Are good men always unavailable?

Cheng Boyan looked in Wen Xueyan's direction and sensed that she was still trying to calm herself down.

"I'm going over there now to be your hostage." Cheng Boyan slowly raised his hands above his head, speaking to the man. "As long as Wen Xueyan and the child leave this house safely, I'll transfer the money immediately. I know the size of your company; this money is more than enough for you to make a comeback."

The man's knife trembled slightly beside the baby: "What if you back out? How do you know who I am, which company I work for, and what size company I am? Besides, would you really pay this much money for a woman?"

"You're Director Wang, the owner of Shunfa Stainless Steel Products Factory. We met at last year's local entrepreneurs' annual meeting, and you even greeted Song Liyun from my company's purchasing department. As for whether a woman is worth that much money..." Cheng Boyan cautiously took a step into the living room and realized that Director Wang didn't recognize the value of women and even had some doubts.

As he spoke, his eyes remained fixed on the baby crying his heart out. The little one's face was streaked with tears.

But just seconds after Cheng Boyan stepped into the room, the child suddenly stopped crying, opened his big, teary eyes and looked at him. Although there was still some fear in those eyes that resembled Wen Xueyan's, he inexplicably calmed down.

Cheng Boyan's gaze sharpened: "The child's safety is my condition for transferring the money. Otherwise, how will I know if you'll kill the child after receiving the money? After all," he paused deliberately, following Factory Director Wang's train of thought, "you have a point; a woman isn't worth that much money, so I need to ask President Xi for reimbursement. If anything happens to the child, who should I ask for this money back?"

Cheng Boyan spoke with the composure characteristic of business negotiations, each word carrying weight and conviction.

He keenly noticed the fleeting suspicion in Director Wang's eyes—a dangerous signal that suggested the man might already doubt his relationship with the child. If the man were to become convinced that the child was his, the ransom would likely more than double, and the crisis would become even more complex.

The man's judgment was clearly shaken by this explanation. Cheng Boyan seized the opportunity to reinforce this impression: "The reason I'm willing to pay ahead is because of my lover." His gaze swept almost imperceptibly over Wen Xueyan before he looked directly at the man. "I hope you'll keep this a secret. After all, no man likes being cuckolded."

This mix of truth and deception explains why a huge ransom would be paid for "someone else's child".

The man's breathing became noticeably rapid, and his hand holding the knife trembled slightly. Cheng Boyan keenly noticed this detail and continued to press him: "You're a businessman; you should understand what I'm saying."

Fine beads of sweat appeared on the man's forehead; he was clearly intimidated by Cheng Boyan's imposing manner. He hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Then I'll compromise. The woman and child can't leave the house, but they can come into the bedroom, and they can't bring their cell phones in. You have to stay here as a hostage and transfer the money to me on the spot."

Before coming here today, Director Wang had even considered dying together with President Xi's wife and children. But now that he heard there was money to be made, he decided to take the money first. The overseas company account he had opened earlier could be used now.

"Deal." Cheng Boyan immediately agreed, then turned to Wen Xueyan and winked, "Take the child into the bedroom."

The man moved the knife away from the child. His blade pressed against Cheng Boyan's lower back as he said to Wen Xueyan, "You can go to your room now."

Wen Xueyan held the child, filled with reluctance: "But you..."

Cheng Boyan's voice suddenly turned stern, "Hurry up, this is not the time to act on emotions."

Wen Xueyan carried the child and quickly walked into the bedroom, locking the door behind her.

Through the door, she heard Cheng Boyan's calm voice: "There are limits on large cross-border transfers. The first transfer is $500,000; that's the maximum limit for a single transaction."

"Stop trying to pull any tricks!" the man roared.

"This is bank policy," Cheng Boyan said calmly. "If you don't believe me, you can check the bank's website on your computer. This is already a considerable amount of money. For private transfers, the annual limit is only $50,000."

Wen Xueyan held her breath, surprised by Cheng Boyan's calmness. She heard Cheng Boyan continue, "This is an account, a corporate account transfer, which requires joint authorization from the company's finance department. If you agree, I'll call the CFO right now."

After obtaining the man's consent, Cheng Boyan dialed the number: "Director Li, this is Cheng Boyan. I urgently need authorization to transfer $500,000 to the following account..."

Wen Xueyan held her child tightly in the bedroom, feeling the warmth of the little life in her arms. Suddenly, she understood Cheng Boyan's good intentions. He was using his professional attitude to lull the man into a false sense of security and buy time for the rescue.

Wen Xueyan also knew that Director Wang had lost his mind today, and what was most frightening was that he might still commit violence after the payment was made.

"The first transfer has been completed," Cheng Boyan's voice rang out. "Now we need to wait for financial confirmation. This process usually takes about ten minutes."

The man replied impatiently, "It's been too long!"

"This is a necessary safety procedure," Cheng Boyan explained patiently.

After a long ten minutes, Cheng Boyan began processing the second transfer.

Suddenly, the apartment door was kicked open, and SWAT team members rushed in.

"Police! Drop your weapons!"

In the chaos, Wen Xueyan heard a muffled thud. She placed the baby on the bed in the bedroom, then opened the door, and the sight before her almost made her faint.

Even though Cheng Boyan was agile, Director Wang had a knife in his hand and kept it at bay.

At this moment, Cheng Boyan was bleeding from his abdomen, while Director Wang's hands were already restrained by the police.

"Bo Yan!" Wen Xueyan knelt down beside him, her hands trembling as she pressed against the bleeding wound.

Cheng Boyan forced a smile: "Is the child... alright?"

"It's okay, the baby is fine..." Wen Xueyan sobbed uncontrollably.

Medical staff quickly transported Cheng Boyan to the hospital.

The nanny woke up from her coma, and Wen Xueyan handed the child to her before following the ambulance to the hospital.

The hospital corridor lights were cold and white, and Wen Xueyan sat alone on a chair.

"Family members, please sign." The nurse handed her a stack of surgical consent forms, informing her that Cheng Boyan was not in immediate danger, but needed surgery. As Wen Xueyan took the pen, the ink spread across the paper, mirroring her turbulent emotions.

After signing the papers, she stood at the payment window, staring blankly at the amount on the bill: over 200,000 yuan. Her own ordinary savings card only held a little over 70,000 yuan. This was all she had saved over the past year. Xi Mingyuan had always been somewhat stingy; during her maternity leave, Wen Xueyan, like other female employees on maternity leave, received a reduced salary. And after the baby was born, she also had to bear some of the child's expenses.

"I'll process these first..." she thought to herself. She planned to call Secretary Qiao later and ask her to find a way to access the money from President Cheng's company.

Just then, a gentle voice rang out: "Wen Xueyan?" Dr. Qi strode over, his gaze sweeping over the payment slip. "I saw the news on the trending topics. I'll go find the hospital leadership to coordinate; saving lives is the priority."

After Dr. Qi left, Wen Xueyan was about to call Secretary Qiao when she saw a slender figure rushing over.

Rao Wanyi was wearing a champagne-colored cashmere suit, her hair slightly disheveled, clearly having rushed out the door. She handed a bank card to Wen Xueyan.

"Wen Xueyan...Mrs. Xi, you can use this card," Rao Wanyi said softly, "The password is..." She leaned close to Wen Xueyan's ear and whispered a string of numbers.

Wen Xueyan stared blankly at the woman she had once considered her rival in love.

President Xi's stinginess is well-known in the industry, so Rao Wanyi guessed that Wen Xueyan might not have enough money, but she deliberately didn't ask.

"Go pay the bill quickly," Rao Wanyi urged softly, her eyes clear and bright.

After completing the formalities, the two women sat side by side on a bench outside the operating room. Wen Xueyan sent a message to Secretary Qiao.

Secretary Qiao replied quickly.

Rao Wanyi's gaze never left the tightly closed door.

"Actually, I really like Mr. Cheng. He's the man I've been dreaming about for the past few months. When I saw the news today that he had an accident, I rushed over immediately." Her voice was as gentle as melting snow. "A marriage can make a person grow a lot. My ex-husband would once drive across half the city in the rain to bring me a bowl of brown sugar water when I had menstrual cramps."

She paused, then continued, "Only after the divorce did I realize that cheap sacrifices are unimportant, and so-called sincerity is all temporary. After he grew tired of living together day and night in the marriage, he even shifted the blame for his infidelity onto me. A good marriage doesn't need sweet words from a man, nor does it need him to tolerate my spoiled temper; it needs a man's steady thinking and sense of responsibility—the latter is what lasts."

Wen Xueyan listened quietly.

"That's just the kind of person Mr. Cheng is." A bitter smile curved Rao Wanyi's lips. "Unfortunately, although I try very hard, it seems I can never catch up with him. I even had my lawyer confirm his marital status; he's currently single. I've heard a saying that good men are mostly rare, don't you think?"

She continued, "Does he really have someone in his heart? Then why doesn't he go public? If we don't end up together, at least I'll think I made good choices; maybe it's just that we weren't meant to be."

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