C11 I Was Fooled Again

However, the two seemed not to hear her, continuing on their way. Jiang Jingxi, growing anxious, shouted, "If you dare walk away, I'll bite my tongue and end it all!"

At her words, they stopped. Jingxi felt a flicker of hope as they turned back. She quickly raised a finger, trying to appease them, "Just one question. Answer it, and I won't bother you anymore!"

Both frowned. A moment later, one warned the other, "Did you forget how the last guys got punished? Don't you remember?"

The warned one's face turned pale. Seeing his hesitation, the other sighed and looked at Jingxi with a resigned expression, "Ma'am, please don't make it hard for us! To be honest, the last two guards almost got their legs broken as punishment. Not just them, even the ones you fought got dragged into it!"

He looked defeated as he continued, "So, please, don't make it tough on us. The boss has already given us a strict warning. If you escape again, the punishment will double!"

"Let me out! I'll deal with him for you!" Jingxi said, indignant.

"You better stay put! You can't beat our boss."

Jingxi was furious at their doubt, "Who says I can't beat him? That's a joke!"

"If you could, you wouldn't be stuck here!"

That remark ignited her anger, "He tricked me!"

"All's fair in love and war!"

Jingxi glared, "You all..."

She realized these two were Tingyuv's men, loyal to him! Just like everyone else around here. Not a decent one among them!

The two exchanged a glance and left. Before she knew it, it was noon.

Tingyuv had been busy, so lunch was brought in by Lee Jing. As he picked up his chopsticks, something crossed his mind. He looked up and asked, "Has the one in the little room eaten?"

Based on what he knew about Jingxi, she probably wouldn't eat.

Sure enough, Lee Jing shook his head, "She hasn't eaten. She shouted that she'd rather starve than eat anything from this place."

That definitely sounded like something she'd say.

Tingyuv smirked coldly and sneered, "Let her be!"

He didn't believe anyone would really refuse food for long. Even if she could skip a meal or two, how long could she keep it up?

So, Tingyuv didn't pay much attention.

However, he didn't expect Jingxi to really hold out. By the next evening, she still hadn't eaten.

That meant she'd skipped five meals, counting lunch and dinner yesterday and all three meals today.

Tingyuv couldn't sit still any longer and went straight to the small room.

Looking inside, he saw her sitting on the bed. She seemed weak from hunger, looking a bit... frail.

Tingyuv felt a twinge of discomfort.

"Still alive?" Tingyuv called out.

Almost instantly, Jingxi lifted her head, her eyes blazing with anger as she spat, "You jerk!"

Tingyuv chuckled, a wicked grin spreading across his face as he mocked, "Still got the energy to curse, huh? Guess you're not starving yet!"

Jingxi knew he'd find out everything about her, but his sarcastic tone still infuriated her. She snapped, "Jerk, if you have the guts, don't let me out! Otherwise, I'll kill you!"

Jingxi had never been treated like this in her life! Did he think she wanted to starve? She was just too stubborn to give in.

She'd already declared on the first day that she wouldn't eat anything from this place. If she did, she'd be going back on her word.

"With the way you're barely able to talk, you think you can kill me?" Tingyuv scoffed, pointing to one of his men. "I'll give you a chance. If you can beat him, I'll let you go!"

"Alright! Let me out!" Jingxi immediately agreed, jumping off the bed.

However, Tingyuv's next words were, "So no one can say we're picking on a woman..."

With that, Tingyuv gave a nod to the side.

The person understood and promptly slid the prepared meal through a small opening in the door.

Tingyuv continued, "Eat up, then we'll compete."

"No need!" Jingxi waved her hand.

But Tingyuv was firm, "No food, no competition!"

Jingxi gritted her teeth, meeting Tingyuv's unwavering gaze, and finally grabbed the plate, devouring the food.

Hmph! She'd show him once she was full!

Tingyuv watched her eat with disdain, "Slow down, you're eating like you haven't seen food in days!"

Catching the sarcasm in his voice, Jingxi frowned but ignored him. She wasn't interested in a war of words; she'd let her fists do the talking soon enough.

Three and a half minutes later, Jingxi had finished all the food. She was genuinely starving, which explained her appetite.

Wiping her mouth, she stood up confidently, "I'm done. Let's do this!"

She walked to the door, waiting for it to open.

However, Tingyuv responded with a cold smile, "I've changed my mind, no competition!"

Jingxi was speechless.

Realizing she'd been played, Jingxi was furious!

But Tingyuv didn't give her a chance to speak, threatening, "Say something nice, or beg, and I'll let you go!"

Jingxi snapped, "Go to hell!"

Having been fooled twice, she wasn't about to fall for it a third time.

Jingxi was livid, but staring at the iron door, all she could do was glare.

She didn't even feel like arguing anymore. Turning away, she returned to the bed, sitting in her previous position, and muttered through clenched teeth, "Let's see how long you can keep me here."

Lu Tingyuv raised an eyebrow, not surprised by her reaction. "We'll see about that!" he retorted with a cold huff, feeling unexpectedly uplifted. A smile tugged at his lips as he walked away.

However, halfway down the hall, a thought struck him. He turned to Lee Jing and said, "Go to the surveillance room and have them stream the footage from the small room to my computer."

Lee Jing was momentarily taken aback but quickly understood. He nodded immediately, "Yes, sir!"

Half an hour later, the screen on Lu Tingyuv's desk displayed the small room's feed. Jiang Jingxi remained in the same position, unmoving.

As Lu Tingyuv worked, he occasionally glanced at the screen. For two whole hours, she hadn't budged an inch. Finally, he paused, staring at the screen, realizing she had fallen asleep sitting up. Impressive.

Just then, a knock on the office door interrupted his thoughts. "Come in!"

Wei Xiu entered briskly, his tone serious, "Another test!"

He dropped a file on the desk and added, "What's with those people? Why can't they just leave us alone?"

Lu Tingyuv frowned, "Can't you put that on a chair instead?"

Wei Xiu looked sheepish, about to move, but then his eyes caught the computer screen. He gaped, "Are you spying on her?"

Lu Tingyuv lifted his gaze, correcting him, "It's called monitoring."