It seems this wasn't Master Xu's doing at all!
Perhaps it was because Roxy Shangguan looked so harmless that the person who abducted her didn't guard against her at all. He simply carried her into a small grove, placed her under a tree, and seemed to be waiting for someone.
After a while, the sound of footsteps slowly approached.
"You may leave now! Here's the rest of your payment!"
Upon hearing this voice, Roxy Shangguan frowned. Was that Wendy Hua?
Though she had never treated Wendy Hua kindly, was it enough for Wendy to hate her this much? Why had she arranged for someone to abduct her—what was she planning?
Only after her abductor left did Roxy Shangguan open her eyes. Wendy Hua saw her wake and, instead of panicking, smiled gently and asked, "Awake?"
Roxy Shangguan stared at her, unsure of her intentions. At this moment, there was no need to pretend anymore, was there?
Roxy glanced around nervously and asked, "Where is this? How did I end up here?"
Wendy Hua's eyes flickered as she replied, "I don't know how you got here, either. I arranged to meet Yue'er here, but when I arrived, I only found you."
Roxy Shangguan stood up and looked around, shrinking her neck as if frightened. Her voice quivered, "Sister Wendy, let's go back! This place is scary!"
A faint smile appeared in Wendy Hua's eyes as she soothed, "Let's wait a bit longer. Joyce should be arriving soon."
"Oh..." Roxy moved a little closer to her, but Wendy just stood there, doing nothing. Roxy frowned.
Wendy Hua truly seemed different now. She used to be arrogant and domineering, but never so inscrutable. It appeared that marrying Raymond Lei had dealt her a heavy blow. Now, Roxy couldn't guess what she wanted.
After a while, there was a sudden commotion in the distance. Roxy shrank her neck in fear, while Wendy Hua gazed toward the noise and said, "I'll go check. Stay here and don't wander off."
Roxy was still guessing at Wendy Hua's intentions, but nodded in cooperation, putting on a scared yet brave front that made her seem especially pitiable. Wendy, however, offered no comfort and quickly walked toward the sound.
Wendy Hua's figure soon disappeared. Roxy frowned slightly, watching the direction she left in. Was she planning to leave her here? If that was the case, there was no need to wait for her to wake up.
When she woke up just now, Wendy hadn't seemed surprised at all. She was clearly waiting for her to wake—this was all so unnecessary!
Besides, this grove wasn't exactly remote. If she walked out, someone would pass by once daylight came. Surely Wendy hadn't arranged for her to be kidnapped just to scare her?
As she was thinking, there was another sound from outside the woods. Roxy stood where she was, waiting leisurely. When she saw who it was, she couldn't help but frown.
Joyce Du? Was Wendy Hua really telling the truth about arranging to meet Joyce Du here?
Joyce Du was also surprised to see Roxy Shangguan here. She looked around but couldn't spot Wendy Hua, and frowned.
Roxy quickly thought things through. When she looked up, she saw a strange look in Joyce Du's eyes—and suddenly understood: Wendy Hua was using someone else's hand to do her dirty work!
Joyce Du had always endured, watching Roxy and Quentin Hua so affectionate together. She must have grown to hate Roxy deeply. Even if others didn't know, Wendy Hua, as her close friend, would have noticed. Now, seeing Roxy alone in these woods, Joyce was bound to get ideas, not even bothering to wonder why Roxy was here in the first place.
Roxy understood that Joyce Du's sudden appearance was probably because Wendy Hua had arranged to meet her. Yet Joyce would never suspect that Wendy was using her—and the old Wendy never would have been so calculating.
It just goes to show how people can change—especially after a blow like that, driving someone to madness and recklessness. Wendy Hua's scheme wasn't even that clever; a smarter person might have figured it out. But Joyce Du, normally shrewd and patient, was now blinded by jealousy!
Roxy watched Joyce Du approach step by step and frowned. Wendy Hua used to defend Joyce, so why was she suddenly using her now? Surely Wendy knew that if the truth came out, Quentin would never let Joyce off. Was it Sylas Ren's instigation, or had Wendy's mind become so twisted that she no longer cared about their old friendship?
Roxy was sure she hadn't done anything to make Wendy Hua hate her enough to want her dead. Was Wendy's goal to use Joyce against her, or to use her against Joyce—or was she aiming for both?
She was genuinely curious what Raymond Lei had done to Wendy Hua. If marrying someone old enough to be her grandfather was the reason, surely the blow wouldn't be this severe!
At this moment, Joyce Du had none of her usual gentle demeanor toward Quentin Hua. Her beautiful face was twisted, almost frightening. "You little brat, don't blame me for this. It's your own fault for not knowing your place! Just look at you, a tiny bean sprout trying to shamelessly cling to your cousin!"
Roxy rolled her eyes. When had she ever clung to Quentin? Sure, she liked him first, but lately it seemed like he was the one chasing after her!
She actually dared call her a bean sprout? Hmph! Unforgivable!
So what if she'd eaten a dozen more years' worth of rice? Once she grew up, her figure would definitely make this arrogant woman feel inferior. Hmph! Just look at how her father always wanted to steal her mother away to bed—her mother was so charming! As her daughter, how could she possibly fall short?
Just as she was thinking this, Joyce Du suddenly reached out to scratch her face. Her sharp nails and twisted smile sent a chill down Roxy's spine.
A cold glint of murderous intent flashed in Roxy's eyes. This woman really wanted to ruin her face!