Gu Xingdong met Chen Lishu's determined gaze. He took a deep breath, then closed his eyes, suppressing the anger in his heart. He pointed a finger at the person he was supposed to save and said, "I want to save her!"
Zhang Wan'er saw the finger pointing at her and a hint of joy flickered across her face, which she quickly concealed. She then put on an exasperated act and scolded, "Gu Xingdong, what are you thinking? Am I not as important as your wife! Listen to me, save Miss Chen first. I'll be fine. Just get the money ready and redeem me later! Did you hear me? I don't want to hear this again!"
Hearing Zhang Wan'er's voice raised a good octave or two above its usual pitch, both Gu Xingdong and Chen Lishu were speechless. Her demeanor certainly didn't suggest she was unwell. Gu Xingdong wished he could change his mind at that moment and choose Chen Lishu's safety, with no regard for anyone else. However, under Chen Lishu's threat, he couldn't utter a single word.
Soon, the thugs released Zhang Wan'er and shoved her forward forcefully, directly toward Gu Xingdong. Gu Xingdong's eyes were solely on Chen Lishu at this moment. When Zhang Wan'er ran towards him, he instinctively sidestepped, avoiding her embrace.
"Ah!" Zhang Wan'er seemed not to have expected Gu Xingdong to dodge her. Seeing herself about to fall, she cried out and covered her eyes with her hands. Fortunately, the negotiators finally proved useful. They grabbed Zhang Wan'er, preventing her from falling and getting injured.
Zhang Wan'er, finally safe, had tears in her eyes. She stared at Gu Xingdong with disbelief. However, Gu Xingdong's attention was not on her at all. A hint of resentment flashed in her eyes, and she gritted her teeth, making a gesture to the group of thugs behind her.
Receiving her signal, the thugs nodded, then raised their heads proudly and said indifferently, "Alright, we've got the money and we've released the person. Wire the remaining one hundred and fifty thousand to this bank card. Once we receive the money, my brothers will naturally let this woman go!"
Gu Xingdong clenched his fists, his teeth gritted. He almost lost control of his murderous intent and prepared to attack the thugs. Su Nian whispered in his ear, "Brother Gu, don't worry. I'll follow these thugs out quietly later! Please don't provoke these thugs, or the Madam will be in danger! You should wait outside now."
Hearing Su Nian's words, a complex expression flashed in Gu Xingdong's eyes. He suppressed the urge to act and said in a low voice, "Alright. I advise you not to play any tricks. If you say anything you shouldn't, I won't hesitate to send more people to track you all the way. You won't be able to leave Kyoto alive!"
At these words, the atmosphere instantly became extremely tense. The thugs felt as if their throats were being choked. They nodded like pounding garlic, saying, "Don't worry, we're the most obedient. Once we get the money we're supposed to, we'll naturally let this woman go."
With that, Gu Xingdong lowered his head and cleared a path for the thugs. The thugs, with a wary look in their eyes, brushed past Gu Xingdong. Only after they exited the abandoned house did they subtly breathe a sigh of relief.
After Chen Lishu left with the group of thugs, Su Nian followed behind them. Taking the main road was obviously out of the question. With too many people and ears everywhere, their reputation in Kyoto would be ruined, making it impossible for them to live there in the future. Thus, these thugs were smart and chose a more secluded path, which was exactly what Su Nian wanted.
The path led through a small, overgrown forest. Chen Lishu, walking between the thugs, asked, "When do you plan to keep me tied up?"
Her question was met with silence. She hadn't expected these people to be so tight-lipped, but it didn't matter. Chen Lishu glanced around and noticed movement in the surrounding trees. The direction the leaves were drifting was not caused by the wind.
Perhaps Gu Xingdong had sent people to follow her. Thinking this, Chen Lishu felt a slight sense of relief. She then shifted her focus back to the thugs. "Tell me honestly, is Zhang Wan'er the mastermind behind you? Don't rush to deny it. How much did Zhang Wan'er pay you? I can offer you double or even more, on the condition that you point out her crime."
The thugs listened to Chen Lishu's incessant chatter with growing impatience. One of them even roared, "Didn't we tell you? It's not about money at all. Even if you know Zhang Wan'er is the culprit, so what? You're just a low-status merchant, and she's the eldest daughter of the Zhang family with a powerful backer. How could you possibly be her match?"
From their words, it seemed the culprit was indeed Zhang Wan'er. Chen Lishu found this person to be somewhat strange and felt she had finally caught her in a mistake. Chen Lishu no longer bothered with pleasantries. She stopped walking and casually said, "Alright, we can proceed."
Proceed? Proceed with what?! The thugs looked at Chen Lishu's words, utterly bewildered. Before they could react, Su Nian led a group of people and pinned them firmly to the ground.
"Take these people to the police station. Commander Gu will personally interrogate them later!" After speaking, Su Nian looked at Chen Lishu with concern and said, "Madam, I'm late."
Having received the answer she wanted, Chen Lishu waved her hand and said, "It's alright, you came just in time. Let's go."
----
Upon returning to the Gu residence, Chen Lishu looked around but couldn't find Gu Xingdong. She asked curiously, "Has he not returned yet?"
Hearing Chen Lishu's question, Li Xiulan came out of the kitchen and said, "He hasn't. I heard Yang Zhiguo needed him at the hospital for something important."
The hospital? Chen Lishu frowned, then took out her phone and called Gu Xingdong. As soon as the call connected, she heard Zhang Wan'er's weak voice, "Lishu, are you alright?"
Chen Lishu chuckled and replied meaningfully, "You know better than anyone if I'm alright, don't you?"
Zhang Wan'er on the other end of the line was momentarily stunned. She let out a scoff and said, "Yes, you've already made the call, so there shouldn't be any problem. I'll have Gu Xingdong go back later. The doctor said I'm not in serious condition, and it would be inappropriate for him to stay and take care of me. Besides, we were both kidnapped at the same time, and your situation is probably not much better than mine."