Meng Lihua found it hard to imagine.

If Jiang Xinghai had really taken her little object, what on earth was she supposed to do?

Confront him directly?

Or drop a subtle hint for Jiang Xinghai?

Meng Lihua shook her head as she walked downstairs. ’Neither option seems appropriate. It’s too embarrassing to even bring up. But if he really did take it, what does that mean? Is he hinting that I shouldn’t use the little object? Or... that he can help me?’

Her face bright red, she reached the ground floor and hugged the wall as she circled around to the area beneath the front balcony.

This area was originally a green lawn, but since it was a dilapidated old building that was poorly managed, it had long since become overgrown with weeds, some of them waist-high.

Thankfully, it was broad daylight. Otherwise, Meng Lihua really wouldn’t have dared to enter.

’This should be the spot.’

Once she was under the balcony, Meng Lihua glanced up at her floor and began to search.

’Even if the wind knocked it down, and it bounced when it hit the ground, it should have landed somewhere in this area.’

Meng Lihua quickly scanned the ground. Her little object was black, so it shouldn’t be hard to find among the green weeds.

But after searching for a full ten minutes, expanding her search area by about ten meters, she still hadn’t seen it.

’Oh no, don’t tell me a stray dog or cat ran off with it?’

As the thought occurred to her, she shook her head. Looking up at her apartment again, she muttered, ’Either that, or Jiang Xinghai took it.’

’Wait a minute!’

The instant she looked up, she spotted a head peeking out from the balcony window of apartment 401, right next to her own unit, 402!

’Crap, don’t tell me my neighbor stole it?’ Meng Lihua remembered the person living in 401. He was a meek-looking man with glasses and messy, tousled hair—the loner type.

At that thought, Meng Lihua quickly retreated from the front of the building.

She had no desire to keep searching now.

She had to get home. Fast.

Then, as soon as she had the time, she would find a new apartment to rent. She couldn’t stay in this dilapidated old building any longer.

Filled with anxiety, she reached the fourth floor and subconsciously glanced at the door to apartment 301.

She hastily took out her key to open the door to her own apartment, 402.

But!

Out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly saw a dark figure lunging toward her.

The next second, just as she got her door open, a hand clamped over her mouth from behind.

Screaming was impossible.

All she could do was struggle with her limbs, but a moment later, a thin but powerful arm wrapped around her waist.

STOMP, STOMP, STOMP...

Meng Lihua stomped her feet hard on the floor, trying to wake Jiang Xinghai, who was fast asleep on the sofa.

She didn’t even need to guess to know who her attacker was—it had to be that pervert with the glasses from 401!

But Jiang Xinghai had only been asleep for a little over ten minutes and showed no signs of waking.

’This is bad!’

Meng Lihua knew what the pervert had in store for her now that he’d captured her.

’What else could it be?’

’It had to be... that kind of thing between a man and a woman!’

Although she often felt lonely at night, that didn’t mean she was desperate enough to take just anyone.

"In you go!"

The pervert’s triumphant laugh rang in Meng Lihua’s ear.

As she was thrown into apartment 401, the door was slammed shut behind her.

BANG!

The sound of the door slamming caused Jiang Xinghai, lying on the sofa in apartment 402, to stir, a sliver of consciousness returning to him.

Meanwhile, inside apartment 401, the pervert dragged Meng Lihua to the sofa by her hair.

"I’m going to let you go now, but you can’t scream. Otherwise, I’ll rape you first, then I’ll rape your daughter!" the pervert snarled, glaring at Meng Lihua. He then pulled out a dagger to threaten her.

Meng Lihua had no choice but to nod.

She wasn’t afraid of dying.

She wasn’t even afraid of being raped. She was worried about her daughter!

This bastard deserved to be cut into a thousand pieces. How could he say something so vile? She was suddenly filled with the resolve to snatch the dagger and kill the pervert herself.

’That’s right! I have to kill him!’

As the pervert slowly loosened his grip, Meng Lihua could finally breathe again.

She stared at the pervert, her mind racing as she calculated how to snatch the dagger from him in a single move.

"Is that man in your apartment your husband?"

The pervert sat on the coffee table, picked up a bottle of beer, and started drinking, his beady little eyes roving lecherously over Meng Lihua.

"He’s a doctor," Meng Lihua said, taking a deep breath.

"A doctor? A family doctor? Or just some fun you called over because you couldn’t stand the loneliness?" the pervert sneered, lightly tapping the dagger against Meng Lihua’s leg.

"He really is a doctor," Meng Lihua said.

"I saw him sleeping on the sofa just now. He didn’t even react when I dragged you in here. Why?" The pervert needed to figure this out before he could enjoy his ’meal’ in peace.

"He... he just collapsed from exhaustion," Meng Lihua replied. After she spoke, she suddenly thought of something.

’Before Jiang Xinghai passed out, he said he needed to rest for half an hour.’

’That means there are less than ten minutes left. As long as I can stall for time, Jiang Xinghai will wake up!’

The pervert couldn’t be bothered to figure out if Meng Lihua was telling the truth. He grabbed a roll of tape and sealed her mouth shut.

Then, he picked up a small black object from the sofa. "Were you downstairs looking for your ’boyfriend’?"