Chapter 48

Guo Shun had encountered many haggling customers, but this was the first time he'd seen someone actively raise the price. He looked uncertainly at Luo Gui: "Add...add more money..."

Completely bewildered, Luo Gui dropped the wooden stick and took the phone from Guo Shun: "Who the hell are you?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end. A few seconds later, the boy's voice came through the receiver again. Even though it was slightly distorted by the current, it still carried a chilling undertone.

"Luo Gui."

"Yes, it's me." Luo Gui turned his head and spat. "What do you mean by adding money? Who are you to this little bastard? Judging from your fuss, you're not even fully grown yet. How could you possibly have money?"

Jiang Huaiyu's voice was cold, like a gurgling icy spring: "Guo Shun has seen me. A pair of my shoes costs three or four thousand, and a schoolbag costs seven or eight thousand. You can ask him."

Guo Shun, who was listening in, nodded and gave a thumbs up.

The guy who throws people over his shoulder is rich.

Luo Gui only believed it to a certain extent, because in his limited understanding, a child could not possibly have that much money, which was several million.

"I don't know anything about shoes or backpacks, I only care about money!" He glanced at Lu Mingxiao lying on the ground, his expression sinister: "How much did you say you'd add? Two million? Fine, give me seven million, and I won't touch him. When are you going to give me the cash?"

Jiang Huaiyu: "After daybreak, when the bank opens for business."

"Why should I believe you? What's your relationship with him?!"

Jiang Huaiyu paused for a moment: "I am the adopted son whose parents switched at birth, Li Qing's biological child."

Luo Gui's eyes suddenly lit up, like two flickering will-o'-the-wisps: "Oh, it's you... You two have been holding hands with this kid these past two days, did you get in through connections? No wonder you're so hung up on him, it's disgusting."

Jiang Huaiyu ignored him completely, treating it like a dog barking: "Give the phone to Lu Mingxiao. I need to make sure he's safe."

Luo Gui, feeling awkward, spat again and tossed the smartphone he couldn't figure out to Guo Shun: "Turn on speakerphone."

Guo Shun put the phone on speakerphone and brought it to Lu Mingxiao.

Lu Mingxiao coughed guiltily, "Xiaoyu..."

“Lu Mingxiao.” Jiang Huaiyu pronounced the name with perfect clarity, as if she wanted to savor each word: “You are very capable.”

Even when threatened with a stick by Luo Gui, he wasn't this flustered. With two pairs of eyes watching him, and unable to comfort him, Lu Mingxiao could only cough guiltily again.

“I will cooperate.” Jiang Huaiyu didn’t specify who she would cooperate with, but added, “Try getting hurt.”

Lu Mingxiao obediently agreed: "I understand."

With a glance from Luo Gui, Guo Shun handed over the phone again, giving the location of an abandoned factory and instructing Jiang Huaiyu to deliver the money there the next morning.

"Nine o'clock, seven million, not a penny less, cash only! If you're short a single bill, I'll take a piece of clothing from this kid!"

He hung up the phone.

...

Jiang Huaiyu put down her phone.

Li Rui's eyes were red from crying, and he looked as dejected as a chick drenched in a downpour: "Brother Yu, was it really a kidnapping? It's all my fault. My brain just doesn't work. I did whatever Brother Xiao told me to do. I never expected something like this to happen..."

Jiang Huaiyu pinched the bridge of her nose: "Don't cry, he'll be fine."

He spoke with such certainty that the slight tremor in his voice was almost imperceptible.

That was all he could say; it was to comfort Li Rui, but it was also a way of comforting himself.

Li Rui wasn't Lu Mingxiao, so he couldn't detect the subtle difference in Jiang Huaiyu's tone. Hearing this, he perked up again: "It's good that you're alright, it's good that you're alright. I knew it, Brother Xiao is amazing. So what do we do next? Withdraw the money or call the police?"

Jiang Huaiyu calculated the time.

Lu Mingxiao had just promised him that he would not deliberately provoke Luo Gui, and would not use his own injury to exchange for Luo Gui's harsher punishment. In return, Luo Gui would not attack Lu Mingxiao again for the sake of the two million. Lu Mingxiao would be safe until nine o'clock tomorrow.

“It’s impossible to withdraw the money.” Jiang Huaiyu glanced at Li Rui: “Seven million, even if it were converted into ghost money and burned, it wouldn’t be given to that beast. As for calling the police… we don’t need to call the police.”

"Huh?" Li Rui sniffed. "Otherwise what? Do you think Luo Guihui can just turn himself in?"

Jiang Huaiyu laughed, but the laugh, under the dim streetlights, had an indescribable chill and sinister quality that made Li Rui shiver.

"Brother Yu, stop laughing, it's giving me the creeps."

Jiang Huaiyu ignored him and answered the call from Song Jingliang's assistant.

"Young Master, as you instructed, someone located that phone number and sent the location to you. President Song was furious when he found out about this. He and President Jiang are taking the fastest flight there and are expected to arrive tomorrow morning. President Song also transferred two bodyguards from the security company closest to you. It will take about two hours to drive there from the provincial capital. President Song said that he knows what you are thinking and that you should not do anything yourself. He told you to bring bodyguards with you. They are retired soldiers and their beatings will hurt more."

...

After receiving the call, Lu Mingxiao remained silent. He pretended not to see Luo Gui's provocative jumping around beside him. In the latter half of the night, Luo Gui fell asleep on the ground, while Lu Mingxiao leaned against the corner, seemingly resting with his eyes closed, but in reality, he was using construction waste in the corner to grind ropes.

After a few rubbing motions, Guo Shun suddenly peeked over furtively.

Lu Mingxiao looked up at him, his gaze cold.

We've been discovered?

Is Guo Shun really that perceptive?

Sure enough, Guo Shun reached for the rope...

He pulled hard on the knot and untied the rope.

With a loosening of his wrist, Lu Mingxiao looked at Guo Shun in surprise.

Guo Shun clasped his hands together and bowed to him, lowering his voice: "I really didn't mean to kidnap you. I just wanted to get some money to spend. I never expected it to turn into such a big mess. Now that I've untied you, it's a way of making amends. You'd better run away quickly..."

"Run away?" Lu Mingxiao cracked his wrists, slowly stood up, stretched his ankles, stared at Luo Shun who was fast asleep in the distance, and his eyes flashed with a sinister light: "You're right, you should run away while the person I want to hit most right now isn't you."

His eyes were like those of a vicious wolf. Guo Shun was so frightened that his legs went weak and he sat down on the ground. Lu Mingxiao's long legs stepped over him and walked step by step toward Luo Gui, who was talking in his sleep.

"You bitch... I'll kill you if you try to run away..."

Lu Mingxiao paused, then bent down to pick up the wooden stick from the ground. He dragged the stick and walked lazily to Luo Gui's side, standing there expressionlessly. He then raised the thick stick and swung it down.

The stick made a whooshing sound as it struck the air.

Two sharp cracks were heard, one from a broken wooden stick, and the other from a broken leg bone.

A piercing scream shattered the night in the suburbs.

Luo Gui was awakened by the pain, howling and rolling around. His already messy hair and beard were now a clump of tears and snot, like a dirty mop stuck to his head. His fierce triangular eyes were now filled with tears of pain as he stared in terror at the tall and fierce shadow in the dark night.

Amidst intermittent groans of pain, he asked incredulously, "You little brat... how dare you hit me..."

"Tsk..." Lu Mingxiao threw away the broken stick and looked down at him condescendingly: "What kind of nonsense question is that? Hmm? Let me confirm the answer for you?"

His expression was sinister, and the smile on his lips was chilling. He kicked out.

Luo Gui couldn't even scream anymore. He curled up into a ball, clutching his ribs in excruciating pain, and vomited a mouthful of bile.

Lu Mingxiao was about to drag the person up from the ground...

"Lu Mingxiao!"

There was the sound of brakes suddenly stopping downstairs, accompanied by chaotic footsteps and a clear, anxious female voice.

"You little brat! Why don't you just shove a hole in the sky?!"

The short-haired woman sprinted up the unfinished stairs at top speed, and in a few steps she reached Lu Mingxiao. She grabbed his collar, slapped him on the back, and then began to grope his body from head to toe.

"Are you injured? Hmm? Where are you injured?!"

Lu Mingxiao then came to his senses, the gloom in his eyes fading, and he stammered, "Mom?"

Li Qing hugged her tall son tightly, and after confirming that Lu Mingxiao was unharmed, she punched him hard on the back: "You audacious brat! If anything happens to you, how am I supposed to live?!"

The sharp thorns all over his body softened in his mother's tears. Lu Mingxiao raised his hand and patted Li Qing's back: "Mom, I'm fine. You came too fast. I haven't 'defended' enough yet."

Over Li Qing's shoulder, he saw Jiang Huaiyu, whose cheeks were flushed from running.

The young master was very imposing, with two men following behind him, dressed very professionally. They were either bodyguards or real estate agents. Based on the current situation, Lu Mingxiao guessed they were bodyguards.

It seemed that Jiang Xiaoyu was planning to back him up, as she had even brought thugs. Unfortunately, she made a rather disheveled entrance, with red eyes and tiny beads of sweat on her nose. When she saw him hugging his mother, she didn't rush forward. Her dark pupils stared at Lu Mingxiao, slowly becoming moist.

Jiang Huaiyu turned her head to wipe away her tears, then turned back to her normal expression and mouthed to Lu Mingxiao: You're dead.

Lu Mingxiao smiled, but Jiang Huaiyu's expression suddenly changed. Her eyes widened in panic as she shouted, "Watch out—!!"

"Go to hell!" Luo Gui, who somehow got up, lunged at Lu Mingxiao with a fruit knife in his hand, the tip of the knife pointing straight at Lu Mingxiao's back.

Everything changed in an instant. The two bodyguards rushed over, but someone even faster than them was…

"You beast—!!" Li Qing roared, shoving her son aside. She rushed to Luo Gui, grabbed his wrist to avoid the knife, and then kicked him in the groin.

With that kick, Luo Gui was completely unable to react. But Li Qing wouldn't let him go. She grabbed Luo Gui by the collar, lifted the limp adult man up, and slapped him repeatedly with both hands.

"Do you think I'm still Wang Laidi?! My name is Li Qing! Qing as in 'after the rain comes sunshine'!"

Meanwhile, Song Jingliang, rushing to the airport to check in, gently stroked his lover's shoulder with one arm, held his phone in the other, his voice cold and deep, his black trench coat billowing sharply in the night.

"I am Song Jingliang, Song Jingliang from Yunlan Group. I am reporting someone involved in human trafficking. I'm unsure if it involves illegal organ trade, but I suspect there may be organized crime behind it..."