Time: 3:20 PM. Nine hours and ten minutes left.

---

*Xin Lei*

I had to get out of here. But the question was, how?

I looked around every nook and corner of the room. Now that the darkness was finally sinking in my sight, I was able to see the room through it.

I was a little taken aback with the structure.

A classroom?

Yes, it was definitely a classroom. At first, I thought there was only my chair in which I was tied to, but now that I look at it, it is one of the chairs that looks identical to others.

There were other similar benches and desks beside me. In front of me, at a distance, there was a small podium, and behind it was the blackboard. There was a desk and chair just at the corner of the podium, too, I guessed for teachers.

Then there were many big white charts pinned on the wall. I could faintly see a sort of timetable on one of them with different subjects and class time. Another had many flowers drawn on it. There was a picture chart of animated fruits and vegetables, too, which I knew was used to show them to children to learn about them and identify them.

There were two windows on the opposite end of the wall where the main door was. They were blocked with the curtains, and that was why the room was so dim in lighting.

Am I in a school?

That puzzled me a lot.

Zhang Ning kidnapped me and kept me in a school? Is this her base?

But then I suddenly remembered what General Song murmured just before he died.

Sc...Sch…

Did he mean school?

Now, it all made sense to me. This classroom and all...this abandoned school was her base.

I looked at all the charts and then the blackboard to see if I could find the school\'s name.

And there it was written on the top of the blackboard, the writing with that white chalk still faintly visible.

I squinted my gaze.

Im…Imperial... Imperial High...

I recognized this school. Many years back, it was a prestigious school where majorly the sons and daughters of wealthy families could get in.

I remembered how much I bugged Dad when I was small to admit me in this school because I heard this was a cool school with cool kids. He wasn\'t crazy wealthy as the other families, but financially, he was very much above average. Getting me in wasn\'t a problem.

But, Dad straightaway refused to admit either big bro or me in this school. I was mad at him for a long time and grumpily accepted to go to another school of his choice.

Now, I was grown up and able to think beyond just what I wanted. As I looked back, I knew why Dad didn\'t want me in this school.

Our worlds were just too different. Wealthy kids were commonly known to bully more, even the kids of other affluent families. They looked at people like us with disdain.

Then who was I who was much less rich than they were? My life would have been difficult with these rich kids around, and of course, Dad never wanted that.

I chuckled.

All wealthy families, huh...Businessmen, celebrities, politicians…

Politician…

I raised my brow, feeling amused.

Ooohh...Is this perhaps Zhang Ning\'s school?

Wait. If this school is the main base, then that means Chu Jie and Cocoa are here too! Zhang Ning has kept me in the same base as them!

Ah, I am so near to them!

Okay, so there were two windows and the main door. Obviously, all three of them closed.

That made things difficult, very difficult, but not impossible, I guess. I sighed.

I tried to concentrate on any sounds if I could hear them from outside, but there was nothing.

I had to escape, and then I had to look for Chu Jie, Cocoa, and that other woman they kidnapped. For that, I first needed to know how many guards are stationed outside the room and what the situation was outside the window.

I looked at my wrists and feet tied to the chair and smiled. This position looked helpless at a glance but was actually favorable for getting out.

I just had to continuously move and shake my wrist back and forth and at all sides against the rope as much as possible in the tiny breathing space to widen it little by little and loosen its grip on me. Once my wrist was free, untying the rest of the rope was a child\'s play.

I smiled.

Come on, Xin Lei. Let\'s do this.

---

*Bai Li*

"First, I want to kill Zhang Chao."

Zhang Xiulan declared. This time, after much convincing, we finally took her and Zhu Yusheng to where everyone was.

I heard Xin Zhen speak in a low voice. "I thought you would be itching to kill your sister first."

"She is the desert. I am saving her for the last. I want to end Zhang Chao first. Even without Ning, she had suffered living with him. That old man has lived enough now."

Then came Xin Nianzu\'s voice. "You see. I am a lawyer. I should be against all this since murder is against the law. I should be stopping you all. What you are doing is a crime as civilians. You don\'t have an official authority to kill anybody. You all can go to jail. It\'s all in the law book."

I asked, "Are you going to stop us?"

"As a lawyer, I should protect law and order of the country if I witness such cases."

"But?"

"The law and order of the country are already messed up with a General as a traitor of the Army and politicians misusing their power and hiring cops to act as a spy and bring hurdles to justice. I don\'t see the law that I once swore to protect. So, you can do as you please."

I smiled.

"What you are doing is restore law and order of this country, not destroy it. So, I am cool."

I sensed Xin Zhen sneer. "You want to act all cool and impress even in this old age?"

"What\'s age got to do with being cool, stupid son? Look at you. You are thirty-one but not even as half as cool as me."

I chuckled, and so did everybody.

I heard a soft sigh from my side where Zhang Xiulan was sitting. I sensed her shift a little in her seat and felt as if she was... feeling uncomfortable?

I heard Liao Huifang\'s voice. "But he is Zhang Chao. He would have all the security in this world. How is it possible to even touch that man?"

It was Zhu Yusheng who spoke, "The Yi family will help us."

I raised my brow.

"Seems like you have your plan set in motion."

"We were preparing for this moment for six years," Zhang Xiulan spoke. "I want to destroy Ning\'s backbone first. She was flying in the clouds all this time because Zhang Chao was there to protect her. I want to cut off her wings so that she comes crashing down. I want to corner her until she has nowhere to go."

I nodded. "Fair enough. I think Qi Qiang can give us his schedule right down to his bathroom time."

I heard him giggle. "Of course! There is nothing that Qi Qiang cannot do! Zhang Chao\'s schedule is child\'s play for me."

Then I heard the sound of rapid typing on the keyboard.

I asked Zhu Yusheng, *How will the Yi family help us?"

"By taking the blow of Zhang Chao\'s death."

Xin Nianzu said, "I see. The enmity between the Yi and Zhang families rose to such an extent that Yi Xiaosi plotted to kill Zhang Chao. I can already see the headlines."

"Not just political enmity."

It struck me, and I smiled. "I see. Zhang Chao knew about Yi Xiaosi\'s secret affair and also the identity of his son from her. He threatened him with this truth, and Yi Xiaosi had no choice but to shut his mouth. That saves us a lot of trouble."

Xin Zhen said, "Well, we got a nice scapegoat."

Xin Nianzu chuckled. "Nice plan. Oh, and if Yi Xiaosi asks me to be his defense lawyer in the future, say that I am busy."

This plan was good and all, but I couldn\'t help but worry about Xin Lei. My mind was always going back to her and her safety.

Are you fine, Xin Lei? I am coming for you. Just please be okay…

"Bai Li. She will be fine," I heard Xin Nianzu say and felt the confidence and determination in his tone.

"I can see your worry for her. My daughter is strong. Have faith in her. She knows that we are coming for her. Until then, she will do her best to protect herself."

"Don\'t underestimate my sister," Xin Zhen snorted.

I chuckled. "I would never."

Just then, I heard Qi Qiang\'s excited voice. "I found it! I found Zhang Chao\'s schedule!"