"Wan'er, I think you've truly gone mad. Do you know how important purity is for a woman? Gu Xingdong is married, and his heart isn't with you. Why do you keep tormenting yourself for him?
Wan'er, I beg you, don't do this foolish thing again. Actually, there's something I've always wanted to tell you." Li Zemin stared intently at Zhang Wan'er, the words about to spill from his lips.
Seeing this, an ominous feeling arose in Zhang Wan'er's heart. She swallowed and then threw herself into Li Zemin's arms, crying with tears in her eyes:
"I know, I know this makes me seem vulgar! But please, let me try. If Gu Xingdong still shows no reaction after this, I'll give up everything and leave this place to live!
If you don't let me make this last attempt, it's no different than killing me. A long pain is worse than a short one, let me end it today!"
With that, Zhang Wan'er, in a fit of emotion, snatched the large sabre from Qin Tai's hand and pointed it at her own neck. The sharp blade dug into her skin, and blood gushed out.
This sudden turn of events startled Qin Tai and Li Zemin. Li Zemin's pupils contracted, and he quickly reached out to stop her, "Wan'er, don't do anything rash. I'll agree to any request! Please, listen to your brother and put the knife down."
Zhang Wan'er lowered her eyes, a faint, broken smile playing on her lips. Her voice weak, she said, "Brother Zemin, am I being foolish for doing this? But I really can't control my actions! I..."
As Zhang Wan'er spoke, her grip on the sabre tightened. Blood uncontrollably poured from her neck, a terrifying sight.
"I... I promise!" Li Zemin was so terrified by her actions that he lost all composure and reason to argue with Zhang Wan'er. He just wanted to agree to her demands quickly so that Wan'er would be out of danger.
But Zhang Wan'er shook her head. "Brother Zemin, you're lying to me, aren't you? You would never do something that goes against your principles. You're just trying to stall me, aren't you?"
Li Zemin quickly denied it. "I absolutely don't mean that, Wan'er. If you don't believe me, I can prove it!"
With that, he cautiously retreated from the stronghold and reappeared behind Chen Lishu. He reached out and forcefully struck Chen Lishu on the back of the neck, causing her to pass out.
Seeing Li Zemin's action, Zhang Wan'er finally believed he genuinely wanted to help her, so she lowered the sabre from her neck.
Just as Li Zemin was about to breathe a sigh of relief, Zhang Wan'er slashed herself in various places with the knife. This scene terrified Li Zemin. He rushed forward, snatched the knife from her hand, and sternly demanded, "I've already agreed to your terms, why are you still hurting yourself? Don't you cherish yourself at all?"
Zhang Wan'er's face was pale from blood loss. She slowly reached out and grabbed Li Zemin's neck, speaking weakly:
"This is also part of the plan. Brother Zemin, you must think I'm despicable and shameless, right? To be honest, I despise myself too, but I truly can't control my inner desires."
Li Zemin was heartbroken and could never dislike Zhang Wan'er. He gently stroked her hair and said, "Alright, I'll handle this for you. Just close your eyes and rest. I'll take you to the hospital later!"
But Zhang Wan'er shook her head, clinging tightly to Li Zemin's sleeve. "Brother Zemin, I want Xingdong. I want to see him. My wounds really hurt!"
Li Zemin felt as if his heart was being squeezed by a large hand, making it difficult to breathe. He uttered a muffled "Mm," then carefully placed Zhang Wan'er aside. He then looked at Qin Tai and said, "My men are all outside. You're surrounded now. You should know what to do next, right?"
Facing Li Zemin's threat, Qin Tai sneered defiantly, "Hah, surrounded us? With one injured and one unconscious, and only you fighting, you don't seriously think you can deal with all of us brothers, do you?"
Li Zemin chuckled, his tone lazy and casual. "I advise you not to do anything foolish. If anything happens to me, do you think you can escape?
The net of heaven is vast and its mesh is fine; though its openings are far apart, it eventually catches all wrongdoers. This isn't like the old days when people were starving and struggled to survive, having to take risks for a living.
Before doing anything foolish, consider your families. Qin Tai, what kind of benefits has he given you to make you fight so desperately for him?"
At his words, the fierce expressions of the men wavered. Li Zemin was right. In an era where everyone had work and food, there was no need to risk imprisonment for a little money.
As everyone hesitated, Qin Tai roared with frustration, "You idiots, we've already done what we had to do. Do you think we'll have a good life if we're caught?
Let's take a chance. If we capture this man and take him hostage, we might have a chance to get out of here. Those who are brave, follow me. As for the cowards, surrender if you want!"
Li Zemin glanced at Zhang Wan'er lying on the ground. He didn't have time to waste bickering with them, so he got straight to the point. "Don't get agitated. I don't intend to make a move on you either!
You must have heard Zhang Wan'er's plan just now. If you cooperate with us, I have a way to get you out of Modu and ensure you live comfortably for the rest of your lives!"
Qin Tai narrowed his eyes, his expression unreadable, and asked, "So what exactly do you want us to do?"
Li Zemin shrugged. "Don't worry, it's not difficult. I just want to remind you of something. Tonight, you originally planned to attack Chen Lishu. Zhang Wan'er bravely protected her, only to be defiled by you beasts!
Later, I'll arrange for some experts to protect you and escort you safely out of this stronghold. However, I have one condition: you must perform the story I mentioned earlier in front of Gu Xingdong!"
"Why should we believe you?" Qin Tai's face was filled with suspicion as he heard Li Zemin's plan.
Li Zemin simply smiled coldly. Immediately, a group of men in black clothes appeared behind Qin Tai, holding weapons to his head.