached its limit.

She felt her steps becoming unsteady, and her face grew increasingly pale.

The footsteps behind her grew closer and closer. Xu Xi gritted her teeth and tried her best to quicken her pace.

Run...if you run to a place where there are people...you'll be saved.

If you stop now, Li Laogui will drag you back to that dark secret room, and you will never be able to escape.

In a daze, Xu Xi stepped on a protruding stone in the middle of the road.

Before she could scream, she fell straight forward like a kite with a broken string.

Xu Xi closed her eyes.

Goodbye, brother.

Instead of the expected pain of falling to the ground, a warm arm embraced me.

A familiar scent filled Xu Xi's nostrils.

"elder brother?"

"Hehehe... Can't run anymore, huh?"

"If I catch you this time... I'll chop off your legs first!"

Old Li laughed wildly.

But soon, his smile vanished.

"Bang!"

A heavy punch landed squarely on his large belly.

Old Li suddenly felt a churning in his stomach and staggered back several steps.

The noodles he had just eaten were spat out of his mouth.

He looked up in disbelief, his eyes instantly filled with terror.

"How...how did you know...?"

Before he could finish speaking, he was met with a barrage of heavy punches from the enraged Xu Nian.

With bloodshot eyes, Xu Nian carried the weak Xu Xi on one arm, while the other hand, seemingly imbued with immense strength, slammed into Li Laogui.

Upon discovering broken bottles scattered in the alley, he immediately thought of the perpetually drunk Li Laogui.

Clinging to the last glimmer of hope, Xu Nian ran all the way back to the shantytown, heading straight for Li Laogui's house.

But besides his father, who was in so much pain he could only groan, there was nothing else in Li Laogui's house.

Just as he was about to leave in a daze, he bumped into Xu Xi, who had just escaped from the den of demons.

Fortunately, we weren't too late.

After a few minutes, Li Laogui had completely lost the strength to stand up.

His hands were broken, his body was covered in bruises and bleeding.

He lay on the ground like a dead dog.

"Please...please...let me go! I'll never do it again...I'll never do it again!!!"

Old Li, with his last ounce of strength, pleaded desperately.

Xu Nian sneered and slowly stood up from him.

"Alright, I'll let you off this time."

"Thank you... thank you! I'll be going now... I'll be going now!!"

Although he was begging for mercy, Li Laogui's heart was filled with resentment.

Damn it, this time it was just one step away from victory.

Once I've recovered from my injuries, I'm definitely going to come back and catch that girl again.

Next time, I'll cut off her feet no matter what, so she can never escape.

He glared at Xu Nian with resentment, then limped away, preparing to leave.

"But I won't!"

A pair of handcuffs were put on Li Laogui's wrists.

"Old Li, you are suspected of kidnapping, intentional assault, and attempted rape. Come with me."

The fat policeman snorted and shoved Li Laogui into the police car.

"It's alright, it's alright..."

Xu Nian gently patted the back of the sobbing girl in her arms and whispered words of comfort.

"Brother...I'm sorry..."

Xu Xi looked up with teary eyes.

"I...I broke the cake..."