Zhang Lu was still immersed in his own world, unable to extricate himself. Although his words were a bit jumbled, one could still barely make out the sequence of events.
Back then, Zhang Lu had obtained the qualification for guaranteed admission, so he completely let himself go. He ate, drank, and had fun every day, living a carefree life.
On May 8th.
Out of boredom, Zhang Lu thought of inviting a bunch of friends out to play cards.
The group went to a mahjong parlor near the alley.
"Ding." The screen of Zhang Lu's phone lit up, indicating a new message.
Zhang Lu just glanced at it casually and didn't take it seriously, thinking it was just a spam text.
"Damn it, I lost again!" Zhang Lu cursed, then threw the remaining cards in his hand onto the table and waved his hand.
"Come on, Brother Lu, play a couple more rounds." Zhang Lu's good friend, Mo Nan, holding the hundred yuan he had just won from Zhang Lu, tried to persuade him.
Zhang Lu lit a cigarette and blew out a few smoke rings. "No more. I'm out of luck today. You guys play."
As he said this, he swiped open the lock screen of his phone.
A text message from an unknown number came into view. "Sheng Qingqiu is in my hands now. If you want to save her, come to the entrance of the South City Alley."
Zhang Lu's eyes widened suddenly. He instinctively wanted to call Sheng Qingqiu.
It was as if Ji Pei had anticipated Zhang Lu's actions.
The next second, another text message came in. "Don't try to call the police. It's useless. Do you want to lose your goddess forever, or be a hero and save the beauty?"
This text, half threat and half provocation, successfully made Zhang Lu lose his ability to think.
The only thought swirling in his mind was that he must save Sheng Qingqiu.
Mo Nan noticed Zhang Lu's strange behavior. He asked tentatively, "Zhang Lu, what's wrong? What happened?"
Zhang Lu's lips trembled constantly. He didn't hear Mo Nan's words. He was only thinking about how to negotiate with that person later.
Seeing this, Mo Nan was even more confused. He suddenly pushed Zhang Lu. "What's wrong with you?"
Zhang Lu suddenly stood up. Without saying a word, he rushed out of the door.
Mo Nan originally wanted to follow him out, but another friend grabbed his arm and said nonchalantly, "There's nothing strange about this. Zhang Lu must be acting up because of that Sheng Qingqiu again. That girl has really bewitched Zhang Lu."
Hearing this, Mo Nan stopped in his tracks and looked worriedly in the direction Zhang Lu had left.
Maybe he was just overthinking it.
Zhang Lu ran all the way. Since he was originally not far from the alley, it only took him about ten minutes to reach the destination the person had mentioned.
Zhang Lu's steps gradually slowed down. He looked around at the scenery.
It was very quiet all around. Not a single person could be seen.
A cold wind blew by, and Zhang Lu couldn't help shivering. His rationality returned.
He secretly hated his own recklessness. That person was obviously well-prepared. Being so hasty, he might not only fail to save Sheng Qingqiu but also put himself in danger.
When facing danger, people always instinctively put themselves first.
Zhang Lu was no exception. After calming down, he prepared to leave the alley first and then call the police.
However, just as he was about to walk out of the alley entrance, a strong wind came at him.
Zhang Lu didn't notice. A sharp pain came from the back of his head. He covered his head and rolled on the ground.
"It's you! Why did you kidnap Sheng Qingqiu? Let her go now! Otherwise!" When Zhang Lu saw that it was Ji Pei, the threat blurted out instinctively.
Ji Pei played with the wooden stick and picked up on Zhang Lu's words. "Otherwise what? Tell others my secret?"
Enduring the pain, Zhang Lu gave Ji Pei a look that said "you know better" and said in a commanding tone, "Humph, since you know, why don't you do it quickly!"
Ji Pei shook his head with a soft smile, as if mocking Zhang Lu's naivety.
Zhang Lu was a bit confused by Ji Pei's smile. Then he realized and softened his attitude. "Ji Pei, isn't it better for us to live in peace? Why make things like this?"
Ji Pei raised his eyebrows. There was a bloodthirsty smile on his handsome face. "Guess why I lured you here today?"
Zhang Lu shook his head, indicating that he didn't know.
Ji Pei leaned close to Zhang Lu's ear and whispered, "Because I'm going to kidnap you and create the illusion that you killed Sheng Qingqiu and then fled in fear of punishment!"
Then, he raised his hand, and the stick fell again.
Zhang Lu fainted completely.
Ji Pei had already surveyed the terrain. He dragged the unconscious Zhang Lu into a dark room.
He took off Zhang Lu's clothes and put them on himself. He fished out the keys and put them in his pocket.
When it was getting dark, Ji Pei put on a hat and deliberately showed up at Zhang Lu's house on time.
Grandma Wang came back from buying groceries. Seeing Ji Pei, she thought it was Zhang Lu coming home from school, so she didn't think much of it.
Ji Pei put on gloves and left Sheng Qingqiu's blood on the doorknob of Zhang Lu's room.
He also installed a miniature camera in Zhang Lu's room.
He watched with his own eyes as the policemen followed the clues he had left and gradually found the breakthrough of the case.
Wasn't this more interesting?
Ji Pei gave a charming smile. He hoped this game would last a little longer.
After doing all this, Ji Pei looked through the peephole and saw that there was no one at the door. Then he quickly left Zhang Lu's house.
Zhang Lu was tied up in the dark room by Ji Pei. He couldn't see the light and couldn't tell whether it was day or night.
Ji Pei came to see Zhang Lu every two or three days and casually threw him some food.
Just to prevent him from starving to death.
At first, Zhang Lu refused to give in. He cursed Ji Pei and said all kinds of ugly things.
Seeing Zhang Lu like this, Ji Pei wasn't angry at all. Instead, he was even more delighted and spared no effort to torture Zhang Lu's fragile nerves.
Zhang Lu gradually couldn't hold on. He begged Ji Pei like a dog to spare his life.
Ji Pei turned a deaf ear. He returned all the violence Zhang Lu had once inflicted on him ten or a hundred times over.
If Ji Pei had just given Zhang Lu a quick end, Zhang Lu wouldn't have had such a heavy psychological shadow.
Ji Pei would tell Zhang Lu in advance when and exactly at what time he would do something to him.
It was this clear notification that made Zhang Lu even more afraid.
Zhang Lu also thought about committing suicide to end it all, but he never had the heart to do it. Holding the idea that it's better to live on in humiliation than to die, he hoped that maybe someone would find him locked up here.
"I didn't expect that this Ji Pei was really hiding his capabilities. At such a young age, he could be so scheming." Yang Heng couldn't help clicking his tongue as he listened to the elaborate traps Ji Pei had set.
If Jiang Cong hadn't noticed something fishy, they might really have been deceived by Ji Pei and closed the case hastily.