Soon, the Man in Suit tossed her a piece of bread.
Huo Guining looked at him pleadingly and said timidly, "I can't eat with my hands tied like this."
Her hands were bound, making it impossible for her to even tear open the bread's packaging.
The Man in Suit impatiently kicked her, cursing under his breath. He roughly tore open the packaging and shoved the bread into her hands.
"Don't give me any more trouble, or you'll regret it!" he snarled as he turned and walked out.
When he slammed the door shut, the force shook loose a layer of dust.
Huo Guining trembled, struggling to raise her arms as she began to nibble on the bread in small bites.
She couldn't eat too quickly or she'd choke. But she couldn't not eat either. Huo Xiaozheng was so capable; he'd surely rescue her. She needed to keep up her strength and seize any opportunity that arose.
Just like...
Huo Guining didn't finish the thought.
She unexpectedly discovered that her hands were bound with tape. And now, as she could bite the bread in her hands, didn't that mean...
She tried using her teeth to gnaw at the tape, slowly wearing it down. After a good while, she managed to make a small tear in the resilient tape.
Her heart leaped with joy, and she immediately quickened her efforts.
Meanwhile, the Huo family was in chaos.
An hour had passed since Huo Guining's disappearance.
For wealthy families, time is life in kidnapping cases.
The longer it drags on, the lower the chances of survival.
Huo Xiaozheng had called the police immediately.
The police believed this was a premeditated kidnapping.
But so far, the Huo family hadn't received any calls from the kidnappers.
The security footage showed no sign of who had taken Huo Guining, only a black sedan leaving the villa around the time she disappeared.
"If Guining and Yueze were kidnapped together, why can we see Yueze in the footage but not Guining?" Huo Yanqin raged.
Huo Xiaozheng was the first to notice Guining's disappearance, initially thinking Huo Yueze had mischievously taken her somewhere.
Huo Xiaozheng opened Guining's location information and found her watch in a corner of the garden.
Along with a purple tassel hair clip.
That's when he realized Guining was gone.
For the first time, he panicked and immediately called Huo Yueze, only to find that Huo Yueze hadn't brought his phone.
His sister-in-law answered the call.
That's when they realized both Guining and Huo Yueze were missing.
Old Master Huo ordered everyone to search.
They scoured the entire area but found no trace.
While checking the surveillance footage, Huo Yanqin saw his son chasing after a car. But at a corner, the car disappeared, and soon after, so did his son.
The black sedan had used fake plates and switched cars before reaching the next surveillance camera.
The police were having difficulty tracking the culprits' whereabouts.
And Huo Yueze's disappearance was even more mysterious.
As time ticked away with no progress, the guests who had come to celebrate mobilized. That night, no one in South City slept.
Meanwhile, Guining anxiously watched the basement entrance while struggling to chew through the tape on her hands.
To avoid detection by the Man in Suit, she carefully spit the tape residue into her large black down jacket.
"Click."
The basement door lock opened.
Huo Guining dropped the bread in her hands and hid them between her knees, pretending to shiver from the cold.
The Man in Suit strode over, his eyes suddenly changing when he saw 2/3 of the bread still on the ground.
He put down what he was carrying, snatched up the bread from the floor, and tried to force it into Huo Guining's mouth. "Playing the pampered princess with me, are you? Eat! Eat it all!"
Huo Guining whimpered and dodged, enraging the Man in Suit. He raised his hand to strike...
"Uncle, I didn't mean not to eat it, it's just that my throat was choked!" Huo Guining cried out hurriedly.
But she wasn't sure if the Man in Suit had any compassion left.
The Man in Suit's hand stopped mid-air, suddenly losing strength. He tossed the bread into a corner.
"Forget it. You don't have much time left anyway, no point in fussing over this."
His words chilled Huo Guining to the bone, her heart momentarily stopping.
Coincidentally, Huo Guining felt the familiar dull pain in her heart again.
This time, she dared not play weak in front of the Man in Suit.
Devils have no compassion.
The Man in Suit straightened her body, making her sit against the wall.
Directly opposite her was a camera, its red light currently on.
After adjusting the angle, the Man in Suit sat in front of the camera and ordered Huo Guining, "I'm going to send this video to your father. Tell your father to prepare one hundred million yuan and transfer it to the bank account I specify."
"When the time comes, I'll release you."
Huo Guining's eyes widened.
This man was lying.
Thinking Huo Guining was too young to understand, he had just said earlier that he wouldn't let her live!
"What are you spacing out for!" The Man in Suit grabbed an old book and threw it at Huo Guining.
The loud noise echoed in the basement, tightening her already uncomfortable heart even more.
Huo Guining, with tears welling up in her big eyes, faced the camera and said word by word, "Dad, it's... it's Guining."
Seeing her stutter, the Man in Suit became furious. He strode over to Huo Guining, crouched down, and grabbed her chin.
He hissed menacingly, "I've seen you in the news. Since you're not some ignorant child, I advise you to behave yourself."
"I'll give you one last chance. If you can't speak clearly this time, I won't hesitate to send your limbs to Huo Xiaozheng."
Huo Guining felt a chill run from her tailbone to the top of her head, leaving her entire body cold.
She nodded frantically.
"Dad, it's... it's Guining." She stammered again accidentally, then fearfully glanced at the man behind the camera. Shrinking her neck, she quickly said, "Uncle wants you to prepare one hundred million yuan and transfer it to his specified bank account."
"Otherwise, he'll kill me."
As soon as she finished speaking, the Man in Suit turned off the camera.
"Well said." The Man in Suit patted Huo Guining's face approvingly.
"What do you think? If Huo Xiaozheng knew that the faster he sends the money, the quicker you'll die."
"Would he kill himself? Hahahahaha."
The Man in Suit left the basement, laughing loudly.
"He's a complete devil," Huo Guining muttered.
How could someone be so cruel, not just killing but also torturing the soul?
Huo Guining leaned against the wall, her eyes lifeless, like a soulless puppet.
