Forced by fate – Destined to be his Wife

TangShi stilled in the now motionless car. Listening intently for noise and trying to make out what Rong Cai was doing. Closing her eyes to improve her senses while still gripping the tire iron with both hands and poised to attack. Her heartrate raising and body clammy with fear but she tried to stay focused and calm although it felt like they had driven for an age and she had no idea where they were now.

He had stopped them somewhere finally, pulled Linlin out already, of that TangShi was sure as she had heard the dragging and muffled groans of her on the other side of the seat. Straining to listen and see if she was conscious while he lifted her and pulled her away from the car.

His footsteps came back towards her on a hard gritty surface, seeming like he hadn’t walked far to deposit Linlin and TangShi knew she was next. She gripped harder, her breathing getting shallow as her nerves elevated, her face damp with sweat as anticipation clawed at her, churning her stomach up. So tense her body was stiff and she retightened her clutches on her makeshift weapon. Readying herself to attack. Her heartbeat coming through her stomach and chest in an exaggerated way as though she might have a coronary at any moment.All content © N/.ôvel/Dr/ama.Org.

She sensed his presence moving closer, could hear subtle noises of him at the back, knowing he was right at the trunk and blinked in an attempt to ready herself for the sudden light that might hinder her after becoming accustomed to dark. It was like time stopped for a second, her pulse and lungs stilling and the pause endlessly dragged out before a resounding click startled her into action.

Rong barely got the trunk open, smug in his successful kidnapping and not expecting TangShi to come at him like a bat out of hell. Swinging a metal rod at his face that he dodged in a flash from fast reflexes, gasping in shock and stumbling backwards with raised arms to protect himself. TangShi didn’t relent though, sitting up quickly and swinging harder and further in an attempt to get at him and yelling at the top of her voice.

“HELP… SOMEONE HELP….. HELLLLLPPPP!” She screamed as she pursued him, sliding over the back ridge of the trunk clumsily and going after him. Rong ran backwards in panic, lifting his palms and successfully ducking and weaving to get away from her bat swing. Sweating and getting irritated with her temper tantrum.

“What the hell are you doing? Calm down, Tang. I’m not going to hurt you, princess. Let me have that and we can talk it out. It’s me, Rong. We love one another, don’t we?” Rong was shocked at her venom and hostility and yet amused at her cuteness, riled only by the fact she was still trying to hit him even after clearly seeing who he was. He had thought it was an instinct after being locked up and she would soon settle when she saw it was him, but he was wrong.

“You’re insane. What the fuck is wrong with you? How could you abduct us?” TangShi’s tears drenched her face and she sniffed through them but she wasn’t really crying in sadness, but of a million emotions. It was a combination of fear, anger, and desperation, and maybe a little adrenaline in the mix but Rong only saw it as hurt for being restrained.

“Why are you being like this? Because I was rough with you, or is it because your friend can hear you and you don’t want it to get back to that crazy asshole? He won’t hear us baby, it’s okay to admit your feelings. We’re safe now and we can be together. I’m sorry if I scared you by doing it this way, you know I don’t mean it.” Rong was delusional. So gone in his own thoughts and feelings he no longer had any kind of connection to reality. TangShi spun her head looking for Linlin and gawped when she saw her hunched against a pillar in the middle of where they were, secured to it, but still gagged and bound. Gasping at the pale and lifeless sight of her and taking in the surroundings of a dirty old, abandoned warehouse.

“What have you done to her? Where are we? What’s wrong with her?” TangShi wailed at him with accusation, brandishing her bar high and keeping him out of reach. He stood with raised palms to show his submission but his temper was riling the longer she kept this up. No longer amused with her show of fierce when he had plans on getting them moving away from here by now.

“I used chloroform. A little cliché and predictable but it does the trick and it’s easy to come by. She’ll wake up soon….. might not thank me for it though. I hear it has nasty side effects.” He laughed at that, enjoying the crumbling expression on her face as she realized she was alone and her friend wasn’t helping her any time soon. He wanted her to understand they were now free and easy to get away and go on with their life without anyone stalling them. Especially not Linlin.

“What do you want from us?” TangShi’s voice wavered, croaking in agony as it broke and she knew she was showing him how terrified she was blatantly. Her legs shaking and her arms getting tired from holding the weight of metal. Physically she was fading and struggling to hold it together.

“I want you and me to live happily ever after. To be together and go off to start over somewhere new. Away from that rich prick who keeps you in his clutches. It’s okay, I understand and I saved you from him. Put down the bar so we can make up and get going.”

“I’m not the one that needed saving. You are….. from yourself. You’re crazy and you are making everything worse. What have you done?” TangShi was shivering from head to foot, afraid to loosen her hold and use one hand to wipe her blurred eyes or let down her arms and weapon that were keeping him at bay. Poised and yet she had no clue what to do. Linlin behind her and out cold, and him to the front, posing a threat to them both.

“Shhhhh, baby. Just let me console you and wipe your face. Calm down and give me a hug. Come on…. let’s not fight. Why are you mad, huh? Because of your friend?” Rong was only hearing what he wanted to hear and couldn’t see how much TangShi hated him and wanted nothing to do with him. To him, this was all YuZhi’s doing and TangShi was a victim in his clutches who needed a little time.

“Untie her, let her go, and we’ll talk. She doesn’t need to be here.” TangShi was wracking her brains for a plan and had no idea how to get out of this. Concerned with Linlin’s safety and overwrought with how sick she looked.

Rong sighed heavily, crossing his arms across his chest and shook his head. His mood deflating and taking on the stance of a patient professor, lecturing a student..

“I can’t do that. She might go get him you see. He might come before we can leave together. She has to stay here.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you.” TangShi spat back at him, knowing she needed to curb her reactions and play along or else she wouldn’t be able to help Linlin, but it was hard when this smug psychopath was standing staring at her in such a deluded way. Her every cell of her body was screaming to defy him.

“Don’t say things you’ll regret. Come on. Just put that down and let me hug you. I missed you so much and I want to feel you against me again.” Rong stepped forward so sure in himself she was being difficult to get him to beg and then lurched back as she swung at his face with fury once more. Stepping and bending backwards as it missed his nose by an inch and almost sent TangShi spinning with how much effort she put in it.

“Stay the fuck away. I’m warning you; I will smash your face in and take your head off.” TangShi stepped backwards away from him, never breaking eye contact and began shuffling slowly towards Linlin, keeping him at a distance and not lowering her guard.

“Don’t be a bitch. I only have so much patience and I don’t want to hurt you. Can’t hurt my future wife, can I?” he chuckled to himself, raising his palms and then narrowed his gaze and scowled at her, a change in expression so instant and severe it sent shivers to TangShi’s stomach. “Well, unless I have to. I’m not against doing it for the greater good.” His tone dropped to one of blank indifference and it sent a chill through TangShi, igniting genuine worry he would.

TangShi didn’t respond, her heartbeat racing and her palms clammy which was making the bar hard to grip, but instead kept on with her steady backwards sliding. Until she came level with Linlin and pushed Linlin’s outstretched leg gently with her foot to rouse her.

“Linlin, are you awake, can you hear me? Please say something.” TangShi so desperately needed to hear her, even if it was just a groan to signal she was still alive. She looked completely lifeless and it was scaring her that he had done something awful.

“Mmmmm.” A soft mumbling moan came from behind Linlin’s duct taped mouth covering and TangShi exhaled in sagging relief. Her head swimming with dizziness at hearing her respond and thanking god that she was conscious and breathing still. It made her less alone in this predicament and gave her hope that Linlin could still recover.

“Did you think I killed her?” Rong started laughing, a cackling and manic sound, coming closer again and TangShi stiffened up, straightening her posture and brandished her weapon at him once more. Only Rong had enough of this game and he was no longer playing. He marched at her, and even though TangShi swung with all her might, he dodged it once, grabbed the bar with one hand and tugged it out of her grip with a harsh maneuver that made her stumble towards him. Rong Cai smirked and pushed her back with his other palm, hard, so she tripped over Linlin’s leg behind her and came crashing down on top of her. Banging her limbs and face in the process and giving out a yelp.