"What? They're asking for a million dollars?!" Li Xiulan felt her vision go black the moment she heard the figure. Her steps faltered, and only a quick reaction from a nearby servant prevented her from falling.
Li Na pursed her lips, her face etched with bitterness. "Yes, a million. Aunt, could you perhaps front the money for me? I swear here, I will never cause your family any trouble again. I'll work like an ox and a horse to repay this sum. If I can't do it alone, my son will!"
A million was no small sum. Li Xiulan rubbed her forehead with a headache. "Why don't you try to negotiate with them? If it's a few tens of thousands, I can get the money for you right now. But a million..."
"If it were that easy to negotiate, I wouldn't be asking you for this money. Aunt, please, help me with this. Your family is in such a big business; while a million is difficult, it's not entirely hopeless." After saying this, Li Na suddenly knelt down and kowtowed directly to Li Xiulan.
Upon hearing the word "Aunt," all of Li Xiulan's hesitation vanished. She took a deep breath, helped Li Na up, and slowly said, "Alright, you go back and wait for my news. I'll discuss it with the family. We will definitely rescue your mother. She is my only sister; of course, I don't want anything to happen to her!"
Li Na knew this couldn't be rushed. She nodded and slowly said, "Okay, then I'll go home and wait for your news, Aunt. If anything changes, remember to call me immediately! I swear to you, I will never forget this great kindness. If I have the chance, I hope you will let me show my filial piety. Please, you must save my mother. She raised me, feeding me and bathing me. I haven't accepted her leaving yet; if she goes, I will follow her!"
With tear-filled eyes, Li Na finished speaking and turned to leave the siheyuan without looking back. When she reached the gate, she took out her phone and called Zhang Wan'er. "Alright, you can proceed. My mother..."
Zhang Wan'er's impatient voice came from the other end of the line. "Your mother is perfectly fine. We just hired some actors to play along. Once this act is over, I'll give you a generous reward, enough to ensure your family lives without worry for the rest of your lives! But you must remember what to say and what not to say. If I find out you've done anything to betray me, and I can't touch Chen Lishu's family, I can't guarantee your family will be able to stay in the capital!"
Li Na, thinking of Zhang Wan'er's identity and her threatening words, couldn't help but swallow. She nodded and said, "Don't worry, our mouths will be shut tight. We absolutely won't cause you any trouble! Once we get the money we deserve, we'll return to our rural life. We definitely won't give Chen Lishu any opportunity to gain leverage!"
Meanwhile, inside the siheyuan, Li Xiulan was completely unaware of their plan. The thought of Li Xiuli being beaten black and blue made her heart ache. She eagerly dialed Chen Lishu's number, wanting to discuss the matter with her.
At this time, Chen Lishu had finished handling company matters and was heading to the scene of the incident. Chen Lishu frowned as she saw a group of people gathered, murmuring to each other. She stepped forward and asked curiously, "How is it? Have you found Li Xiuli's whereabouts?"
"We did find the location where Li Xiuli was kidnapped, but by the time we arrived, no one was there. Only cut ropes were on the ground. So we're wondering, did those kidnappers tear her apart because they didn't get the money?"
Chen Lishu immediately refuted Xiao Hei's guess. "It shouldn't be a tearing apart. If that were the case, they could have done it right here. When I arrived, I saw it was very peaceful, with no signs of struggle. It doesn't look like a place where a violent act occurred!"
Gu Xingdong chimed in, "Could it be that they discovered our scheme and moved Li Xiuli to another location?"
Hearing this, Chen Lishu's expression grew more serious. She took a deep breath and slowly said, "If that's the case, then things are truly dire. This means this kidnapping might not be Li Xiuli and her group staging it themselves, but that it's real!"
Just as everyone present fell silent at this speculation, a ringtone interrupted their thoughts. Chen Lishu took out her phone and glanced at the caller ID, which read He Zinian. She quickly answered, "What is it?"
He Zinian's cold voice sounded from the other end of the line. "You should come back now. I've discovered something very interesting that I want to share with you."
Chen Lishu asked somewhat puzzled, "But we haven't rescued the person yet."
He Zinian cut her off, saying, "You probably won't be able to find this person anymore, because she's not in the hands of the kidnappers. Instead, she's appeared at your house!"
Upon hearing that Li Xiuli was in the siheyuan, Chen Lishu was a bit surprised. She glanced at Gu Xingdong, then said with a grim expression, "Alright, we can talk about whatever it is when I get back."
Soon, the group hurried back to the siheyuan. As they pushed the door open, they heard a sound of wailing. Following the sound, they saw that the spacious living room was filled with people, making it quite lively.
"Mom, I thought I would never see you again. Thankfully, thankfully you're alright!"
"Mom also thought she wouldn't see you. If it weren't for Miss Zhang helping to rescue me, I'm afraid I really would have died at the hands of those kidnappers. Miss Zhang lost a million dollars for me; I can never repay this kindness, even if I work like an ox and a horse!"
The mother and daughter, crying in each other's arms, suddenly knelt before Zhang Wan'er and kowtowed three times. "Child, you are truly a good child. If you hadn't paid the money for your aunt, your aunt might not have made it back. I don't have much money, and there are very few people I can trust here. For you to do this for me, my feelings are very complicated." After saying this, Li Xiuli suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood. Just as she nervously prepared to clean the blood from the carpet, she suddenly saw several pairs of feet appear before her.