Although the car was parked on the side, and the road rarely saw any traffic, it was getting dark. For safety reasons, Nie Jiuluo took out a fluorescent triangular warning sign from the car and set it up in the direction of oncoming traffic before heading towards the scene with a hand-held flashlight.
On the way, she also picked up a stone.
As she reached the edge of the wild hemp field, she heard Old Qian calling from deep within: “Oh no, little brother, what… what happened here?”
Following the voice, Nie Jiuluo quickly walked over to see a white SUV that looked familiar. The front of the car had a crash bar.
Is it Yan Tuo?
The driver’s side door was open, and Old Qian was standing at the door, rubbing his hands uncertainly: “I’ve never learned first aid. Shouldn’t we move the injured? We need to call 120, right?”
Nie Jiuluo walked to the door and raised the flashlight to look inside. The car’s airbag had already been deployed. Yan Tuo was slumped over the steering wheel, unconscious, or more accurately, “asleep.”
His breathing was steady and not labored, which suggested he might not be seriously injured. Nie Jiuluo instinctively looked towards the passenger seat.
The plush duck wasn’t so fortunate. Its body and seatbelt didn’t match well, and during the impact, it had fallen under the seat, ending up in a face-down position.
Next to the plush duck, something was glinting with a metallic cold light.
Nie Jiuluo dropped the stone and moved the airbag aside to pick up the object.
It was a hand-held syringe, different from the disposable medical ones. The needle was thick, and the barrel was stainless steel with a glass scale. There was still more than half of the syringe fluid left inside, which was light brown and sloshed around.
Turning the barrel, she noticed a steel stamp on the upper back of the syringe. Usually, stainless steel items have a brand logo or a “304” mark indicating quality, but this one had a small seal character for “fire”—the seal script was recognizable, as it didn’t differ much from modern characters.
Old Qian gasped, “This… is it for drug use?”
He had never seen drugs or how they were used, only knowing from news reports about the “injection” method. Seeing Yan Tuo unconscious, Nie Jiuluo examined the syringe carefully, starting to think along grim lines.
Nie Jiuluo found it amusing. She pointed at the needle: “The inner diameter is over a millimeter. It’s clearly not for humans.”
As she spoke, her gaze fell on the back of Yan Tuo’s neck. Since he was slumped over, the needle mark on his neck was not hard to find.
Old Qian seemed relieved by her professional-sounding explanation. Just as he was about to say something, Yan Tuo groaned and struggled to lift his head.
Old Qian was both surprised and anxious: “Little brother, are you okay? Hey, don’t move around…”
Yan Tuo was experiencing a buzzing in his ears, the sound was noisy, his head throbbed, and the world seemed unstable. The ground felt uneven, tilting left and right. He fumbled to unfasten his seatbelt, took a step out of the car, almost falling, and after barely steadying himself, he felt nauseous and bent over, dry heaving. He weakly asked, “Where is this…”
Old Qian was genuinely concerned, acting like a protective goose, afraid he might fall: “Little brother, you had a car accident. Don’t walk too much, better stay still. Sit down slowly and take it easy.”
With Old Qian already taking care of him, Nie Jiuluo lost interest in the commotion. She redirected her flashlight to the backseat of the car, where the light revealed a slanted suitcase.
Old Qian’s words echoed, “There must be something valuable in the suitcase.”
How valuable could it be? A suitcase full of diamonds?
She glanced sideways at Yan Tuo, who was sitting on the ground, back turned, exhausted, with his head resting between his raised shoulders.
Old Qian shouted to her, “Miss Nie, is there any water in the car? He seems dazed and confused, maybe some water will help.”
Nie Jiuluo crouched into the car and scanned around: “No…”
Before she could finish, she was suddenly jolted.
The car was a one-body design, and while she was standing outside earlier, she couldn’t see the rear compartment. Now, being higher and with the flashlight, she saw clearly: there was a canvas bag in the rear compartment with an abnormal shape.
A canvas bag?
Images flashed through her mind quickly: the canvas bag that Yan Tuo had forcefully thrown into the rear compartment in Xingba Village; the one that the ugly man had carried out of Sun Zhou’s room the previous night.
Was it the same one? The more she looked, the more it seemed like it.
Her heart raced. She quickly glanced back at Yan Tuo. Fortunately, he was supporting his forehead with his hand and was not fully conscious yet.
Nie Jiuluo swiftly moved to the rear seat, which had a high backrest making it difficult to reach over. She held onto the backrest, leaned forward, and extended her arm to unzip the canvas bag.
After several attempts, her waist and abdominal muscles were sore from the strain. On the last try, she managed to unzip the bag about ten centimeters.
Sun Zhou’s pale, lifeless face seemed to suddenly appear, embedded in the zipper’s opening, illuminated by the light and looking swollen and translucent.
Nie Jiuluo’s scalp tingled. Fortunately, she was still alert and quickly turned back upon hearing movement outside.
It was Yan Tuo, who was holding his head and walking unsteadily towards her, with Old Qian nowhere in sight.
It was too late to zip up the bag now. Nie Jiuluo tried to act nonchalant and subtly shifted her body to block Yan Tuo’s view.
As Yan Tuo approached the car and saw someone inside, he frowned: “Who… who are you? What are you doing in my car?”
Nie Jiuluo forced a smile: “I’m looking for water. Where is my friend?”
“He went to get water. There’s no water in my car…”
As he spoke, he had already put one foot into the car. As he was halfway inside, his whole body suddenly tensed.
This “tension” was something even Nie Jiuluo could sense.
It was like a sleep-deprived office worker who, moments ago was groggy, suddenly realizes, “Oh no, I’m late and will be fined.” The person would instantly wake up and become alert.
Yan Tuo was the same. In an instant, he became fully aware, alert to the danger, the car’s secrets, and the situation. He was on high alert, tense as a drawn bow.
He looked up at Nie Jiuluo.
Outside, it was quiet, with only the wind rustling through the wild hemp. It was no longer summer, but there was still a feeling of “cicadas singing, making the forest quieter.” In the distance, the faint sound of the rear compartment opening and closing indicated Old Qian was still searching for water.
Yan Tuo’s gaze reminded Nie Jiuluo of a hawk she had once seen—sharp, dangerous, unfathomable, yet calm.
Her fingers loosened slightly on the handle, tilting the light down, trying to reduce the brightness inside the car so that Yan Tuo wouldn’t notice the canvas bag being opened—though she knew deep down that it was probably futile.
Yan Tuo asked, “Looking for water… have you checked the back trunk?”
Nie Jiuluo smiled a bit stiffly, giving a vague reply.
Yan Tuo realized that his line of sight was blocked. He kept his lower body still, kneeling on the seat, and turned only his upper body to the side, looking away from her. His gaze scanned the back trunk for a couple of seconds before returning.
Nie Jiuluo chose not to expose the situation: “Since you’re fine, I won’t disturb you.”
She reached for the rear seat door, and Yan Tuo tapped the glove box. The lid popped open with a click, revealing a handgun lying at an angle.
He took out the gun, not aiming it at her, but letting it hang at his side, and asked, “What should I call you? My surname is Yan, Yan Tuo.”
“Nie, Nie Jiuluo.”
Yan Tuo nodded, indicating the front passenger seat: “Miss Nie since you’re here, let’s have a chat. Don’t be in a hurry to leave.”
As he spoke, he noticed the overturned rubber duck toy, bent down to pick it up, dusted it off, and placed it by the windshield.
Since the conversation had reached this point, there was no need to beat around the bush. Nie Jiuluo decided to lay everything out: “Mr. Yan, I’m not alone. My hired driver is still outside.”
Yan Tuo looked outside, through the gaps in the wild grass, faintly seeing a figure carefully descending a dirt slope, heading this way.
“If it’s just a hired driver who won’t earn much even if he drives all day if you want him to end up like Sun Zhou, just have him come in as well.”
Nie Jiuluo was silent for a moment: “What do you want?”
Yan Tuo indicated the front passenger seat again: “Didn’t I say? Let’s talk. If the conversation goes well, there’s no problem. If not, we’ll handle it accordingly.”
It’s better to cooperate and maintain dignity rather than wait for Yan Tuo to get rough and “invite” her.
Nie Jiuluo put her hands on the front seat and moved to the front, sitting down in the passenger seat.
Yan Tuo leaned over: “Left hand, angle it down a bit.”
There are rules for sitting? Nie Jiuluo didn’t think too much, lowered her hand as instructed, and Yan Tuo reached under the seat, pulling out something with a click, handcuffing her wrist.
Nie Jiuluo was taken aback and saw it was a single-handcuff with a chain attached, the chain welded to the seat base as she couldn’t move it.
That wasn’t all; Yan Tuo continued to bend down and pulled out another set from under the foot mat: “Bring your foot closer.”
Nie Jiuluo silently moved her foot.
She was wearing short boots, with the pants tucked into the boots, and her slender white ankle exposed. Yan Tuo thought it would be inconvenient to cuff her this way and hesitated for a moment before deciding to cuff her without removing the boots.
After finishing these actions, he straightened up and held out his palm: “Phone.”
Nie Jiuluo handed over her phone.
Yan Tuo took the phone and pointed at the approaching Lao Qian: “Send your driver away. Make it reasonable, don’t raise suspicion.”
“Are you joking? That’s my hired driver, responsible for my transport. He’s supposed to take me back to the hotel. How can I send him away?”
Yan Tuo coldly replied: “That’s your problem. If you can’t do it, then invite him into the car. There’s enough room in my car, and the bag can still fit.”
Nie Jiuluo cursed inwardly.
What a mess!
Lao Qian approached, panting, and holding a bottle of mineral water, looking a bit dazed: “Little brother, are you alright? Miss Nie, why are you in his car?”
Nie Jiuluo said: “You can go back. I’m taking his car.”
Lao Qian was even more confused: “Miss Nie, I’m supposed to take you back to the hotel. Do you know him?”
They didn’t seem to know each other. Nie Jiuluo appeared quite calm when she saw the person in the driver’s seat—if it was someone you knew, wouldn’t you be concerned and noisy?
Nie Jiuluo smiled and reached out the window to take the water, then gestured to Yan Tuo: “What do you think of him?”
What do you mean by “what do I think”? Lao Qian was puzzled: “He should be fine… but it’s better to have him checked at the hospital.”
Nie Jiuluo interrupted: “I meant his appearance.”
Lao Qian was speechless: “Huh?”
Of course, he looks fine, with no special considerations; his face and build are just there, but why ask about appearance?
Lao Qian answered honestly: “He looks fine.”
Nie Jiuluo was calm: “I think so too. I just inquired about the price, which is quite cheap. I plan to book for a few days. You should go back first. I’ll pay for the car, and when I need a ride, I’ll contact you.”
Lao Qian looked as if he had been struck by lightning.
He had heard that young people nowadays were quite open about their private lives, that they could go to a hotel after meeting in a bar without even knowing each other’s names. But he only heard about it; those around him were relatively conservative. Suddenly, he was presented with a live example, and he found it hard to accept.
Moreover, he had always had a good impression of Miss Nie—young, beautiful, elegant, talented, and pleasant to talk to. He never expected that a person could be so different from what they appeared to be, engaging in such sordid affairs, and so casually putting it on display! Of course, the man wasn’t any better, taking on work right after a crash, unsteady on his feet, and eager to earn money for car repairs.
The world is going to the dogs!
Be that as it may, Lao Qian tried not to let his emotions affect his work, prioritizing the safety of his client: “Miss Nie, isn’t this unsafe?”
The consumer should go to a big store. This roadside pickup is like a street vendor.
Nie Jiuluo said: “It’s fine. I checked the reviews; there are quite a few positive ones.”
There are reviews?
Lao Qian’s worldview was shattered. How can this even be reviewed online? And with positive reviews? How could the country allow this?
Before leaving, he glanced at Yan Tuo with the look of one examining a duck, noticing a rubber duck toy by the edge of the windshield.
He began to understand.
This must be a professional symbol, he thought, like the red flower in a drama about restoring the Ming Dynasty—when the other side saw it, they would know who they were dealing with. Miss Nie seemed to be experienced in such matters; if you’re not in the industry or a regular player, you really can’t tell.