An hour earlier.
Lin Jie, ready for the operation, bade farewell to Lin Miao, "Tomorrow morning, I'll probably be back before you wake up. Don't be afraid when you're alone at home!"
Lin Miao held Lele, waving its two chubby paws, and laughed, "With Lele by my side, I won't be afraid. Brother, be careful on the road."
Lin Jie nodded, reaching out to ruffle Lin Miao's hair, and left amidst her playful protests.
At the elevator, he noticed a man with a scruffy beard, haggard face, wearing a delivery uniform, also waiting.
Lin Jie glanced at him without much thought, watching the numbers change as the elevator descended.
With a ding, the elevator doors opened.
Lin Jie and the delivery man entered, one after the other, and he pressed the "-2" button for the underground parking lot.
Just as Lin Jie was about to ask which floor the other man was descending to, the delivery man leaned over, pressed the "7" button, and grinned at Lin Jie, saying, "Lin Jie, long time no see!"
The voice was somewhat familiar, causing Lin Jie to involuntarily look at the man's face...
Suddenly, he felt a cold pain in his lower back and realized a sharp cone was pressed against it.
The pain in his lower back indicated the cone had already pierced his skin.
The somewhat familiar voice and the vaguely recognizable face triggered a flash of insight in Lin Jie's mind, and he exclaimed in terror, "You're He Tongfang!"
The delivery man moved slightly closer to Lin Jie, blocking the sharp cone in his right hand with his body, and sneered, "That's right, it's me! You certainly didn't expect I'd end up like this, did you?"
"Once an outstanding student of Jingcheng University, now disheveled and despised, living a scorned life like a drifter or a beggar..."
Lin Jie noticed the hatred and madness in He Tongfang's eyes, felt the pain in his lower back intensify, and involuntarily moved away from him, exclaiming in fear, "He Tongfang, your current state isn't my fault!"
Lin Jie tried reasoning with him, his voice trembling, "You should remember, I was trying to help you. It was because of me that your wife gave birth smoothly..."
"Don't mention that vile woman to me again..."
He Tongfang growled with a ferocious expression, "In that situation, she not only didn't support me but also kicked me when I was down and left. It would've been better if she had died in childbirth, ending everything..."
At this moment, the elevator stopped on the seventh floor, and the doors opened.
He Tongfang pressed Lin Jie's shoulder with his left hand, holding the sharp cone with his right, and pushed him out of the elevator.
"Lin Jie, you also bear some responsibility for my current state. When you meet the true mastermind, you'll understand everything. Behave yourself, or I'll stab you a few times first!"
Lin Jie found He Tongfang's grip incredibly strong; even through thick clothing, his left hand caused pain in Lin Jie's shoulder, and the cone constantly pressed against his lower back made him too afraid to move recklessly.
With no other option, Lin Jie followed He Tongfang's forceful direction to room 702.
The door to room 702 was slightly ajar.
Lin Jie was pushed inside, and He Tongfang immediately closed and locked the door.
Then, He Tongfang pulled some plastic zip ties from his pocket, handed them to Lin Jie, and barked, "Tie your hands with them, and don't try any tricks!"
After saying this, he pushed the cone a bit further forward, making Lin Jie wince in pain.
Lin Jie quickly took the zip ties, slipped them on, and used his teeth to pull one end, tying his hands together.
He Tongfang then personally applied three more zip ties to Lin Jie before retracting the cone.
Lin Jie now noticed that the sharp cone used to bind him was an ice cone sharpened to a very fine point.
He Tongfang didn't forget to search him, first throwing Lin Jie's phone on the floor and stomping it to pieces, then emptying Lin Jie's pockets of his wallet, keys, and other items, tossing them to the ground.
After doing all this, he shoved Lin Jie to the master bedroom on the second floor.
As the bedroom door opened, a strong smell of gasoline hit them in the face.
Panicked, Lin Jie tried to flee, only to be kicked into the bedroom by He Tongfang.
Lin Jie stumbled a few steps before regaining his balance.
He noticed the large bedroom had two other people present: Hu Xinyi and her aunt.
However, their situation was worse, tied up and each bound to an armchair, with their mouths gagged and their bodies soaked, the strong gasoline smell emanating from them.
Lin Jie took a deep breath, trying to calm his terrified heart, turned to He Tongfang, who had locked the door, and asked, "Why did you bring me here, what exactly do you want?"
He Tongfang's expression had lost its previous madness and ferocity; he walked over to Hu Xinyi calmly, reached out to remove the towel from her mouth, and quietly said, "She will tell you everything."
Hu Xinyi coughed heavily, tears and snot streaming down, and cried, "I was wrong, I shouldn't have done that. Please, let me go, I can give you money."
"I have money, I really have money..."
"Shut up, you vile woman!"
He Tongfang suddenly shouted and roared hysterically, "I don't want your filthy money, I want my innocence, do you understand?"
"Tell Lin Jie everything you've done in detail."
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