Volume 1, Chapter 58: Fifty Thousand in Ransom

I pondered for a long time without finding an answer.

However, I believed this matter might be related to Qin Shaohu, serving as yet another act of his frantic revenge against me.

Since I hadn't reported him last time, he must have assumed I was a coward who wouldn't dare to do so again.

He had miscalculated!

Not only did I report it, but I also bypassed the local police station, prompting the county public security bureau to intervene directly in the investigation.

Even his influential father would find it difficult to interfere.

Imagining Qin Shaohu being dragged away by the police from his hospital bed while wailing bitterly, I couldn't help but chuckle out loud.

At a little past three in the afternoon, I was discharged from the hospital and walked all the way back to the KTV.

It was only on the way that I finally turned on my phone.

Immediately, I was bombarded with missed call notifications—two from Han Feng and over a dozen from Fu Xiaoya.

The person who cared about me the most in this world was none other than Fu Xiaoya.

Although she often hit and scolded me, I understood her reasons well; she was merely frustrated that I failed to live up to her expectations.

Upon returning to the KTV, I happened to run into Fu Xiaoya right in the lobby.

With a grim expression, she grabbed me by the arm, dragged me into a nearby private room, and began a barrage of aggressive questioning.

"You little brat, you've really grown bolder, haven't you? Where were you last night? Why was your phone turned off? Why are you only coming back now?"

I was never good at lying, and at that moment, my face flushed with tension as I stammered and waved my hands.

"Sis, don't be angry. I... I went to Bureau Chief Chang's house for dinner last night, and it got too late, so I stayed at a small inn. My phone ran out of battery."

"Lying! As if a bed in an inn is the bare floor! Look at your clothes—just how filthy have they become?"

Exposing my lie, Fu Xiaoya angrily smacked me on the forehead, making my vision spin with sparks.

It wasn't that I didn't want to tell the truth, but the police had forbidden me from doing so.

Just as I was desperately trying to fabricate another lie, Fu Xiaoya's phone suddenly rang. It was an unfamiliar number, and she answered it with evident impatience.

"Who is this?"

"Your younger brother, Zhou Yan, has been kidnapped by us. You have two hours to scrape together fifty thousand yuan for his ransom. Remember not to call the police, or we'll tear up the ticket immediately!"

A sinister male voice came through the receiver.

Fu Xiaoya was standing very close to me, and I heard every word clearly, feeling utterly shocked.

Seeing the look of absolute horror in Fu Xiaoya's eyes, I hurriedly waved my hands, nodded frantically at her, and gestured for her to stay quiet.

Fu Xiaoya was very smart; she understood my intent. Though her face had turned pale, she managed to reply calmly.

"Our family is very poor. We don't have that kind of money."

"Damn it! If you don't have it, go borrow it right now, or else you'll be collecting your brother's corpse!" the man threatened viciously.

"No, no, I'll go borrow the money. Please don't kill him."

"The little lady seems sensible enough. In half an hour, I'll tell you where to drop off the money."

The person on the other end hung up immediately.

I finally understood—these people had never intended to kill me in the first place; they were merely resorting to kidnapping and extortion.

In their eyes, I was far less valuable than fifty thousand yuan.

Damn it!

Fu Xiaoya grabbed a handful of her hair in frustration, swung her arms, and roared at me.

"You trouble magnet, what on earth have you gotten yourself into this time?!"

I could no longer keep it a secret. Sitting gloomily on the sofa, I roughly recounted everything that had happened the previous night, as well as my hospital stay earlier today.

I really had been kidnapped, miraculously escaped, and even reported the crime.

I had only retrieved my phone this afternoon.

After a long while, Fu Xiaoya finally recovered from the shock, came over, and threw a few more punches at me.

"You unlucky bastard, you never encounter a single good thing, yet you're plagued by so many disasters! Useless piece of trash, you must not have accumulated any virtue in your past life!"

As she scolded me, Fu Xiaoya suddenly pulled me into a tight embrace, her eyes reddening as tears welled up inside them.

"Sis, believe me—having survived such a catastrophe, I'm bound to have good fortune hereafter," I comforted her.

"That's all sheer nonsense!" Fu Xiaoya snapped impatiently, frowning as she asked, "Since you already escaped, why are they still demanding a ransom?"

"They must assume I'm still trapped in that small mud hut."

I felt confident in my analysis.

"Then why did they call me?"

"They went through my contacts, and your number was labeled as 'Sister'."

I explained, pulling out my phone to show it to Fu Xiaoya.

Her expression softened considerably. She gently stroked my head and, with rare tenderness, said, "Xiaoyan, you must be careful in everything you do from now on. Society is far too vicious. Alas, a broken family like ours has no one to rely on."

"Sis, I want to catch them and make them rot in prison."

I gritted my teeth.

Those people had ruined my college entrance examination, which was equivalent to ruining my entire life; I could not let them go unpunished.

"I have nothing to fear. I'll cooperate fully to lure them into the trap," Fu Xiaoya said, grinding her teeth even harder.

"Thank you, Sis."

I picked up my phone and called Meng Wanying, telling her that the kidnappers had started demanding money and had called my sister.

Meng Wanying told me to wait a moment and abruptly hung up.

Within minutes, my phone rang with an unfamiliar number.

I answered cautiously. The caller identified himself as Officer Liu from the county public security bureau, who was specifically in charge of the case, and instructed me to hand the phone over to Fu Xiaoya.

Officer Liu told Fu Xiaoya that if the kidnappers called again, she must remain completely calm.

She had to make sure to find out exactly where the fifty thousand yuan ransom was to be delivered.

Do not be afraid; the police would make meticulous arrangements to ensure her personal safety.

Fu Xiaoya agreed without the slightest hesitation, her small fists clenched tightly. It was clear that she was just as eager to help me vent this deep grievance.

After hanging up, Fu Xiaoya gnashed her teeth in fury.

"We are definitely going to catch these bastards!"

"Sis, I've dragged you into danger," I said apologetically.

"It's fine. My life isn't worth that much anyway."

With that, Fu Xiaoya walked out, reminding me to turn off my phone just in case the kidnappers called back, which would completely blow our cover.

When I had first entered the KTV, Fu Xiaoya was the only person in the lobby.

I cautiously slipped out of the private room and hurried into Han Feng's office.

Han Feng was sitting behind his desk smoking a cigarette. Seeing me walk in, he immediately asked, "Brother, where on earth have you been? Were you actually kept overnight by Bureau Chief Chang?"

I smiled bitterly and shook my head. "I don't have that kind of clout. Actually..."

Hesitating for a moment, I recounted the kidnapping incident, trusting that Han Feng wouldn't spread the word.

Upon hearing this, Han Feng stood up, pressing his hands against the desk in sheer disbelief.

"Those little bastards have too much nerve, openly pulling off a kidnapping in broad daylight. Even Chu Haolong's gang wouldn't dare pull something like that."

"They assumed I wouldn't dare call the police and would just swallow this bitter pill."

"Based on my experience, Qin Shaohu is definitely mixed up in this."

"I hope he gets caught and spends the rest of his life behind bars."

My fingernails dug deep into my flesh, almost drawing blood.

After a while, Fu Xiaoya walked in.

She asked Han Feng for leave, saying she needed to go out tonight.

Aware of the situation, Han Feng didn't hesitate for a second. He pulled the fifty thousand in cash straight out of his drawer and stuffed it into Fu Xiaoya's bag.

When dealing with kidnapping, the more convincing the act, the higher the probability of the culprits taking the bait.

At that moment, Fu Xiaoya looked at Han Feng in a completely new light, feeling that this boss was righteous and worth following in the future.

Looking out the window, I saw that to avoid arousing the kidnappers' suspicions, the police had arranged a very ordinary taxi to pick Fu Xiaoya up.

Yet, at that exact moment, my heart could not help but hang heavy in my chest.

*Sis,*

*You must not let anything happen to you.*