Shang Jincheng, his mouth freed, displayed a strong survival instinct and put on a fawning expression towards Zeng Hui. "I merely encountered her by chance on the road and gave her a ride. I'm not familiar with her at all, nor do I know anything about her affairs. Miss, you see me..."
Zeng Hui didn't recognize Shang Jincheng and was unaware of his background. Hearing his words, she sized him up and raised an eyebrow meaningfully. "Not familiar with her? So, you don't care if she lives or dies?"
Shang Jincheng knew the situation clearly. In this predicament, he had to oppose Tian Tian to have any chance of escaping. To save Tian Tian, he first needed to escape himself. The immediate priority was to please the two people in front of him. "Of course, I don't care. To be honest, I dislike her too. She acts like she's too good for me, always looking down on me because she's a Miss of the Zhan family. I've always resented her."
"Because of her parents' status, everyone praises her, but she's just so-so. She really thinks she's a fairy. I think you're much prettier than her."
"If I had known she would get into this kind of trouble, I wouldn't have even given her a ride. Miss, I'm innocent. Whatever grievances you have with her, feel free to deal with her as you please. I was blind. Can you let me go first?"
Since they had captured her and seen her true colors, and now knew what had happened, letting him go would be like creating trouble for themselves. Zeng Hui wasn't that foolish. It was the first time in her life a man had cowered at her feet begging for mercy, and instead of releasing him, she wanted to savor the pleasure of controlling someone else's fate a little longer.
"Since you don't like her either, then we're on the same side. If you want to live, you can, but you have to help me with something."
Seeing a glimmer of hope, Shang Jincheng became even more obsequious. "Tell me, tell me."
Zeng Hui said triumphantly, "If I'm not mistaken, you want to be the son-in-law of the Zhan family, right? She never gives you a second glance, and you've never had a chance to touch her. Now that she's right in front of you, and you can do whatever you want with her, aren't you tempted?"
Shang Jincheng turned his head to look at Tian Tian. She remained calm, her expression unreadable, her composure and bravery in the face of adversity identical to Ge'er's. It was false to say he wasn't concerned, but Shang Jincheng couldn't show it. He even adopted a lecherous demeanor. "How could I not be tempted? She's the apple of the Zhan family's eye, desired by countless men in the entire South City. If not for your kindness, Miss, I probably wouldn't have had the chance to do anything to her in my life. Do you mean you want to fulfill my wish?"
Heh! Desired by countless men in the entire South City? The apple of the Zhan family's eye? Today, I'm going to ruin her, chop this apple of their eye into mince meat! Let's see if anyone will still fancy her then! Let's see if Chen Dongyang will still want her after seeing her like this!
"That's right. I want to fulfill your wish and let you have what you desire. Are you excited?"
Whatever she intended to do, he would agree to it first. "Thank you, Miss, thank you, Miss."
Shang Jincheng bowed and smiled obsequiously at Zeng Hui, then cast a lecherous glance at Tian Tian. "But, here? Isn't it inappropriate here?"
Before Zeng Hui could speak, Dong Jian stepped forward and yelled at him. "What? Are you getting picky now?"
Shang Jincheng quickly retreated. "No, no, no, I wouldn't dare. It's just that here, in her state, and in my state..."
Zeng Hui understood and nodded towards Dong Jian. Dong Jian walked up to Shang Jincheng and patted his face. "Behave yourself. Don't think about playing any tricks, or you'll regret it!" With that, he flicked open his switchblade and cut Shang Jincheng's ropes.
Shang Jincheng, being tall and strong, had been confined there for over an hour and his limbs were numb. The first thing he did upon regaining his freedom was to stand up and stretch his muscles. As he stood, he was a few centimeters taller than Dong Jian, which made Dong Jian slightly flustered, and he took a couple of steps back.
"Miss Zeng..."
Zeng Hui also stood up, her gaze sternly fixed on Shang Jincheng. "I warn you, don't try anything funny. Otherwise, what he has in his hand won't show any mercy. It's right here, I'm recording a video. Let's begin!"
"..."
She's not old, and she looks presentable, yet she's so ruthless. Shang Jincheng inwardly scorned Zeng Hui, but outwardly he said, "Alright, alright, thank you, Miss, thank you, Miss."
Shang Jincheng pretend-fussed with his wet hair and began to tidy his damp clothes. While tidying, he secretly looked for an opportunity to get closer to Dong Jian. "Miss, look at her like this, I can't perform properly. How about you untie her too?"
"You have quite a few demands." Dong Jian impatiently kicked Shang Jincheng. "Stop the nonsense! Such a big man can't even handle this small matter? If not, let me do it!" He brandished his switchblade again. Shang Jincheng feigned being scared, covering his head. "No, no, don't be angry. I was just suggesting. If not, fine, I'll do it now."
He tidied himself up and started walking towards Tian Tian. Tian Tian knew that Shang Jincheng wouldn't hurt her and met his gaze calmly. To her surprise, Shang Jincheng walked up to her and, without a word, slapped her. "What are you looking at? I've disliked you for a long time! I never thought you'd fall into my hands one day! Behave yourself!"
Zeng Hui behind them watched this straightforward act and smiled happily, taking out her phone and starting the recording. "Very good, just like that. Begin."
Shang Jincheng roughly grabbed Tian Tian's hair, pushing her wet strands back, and caressed her cheek, leaning his face towards hers. He acted as if he couldn't wait, nudging her a few times. Seemingly uncomfortable with the tape, after a few attempts, he suddenly grabbed the edge of the tape and pulled it down hard. Tian Tian let out a muffled groan. Although it hurt, her mouth was finally free.
Shang Jincheng played along for them, "Before, I wanted to kiss you, and you said it was a dream. Today, my dream has come true!"
"Jiang Jing Tian, you'd better not dodge, or I'll pull your tongue out!" He roughly pushed Tian Tian aside and buried his head in her neck.
Zeng Hui couldn't get a clear shot of Tian Tian's face, so she stepped forward to record from a different angle. Shang Jincheng, while nuzzling Tian Tian, kept an eye on them from the corner of his eye. Noticing that Zeng Hui and Dong Jian had moved apart, his heart tightened. In a flash, he released Tian Tian, spun around, and lunged towards Dong Jian's bad leg. He moved so fast, it was like a leopard pouncing on its prey.
Dong Jian felt a heavy weight land on his leg, hitting him hard. He grunted, waved the knife in his hand, and as he tried to stab Shang Jincheng in the back, his leg buckled uncontrollably. Shang Jincheng applied more force, pushing him down, and his knee pressed onto Dong Jian's chest. He pinned Dong Jian's right wrist with his left hand and reached for the knife with his right. The two immediately began to struggle.
The real Zeng Hui hadn't expected Shang Jincheng to make such a move. She screamed and immediately put away her phone to help Dong Jian.