If You Could Hear My Heart

“Is it quiet now?”

“No problem at all,” the short man signaled ‘OK’ with his hand, “Boss, rest assured, I fed her sleeping pills, she won’t wake up for twelve hours for sure.”

“Alright, keep an eye on her, don’t let her die.”

“Definitely not, Mr. Zhou had reiterated that many times.”

“Once we get to the warehouse, it’ll be you and Number Three watching this girl. Watch her for twenty-four hours straight, and if really necessary, feed her sleeping pills!”

“Sure, no problem, leave that to me, Boss, you can count on it.”

“Hmm.” The tall man patted his brother’s shoulder.

Suddenly, a black car drove up, and a man with dyed deep purple hair opened the door to greet them, “Boss, Number Two, hurry up and get the person in, quick!”

“Drive the damn car in a bit more, you wanna die?!” the boss scolded angrily.

Committing such an act in broad daylight was already nerve-wracking enough without having to deal with a stupid brother.

Grudgingly, Number Three pulled the car over a bit, got out of the car, and supported Xu Chaomu, “Let me do it; you guys hurry up and get in the car!”

Number Three helped Xu Chaomu into the back seat, then put the black hood they had prepared earlier over Xu’s head!

The boss was meticulous, he also threw Xu Chaomu’s backpack into the trunk, afraid to leave any trace at the scene.

After finishing all of this, Number Three stepped on the gas and swiftly drove away from the scene.

The car headed towards a remote area, driving farther and farther until it reached an abandoned factory.

The factory had been demolished into ruins, probably because of relocation, with only one warehouse still intact.

“Get her inside! Remember, we need her alive!” the boss commanded coldly.

“Got it!” Number Two and Number Three responded in unison.

On opening the warehouse, a burst of mustiness quickly spread out. Dust covered the ground, and both men started coughing repeatedly!

“Cough cough cough, damn it, who chose this place? It’s all dust!” Number Three complained.

“Stop whining, cough cough, this place is hidden and safe, no one will find it!”

Number Two turned on a light inside the warehouse, only to see the bulb flickering incessantly, almost blinding them.

Suddenly, with a “pop” sound, the light bulb went out, and darkness immediately enveloped the area.

“Pitch black, what do we do!” Number Three complained again.

“Don’t panic, the warehouse isn’t big; I’ll go get a flashlight.” Number Two ran out of the warehouse.

Number Three, cursing under his breath, was holding onto Xu Chaomu, “Should’ve just killed her and had it over with.”

Soon, Number Two ran back into the warehouse with a flashlight, turning it on and instantly casting a beam of light inside.

Under the beam, all was dust, causing Number Two to cough nonstop.

There was also standing water in the warehouse and a strong musty smell, so he had to cover his nose and step forward cautiously.

“Number Three, be careful, don’t kill her, otherwise I’ll see how you explain yourself!” Number Two shouted with his nose covered.

“Number Two, what’s so special about this girl? I heard Mr. Zhou and Shen the Third talking secretly about her being an important bargaining chip.”

“Is that so? I didn’t ask. But none of that concerns us, we just need to watch her!”

“Sure, watching someone is a trivial matter. I, Zhao Number Three, have watched all sorts of people, even the toughest ones are obedient in my hands.”

“This girl’s skin is tender, be extra careful.”

“What, we can’t kill her? Is it okay to hit her a few times?”

“You better take it easy, we still rely on Mr. Zhou for our livelihood.”

“Okay, okay, quit nagging, I got it.” Number Three said impatiently.

Finally, they found a suitable spot in the warehouse using the flashlight.

The warehouse was small and low, half-filled with assorted stuff like cardboard boxes and wood, with sawdust and small stones scattered all over the ground.

Not paying attention, Number Three kicked a piece of wood and yelped in pain, “Damn this shitty place, it’s killing me, damn it!”

“Less talking, get familiar with the place, you’ll be watching her for the next few days!”

“I got it!”

Number Two dragged Xu Chaomu into a corner and used discarded cardboard to block the surroundings. The hiding spot was excellent, making it nearly impossible for anyone who found the warehouse to discover Xu Chaomu.

Number Two was very satisfied with the spot, and after everything was set up, he put down the flashlight and brushed the dust off his hands.

“Number Two, how long do we watch her? What if she runs away?”

“Number Three, are you a fucking idiot? You, a grown man, you let her run away? As for how long, we await orders at any moment. Here, take this bottle of sleeping pills: if she’s troublesome, slip a few into her water. Just don’t put too many or we’ll be in deep shit if she dies.”

“If she’s disobedient, just whip her, no need for sleeping pills, why be so polite!”

“Don’t mess around, Number Three!”

“Alright, alright, I know, so annoying.” Number Three said, clearly dissatisfied.

“Here’s the flashlight for you, you’d better take good care of her. Don’t get distracted; I’ll bring you meals on time.” Number Two tossed the flashlight to Number Three.

“Fine, make sure the food tastes good, add more meat. Watching her is hard work; I need the strength,” Number Three replied.

“You always have the most demands!” Number Two retorted with dissatisfaction.

“Alright, I’ll watch over her, you and the boss can head back! Just call me if you have any instructions.”

“Alright, I’m off.”

After giving a few more instructions, Number Two left the warehouse the way he had come. His brow was so furrowed it could kill a fly, covering his nose, coughing as he walked out.

The boss was waiting outside, leaning against the car door and smoking.

“All set?” the boss asked, blowing out a puff of smoke as Number Two emerged.

“Boss, rest easy, it’s all taken care of. Now, we just follow Mr. Zhou’s orders. Until then, Number Three will be watching the girl.”

“Let’s go, get in the car!” the boss got into the driver’s seat.

“Alright!”

Just as the small iron door of the warehouse closed, darkness engulfed the inside.

Dying his hair purple, Number Three found the place exceedingly dull, so he lit up a cigarette.

Soon, smoke slowly rose in the warehouse.

The warehouse was nearly airtight; once the iron door closed, it plunged into darkness, with only a few closed windows allowing slivers of light to peek through.

While it was a sunny day outside, inside the warehouse was pitch black.

Number Three smoked and played with his phone. After a while, getting bored, he tied Xu Chaomu to a post with a rope and walked out of the warehouse by himself.

Of course, before leaving, he made sure to check that the doors were all locked—only then did he comfortably stroll out with his cigarette in his mouth.

Until night fell and it was dark, Butler Ling still had not seen Xu Chaomu return.