novelraw Chapter 586 - 570 Escape·Kunling
Chapter 586 - 570 Escape·Kunling
Li Qiong’er followed her memory and finally found the entrance to the basement. A blue, rusted iron door stood in front of her, secured tightly with iron chains and a large lock below.
The words Lu Chi had said at the dining table earlier suddenly flashed through her mind: "There are some things it’s better for you not to know." She knew so many of Lu Chi’s secrets; what could possibly be something she must not know?
Before, she could know everything. Why not now?
Even something as significant as Yao’er’s death, Lu Chi had brushed over vaguely. This made her trust him even less.
With such thoughts in mind, Li Qiong’er pressed against the iron door.
Of course, the door wouldn’t open—it was locked, after all.
"Is anyone there?"
Li Qiong’er raised her voice slightly: "Is anyone there?"
Silence answered her.
No sound didn’t mean no one was there!
The noise she heard last night was definitely no illusion. Lu Chi was absolutely hiding a woman!
No woman could tolerate such humiliation! Your husband drugs you just to sneak around with another woman! And while you’re sleeping right next to him, he won’t even lay a finger on you!
She was furious—not because she loved Lu Chi deeply, but because, unknowingly, she and Lu Chi had grown so distant!
She understood now; Lu Chi had changed—most likely because of the woman in the basement.
Li Qiong’er left, closed the door, and specifically instructed the housekeeper not to touch it. She then went to Lu Chi’s study to find the spare key. The house had a set of spare keys, kept in Lu Chi’s study, and Lu Chi generally didn’t hide such things from her.
She took the key back to the basement and began trying them one by one.
With a sluggish yet crisp "click," the lock opened, and Li Qiong’er’s heart pounded violently.
Holding a flashlight, Li Qiong’er descended the long staircase, step by step. At first, she didn’t turn on the lights. The oppressive darkness was suffocating, enveloped in a deathly silence mixed with a faint, feminine fragrance—a fragrance that did not belong to her.
After turning on the flashlight, she could see the mottled patterns and marks on the floor and walls.
Her high heels struck the ground with sharp, jarring "clack, clack, clack" sounds.
"Who?" A cold, haunting female voice suddenly echoed.
Li Qiong’er shivered at the chill, froze, and stood still; the beam of the flashlight still pointed steadily at the ground. Slowly, she lifted her eyes, but the darkness veiled her sight, leaving her to faintly discern a shadowy figure.
"You’re not Lu Chi." It was that woman’s voice again.
The voice was familiar. Li Qiong’er gradually aimed the flashlight toward the source of the sound.
Suddenly, an ethereal, pale, yet stunning face entered her view.
"Guan Kunling!" Li Qiong’er’s eyes widened in disbelief.
The flashlight’s beam revealed the chains on her hands—she was shackled.
Upon hearing her, Guan Kunling instantly recognized the owner of the voice.
She said calmly, "There’s a light switch. Turn it on."
After sustaining severe injuries, even before fully recovering, Lu Chi had drugged her. The drugs rendered her temporarily weak, leaving her as helpless as an ordinary woman, unable to resist. Even so, Lu Chi still didn’t trust her and restrained her with iron chains. Though free to move around the room, her mobility was confined to this space alone.
Her injuries had long since healed. During her recovery, she had been gradually adjusting her Inner Strength. However, due to the lingering effects of the drugs, her progress was slower than usual. Though her strength had mostly returned, the chains still posed a challenge.
Li Qiong’er numbly turned on the light.
The dim, yellowish glow flickered on, illuminating the not-so-cramped space like a waning sunset.
Li Qiong’er took in her surroundings. The room was bare; the bed was the largest piece of furniture there. Guan Kunling stood by the bed, dressed in a long white gown. The dress was so long it trailed to her feet, covering them completely.
Her long hair cascaded over her shoulders like a waterfall.
Even in a place like this, she exuded an ethereal beauty. Li Qiong’er thought, especially under this light, she looked even more stunning. No wonder Lu Chi was smitten.
Slender brows arched like distant mountains.
Eyes like autumn waters, clear and bright.
An unworldly elegance.
Suddenly, all of Lu Chi’s recent strange behaviors seemed to have an answer. Tian Sangsang had mentioned Guan Kunling was missing, and here she was, locked in Lu Chi’s basement. What he had done to her was self-evident.
The dress had spaghetti straps, and though her hair partially concealed her skin, faint marks of affection could still be seen on her neck and shoulders.
Li Qiong’er’s expression shifted with a flash of realization, tinged with traces of inevitability.
Lu Chi had sunk to such despicable depths!
He had done worse things before, and she had remained indifferent. But this time, she found him utterly inhumane—a beast devoid of any moral fiber.
Perhaps, it was because she, too, was a woman.
Li Qiong’er let out a faint sneer: "Weren’t you supposed to be so formidable? How did you end up like this?!"
Even the most formidable people have their moments of downfall.
Guan Kunling’s lips curled faintly as she sat on the bed. "Did you come here with Lu Chi’s permission? If not, you’d better leave. Once he finds out, you’ll suffer the consequences."
Feeling humiliated, Li Qiong’er lifted her chin proudly:
"Do you think I could see you without his permission?"
Guan Kunling replied indifferently, "Oh."
Li Qiong’er took a deep breath, her gaze deepening. "I’ll just ask you one thing—are you Jiang Jiaqi? Answer me, and I’ll let you go." No one would want to endure such humiliation, especially not Guan Kunling.
"You’ll find out one day, but not now," Guan Kunling said with a faint smile. "And I don’t need you to let me go." She could free herself; it was only a matter of time.
"I hope you’ll tell me in person when the day comes."
As she spoke, Li Qiong’er began trying the keys on the chains, one by one.
With a jingling sound, the chains clattered as Guan Kunling fixed her gaze on her with a complicated expression.
"Lu Chi isn’t as merciful as you think."
Li Qiong’er didn’t look up, focusing on unlocking the chains. "I know what kind of man he is. Even if he finds out, he won’t do anything to me. Besides, I can’t tolerate him keeping a woman right under my nose." Toward the end, she seemed to be convincing herself, as though affirming: that’s right, I’m freeing you because I despise you, not because I want to save you.
Guan Kunling remained unmoved. "Why are you doing this?"
"I..." Suddenly, the lock clicked open.
Li Qiong’er looked directly at her, clarity in her eyes: "I... just want to tell her one thing."
Without a word, Guan Kunling methodically unwrapped the chains from her wrists, her movements swift and composed. "Lend me a piece of clothing. I’ll return it to you."
Li Qiong’er chuckled bitterly. "Wait here; I’ll get it for you. Later, I’ll take you outside."
"No need," Guan Kunling replied. "I know of another exit."
Li Qiong’er froze, then went to retrieve a black coat for her. Guan Kunling draped it over her shoulders, cinched the waist tie tightly, and knocked on the wall a few times.
It turned out the exit she mentioned was underground. Lu Chi had never mentioned this to Li Qiong’er; she only knew about the basement. Watching Guan Kunling’s retreating figure, a foreboding sense of something significant brewing welled inside her. She called out in haste, "Will you really return my clothes?"
"I keep my word." Guan Kunling glanced back briefly before disappearing.
**
This night was destined to be sleepless.
The same silence, the same faint scent of sandalwood.
Lu Chi also went into the basement, but this time, he returned quickly. Without showing any agitation, he lifted the covers and lay down beside Li Qiong’er.
This terrified Li Qiong’er, whose heart was already pounding wildly, even more.