Accustomed to Su Hua's gentle and serene demeanor, it was the first time seeing her in such a flustered state, resembling a startled kitten.

Gu Beixian found it amusing.

He curled his lips into a smile, teasing her: "You wriggled in here yourself, and now you can't push it away."

Su Hua's ears turned red, "Impossible."

His laughter deepened, "Next time, I'll record it with my phone, so you can't deny it."

Su Hua was mortified.

She turned her back to him, fumbling for a shirt from the nightstand to put on.

In her panic, she didn't even notice she had buttoned it wrong.

Watching her slender figure rustling into her clothes, Gu Beixian's mind was filled with the image of her from the night before.

She must have had a nightmare, curling up into a tiny ball, trembling.

He held her in his arms, soothing her, but she murmured "Brother Ah-Yao" with her eyes closed.

He couldn't recall how many times this had happened.

How deep must the love be to linger so persistently?

That Ah-Yao, he had people search for a long time, to no avail.

The last time he asked her, she avoided the question.

Not telling him was an insult; telling him, even more so.

The smile vanished from his face, Gu Beixian put on his watch and said nonchalantly, "I might come back very late tonight, make up an excuse for grandma."

Su Hua paused buttoning her shirt.

She knew he would be late because he was going to the hospital to accompany Chu Suosuo.

She felt so humiliated she was close to tears, her heart ached as if pricked by needles.

After a long while.

She finally spoke, "I'll talk to grandma about the divorce, sorry for the inconvenience."

Gu Beixian looked at her meaningfully, "You're inconvenienced too."

After breakfast, the old mansion's driver took Su Hua to Ancient Treasure Studio.

Busy all day.

When work ended.

Su Hua received a call from the driver: "Madam, my car was hit by a drunk driver, I have to wait for the traffic police, could you take a taxi home?"

"Okay."

Su Hua, with her bag on her back, walked out of the antique street.

Turning a corner, two men caught up and blocked her path.

One of them, a tall and thin man, said, "You're Su Hua, right? Please come with us."

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Su Hua eyed them warily.

In their late twenties, wearing sunglasses at night, they looked suspicious and faintly emitted an earthy stench.

Her heart raced, she asked, "Where to?"

The thin man said, "There's an ancient painting that needs your restoration. Don't worry, we mean no harm, and we'll pay market price."

Su Hua breathed a sigh of relief, "Send the painting to the shop where I work."

The other man, bald, said with a frown, "Why waste words, just take her."

Upon hearing this, Su Hua bolted.

She didn't get far before the bald man grabbed her arm and dragged her into a black sedan parked by the road.

The car started.

The thin man rummaged through her bag for her phone, saying, "Call your family, tell them you're going out with friends for a few days, so they won't worry."

Instinctively, Su Hua thought to call Gu Beixian, but then remembered he had to be at the hospital with Chu Suosuo, he wouldn't have time for her.

Better call mom.

She had the thin man find her mother's number.

After connecting.

Su Hua said, "Mom, I'm going out with friends for a few days. Remember to take your diabetes medication on time..."

Before she could finish, the thin man took the phone away and turned it off.

He pulled out a black cloth and blindfolded Su Hua.

The car seemed to drive for a very long time before finally stopping.

Su Hua was led into an old building.

Climbing the stairs to the third floor.

The door opened, revealing a large red table with a safe on it.

The thin man opened the safe and took out the painting.

About one and a half meters long, very old, the painting was severely damaged, with many parts missing, requiring retouching.

Su Hua examined the painting closely, noting its somber and profound style, rich and thick.

The painting depicted towering peaks, majestic and elegant, with undulating mountains and dense forests, and a few thatched cottages hidden deep in the valleys, with a hermit sitting cross-legged inside.

She recognized it as a hermitage painting by Wang Meng, one of the "Four Masters of the Yuan Dynasty."

Wang Meng's most expensive painting had once sold for four hundred million.

If restored, this painting would start at tens of millions at auction.

No wonder these men took such risks to bring her here.

Not sending it to the shop but asking her to come to them suggested the painting's dubious provenance; it was either stolen or unearthed from an ancient tomb.

The thin man asked, "Miss Su, how long will it take to restore the painting?"

"The size is large, the damage severe, and the missing parts significant. It will take at least half a month."

"Okay, write down whatever tools and materials you need, and we'll prepare them."

Su Hua picked up a pen, listed the materials on paper, and handed it to them.

The thin man took it, saying, "We'll go get ready, you rest well."

Su Hua nodded.

The two men left, locking the door from the outside with a "click."

Su Hua glanced around.

The room had a bathroom, a bed, a table, a chair, and food; it was clearly well-prepared in advance.

Through the window, she could see continuous mountains, desolate and unfamiliar, with scattered lights, suggesting they were far from the city.

Her stomach growled.

Su Hua picked up a pack of instant noodles, ate a few bites, and drank some water.

After washing up, she lay in bed.

The silence was eerie, but she couldn't sleep.

She wondered if Gu Beixian would worry about her disappearance?

Probably not.

His eyes were only for Chu Suosuo; he might still be at the hospital with her.

Thinking of how frantic he was rushing to the hospital when Chu Suosuo attempted suicide, Su Hua felt as if her heart was filled with stones, painfully sharp.

Tossing and turning, she couldn't find sleep until late into the night.

She got up to go to the bathroom.

Suddenly, she heard faint noises outside.

Pressing her ear to the door crack, she heard the thin man shout, "Baldy, what are you doing?"

Baldy whispered back, "Can't sleep, came to check if that girl is behaving. You think she can fix our painting? Don't want her to ruin our million-dollar piece, the boss will blame us."

"The boss had someone check her out, her grandfather is the 'Restoration Sage' Su Wenmai, who taught her everything from a young age. Rumor has it, many of his later restorations were actually her work."

"Then I'm relieved." Baldy chuckled, "Such a pretty little thing, don't you have any thoughts?"

The thin man scolded, "Keep your dirty thoughts to yourself, the painting is what matters. Once it's sold and we get our share, you can find as many women as you want."

"Women you pay for are used by thousands, can they compare to her? Once she's done with the painting, can I have a go? She's too damn pretty, so fair and delicate, those big watery eyes, they make me itch all over."

The thin man was silent for a moment before saying, "Fine. But don't touch her until the painting is done."

"Got it."

Su Hua was thoroughly disgusted.

Indeed, a bunch of ragtags!

Listening to their footsteps fade away, she forcefully pulled at the doorknob.

The door was locked, and she had no handy tools to pick the lock.

She went to the window and looked down; this was the third floor, and below was concrete. Jumping out was not realistic.

Besides, there was a large wolf dog in the yard; if she ran, it would bark.

Her only hope was outside help.

On the way here, when the thin man had her call her mother, she reminded her mother to take her diabetes medication on time as a signal that she was in danger because her mother didn't have diabetes.

Could her mother understand the hint?

The next day, Su Hua began to wash and peel the painting.

So she busied herself for three days.

As the day for the painting's completion drew near, she became increasingly anxious.

She couldn't sleep at night, hearing Baldy's footsteps lingering outside her door.

That night, just as she was getting sleepy.

Suddenly, there were barking sounds and hurried footsteps outside.

Su Hua sprang up and started dressing.

The door creaked open, and the thin man rushed in, grabbing her wrist and pulling her out, while Baldy went to collect the painting.

Just reaching the doorway, a group of people charged up the stairs.

Leading them was a man in black, tall and handsome, with deep-set eyes, it was Beixian.

Behind him was a group of well-equipped police officers.

Su Hua's heart surged with joy like a tsunami.

She could hardly believe her eyes.

Staring at the man, she asked with a trembling voice, "Is it really you? Beixian."

"It's me." Beixian stepped forward, and as the thin man pulled her towards the window, she was suddenly held at knifepoint.

The thin man pressed the knife against her neck, shouting at the police, "Put down your guns! Back off! Or I'll stab her!"

The blade cut into her flesh, and Su Hua was in so much pain she saw stars.

Beixian's fists clenched in an instant, his eyes reddening as he stared at her, suppressing his anger, "Put the guns down! Everyone out!"

The police exchanged a look with him, bending down to place their guns on the ground, retreating.

Baldy kicked the guns into a corner.

The thin man pushed Su Hua onto the windowsill, "Jump!"

Su Hua clung to the window frame, afraid to jump. This was the third floor; a fall could be deadly or crippling!

"Jump! You won't die!" The thin man lost patience, grabbing her arm and preparing to jump.

In a flash, a gunshot rang out, and a scream pierced the night sky!