"Of course," Song Youzhi sighed. "Will rescue even come? I doubt it."

Xie Ning’s expression was placid. "Rescue will definitely come, but whether it arrives in the next day or two is another story."

"Huh?" Song Kexin was stunned. "Sis, so they’re just going to stay locked in that small conference room and wait for rescue? How many people are in there?"

"Seventeen or eighteen people." Xie Ning took a deep breath. "I checked. There are only a few bottles of water in the conference room and no food."

"And think about it. With that many people trapped in the conference room, forget eating and drinking—they’ll have to relieve themselves, right? How long can they hold it in?"

When the time comes for that many people to take care of their bodily needs in a small conference room, the smell... It would probably be enough to make your skin crawl.

Xie Ning spoke, her expression detached. "Trapped like that, they can certainly survive for a while, however miserably. But there’s no telling how long it’ll be before they go insane."

Xiao Zhu sat to one side, listening quietly, not having said a word the entire time.

Hearing this, she couldn’t help but clench her fists.

’So *that’s* why Xie Ning was so determined to leave the conference room back then.’

’Staying there would have been the same as waiting for death... waiting to go insane!’

She hadn’t made the wrong bet. Xiao Zhu sighed inwardly with relief. By following Xie Ning and Uncle Song, she had won.

Sneaking a glance at the young woman, Xiao Zhu clenched her hands and spoke nervously, "Um, Miss Xie. Could I ask you for a favor?"

"I know this might not be the right time to ask." Xiao Zhu wrung her hands. "But... could you please accompany me home first? My daughter is only two, and I’m really worried about her..."

Xie Ning shook her head. "I’m sorry, but we have to get back as soon as possible, too. We have two elderly family members home alone, and they could be in danger at any moment."

Xiao Zhu opened her mouth.

Before she could say more, Xie Ning continued, "We can only take you to the village entrance. It shouldn’t take you more than five minutes to run home from there, right?"

Cold sweat dripped down Xiao Zhu’s forehead as she grew frantic. "You... you’re just going to drop me at the village entrance? You’re not going to see me home?"

"I’m sorry, Ms. Hui Zhen, but we’re all really worried about our grandparents. We have to go check on them right away."

"But it won’t take you that long!" Xiao Zhu looked at Song Youzhi with pleading eyes. "Uncle Song, please help me. It’ll take me longer than five minutes to run home. Besides, I don’t know what the situation there is like. I... I’m afraid I can’t handle it on my own."

Xie Ning frowned. "I’m sorry. You have your reason to rush home, and we have ours."

Xiao Zhu bit her lower lip, on the verge of tears. "But you’re all so capable. What would it cost you to give me a hand? We’re all neighbors from the same village. How can you see someone in trouble and not help?"

"Hey, Ms. Hui Zhen, you can’t guilt-trip us like this!" Song Kexin retorted indignantly. "It’s wrong to pressure people with unrealistic demands. We already explained the situation to you!"

"You said it yourself—you have no idea what the situation is at your place. How much time would we waste detouring to your house before heading back? Do you think my grandparents can afford to wait that long?" 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"I..." Zhu HuiZhen clenched her cold, sweaty hands, looking flustered. "That’s not what I meant, Kexin."

"Get out at the intersection up ahead," Xie Ning’s cold voice cut in. "Mom, pull over and drop her off here."

Song You’ai nodded without a word, drove onto the main road of Song Family Pavilion, and stopped the car.

Zhu HuiZhen was, after all, a sensitive young woman. Being kicked out like this, she was too ashamed to stay any longer.