Behind the hotel, a tall man carried a large bag out, drawing no suspicion.
As the kitchen had a lot of garbage to dispose of daily, he was a recent hire responsible for the kitchen's cleanliness, so he naturally went unnoticed.
Reaching the alley behind the hotel, the man dialed another person's number. "Got the person, where are you?"
"Turn right outside. There's a refrigerated truck there. Dump the person in and don't worry about anything else." The other party seemed to have used a voice changer, their voice odd and hard to make out.
The man was just doing a job for money and didn't ask further. After dumping the person into the refrigerated truck, he took off his uniform and ran towards the sea.
Lu Yanbei's men arrived at the dock and apprehended the man on the spot.
"Where is my wife?" Lu Yanbei asked in a deep voice, looking down at the dying man on the ground.
The man clutched his stomach and remained silent.
"How much did that person pay you? I'll pay double! As long as you send her back unharmed, I can let this go," Lu Yanbei whispered, his eyes red.
He had a hundred ways to make the man suffer, but he dared not risk Su He.
He would rather suffer a loss himself than let Su He be harmed in the slightest.
"One must be trustworthy. I won't tell you," the man said, touching his bruised cheek as he slowly sat up.
Seeing his defiance, a bodyguard kicked him back to the ground. "Will you talk? If not, we'll throw you into the sea to feed the sharks later!"
"Go ahead and throw me in. If I die, she'll be buried with me!" the man spat out a mouthful of blood, refusing to reveal Su He's hiding place.
"Is that so?" Lu Yanbei spun his wedding ring, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. "Since you want to die, I'll grant you your wish!"
With a nod, the bodyguard stepped forward, dragging the man towards a small wooden cabin.
That was where Mr. Sang, the island owner, raised his sharks. It was usually guarded, and ordinary people were not allowed near.
Lu Yanbei borrowed the place from Sang Rong to force the man to reveal Su He's whereabouts.
"You're not going to actually kill anyone, are you?" Sang Rong had asked casually after hearing his request.
"Accidents happen frequently these days. Who can prove he didn't fall by himself?" Lu Yanbei had gone mad the moment he learned of Su He's disappearance.
Whoever harmed Su He, he would make them pay with their life.
As he was interrogating the man, a silver refrigerated truck slowly drove towards another side of the island.
"What's inside?" An order had been issued that all vehicles entering or exiting must be inspected.
The driver handed over a pack of cigarettes and replied with a smile, "I'm a local fisherman. I'm taking a ferry to deliver goods to the hotel."
"Open the back door." The security guard took the cigarettes but didn't slack off.
"Just some seafood." The driver obediently took the key and opened the door, revealing large crates.
The truck was not large, and one could see to the end. Inside, besides a few empty boxes, there was only a refrigeration unit and some unsold dead fish. The fishy smell inside was strong from the constant transport of fish, making one nauseous.
After the inspection, the security guard waved him to close the door. "You can go."
"Okay." The driver closed the refrigerated truck's door and drove the vehicle to the civilian dock.
*
Su He woke up to the cold.
The temperature inside the refrigerated truck was below minus ten degrees Celsius. It was incredibly cold. She had only been inside for a short while before frost began to form on her hair and eyebrows.
Su He pushed away the weight on top of her, shivering violently from the cold.
Where was she?
How did she end up here!
Su He rubbed her arms and peered around in the dim light. The truck was in motion, bumpy. She swayed with every jolt, struggling to keep her balance.
Su He massaged her throbbing head, utterly bewildered. She had been putting on makeup in the lounge. She had only taken a short nap and now found herself in a completely unfamiliar environment.
It took Su He several minutes to grasp her situation.
She was inside a moving refrigerated truck!
This was a death sentence!
Even if no one touched her, she would freeze to death!
After a while, the truck stopped. Su He heard the car door close, and then silence.
"Is anyone there?" Su He could finally stand up straight. Dragging her numb legs, she shuffled to the car door and pounded on it with all her might.
The truck had stopped by a deserted reef, so naturally, no one answered.
Su He called out several times until her throat was raw, but still, she received no response.
The temperature inside grew colder, and Su He's lips turned purple. But this wasn't the worst of it. Her dress had gotten wet from the dead fish, seeping in bit by bit, making her, already thinly clad, feel even more intensely cold.
It was all her fault for being too careless!
She had thought the person behind this wanted to disrupt her wedding, not expecting this trap.
The smooth progression of the wedding had made her lower her guard.
Her sense of smell was actually quite sensitive. The strong floral scent from the bouquets in the room should have alerted her to something being wrong.
Firstly, there shouldn't have been such out-of-place bouquets in the lounge.
Secondly, the smell was too overpowering; she should have asked someone to remove the vase.
Perhaps it was due to inhaling so much fragrance that her mind became muddled, leading her to fall into someone's trap.
But what was the use of regretting it?
All she could do was pray that Lu Yanbei would find her soon and rescue her.
Until then, she had to maintain her body temperature, or she would pass out soon.
Su He breathed warmly and hopped around inside, trying to warm herself up.
However, she hadn't eaten anything since morning and was so hungry her back touched her stomach. She simply didn't have the extra energy to warm herself up.
"So cold... so hungry..." Su He shivered, reflecting on her situation.
She shouldn't have skipped meals to maintain her figure!
Lu Yanbei didn't mind her being plump; why had she so foolishly tried to lose weight desperately!
Now, with no extra fat to provide warmth, she was going to freeze to death here!
Her new manuscript had only just begun; her studio was also just starting up. She planned to conceive at the end of the year and give Lu Yanbei a beautiful daughter next year. And her personal art exhibition, only a few more pieces until she had a hundred...
She still had so many things unfinished; she really didn't want to die!
Her millions in savings, her jewelry... who would they end up benefiting?
"Ah Yan, save me..." Su He, wrapped in a burlap sack, squatted in the corner, incessantly calling out Lu Yanbei's name.
On her finger, she wore the wedding ring he had personally placed there.
If she died, how heartbroken would her Ah Yan be!
And his depression... she couldn't even imagine his reaction upon seeing her cold corpse.
But she was so cold, she could barely hold on!
As time passed, her limbs became stiff and unresponsive. Then, her body temperature gradually drained away, and her breathing grew weaker and weaker...