Chapter 25: Two masked men in black were behind her, leaving...

Two masked men in black were right behind her, only three or four meters away.

Taking a deep breath, Xia Yiqing found an opportunity, put the two people in the mirror out of her mind, and ran away.

The two masked men followed slowly.

Through the mirror, Xia Yiqing discovered that the distance between herself and them was shrinking rapidly.

She was really targeted by them!

With her adrenaline surging, Xia Yiqing burst out at an astonishing speed and rushed to the door. However, when she tried to open the door, no matter how hard she twisted her hands, the door lock wouldn't budge.

"Help!" she finally burst into a scream.

The sound echoed in the small bathroom, which was frightening to hear, but it was as if there was a ban on it and it could not be transmitted at all.

"What do you want?" She turned around, her almond-shaped eyes gleaming with tiny glints. Her face remained calm, but the bitter taste of coffee spread from her mouth.

"Whether you want money or something else, that's all easy to talk about."

The masked leader stepped forward and spoke in a muffled voice, perhaps using some kind of voice changer. It sounded unpleasant, "Smart guy, but unfortunately, someone's targeting you."

The air was filled with intoxicating fragrance, and Xia Yiqing's vision grew darker and darker. Before she lost consciousness, she could only glance at the gloomy sky outside the window.

At this moment, she couldn't tell what she was feeling.

Qi Hanmu looked at her smiling eyes, how carefully she hid the counterfeit candies she gave her under her pillow, and the madness in his eyes when she said she was leaving because the agreement was due that night.

There are good and bad, laughter and tears.

Scenes played out in Xia Yiqing's mind like a kaleidoscope.

Oh, and there are the children in the welfare home. Xia Yiqing thought of the toys and snacks she had bought in a daze. She hadn't delivered them yet, so how come she died first?

Maybe good people don't always get good rewards.

“Crash—”

A piercing coldness poured down on her head, and Xia Yiqing couldn't help but shiver violently.

Her hair was wet and dripping with water. She opened her eyes and saw a black hole in the camera facing her under her wet eyelashes.

"Relax, or cry a little harder. Maybe your Third Master will come to rescue you faster."

It was still the masked man's voice, smoky and low, disguised by a voice changer.

Knowing that she was still alive, Xia Yiqing's expression did not improve at all, but instead became more solemn.

Did these people kidnap her to threaten Qi Hanmu?

Thinking of the man covered with a thin blanket, his chest rising and falling slightly with his breathing, and his handsome features pale, Xia Yiqing felt even more depressed.

How is that possible?

How can that be?

She became Qi Hanmu's weak spot?

"Oh, Third Master really cares about you. He sent a photo and called me right away."

The masked man spoke in a joking voice, and the camera turned to Xia Yiqing, and it was Xia Yiqing's cell phone that was making an external call.

Xia Yiqing suppressed her worries, barely ignored the heavy feeling around her waist, and looked towards the camera.

Qi Hanmu's pale and handsome face appeared in front of him, with his brows furrowed.

The moment she saw clearly that it was him, Xia Yiqing opened her eyes wide and shook her head, trying to get the masked man to turn the phone more so that Qi Hanmu could find her location more easily.

"…What do you want?"

Qi Hanmu's voice suddenly rang out in this abandoned factory, sounding somewhat distorted.

"Don't call the police. I want five million and a helicopter, full of gas and enough supplies for five people to survive for ten days."

Xia Yiqing's mouth was taped shut and she kept shaking her head. She didn't think she was worth that much.

She didn't know whether Qi Hanmu really understood what she meant, or was just testing her, or simply didn't care about her life or death. His cold voice came from the other side, "What if I don't give it to you?"

"You, don't delay. Don't think I don't know. Your Qi family is rich and can definitely afford it. Don't you care about this woman's life or death?"

Qi Hanmu's voice was a little slower, coming out calmly from the receiver. "Who said I care? You're just a plaything. Your life or death has nothing to do with me."

The masked man's eyes suddenly became bloodshot, "You!

"However," Qi Hanmu's lazy voice blurred Xia Yiqing's tears, disrupting her inner hesitation.

"I'll teach you a trick. Instead of kidnapping her, why not kidnap me?"

After these words were spoken, not only did the masked man's eyes widen, but Xia Yiqing also couldn't help but feel surprised.

What’s going on? Can Qi Hanmu’s body withstand it?

"Mmmm..." Don't take the risk!

"You, don't try to deceive me," the masked man said hesitantly. "Aren't you the Third Master of Jiangcheng, a well-known figure on the underworld? How could you let me tie you up? I'm telling you, don't be so petty. Let me show you what this is."

The camera shook and moved to Xia Yiqing's heavy waist.

Something was constantly flashing. Every time I blinked, the jumping number would lose one second.

01:20:00.

It's the countdown on the bomb.

Xia Yiqing's breath was choked. It was really God's will for her.

She knew the masked men wouldn't be so foolish, but she never imagined they were so thoughtful and determined to kill her no matter what.

"Hmm."

Her wrists were bound with ropes, making her unable to move. Xia Yiqing shook her head while the camera was still able to capture her, tears streaming down her face.

For her, it's not worth it.

From childhood to adulthood, she would never be anyone's first choice.

Her parents completely let her do what she wanted, giving her a bite to eat from time to time so that she wouldn't starve to death.

There were never any new clothes, they were all left over from my cousins.

There were no cram schools or private tutors. It was all thanks to Xia Yiqing's own hard work that she was able to get into a better university.

She has always been the one abandoned.

Even Xia Yiqing had no doubt that if she had not been able to marry Qi Hanmu three years ago, she would have been the one to win investment for the Xia family and go to jail on behalf of the Xia family.

She is a despicable woman who doesn't get love and doesn't deserve to be loved. What qualifications does she have to ask Qi Hanmu to sacrifice his life for her?

But Qi Hanmu's voice was undeniable. "I have a bad heart. I have a diagnosis and have already sent it over. I've been hospitalized for years and my strength is not enough. Most importantly, you can use me as a bargaining chip, which is much more useful than her."

Qi Hanmu spoke every word seriously, but it seemed as if there was no emotion mixed in.

"Besides, I have found your family." The camera flashed, and a pair of little girls shed tears of fear, and then turned back to Qi Hanmu's expressionless face.

"Believe me, changing your kidnapping target from her to me won't do you any harm."

Every word the man spoke was sonorous and powerful, carrying an unshakable sense of strength that made people want to believe it involuntarily.

"So, how did you come over to change her?"

"Give me an address and I'll go over to change it. However, once you're sure you have me under control, you must release her."

"Hey," the masked man's voice came from behind the mask, dull and sticky, "I didn't expect that the famous Third Master Qi is also a lovesick man."

Xia Yiqing stared blankly, and then her vision slowly became clear again.

Does Qi Hanmu really want to exchange himself for her?

But no matter how you look at it, this is a losing business.

Didn't he want to give her a name? Why did he do such a thing?

"Before the transaction began, I asked her to say something to me. Otherwise, how would I know if she was still alive?"

The camera zoomed in on Xia Yiqing again, and the tape around her mouth was roughly torn off. "Speak!"

"Third Master..." Xia Yiqing called out, and her eyes were filled with warmth again. Her throat became hoarse and she couldn't speak.

Before the camera turned away, she saw Qi Hanmu still so confident of victory. He opened his thin lips and silently said to her, "Don't be afraid."

Perhaps this is the base of that group of people. They asked Qi Hanmu to bring the two daughters of the leader, and no one else could follow.

They also asked Qi Hanmu's men to place the helicopter and supplies at a designated location when the hostage was transferred to Qi Hanmu, and then retreat, otherwise they would kill him.

When Xia Yiqing looked out the window and saw the mountains so close at hand, her heart began to skip a beat.

Qi Hanmu’s body was so weak that he couldn’t even climb the mountain, so how could he deal with these people?

"Everyone, do you really want to kidnap Third Master Qi? The Qi family's influence is spread all over the world. If you kidnap him, you will definitely not end up well."

The masked man hid in the corner, pretending nothing happened, and just wiped the yellowed photo of the woman in his arms over and over again.

Finally, he held the old photo, slowly and firmly.

May God bless him from above, and may he live a better life with his daughter.

"Boss, he's here."

The masked man put the photo into his inner pocket and said, "Bring him in."

Against the light, the man was brought in by two people, holding down his shoulders and pressing his head.

He seemed to have lost some weight, and the veins on his neck rose and fell slowly with his breathing. He was extremely pale, like the first snow falling from the sky, pure and cold.

"Where are the two girls I asked you to take with you?" the masked man was furious.

"If you let her go, I will have someone bring your daughter up here," Qi Hanmu slowly raised his head, his eyes like unsheathed cold knives, their sharpness revealed at this moment, so bright that it was frightening.

"Otherwise, if she doesn't return to my people, my people will not let your daughter go either."

Seeing the masked man's bloodshot eyes, Qi Hanmu mentioned it casually.

"You love your wife very much, right? Didn't you promise her before she died that you would take good care of our daughter?"

"You're looking for death!" the masked man roared, pointing at Qi Hanmu.

"Come here, search him, and then tie him up for me."

Even with his hands tied, Qi Hanmu remained calm and reminded them calmly, "It's cold in the mountains. Your daughters are still young and not in good health. You probably don't want to see them get sick from the cold, right?"

The masked man glanced at Xia Yiqing fiercely several times, and finally relented, pointing at Xia Yiqing with his chin, "Take her down the mountain and bring back my two daughters."

Taking advantage of the chaos, Xia Yiqing took a look at the countdown.

00:45:00.

"Wait." Qi Hanmu spoke again.

The masked man's patience was running out. His fingers clenched into fists, crackling, his voice filled with impatience. "What on earth do you want to do?"

"You promised me," Qi Hanmu stood straight in the crowd, his demeanor calm, as if he was not kidnapped, but out for some fun. He could easily attract everyone's attention just by standing there.

"Disarm the bomb on her."

The masked man's breathing became heavier, a strange smile appearing on his face. "Defuse her bomb? Then how can I threaten you and get my daughter back?"

The atmosphere suddenly became stagnant, the air became sticky, squeezing everyone's respiratory tract, making every breath in and out seem like a torture.

"Put it on me."

Not only did Xia Yiqing look up suddenly, but the masked man was also shocked and took a step back, "Are you crazy?"