The Escape Plan

After Su Moye left the office with Feng Jiu's cookies, Dong Hua stared at Feng Jiu.

"How many more cookies do you have, Xiao Bai?" Dong Hua asked. He felt upset that Feng Jiu didn't give him her extra cookies.

"Oh, that's all I have. I wanted to save the last packet for myself, but I guess I could always make more." Feng Jiu smiled.

"Oh." Dong Hua replied coldly. Then he buried his head into his laptop, trying to hide the fact that he was feeling jealous and upset.

Feng Jiu also didn't notice that he was acting differently since she was so focused on drawing her new drafts. She thought to herself, "The drafts submission would be at mid-Jan, so I'll definitely make it in time."

Then she asked Dong Hua, "What are you doing on the New Years' Eve?" Dong Hua looked up at her and replied, "Probably just stay home and do some work. Why are you asking?"

Feng Jiu wheeled herself over to Dong Hua's desk and leaned over it. "Well, my friends and I reserved a small private room for some hotpot session. We usually do that on birthdays or celebrations. I was just wondering if you would like to come. I'll invite Si Ming and Lian Song too."

"Oh? I think it has been years since I last ate hotpot. It's weird to eat it alone too. I guess I could join you since I don't have any plans on that day too." Dong Hua replied casually.

Feng Jiu smiled brightly and replied, "Okay! I'll count you in! So it would be at 6 PM, and I'll text you the address." Then she thought to herself, "Well, the last time Dong Hua ate hotpot was just months ago, not years. Too bad he didn't remember any of that since we all had so much fun at that time."

"Okay, Xiao Bai. Do I need to bring any gifts? I have never been to a gathering like that." Dong Hua asked curiously.

"No! Just bring yourself!" Feng Jiu smiled. Dong Hua then replied sarcastically, "I better bring my wallet too in case this glutton ate too much." Then he smiled.

"Hmph! I'll definitely eat until you're bankrupt then." Feng Jiu pouted.

"Fine, fine. Eat all you want, and I'll pay for the whole bill including your friends. I need to make a good first impression too." Dong Hua replied confidently.

"Oh? Trying to win over my friends already? They better not replace me in your heart!" Feng Jiu spoke without thinking. Dong Hua immediately thought to himself, "In my heart...? Of course it wouldn't ever happen. She's the only one. Is Xiao Bai testing me? The Pick-up chicks 101 did mention something like this."

Dong Hua calmed himself down and replied, "No one could ever replace you in my heart, Xiao Bai. You're the only one."

Feng Jiu blushed and quickly wheeled herself back to her desk. "Is this a confession?" Then she replied shyly, "Good to know."

"And you won't allow someone else to replace me in your heart, right?" Dong Hua quickly bowed his head since he was afraid to hear the answer.

"I won't. You're important to me." Feng Jiu smiled. Dong Hua also smiled back and replied, "Good to know."

Then they both blushed and tried to hide their face from each other. Eventually, they also went back to work as they have a lot to finish.

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Feng Jiu received a text message from Su Moye before she ended work.

Su Moye: Hey, Feng Jiu. I have some news about Yu Xi. So I just had a meeting with her dad, and I tried to convince him that I was keen on the engagement. He briefly mentioned that Yu Xi is now staying at their mansion, and I said that I wanted to meet her tomorrow. It went better than what I expected, and he agreed to it immediately. Tomorrow might be our only chance to save Yu Xi.

Feng Jiu: Really?! So are we still doing the same plan? That I'll switch clothing with her on the date and she could make her escape?

Su Moye: Yeah, just like what we discussed that day. But you'll need to take a day off from work again as I'm meeting her at 11 AM. I'll text you the address of our meeting place later on. I already informed Si Ming about it too.

Feng Jiu: Alright, I'll apply for a day off. Si Ming would definitely approve my leave.

Feng Jiu pondered, "Should I inform Dong Hua about this? But... It would be risky too. I guess I'll tell him about it after we successfully saved Yu Xi."

Then she decided to make an excuse so that Dong Hua wouldn't suspect anything. "I'm not feeling so well, Dong Hua. I think I'll apply for a day off tomorrow."

Dong Hua immediately stood up and walked towards Feng Jiu. Then he held out his hand and felt her forehead. "Luckily, you don't have a fever. It's okay, Xiao Bai. I'll grant you a free day off to rest. I know you'll be upset if you missed the hotpot gathering on New Year's Eve."

Feng Jiu instantly felt terrible for hiding things from Dong Hua, but she knew that it's better off not letting so many people know about their escape plan.

Feng Jiu smiled and replied, "Thank you. You're the best boss ever!" Dong Hua smiled, and then he picked up his wallet and car keys.

"Where are you going?" Feng Jiu asked curiously.

"Sending the sick girl back home." Dong Hua replied, and then he urged Feng Jiu to pack up her stuff and head home.

"No, no. It's okay! I can continue working until 6 PM." Feng Jiu shook her head. Dong Hua then began helping her pack her stuff, "No, Xiao Bai. It's only 5 PM. If you're sick, you should rest more. Let's go."

Feng Jiu pouted and started packing up all her stuff since she would only be coming back to work next week. At this point, Feng Jiu felt even more guilty towards Dong Hua.

"I'll make more cookies for you next week, okay?" Feng Jiu said. Dong Hua smiled and replied, "Oh? Rewarding me with more snacks now?"

"Yes! Beause you're a good boss and you deserved it." Feng Jiu then opened up her locked drawer that she kept all her snacks in and pulled out the packet of milk candy. "Here you go, Dong Hua! You can have it all. You can also eat them while you're working late in the night too." Then she smiled warmly.

Dong Hua patted her head gently, "Xiao Bai cares about me the most. Should we go home now?" Then he helped her take her pink laptop bag and gestured for her to follow him.

While they were leaving the office, a few people saw them and gossiped among themselves. "What? Is our president holding a pink laptop bag? It must be Mrs Tai Chen's (Feng Jiu) laptop bag." Everyone then started spamming the forum again and spreading more rumours.

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On the way back to Feng Jiu's place, Dong Hua went to a Chinese restaurant and ordered some porridge and side dishes to go. "I'll buy some food for you first as I don't want you to get hungry tonight." Dong Hua said concernedly.

Dong Hua insisted on sending Feng Jiu up to her apartment since he was worried about her. "I'll just send you to the doorstep and leave after making sure that you're safe." He said.

The moment Feng Jiu opened the door, Dong Hua took off his shoes and entered her apartment. "Didn't you say that you'll only send me to the doorstep?"

"Oh. Just making sure there's no danger in your apartment, in case you fainted." Dong Hua replied casually. Then he went straight into the kitchen.

"What are you doing?" Feng Jiu yelled from the living room. "Don't mind me, Xiao Bai. Just go shower and get changed into comfortable clothing first." Dong Hua yelled back.

Feng Jiu headed into her room and took a really quick body shower. Then she changed into her usual home outfit and walked out from her room. She also wore bedroom slippers since the weather was cold.

Dong Hua ran out of the kitchen and said, "Get back into your bed! You'll catch a cold if you don't." Then he pushed her gently into her room and made her lie down on her bed. "Wait here for me, Xiao Bai."

After a while, Dong Hua came into her room with a thermal water bottle and an empty cup. "What's this?" Feng Jiu pointed to it.

Dong Hua left the bottle and cup on her bedside table and covered her with her thick blanket. "I'll tuck you in more so that you won't kick your blanket off in your sleep. I also boiled some hot water and kept it in this thermal water bottle in case you're thirsty. If you're hungry, the food is on the dining table, and you can heat it up in the microwave before eating."

Feng Jiu thought to herself, "Dong Hua is really caring towards me." Then she smiled and replied, "Thank you, Dong Hua. You're so sweet to me. I'm sure I'll get better before our hotpot gathering. Can't wait to have hotpot in such cold water!"

"Call me if anything comes up tomorrow. I'll be busy at work, but I'll make sure to keep my phone beside me in case you called me. You need to get well soon so you could eat more hotpot." Dong Hua smiled.

"I will! You should get going now. Don't stay too late at work, okay?" Feng Jiu said.

"I won't, and I'll also remember to eat my meals so that you won't be worried about me. I'm going to leave now. Good night, Xiao Bai. Feel better soon. Also, call me when you're awake tomorrow." Dong Hua felt her forehead again, making sure that she wasn't running a fever.

"I will call you tomorrow morning. Good night, Dong Hua." Feng Jiu smiled sweetly.

Dong Hua then left her apartment and went back to work. Feng Jiu's main door upgraded to a smart digital door lock recently, so it auto-locked when someone closes it.

Feng Jiu rolled around in bed for a while and thought to herself, "I feel so bad towards Dong Hua. I hate lying to him." Feng Jiu frowned. Then she decided not to overthink, and she got up of bed to eat the food that Dong Hua bought for her.

"Mmm... Dong Hua really knows my taste now. He got me all my favourite food!" Feng Jiu smiled to herself. Then she frowned after she remembered that she feigned illness to avoid telling him the truth. "It will be okay if I told him about it after, right?"

At this moment, Si Ming called her.

Si Ming: Hey, I heard you were sick?

Feng Jiu: No, no. It was just an excuse to take the day off tomorrow since I didn't want Dong Hua to know about our plan.

Si Ming: Makes sense. It's better this way too so fewer people know about it. I'm just afraid that things wouldn't go well...

Feng Jiu: it will! So, Su Moye already told you about the plan, right? I'll be bringing extra clothes for Yu Xi, and you guys can leave by the back entrance.

Si Ming: I don't know how to thank you, Feng Jiu. I really hope we could escape tomorrow. I heard from Su Moye that he found a safe place for us to hide. So, I won't be able to attend your hotpot gathering if we managed to escape...

Feng Jiu: Hey, no worries about it! I made a reservation for six people, but I could invite Su Moye to take over your seat.

Si Ming: Alright. Let's just go to bed early, and I'll pick you at 10 AM. Then we will wait for them to arrive at 11 AM and find a chance to rescue Yu Xi.

Feng Jiu: Yes, especially you. You need to regain your energy if you want to rescue Yu Xi tomorrow.

Si Ming: Yes, I will do that. See you tomorrow.

Then they hung up the phone and continued with their evening. Feng Jiu also went to bed early since she has a 'mission' to fulfill tomorrow.

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The next morning, Feng Jiu woke up at 8.30 AM with a text message from Dong Hua, Su Moye and Si Ming.

Si Ming: Hey, I'm up now. Don't worry, I slept well, and I'm prepared for this mission.

Su Moye: I'm heading over to Yu Xi's place to fetch her now. I'll tell her about the plans in the car. As expected, they assigned two bodyguards to escort us on our 'date'. But I'll find a way to distract them later on. I'll send you an SOS text to signal you both to start the rescue plan.

Dong Hua: Xiao Bai, do you feel better? Sorry, I stayed up late in the office again, but I did have my meals. Call me when you're awake.

Feng Jiu immediately replied to Si Ming, "I'm up too, so I'll see you at 10 AM downstairs. I'm totally prepared too!"

Then she replied to Su Moye, "Thank you so much for helping us out. Hopefully, it doesn't cause any trouble between you and the Fan Family. We will stick to our plan, but if anything comes up, we will see how it goes. See you later.

After that, she called Dong Hua, and he immediately picked up.

Dong Hua: *croaky voice* Xiao Bai, are you feeling better?

Feng Jiu: Did you not sleep? Don't worry, I slept really well, and I'm feeling better.

Dong Hua: I was worried about you, and I couldn't sleep well. Now that I heard your voice, I probably could sleep better.

Feng Jiu: You'll fall sick if you keep staying up like that! I'll make some tonic soup for you next week. Oh! Don't forget our hotpot gathering tomorrow!

Dong Hua: I won't. I'll pick you up at around 5 PM tomorrow, and we can head there together. Are you sure I don't need to buy any gifts?

Feng Jiu: You don't have to. You're already paying for our meals! That's already too much. I won't waste any food tomorrow to show appreciation!

Dong Hua: Glutton. You're sick, and all you think about is food.

Feng Jiu: Hmph! I'm already feeling better. Now get back to bed! I know you said that you're busy, but you need to sleep more too. I don't care!

Dong Hua: Yes, boss. I'll go back to bed now. Call me if you need anything, Xiao Bai. I don't think I'm heading into the office today too.

Feng Jiu: Okay, I will! Go go go, sleep now!

Dong Hua: Can't wait to get rid of me, huh? Fine, fine. I'm going now. Get well soon, Xiao Bai.

Feng Jiu: Good! Bye!

Then they hung up the phone and Feng Jiu got up to prepare for her rescue mission. Dong Hua also didn't sleep well as he suffered from indigestion from eating too many cookies.

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Feng Jiu waited downstairs for Si Ming to arrive, and they quickly left towards the meeting place. It would also be a busy cafe, so it gives them a better chance to escape. Su Moye requested for the bodyguards to sit on the other side of the cafe since it would 'ruin their mood' for the date. They would be seated across the cafe but also with a direct view of them.

Soon, they arrived at the cafe. Si Ming parked his car at the corner of the car park, and they waited for Yu Xi and Su Moye. He impatiently checked the time every few minutes and Feng Jiu tried to calm him down, "Try to relax, Si Ming. They will be here soon."

11 AM came, and they noticed Su Moye's car turning into the car park. "Look! They are here." Feng Jiu pointed out. Si Ming tensed up and waited for the moment he lay eyes on his Yu Xi again.

His heart broke instantly when he saw how thin and frail she looks. "It's just a few days, and she already looked like she lost weight. Her usual smiley face isn't there too." Si Ming frowned, and he held back the urge to run up towards her.

"Don't worry, Si Ming. We got this. Let's just wait for a signal to execute our rescue mission." Feng Jiu tried to calm Si Ming down so he wouldn't be rash and fail the mission.

Then they looked on as two bodyguards escorted them into the cafe. As they were parked at the back entrance, they weren't able to see anything that's happening in the cafe. "I'm sure Su Moye would be able to handle it. He's a smart guy." Feng Jiu reassured Si Ming again.

On the other side, Su Moye explained to Yu Xi about their escape plan in the car. This car ride was the only time they could freely discuss their plan too. The two bodyguards tailgated them closely in fear of losing them on the way there.

"Yu Xi, you have to trust me on this and do what I say later. Si Ming is here to rescue you. So later on, when we have our date, I'll find a chance to distract the bodyguards. Then you'll head into the washroom, and Feng Jiu would be there waiting for you. Quickly change clothes with her and sneak out of the back entrance where Si Ming would be waiting for you. Feng Jiu would then wear your clothes and continue the 'date' with me until the bodyguards noticed that something is wrong. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Si Ming is here to rescue me?! No wonder you suddenly agreed to the engagement. I felt like it was strange, but I remembered our last meeting, so I went along with it. My dad didn't suspect anything since I agreed to it hesitantly." Yu Xi finally had a smile on her face.

"Yes. Si Ming immediately knew that your dad kidnapped you,and they approached me for help. It was definitely a smart move since I'm the only one who would be able to convince your dad. I'm sorry if I scared you with the engagement and date thing." Su Moye smiled politely.

"No, no! Don't apologize! We should be thanking you, and I'm sorry for being so 'rude' to you in the past. I ran away before the engagement party and let you handle the awkward situation there." Yu Xi frowned.

"Hey, if you didn't run away, you wouldn't meet Si Ming too. Don't worry about it; I'm good at handling people. What's more, I wasn't keen on the engagement in the first place." Su Moye consoled Yu Xi.

Yu Xi smiled brightly and replied, "I hope we could be friends from now onwards. You're a rare gem among our circle of 'connections'. You already know that it's hard for us to make genuine friends. After I met Si Ming, I finally have some real friends. Thank you again for your help, Su Moye."

"It's my pleasure! I'm glad to be friends with you and the rest too. Hopefully, I'll get invited to your wedding after this." Su Moye smiled politely.

"Of course! You're our benefactor, and we would never forget that. I think I'll go ahead with the 'cook the raw rice' plan that you suggested. There's no way to convince my parents. I tried talking to them, but it was proven useless. They are too stubborn." Yu Xi then shook her head.

"I'm glad that you're fighting for your happiness. Okay, we arrived so we will act according to plan. Don't worry about it and just follow my cue." Su Moye then parked the car, and they went into the cafe.

Su Moye picked a seat facing the bodyguards while Yu Xi would have her back facing them. "Let's just order some drinks and food. Pretend that we are having fun conversations and laugh more." He said.

The bodyguards also settled down on the other side of the cafe, but they didn't keep their eyes off them.

Yu Xi and Su Moye laughed and waited for the right moment to execute their plan. After a while, they noticed that the bodyguards seem more relaxed after they saw that they were really "enjoying the date".

"It's time for us to execute the plan now. Don't be nervous, Yu Xi. I'll give you the signal to head to the washroom. I'll text Feng Jiu now." Su Moye then took out his phone and quickly sent an SOS text.

Feng Jiu received the message, and she gave Si Ming a thumbs-up. "Trust me; I got this. Just wait for Yu Xi to come running out. Immediately drive off and don't stop until you reach the safe place." Si Ming then smiled and wished her good luck. "Thank you, Feng Jiu."

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Feng Jiu sneaked into the bathroom and waited for Yu Xi. She also sends an SOS text back to Su Moye to signal him that she's ready.

"Go now, and good luck." Su Moye said to Yu Xi. Then she pretended to excuse herself to the washroom. The bodyguards instantly stood up and stared at them upon noticing that. Su Moye then pointed towards the washroom sign and gestured for them to sit down.

"Hi, Feng Jiu! Thank you so much for helping us out! I hope you won't get into trouble for this. I'm so sorry!" Yu Xi bowed to thank Feng Jiu in the washroom.

"That's what friends are for. Quickly get changed into this and leave. Pass me your clothes when you're done too." Feng Jiu handed Yu Xi her clothes. She also passed her a hat and sunglasses so that she wouldn't be noticeable when she sneaks out.

Yu Xi immediately got changed and then handed her clothes to Feng Jiu. "Go now. Si Ming is already waiting for you." Then she quickly sends an SOS text to both Si Ming and Su Moye. "Thank you! I'll never forget your kindness." Yu Xi ran out of the washroom and tried to sneak out of the back entrance.

The moment she stepped out of the cafe, Si Ming drove over, and she quickly got into his car. Both of them had tears in their eyes when they saw each other. "Let's go now." Si Ming said, and he quickly drove off before they got caught.

After driving for 45 minutes, they finally arrived at their 'Safe place'. It was a quiet guest house just outside the city, opened by Su Moye's friend.

They quickly checked in and locked themselves up in the room. "Finally." Then they hugged each other tightly.

"I missed you so much, Si Ming! I thought I'll never see you again. I'm so glad that you found the small cross on the bathroom mirror and came to my rescue." Yu Xi burst out in tears.

"We should really thank Feng Jiu and Su Moye for that. Without them, I won't be able to rescue you too." Si Ming gently wiped her tears away.

They looked at each other and said at the same time, "I think we should go ahead with the 'cook the raw rice' plan." Upon hearing each other saying the same thing, they smiled brightly.

"Are you sure about that, Yu Xi? Wait, but I didn't bring my Household registration book (户口 - Hu Kou), and we don't have yours too. How do we get married then?" Si Ming frowned.

Yu Xi immediately kissed Si Ming on his lips and replied seductively, "I was actually thinking about another kind of 'cook the raw rice'."

Si Ming instantly got nervous since this would be their 'first time' as he didn't want to rush her into it despite dating for some time now. He was also a virgin and didn't know how to start it. "Are you sure about that?" He asked nervously.

Without saying a word, Yu Xi started kissing him passionately, and Si Ming also closed his eyes and kissed her back.

Soon, they started rolling between the sheets and completed the deed.

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Meanwhile, Su Moye received Feng Jiu's SOS text. Then he casually walked over to the bodyguard and tried to distract them so that they won't notice Feng Jiu sitting down at their table.

"Guys, do you want any food? I'll pay for it." Su Moye smiled politely.

"It's okay, Sir. We are here to protect you and Miss Yu Xi." One of the bodyguards replied. Another one continued looking out for Yu Xi.

Su Moye immediately tried to convince them, "I know, I know. But you guys need to eat too. Come, just order something. I'm ordering more food too. Also, it's a busy cafe, and it's not nice for you guys to sit here without ordering anything."

"Hmm... I guess we could order something. Thank you, Mr Su. Can we just get two Iced coffee and french fries?" The bodyguard replied.

"Sure. Maybe one of you could come along with me to the cashier counter so that I'll know which one to order." Su Moye said.

One of the bodyguards then stood up and followed Su Moye. While they were slightly distracted, Su Moye looked over to the washroom to see Feng Jiu peeping out of the door. He subtly hinted her to head out now. Feng Jiu then bowed her head and quickly walked to their table and sat down with her back facing the bodyguards.

After ordering some food, Su Moye said to the bodyguard, "Oh, looks like my date is back. I'll head back now and enjoy your food."

"Thank you, Sir." The bodyguard then walked back to his table. Su Moye felt a little bad for getting those two into trouble since they were just doing their job. He told himself that if these two got fired, he would give them a job in his company.

Su Moye smiled brightly upon seeing Feng Jiu. "Hey. Are you feeling nervous?" He asked her.

"No, not really. I'll just treat this as a friendly get-together. Did you order some food? I'm hungry!" Feng Jiu chuckled.

"Of course, I did. I just went to order more food since I noticed that you enjoyed the food a lot." Su Moye smiled.

"Oh? Is it that obvious that I'm a glutton?!" Feng Jiu thought to herself, and she replied back, "Who doesn't love food? It's the small things in life that people tend to overlook."

"You're absolutely right. We should just enjoy this friendly get-together since we would be stuck here for a while. At least try to drag it for an hour or two so that we know for sure that they are at the safe place." Su Moye chuckled.

Soon, their food arrived, and Feng Jiu started digging in. "Eat my share if you want to." Su Moye said. Feng Jiu lifted her head with a mouth full of food. "You know, Dong Hua always say that to me. He really cares about me a lot."

"See? I told you that he has feelings for you." Su Moye nodded his head. Feng Jiu swallowed her food slowly and replied, "Sometimes I can't help but think about that too. But it's so hard to know what's on his mind. If you said that he only cared for me like a family member, it would also make sense."

"That's true. For someone who grows up without any family, it's normal for Dong Hua to act this way too." Su Moye nodded his head again.

Feng Jiu took a sip of her Iced Tea and replied casually, "That's why it's going to be hard. As long as he doesn't confess to me, I'll just take it that he doesn't have special feelings for me. To be honest, I think I would also find it hard to believe even if he confessed to me."

"Why? You don't trust Dong Hua?" Su Moye asked curiously.

"It's not really about trust... I mean... We have been through so much, and I was hurt a lot in the past. I just don't know how to open my heart to him again fully. I know the next heartbreak would feel even worse. I finally managed to feel neutral and comfortable about being around him. I don't know if I want to risk losing that again." Feng Jiu frowned.

"Don't worry too much about it. Time will tell. Take your time to heal and see how it goes. I'll be your listening ear whenever you need one too. That's what friends are for, right? You also listened to me talking about Aranya too." Su Moye smiled warmly.

"Seems like I talked more about Dong Hua more than you talked about Aranya. Oh yeah! I just remembered something! So tomorrow we are having a hotpot gathering to celebrate New Year's Eve. Would you like to come if you're free? We actually made a reservation for six people, but now Si Ming won't be able to attend, and it's already paid for. Dong Hua paid for all of us!" Feng Jiu asked.

"Wow. Who would say no to free food? Count me in!" Su Moye smiled.

"Yeah! I totally agree with that. Who would say no to free food! Okay, I'll text you the address later, and it would be held at 6 PM." Feng Jiu replied excitedly.

At this point, we could see that they are similar in many ways, and their friendship deepens as well.

How would Dong Hua react when he found out that Su Moye would be coming to the hotpot gathering?