After the phone was hung up, Li Sang turned toward Jiang Taian and asked calmly, “Was this… also part of your plan?”
The interior of the car was silent, save for the synchronized breathing of the passengers and the low hum of the engine. Other than that, there wasn’t a sound.
Li Sang’s question went unanswered for a long moment.
Just as she was about to repeat herself, Jiang Taian finally spoke. “It wasn’t. I was negligent.”
He should have checked the surroundings more thoroughly for witnesses before acting.
Li Sang nodded solemnly, agreeing with his assessment. “Indeed, a slip-up. But I have to ask—what now? Will your boss handle it?”
“Yes.”
This time, Jiang Taian answered instantly. The reason his superior had called was precisely because the trouble had already been cleared; the man just wanted to vent some frustration and throw a few insults.
Jiang Taian knew his leader well.
“Good, good. So we don’t have to do anything?” Li Sang asked. They would proceed as planned and deliver her to Tang Yunzhou?
“Later, we’ll need her to call her family and let them know she’s safe.”
Otherwise, her family would worry. Since they were eventually going to become teammates, these small “humanizing” gestures were necessary. If they didn’t handle the social aspect now, the subsequent adjustment period would be long and difficult.
Jiang Taian was thinking quite far ahead.
Li Sang was slightly surprised. Jiang Taian actually thought of that? Despite her surprise, she didn’t say anything. Instead, she slowly closed her eyes. “I’ll tell her in a bit.”
Just as she was about to take a nap, a voice suddenly cut in—cold and devoid of emotion.
“No need to wait.” It was Ling Lan.
“Why?” Li Sang asked instinctively.
She received her answer immediately, though it didn’t come from Ling Lan’s mouth.
“Are… are you guys human traffickers…?”
The voice was trembling, filled with sheer terror. The owner of the voice was Wen Banxia.
She was awake.
Ling Lan’s point was clear: there was no need to tell her “in a bit” when she could be told right now.
“…”
The problem was, Li Sang didn’t want to talk right now. The girl was awake, but they hadn’t reached Tang Yunzhou yet. What was the point of talking now? Even if they explained, Wen Banxia wouldn’t exactly be in a cooperative mood.
Hearing Wen Banxia’s fearful stuttering, Li Sang felt a fleeting urge to ask Qi Yan to give her another “chop,” but she was too embarrassed to say it out loud. After all, they were going to be teammates. It wouldn’t be good to make the relationship too ugly.
Li Sang’s gaze lingered on Qi Yan’s face for a moment before she looked away.
She was trying to think of an excuse to stall Wen Banxia, but whether Qi Yan had read her subtle signals or simply had his own ideas, he suddenly raised his hand. With a swift, clean strike, the person who had just opened her eyes collapsed once more.
The movement was crisp and decisive, with no wasted effort.
In that instant, Li Sang could easily imagine how Qi Yan operated on a daily basis. The fact that he hadn’t knocked Xu Jiao unconscious yesterday was likely only because they needed her for further communication.
Li Sang blinked, her head turning back to the front, her voice carrying a hint of genuine approval.
“Qi Yan, good job…”
Suppressing a smile, she settled back into the passenger seat. This had nothing to do with her.
Qi Yan looked toward Li Sang, his voice as steady as ever. “It was nothing.”
In their line of work, one had to be prepared to have no friends.
They returned to the familiar underground parking lot, surrounded by vehicles Li Sang had seen before. Standing there, she asked the crucial question: “Now, do we wake her up, or…?”
She left the second half of the sentence unsaid: Or do we carry her in? The girl was still young; they shouldn’t be too violent.
“You do it. She’ll wake up soon,” Jiang Taian said, staring at Li Sang for a moment before making the call.
Li Sang had no objections. “Alright, I’ll do it.”
She accepted Jiang Taian’s suggestion readily, stepped forward, and hooked her arms around the girl. With a sudden burst of strength in her wrists, she lifted Wen Banxia into a bridal carry.
Having done this, she turned to the others who were still standing there, looking confused. “Aren’t we going in?”
What were they waiting for?
Jiang Taian stared at her, looking like he wanted to say something, but he ultimately swallowed his words. What he had actually meant was for Li Sang to shake her awake.
He hadn’t expected Li Sang to misunderstand his meaning so completely.
Li Sang wasn’t short; she was 172cm barefoot, and with shoes, she could easily pass for 175cm. Since Wen Banxia wasn’t heavy, carrying her was effortless.
Because of this, when Wen Banxia opened her eyes for the second time, the first thing she saw was Li Sang’s sharp, defined jawline.
Wen Banxia felt something was wrong. She closed her eyes and opened them again, only to find she was still being carried in someone’s arms.
What is going on? Why am I being carried like this?
Wen Banxia immediately began to struggle, trying to break free from the carry.
Li Sang was the first to notice the movement. She looked down at Wen Banxia, appearing slightly surprised. “Oh, you’re awake?”
“Walk on your own then.”
With that, she let go, allowing Wen Banxia’s feet to hit the ground.
Once she felt steady, Wen Banxia finally processed her surroundings. She looked around, panicked and lost. “Where… where is this?”
Was I really kidnapped and sold?
“This is the Central Agricultural Research Institute, Base 09,” Li Sang lied through her teeth.
Because she had been carrying Wen Banxia, she was at the back of the group, a significant distance behind the others. Thus, no one else heard their conversation.
“Why did you bring me here?”
It was unclear whether Wen Banxia believed her or not. Regardless, Li Sang didn’t offer more explanations, simply saying, “Let’s go inside first.”
Inside where?
For some reason, even though Wen Banxia felt she should be scared to death, her fear was gradually dissipating. Was it because she saw portraits of historical figures lining the silver metallic corridor?
Whether it was the architecture, the group’s nonchalant attitude, or the fact that she wasn’t currently bound or restrained, everything told her this wasn’t a normal kidnapping.
Driven by curiosity, she continued to follow Li Sang, wanting to see what they were up to—and if Academician Tang was actually there.
“Why is she so slow? Does it take this long to get inside?”
Tang Yunzhou was pacing back and forth, looking like he wanted to run out and find Li Sang himself.
Hearing him, Jiang Taian simply said, “She’s bringing someone. It’s a bit slow.”
Tang Yunzhou was about to say more, but before he could speak, Li Sang appeared in his line of sight. Behind her was a shy-looking girl wearing black-rimmed glasses.
The girl stopped in her tracks the moment she saw him from a distance, her voice a low, frantic mumble.
Li Sang could clearly hear what Wen Banxia was whispering:
“A-Academician Tang!?”