After leaving Shen Zhen, Qiao Hua did not return to the villa.
She hailed a taxi on the street and gave the driver an address.
While helping Shen Zhen look for a place earlier, she had spotted a harbor with many boats moored there.
The people outside one of the boats had been acting suspiciously, and she had vaguely overheard something about illegal passage.
When she reached the harbor, Qiao Hua paid and got out. She found the spot where the boat had been moored, but it was already gone. Only a man packing things up remained.
Qiao Hua walked over. "Hello."
The man raised his head and gave her a suspicious look. "Can I help you?"
Qiao Hua lowered her voice. "Is it possible to leave from here without-"
The man immediately eyed her warily. "What are you trying to do?"
"Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not a police officer or a reporter," Qiao Hua explained. "I want to leave this place. Is there any way you can help?"
Understanding immediately dawned on his face. "In trouble with the law?"
Qiao Hua gave a dry laugh. "You could say that."
She could hardly tell him she wanted to leave to hide from Gu Wenze. He would probably think she was out of her mind, sneaking away instead of enjoying a life of wealth.
The man clearly took Qiao Hua for a wanted criminal. He had seen plenty of people like her. "Bad timing. The latest boat just left. You'll have to wait another month for the next one."
A month.
By then, her belly would be too big to hide.
But Qiao Hua knew perfectly well that this was her only way out.
A month it is, then. Better than not being able to leave at all.
*Besides,