25 The candidates (I)

City Z

Z International Airport

The weather was warmed even though it was still spring. The temperature rose by six-degree Celcius, reaching to a new record at forty-two-degree Celsius. Perhaps the sudden rise in temperature was to prepare the earth for the next upcoming season - summer.

There was a Lamborghini car perfectly parked at the VIPs' parking lot near the entrance of the arrival hall of Z International Airport. Inside the car was a woman who was sweating even though the air conditioner was at its lowest temperature. Besides her was an elderly man, casually sipping on a glass of wine. Sometimes, he glanced at his wrist-watch and then stared at the entrance of the arrival hall.

"Yun Xi, is she here yet?" The man asked and once again peeked on his wrist-watch. Yun Xi, who was also watching the people in and out of the arrival hall shook her head. "No sight of her yet." She answered and stretched her neck to get a better view of the entrance. A few minutes later, a lovely smile appeared on her face.

A young girl with a brown, short hair walked toward the car with a suitcase on her left hand and a handbag on the others. Her tall posture and relaxed attitude were illustrations of her confident self.

"Grandma Yun!" She shouted in excitement. Her pace increased as she got closer to Yun Xi who was waiting outside the car.

Seeing her increasing speed, Yun Xi felt worried and pleaded her to walk carefully. The girl laughed and hugged her, almost jumping in excitement. "How are you, Grandma Yun? It's been so long, the last time I saw you were five years ago. How have you been?" She asked and cheerfully kissing her grandma's cheek.

"You silly girl! I'm perfectly fine. Come, let's talk in the car." Yun Xi held her hand and pushed her gently into the car. The girl obediently follow. "Elder Lu Ping!" She screamed upon seeing the elder who was waiting inside the car. "My Lu Xinya is here!" Elder Lu Ping hugged her lovingly.

"How was the flight?" He asked and passed a bottle of water to her. "It was good!" She replied with a thumb up. Yun Xi and Lu Ping laughed at her cheerfulness. They chatted for a good amount of time before the driver interrupted their conversations.

"Where are we going madam?" He respectfully asked while his eyes watched them talking through the rear-view mirror. "Straight to the mansion, please." Yun Xi answered. Lu Xinya who sat beside her beamed in anticipation. She came back to City Z for she was invited to attend the Lu Banquet. The details were not explained in the invitation. However, she had received news that a certain someone would attend the banquet too. She wanted to meet this person for that was her wish for a very long time.

The car was decelerating when the traffic light change in color and finally stopped when the color was red. Elder Lu Ping and Lu Xinya were chatting happily while Yun Xi enjoyed the traffic view. Soon, sleepiness took over her. However, the sudden rang of her phone woke her up.

She looked at the caller and saw Butler Bun's personal number. "Yes, Butler Bun?" She asked. "Madam Yun. urgent news! Young Miss Fu was sent to the dark chamber for a night. We are at the entrance door right now, but the door would not open!"

Yun Xi's face darkened when she heard the news. "Is Tony there? How about Liling? Why are they not taking care of her properly?" Yun Xi yelled. She felt her anger intensified with every breath she took.

"Grandma Yun, what happened?" A voice beside her asked out of curiosity. "Xiao er is in danger!" Yun Xi explained shortly after instructing the driver to speed up. "Grandma Yun, are you talking about Fu Yixiao?" Lu Yinxa asked, her charming face was looking at Yun Xi worriedly. "Yes!" Yun Xi replied. "What happened to lil sister?" Again, she asked. Her cheerful voice was now coated in adversity, "Later, we'll see." Yun Xi replied, patting the girl's thigh softly.

"This Fu Yixiao is too weak. How did she become one of the candidates?" Elder Lu Ping sneered. Then he continued, "Lu Xinya, if people at the mansion bully you, just tell me! I'll take care of them." He said confidently. "Thank you, Elder Lu Ping!" Lu Xinya who was in deep thought replied. Somehow, she disliked the elder's remarked about Fu Yixiao.

Lu Xinya closed her eyes, in her mind, there was a scene that happened five years ago. A little girl was crying and wailing while tugging on her dress, begging her not to go. That girl was her cute little sister - Fu Yixiao. Her returned today was highly for the purpose of reconnecting their sisterhood bond. Little did she expect that the first thing she heard was her in an unpleasant situation. She silently prayed for her safety.

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"Tony, kick the door again!" Liling yelled impatiently. "You two! How did you get out from there? Where is Young Miss Fu?" Liling directed her attention to the twin who was trembling in a corner. "The door was perfectly fine when we walked out." Ah Bo answered. Tears started to form in the corner of his eye.

They were also worried about the young girl who was still inside. After overcoming their fear, they wanted to reenter the dark chamber but they weren't able to open the door, no matter what methods they used. Finally, they decided to wait outside.

"Damn it!" Tony punched the door, releasing his anger and disappointment for his failure in protecting the young miss. Liling also felt the same. After the incident, both of them were confined in a room without any contact to the outside world, until the next morning.

Once they were freed, they rushed to the entrance only to see the twin were guarding the door with guilty expressions on their faces. After finding out what had happened, their worries increased by thousands of folds.

"Madam Yun!" Butler Bun who was exhausted after a series of door banging was relieved upon seeing Yun Xi speeding to their location. "Tell me every detail!" Yun Xi demanded as she approached the door.

Butler Bun explained the whole incident without leaving any details. Liling and Tony chirped in when necessary. After listening to their explanation, Yun Xi was enraged. She wanted to take action against them at this very moment, however, knowing that her granddaughter was still in the dark chamber, she composed herself.

Thirty minutes went by and the door hadn't moved an inch. Everyone was in a state of panic and exhausted. They even called most of the top-notched locksmiths but everything was just a waste of time. The door was still intact with no sign of opening up.

"Everyone, let's refill our energy and discuss our next steps." Yun Xi made the call for everyone to retreat after watching their exhausted looks. Together, they left the area. However, a few meters ahead they heard an eerie creaking sound from behind them. The unmoving door was opened by itself! That was when they saw a girl stepped out from the slightly opened door.

Excited and grateful, they ran toward the girl. However, their excitement turned grimed as they saw her collapsed to the ground. Her body trembled as fear crept in her eyes.