Chapter 3

Kong Liqing did not look up to see the man's face. She waited there for about two seconds, and then the hand in front of her moved away. She placed her hand on it, removed the towel that had originally been pressing on the wound, and casually threw it onto the nearby coffee table.

Hmm. Kong Wanxiang nodded obediently.

A gaze lingered behind her, sharp and probing. Kong Liqing's nerves were sensitive, and she felt it acutely. She detested such scrutiny, yet felt powerless to resist. For a long time, she had known she was a coward, fully aware of everything in her heart, but all she could do was endure. She quickly rummaged through her clothes and hurriedly walked out. For a long time, she had known she was a coward, fully aware of everything in her heart, but all she could do was endure. She quickly rummaged through her clothes and hurriedly walked out

Finally, cover the sutured wound with alcohol gauze and secure it with a bandage. Kong Liqing removed her gloves and stood up, then stated in a flat tone: "The conditions for disinfection are limited, and the wound is prone to infection. If possible, it is best to go to the hospital tomorrow." She paused to look at her hands and continued: "If there are anti-inflammatory medications, it would be best to take some now."

The washing machine in the bathroom still contains the bed sheets and duvet covers that were just washed. Kong Liqing carried a half-dry pile of fabric to the living room. Her house does not have a balcony, so the clothes can only be hung on a drying rack next to the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room

Kong Liqing turned around and entered the house. She neither closed the door nor invited the two people inside, leaving them standing at the entrance. She retrieved a large first aid kit from the study, returned to the living room, and squatted down in front of Kong Wanxiang, meeting the little one's gaze: "Wanxiang, the neighbor's aunt's friend is ill, I am going to see them. I will close the door in a moment, and you can stay at home watching television until I come back to give you a bath and put you to bed, alright?"

Be obedient, I will be back shortly

As she brought two tall men into the room, her small living room suddenly felt cramped. Kong Liqing glanced at Kong Wanxiang, who was still quietly sitting on the sofa watching television, and upon seeing her lead the two men in, he merely looked at her with curiosity

"My name is Lu Xu." Kong Liqing paused her actions and looked at the man across from her with confusion. She could not understand why he would tell her his name in such a situation; did he really expect to become friends in the future?

Kong Liqing did not turn back, nor did she speak. She made no unnecessary movements and went directly to the side of the sofa

The two did not speak again for a while, as Kong Liqing busied himself with his tasks, while the man continued to gaze out the window

Hmm. The child looked up at the doorway where two men were helping another man, turned to her and nodded, asking: "Should we let them sleep in our bed?"

Lu Xu, having encountered countless individuals in his daily life, held the impression that someone of Kong Liqing's status would either be a strong-willed woman with a sharp personality or a gloomy and melancholic one. In any case, he believed such a person would possess some degree of character flaws. Prior to his arrival, he had mentally prepared himself to resort to coercive measures if necessary to achieve his objectives. However, the person before him exuded an inexplicable and peculiar aura. She articulated their current predicament in a single sentence, yet she did not adopt the high-handed demeanor often associated with those in her position. She demonstrated keen insight and intelligence. Yet, as she furrowed her brow in contemplation, her face revealed no concealed expressions. She was straightforward, lacking any guile. Typically, individuals without guile are expected to have simpler thoughts and a lively personality, but this woman appeared gloomy, embodying a contradictory and peculiar character. This was Lu Xu's first impression of Kong Liqing.

The room had been so quiet since a moment ago, and now no one was responding to her words. Kong Liqing did not wish to wait for anyone to reply; she tidied up the items on the coffee table, picked up the first aid kit, and intended to head towards the door.

As Kong Liqing stepped out, she carefully closed the door behind her. When she turned around again, the man in front had already reached the opposite door, opening it and waiting for them. At the moment Kong Liqing turned, she heard Miss Yang beside her whispering in a barely audible voice: "I am sorry"

The man did not speak; during the moment of stillness at the door with Kong Liqing, it was Lu Xu, who stood behind her, that spoke: "Miss Kong, please, the patient is this one."

The man still did not speak, his chin moving slightly. Kong Liqing no longer looked at him, lowering her head to use medical scissors to cut open the man's clothing and began to disinfect and suture the wound

The man did not give her time to hesitate. He supported himself with Lu Xu's hand and stood up, walking over to Kong Liqing's side. He addressed Miss Yang, who had been standing at the door since she entered without moving: "Miao Ke, someone may come looking for me soon. Just tell them I have left, and do not speak carelessly; they will not make things difficult for you. Please tidy up this place afterward, so it does not appear that a doctor has been here." The man's voice was cold as he instructed the woman at the door.

Returning to the living room, Hao Sheng and Kong Wanxiang discussed: "Sleep?"

The man's hands were large, with long finger bones and pale skin. There were some bloodstains between his fingers, giving them a somewhat unclean appearance, which detracted from their beauty. Kong Liqing found himself thinking somewhat aimlessly.

The man had a cold and ruthless face, with sharply defined and deep features, and a pale complexion. He looked at Kong Liqing with a blank expression, his gaze very icy

The man remained silent upon seeing Kong Liqing, gazing at her for a while before turning to give a knowing glance to Lu Xu beside him. Lu Xu quickly understood and said to Kong Liqing: "Miss Kong, we sincerely apologize, but it seems we may have to trouble you for the night."

"Take off your clothes by yourself, and I will go get you some clean clothes, okay?" Kong Liqing instructed the child

"Alright," Kong Wanxiang replied while taking off his tank top.

The child poked their head out from behind the shower curtain: "Mom, I am done washing."

Kong Liqing's body stiffened slightly, but she did not look at Miss Yang and directly walked past her into the door opposite.

"You live right across the street." Kong Liqing's movement of stepping outside froze in place, and she knew that her luck would not be this good. She resignedly closed her eyes for a moment and turned around

Two men stood at the entrance, watching her speak with the child, adhering to the rules without moving. At this moment, Kong Liqing was conversing with them, and the visibly dominant injured man merely nodded.

Behind the woman stood a man. Kong Liqing looked up to see a tall man dressed entirely in black, with strikingly handsome features. However, despite being clearly visible, he seemed to blend into the darkness, his face devoid of any expression. The gaze he directed at Kong Liqing carried a heavy sense of oppression. Kong Liqing instinctively sensed that this man was extraordinary, someone she would never encounter in her daily life. She also felt that, although he currently wore a blank expression, he was suppressing a brutal emotion within him. The intensity of his gaze grew increasingly oppressive.

The other party did not resort to overt coercion, and Kong Liqing could only passively accept the situation. The only thing she felt somewhat relieved about was that these two individuals did not appear to be ruthless fugitives; at least they were well-dressed, cloaked in a veneer of civility. This would at least not frighten Kong Wanxiang, she thought to herself as she turned and walked towards the main door. When she met Miss Yang's gaze at the entrance, she clearly saw a hint of remorse in her eyes, but she said nothing and opened the door to step outside. This would at least not frighten Kong Wanxiang, she thought to herself as she turned and walked towards the main door. When she met Miss Yang's gaze at the entrance, she clearly saw a hint of remorse in her eyes, but she said nothing and opened the door to step outside

After the man finished giving orders, he turned to look at Kong Liqing and said, "I apologize, Miss Kong. I can only assure you that, barring any special circumstances, I will not cause you any trouble."

Kong Liqing furrowed his brows as he looked at the woman in front of him for a moment, and finally spoke: "Please wait a moment, I will go get the first aid kit."

Kong Liqing nodded slightly: "Tonight, we will sleep in the study." She thought about the man's physique, glanced at her own small sofa, and walked over to them: "Let's go lie down in the bedroom; you shouldn't engage in any vigorous movements with your injury."

The suturing of the entire wound took about ten minutes. The man indeed lay there without moving at all, not even a tremor from the nerve endings. Kong Liqing did not admire this man's ability to endure pain; she merely thought that he must have undergone rigorous physical training. When a person experiences pain, they might be able to control themselves with willpower, but when the pain reaches a certain threshold, the tremors of the body's nerve endings become uncontrollable. The fact that this man did not even tremble indicated that he had endured much pain before, with a nerve threshold higher than that of an ordinary person. Yet, the exposed skin was smooth and flawless, unlike someone who lived under constant physical tension. Kong Liqing only thought of this; her curiosity about things was limited. She felt a bit curious but did not think deeply about it.

The man was wearing a white shirt, and a black suit was placed beside him. Kong Liqing glanced at him; the wound was located on his abdomen, with minimal blood loss. A preliminary assessment suggested that his internal organs were likely unharmed. She bent down and extended her hand, stopping just above the man's hand that was covering the wound.

"A knife wound, can't go to the hospital?" After a relatively long period of silence, Kong Liqing spoke up. She tends to react to things a beat slower than others, yet possesses an exceptional insight into people. She dislikes small talk, and her words often get straight to the heart of the matter. If someone with her personality were in a high position, she would make a great leader with a broad perspective. However, her background limits the number of decisions she can make independently, and she lacks ambition, which generally gives people the impression that she is a silent and dull person.

The strange contradiction was the first impression Lu Xu had of Kong Liqing when he first met her. Before standing at the door of Kong Liqing's home, he had already learned from Miss Yang, who was in front of him, that her neighbor was a single mother with a child.

Please do not close the door at night said the man with a word of request, yet his gaze and tone carried a cold command

Kong Liqing suddenly raised her head, coming back to her senses. She stood up, turned off the shower, wrapped the child in a large towel, took some clean clothes, and carried him out of the bathroom

There is a type of person who seems to possess a powerful aura inherently, regardless of the environment, and no matter how he presents himself in your line of sight, he is the first one you will undoubtedly notice

Kong Liqing is not a Christian. During her childhood, whenever she experienced fear, she would always fantasize about someone saving her. However, there has never been a savior in her life. When her mental pressure reaches a certain level, she would mimic the protagonist from a movie she once watched, constantly murmuring: "God bless." This is also the only way she can relieve her mental stress

Kong Liqing's study is small in size, leaving no space after placing a writing desk and a single bed. She positioned the child on the bed, dried his hair, and changed his clothes: "You sleep first, and I will come in a little while, okay?"

Hmm. The child nodded obediently once again

Lu Xu cooperated with Kong Liqing to lift the coffee table next to the daybed. She squatted beside the man, carefully wiping his fingers and arms with alcohol swabs, and said in a flat tone: "The wound does not reach the external oblique aponeurosis. I need to suture your wound twice. It will be very painful without anesthesia, so could you please try to stay still during the suturing?" At the end of her statement, Kong Liqing finally turned to look at the man beside her.

Kong Liqing was very sensitive to such gazes; she did not make eye contact with him and turned to begin preparing the surgical instruments. Behind her, there was a sound of "siss-siss," and Lu Xu, who was standing to the side, also approached.

Kong Liqing knew that the man had been watching her, but his gaze was not so starkly piercing and cold; she felt less annoyed, and her movements became much more composed.

Miss Kong, please help me. They did not hold on for long, allowing Kong Liqing a moment of silence to think, when Miss Yang outside the door made her request again

When Kong Liqing entered the living room, she noticed that the bright overhead light that had been on was now turned off, and the floor lamp beside the sofa was lit. The curtains, which had been wide open, were now drawn closed. The uninjured man was standing in the shadowy corner, peering outside through the gap in the curtains. He heard Kong Liqing's footsteps and turned to look at her. It was evident that this person had a keen sense of alertness; despite the lightness of her steps, his turning motion was calm, clearly indicating that he had already heard her approaching.

The man gazed at her with intense eyes, remaining silent. Kong Liqing felt somewhat embarrassed under such a gaze, and with the utmost politeness she could muster, she responded with a vague, "Ah."

The living room inside the door is evidently much larger than the living room in her house. A glance reveals that the furniture inside is intricate and luxurious. Kong Liqing did not have time to carefully examine the entire space; she was almost immediately drawn to the man reclining on the sofa.

Kong Liqing glanced again at the child who was taking off his clothes, opened the bathroom door, and walked out. In her house, the bathroom faced a small study. Between the study and the bathroom was a short corridor, and at the end of the corridor was the door to the bedroom. After exiting, she turned the corner and entered the bedroom

Listening to the sound of water "splashing" in the shower curtain, Kong Liqing buried her head in her knees. In her heart, she was far from the calm she was trying to portray. As a single woman with a child, she was facing two men of unknown identity who had effectively taken her hostage and occupied her home. The situation was so complex that she dared not think of the worst. She felt a suffocating fear and began to mutter nervously to herself, "God bless, God bless"

Kong Liqing glanced at him without speaking, walked to the corner, and opened the clothes rack leaning against the wall, shaking out the fabric in his hands one piece at a time and neatly draping it over the rack.

Kong Liqing did not cast her gaze towards the man half-reclining on the bed; instead, she walked straight to the wardrobe and swiftly searched for the child's change of clothes

The child looked at her with a puzzled expression, tilting his head

"I am very sorry, but the situation today compels me to say this," the man suddenly spoke to Kong Liqing, who paused slightly in his actions and did not respond.

The man lay there, seemingly watching Kong Liqing from beginning to end. Kong Liqing also felt his gaze; such a person's eyes are hard to ignore. However, throughout her years of growth, she had often been accompanied by even more terrifying and chilling stares, so her nerves had become numb to the probing gazes of others. She raised her eyes and looked coldly at the man.

The man had already half-sat up, leaning against the backrest behind him. He stared at the eyes of Kong Liqing, who had turned away, for a while. The man's gaze was too sharp, and Kong Liqing could not meet his eyes. Habitually, she adjusted her gaze to a diffuse state; from the side, it seemed as if she was making eye contact with the man, but in reality, her focus was on his lips.

After tidying up, Kong Liqing turned and walked towards the study. After taking two steps, she felt the man following closely behind her. She stopped at the door of the study, and the footsteps behind her also came to a halt. She turned around, leaning against the door, and made a gesture as if to close it, looking at the man with a puzzled expression in her eyes

Kong Liqing led them into the bedroom, turned on the main light, and then casually switched on the air conditioning. She stood at the door watching as the man was helped to sit half-reclined against the headboard of the bed. She opened her mouth but ultimately did not speak; in this situation, it seemed she could not utter words like "Feel free to do as you wish." She watched as the man was settled comfortably, then turned to prepare to leave when a sudden voice came from behind her: "Thank you."

As Kong Liqing stepped through the door, her gaze instantly met that of the man, a cold and clammy sensation creeping up her back. This was the first meeting between Kong Liqing and Zhou Yezhang, and the impression she formed at first sight destined her to dislike this person. His eyes were too similar to those of another individual, and she possessed an instinctive intuition about people. From the very first glance, she knew that this man's inner self was absolutely not as splendid and striking as his appearance suggested

The child obediently released the stuffed toy and stood up, while Kong Liqing turned off the television and took his hand to lead him into the bathroom

This can be considered a form of semi-abduction. If Kong Liqing opposes it, it will turn into a true abduction. Kong Liqing is very clear about this; she has also noticed that these two men are certainly not law-abiding citizens living in a peaceful world. They exude a strong sense of hostility. At this moment, her primary concern is for the child in the house across from her, and for a moment, she stands there indecisively.

Kong Liqing looked at the woman across from her. She knew her name was Yang Ke. From the few conversations they had in the elevator, she had the impression that Yang was a beautiful and lively woman. Every time she saw her, she was always elegantly dressed, with a smile on her face. She understood that such a woman was worldly and intelligent, and that she must not have faced many hardships in life. However, now this woman had a look of panic on her face. Although she was looking at her, Kong felt that the woman's attention was actually focused on the person behind her. The look in her eyes was filled with a plea, as if she was conveying an emotion that Kong could not comprehend.

In the bathroom, Kong Wanxiang was already waiting for her, completely undressed. Kong Liqing adjusted the shower to the right temperature, and the child moved under the faucet to start bathing by himself. She pulled the shower curtain closed and turned to sit on the toilet, waiting for him. Since he turned four, this child had not allowed Kong Liqing to help him bathe. To prevent him from slipping in the bathroom, Kong Liqing usually sat outside the shower curtain to wait for him.

Alright. The child pulled up the blanket and covered himself, staring at her with wide eyes. Kong Liqing bent down and kissed his face, and the child finally revealed a satisfied smile. Kong Liqing also smiled slightly, turned around to turn on the desk lamp, and turned off the main light before walking out.

The man seemed momentarily surprised, then he nodded slightly. Kong Liqing did not speak further and continued with her own tasks. After a moment, she stood up and said to Lu Xu beside her: "Do me a favor and help me move the coffee table over."

Kong Liqing walked over and squatted in front of the child, gently explaining: "The aunt across the street has a friend who is very ill. I am a doctor and need to take care of him. Do you understand?"

Kong Liqing squatted in front of the coffee table, focusing her gaze on her nose and her nose on her heart, busy with her own thoughts. This first aid kit was sponsored by a manufacturer, and it contained everything necessary to perform some simple surgeries. She took out a small stainless steel box, placed half a dozen gauze pads inside, and filled it with alcohol for use. She found two types of specialized curved needles and intestinal sutures. In the end, she could not find any anesthetic. This first aid kit was issued by the hospital, and since bringing it back, Kong Liqing had not opened it to examine its contents carefully. She turned to the man who was already lying on the side of the chaise longue and said, "There is no anesthetic; can you endure it?"

Kong Liqing's movements paused slightly, and without saying a word, he walked straight out.

Kong Liqing stood up, touched his hair, and ultimately could not help but advise: "No matter what sounds you hear outside, please do not open the door, okay?"

At the entrance, Yang Miaoke could be seen to be in a state of high tension. After hearing the man's instructions, she awkwardly clasped her hands and said: "Alright, Mr. Zhou"

Kong Liqing turned around and took a pair of surgical gloves from the first aid kit, putting one on his right hand. He reached out to examine the wound, then looked up at the man and said, "Find a place to lie down."

The shirt beneath the towel has been split into two pieces from the abdominal area, indicating that the knife that injured this man before me must have been very sharp. The shirt shows no signs of tearing, and as I gently lift a section of the fabric, I see a long wound that traverses the entire abdomen, appearing somewhat gruesome, yet it has ceased to bleed.