A call came in.
Li Lanxiang had not slept all night. Her mind had been working the whole time, but she was not sleepy at all. On the contrary, she was wired. She was sitting in a chair, her mind racing. The ringtone brought her back. She glanced at Li Xiude's phone. The screen showed just one word: Hui.
Li Xiude had not slept either. It was not that he was not sleepy; he did not dare sleep. He lay there, staring fixedly at Li Lanxiang, afraid that if he closed his eyes, this woman would close them for good.
Li Lanxiang walked over with the phone, crouched, and leaned close to his face.
"Is this Situ Hui?"
"Yes." Li Xiude's voice was hoarse beyond recognition. He had not had any water all night. He was thirsty and scared, and now he was terribly hungry too.
He did not dare ask for water or food, afraid it would remind Li Lanxiang about forcing alcohol down his throat.
He only hoped Li Lanxiang would take the money and run soon. If she did not want to become a murderer, she would let him go.
Li Lanxiang rejected the call. Then she held the phone right up to Li Xiude's face and unlocked it.
She browsed through it, backed out, then typed a few words and sent them.
"Busy with something."
The reply came quickly: "What could you be doing this early? Doing some woman, I bet. Get your ass back here."
Li Lanxiang read the message and turned off the phone.
"When were you planning to turn your phones off?"
"I turn mine off on the first day of the lunar new year." Li Xiude swallowed. "I told everyone I'd be going into seclusion starting that day. No visitors, no calls,