Chapter 3 The First Encounter

As he was deep in his thoughts, a rustling sound came from behind him. James whipped his head, alarmed by it. "Who is it?"

It couldn't be the two men. They had already gone out.

As James was staring at the place where the sound had come from, a board creaked to the side and light streamed through the hole.

Suddenly, a girl's head popped inside. It was a little girl with two ponytails. She looked smart. However, one step into the dark room, she was already a shivering mess.

"Hello?" The little girl took a deep breath and walked inside. He furrowed his eyebrows. Where did she come from? How did she break the board? Who was she? Could she save him?

She called him again, breaking him from his reverie, "Hello?"

"What?" It was not until then did he realize that she was calling him. He set his eyes on her.

"Did you meet any bad guys?" The little girl pouted her lips.

"What?" He furrowed his eyebrows, still trying to get over the fact that the young girl actually had the guts to sneak into this place.

"Well, you don't look like a bad guy." As she approached him, her gaze fell on his bleeding legs. She frowned. "You're injured. I'll go ask someone to save you." She was about to head to the door to find someone.

"No! Stop!" Just one look at the girl and he could tell she was around 8 or 9 years old. She was smart, given that she insisted to call for help. But wasn't she afraid? He didn't know if they set around men to guard the area, so he couldn't let her risk it.

"Why do you think I'm not a bad guy?" He could tell that this girl would help him, but from the looks of it, he still needed to gather his strength before he'd try to escape.

"I saw some people carrying you up the mountain. They're the ones who looked bad." She shrugged. "What should we do now?"

James motioned to a stone. "Pick it up." The girl picked it up immediately with no hesitation. "Cut off the rope on my feet with that. Don't be afraid," he comforted. Thinking of the wounds that wrapped around his legs, he was afraid that the girl would be scared off at the sight of the blood. However, it seemed that she only hesitated for a second before going through with the task.

"How did you find this place?" he asked. Although the rope was scraping through his wounds, he persevered, just to ease the tension in the girl's eyes.

"This place? It's been here for a long time." She struggled as she tried to cut off the rope.

"Why did you come here? Aren't you scared?"

"My teacher said that children who are willing to help are good children," she said seriously.

"And what if they found out? Have you ever thought about the consequences? You shouldn't believe other's words that easily," he lectured like a parent teaching a child.

The little girl nervously looked up at him, frowning.

One look at her eyes, James already felt like laughing. He didn't understand why he'd reason with a child who probably wouldn't understand him. "Nothing! Forget I said that."

The little girl shrugged her shoulders and continued.

Soon enough, the rope was finally broken. He bit back a groan as the pain in his legs grew even worse.

She didn't wait for him before she started to work on the rope around his wrists. Silence enveloped them as she continued to work.

The rope finally broke free. However, that meant that his support was gone. James doubled over on the ground, groaning.

"Are you alright?" She rushed towards him, struggling to pull him up. However, her strength was futile. Although she could support him, James needed to stand up on his own.

"Would you like to have a rest first? I can get someone for you," she said anxiously. It was getting dark, and there was no way she could carry him down the mountain.

James forced himself to lean against the wall. His legs and body began to tremble as he stood, but he persisted. "No," he said. "You have two choices. You can go down the mountain yourself, or you find a place to hide me."

"I'll help you of course," she said with no hesitation.

"This is more dangerous, you know. You can get hurt," he warned.

The girl gazed into his injured legs before gripping his hand tightly. "Don't be afraid. We'll go down the mountain safely."

He'd never felt this before, but from the way she held him, it was as if she wanted to give him her strength. They were like a little force to be beckoned with.

She supported him to the exit. They walked slowly, but it seemed as if they had no other choice. Any second now, the people who had kidnapped him would return.

It was getting dark and the temperature was gradually growing lower. The wind blew in different directions. Although it was summer, she shivered from the cold.

James's head began to ache as the painful breeze began to slap him on the back.

The girl persisted to assist him. It was hard to navigate their way through the mountain. They had to search for steady roads for a way out.

"Do you need to rest?" she asked.

His head was already drooping down as waves of pain overwhelmed him. "No," he insisted. "I..."

Before he could finish his words, he doubled down into the grass. Darkness was all he could see as her soft voice echoed at the back of his head.

He'd never forget her voice. If it hadn't been for her, he wouldn't have been saved.

However, it seemed that destiny had other plans. When James woke up, he was already out of the country. He'd been sent abroad to heal his legs. Given that he'd been in a coma, he had no other choice. He wanted to find the girl, but he had no idea who she was. He didn't even catch her name.

James sent Sean to investigate how he was discovered, but he could only gather that someone sent for the police to find him. However, the police who found him were already nowhere to be found. It was as if his family had made everything about the kidnapping all disappear.

It seemed that it had never happened. On the other hand, the kidnapping was very strange to say the least. However, he knew for a fact that this assault was just the beginning.

In the past years, his thoughts were always on the girl with the ponytails. Sometimes he'd dream of her saving him again, hearing her voice echo behind him.

She had not only saved him, but she also played a key role throughout the kidnapping. Since she followed them, she must've recognized the kidnappers so she could help him locate them. It was essential that he'd find her.

He'd been looking for her all these years, but given that all he knew was her appearance, it was like he was finding a needle in a haystack. Fortunately, he finally found her.

The Ling Group had always donated to many charities around the world. It had also given many scholarships to the children in need. As his secretary sent him the details of a beneficiary, he saw that it was her--the girl who had saved him.

He didn't hesitate to bring her with him, not wanting to let her go again.

However, it seemed that the girl had already forgotten what had happened in the mountain. Due to this, he wasn't going to force her. He'd rather bear this alone, given that this could also be scarring for a girl at her age.

Her name was Lily. It was common, and as she was an orphan, she had no last name as well. With no hesitation, he had given her his surname. He'd cherish her to the ends of the earth. She was his Lillias Ling.