Chapter 233 Kidnapping
The car entered a service area on the highway.
The fog seemed even thicker here, with extremely low visibility. The huge parking lot was only occupied by a few large trucks, and the silence was somewhat unusual.
Even the usually bustling convenience stores and fast food restaurants were deserted.
Lu Rang parked the car, rubbed his throbbing temples, and said to Shang Wu, "I'm going to the restroom and see if they sell hot drinks. You stay in the car, lock the doors, and don't get out."
He glanced behind the car, extremely worried about Cheng Keke who was following behind.
Shang Wu nodded: "Go quickly and come back quickly."
As soon as Lu Rang got out of the car, the bright blue sports car braked suddenly and stopped next to them.
Cheng Keke practically jumped out of the car and quickly caught up with Lu Rang, who was heading towards the restroom.
"Lu Rang, wait for me! I want to go too!"
Lu Rang paused, turned around to look at her, his eyes icy cold: "Cheng Keke, my patience is limited."
"The service area is a public place. You can't control what I do, can you?" Cheng Keke pouted, deliberately leaning closer, her voice sweet and coquettish. "Besides, the fog is so thick, I'm scared..."
Watching this scene from inside the car, Shang Wu felt a surge of anger rising within her.
She pushed open the car door and got out, and a cold wind carrying damp, cold mist immediately hit her face.
Shang Wu walked up to Cheng Keke in a few steps, her expression colder than ever before: "Cheng Keke."
Cheng Ke was intimidated by her aura and subconsciously took a half step back, but then raised her chin and pretended to be calm.
"What? You want to fight?"
"I don't have time to play these childish games with you."
Shang Wu stared at her, her gaze sharp. "Look at this place, and then look at yourself. You're like a stalker, relentlessly pursuing her, driving dangerously on the highway, and now you're clinging to a man who has clearly rejected you like a child who hasn't been weaned. You've completely disgraced the Cheng family!"
"If Cheng Zhou and Madam Cheng saw you like this, what do you think they would think?"
These words struck a nerve with Cheng Keke.
She recalled her mother's furious outburst and house arrest a few days earlier, and her face instantly turned ugly.
Cheng Keke shrieked, "Shang Wu! How dare you mention my mother? If you, you gossipy woman, hadn't complained, would I have been scolded so badly? Let me tell you, I did it on purpose! I just want to follow you around and disgust you! You want to elope with Lu Rang? I'll make sure you don't get your way!"
Shang Wu simply couldn't understand her thought process. "We're not going sightseeing; we have important business to attend to. What can you do besides be a burden? Satisfy your ridiculous vanity and possessiveness?"
"Danger? What danger could there be? Don't scare me!" Cheng Keke didn't believe it at all, instead shaking her head smugly. "It's even better if there's danger. It'll let Lu Rang see who really needs protection!"
Shang Wu completely gave up on communicating with her.
This spoiled young lady can't understand human language at all.
She suppressed her anger, stopped looking at Cheng Keke, and turned her gaze to the direction Lu Rang had left in.
Something's not right; Lu Rang has been gone for a while now.
Even if you're just buying hot drinks, you should come back by now.
The service area was too big, and the restrooms and convenience stores seemed to be quite far away, hidden in the thick fog and not clearly visible.
Moreover, it's too quiet.
Even in bad weather and with little traffic, you shouldn't be completely unable to see a single person.
The parked trucks seemed to be empty.
A nameless unease crept into Shang Wu's heart.
Just as she was intently observing, several tall figures silently emerged from the thick fog and the shadows of the truck, forming a semicircle and slowly surrounding them.
These men were dressed in ordinary jackets, but they were all burly, with cold, hard faces and undisguised fierceness in their eyes, clearly indicating that they had come with ill intentions.
Cheng Keke was cursing Shang Wu incessantly when she suddenly saw the people surrounding her, and her voice stopped abruptly.
The arrogance on her face vanished instantly, replaced by immense fear.
Cheng Keke's face turned deathly pale. She screamed instinctively and hid behind Shang Wu, grabbing his arm tightly and trembling violently.
"Shang, Shang Wu, who are they..." Her voice was choked with sobs, and she spoke incoherently.
Shang Wu's heart sank suddenly.
Especially in situations like this, she forces herself to calm down.
Shang Wu shielded Cheng Keke, who was so frightened she was almost paralyzed, with a half-step behind her. Her gaze calmly swept over the five burly men who had surrounded them, finally settling on the man in the lead with a shallow scar on his face.
"What do you want?" Her voice was unexpectedly calm, tinged with coldness. "Where is the person who came with us? What have you done to him?"
The men were clearly surprised by her composure.
The scarred man looked her up and down, then grinned, revealing a set of teeth stained yellow by cigarette smoke.
"Don't worry, little beauty, your pretty boy companion is fine for now. He's just taking a nap in the bathroom."
Despite his words, Shang Wu's heart clenched.
She knew Lu Rang's skills; for him to be able to strike silently for a while, the other party must have used extraordinary methods and come prepared.
"As for what we want to do..."
Another tall, thin man chimed in with a sinister grin, rubbing his fingers together. "Simple. We're a bit strapped for cash lately, and seeing you two driving such nice cars, you seem like respectable people."
"Hand over all your valuables: cash, jewelry, watches, and car keys. Then, have this young lady, who's so scared she wet herself, prepare 20 million in cash. Once the money arrives, we'll naturally let you and that pretty boy go!"
“Money is not a problem.” Shang Wu took a deep breath and tried to negotiate. “But it will take time to raise 20 million in cash. You must guarantee the absolute safety of my companion. I need to hear his voice or see him first. Otherwise, there’s no point in talking.”
The scarred man scoffed, "You think you're in a position to negotiate with us right now?"
He gave them a wink, and the two burly men beside them immediately took a step closer to them, creating an oppressive atmosphere that was almost suffocating.
Cheng Keke, who was hiding behind Shang Wu, let out a sob and trembled even more violently.
Shang Wu clenched her fists, her nails digging deep into her palms, using the pain to stay awake.
She knew she had to buy time and find a glimmer of hope.
"Qualifications?" Shang Wu suddenly raised her voice slightly, her eyes sharp as she looked at the scarred man. "Since you know you're asking for 20 million, you should know we're not ordinary people. If you mess with us, especially the Cheng family's young lady, do you think you can get the money unscathed and then get away with it?"
"Even if the Cheng family digs three feet into the ground, they will find you. At that time, you may have the life to take the money, but not the life to spend it."
"Also, the man you knocked out is the young master of the Yu family. Do you think you can afford to offend him?"
Her words were firm and carried a chilling threat.
The men's expressions changed slightly, as if their thoughts had been exposed, and they exchanged glances.
Scarface narrowed his eyes, re-examining Shang Wu as if assessing the weight and truthfulness of her words.
Shang Wu's heart was pounding, but she remained calm as she confronted the bandits.
She didn't know the specifics of Lu Rang's situation, nor did she know where these people's bottom line lay.
All she knew was that she had to stay calm, she had to find a way to carry Cheng Keke, this burden, until a turning point appeared.
The scarred man's expression clearly showed fear when he thought of the Yu family, whose power was unfathomable.
He scrutinized Lu Rang's expensive car again, and noticed Shang Wu's aloof demeanor, which she couldn't hide even in danger, and his apprehension grew even stronger.
They originally just wanted to make a quick buck and didn't intend to really cause a huge uproar.
Provoking a truly top-tier wealthy family would have consequences they could never afford.
Scarface's eyes flickered as he exchanged a hesitant glance with the tall, thin man.
The tall, thin man lowered his voice: "Brother, we can't afford to offend the Yu family. It's not worth risking our lives for a little money."
Scarface spat, clearly extremely unwilling.
He glared fiercely at Shang Wu.
This woman is too smart and too calm; keeping her around would be a disaster.
But the reputation of the Yu family did indeed frighten him.
"Damn it!" he cursed under his breath, but in the end, the weighing of money and life prevailed.
He waved towards the restroom and gave orders to his underlings in a gruff voice.
"Go, get that guy out of here. He's lucky!"
One of the younger brothers ran towards the restroom.
A moment later, two bandits half-dragged and half-carried Lu Rang, who seemed to still be unconscious, out and casually placed him on the cold ground.
"Lu Rang!" Cheng Keke saw Lu Rang and cried out, trying to rush over, but Shang Wu held her back tightly.
The moment Shang Wu saw Lu Rang's pale face, her heart almost stopped beating, but seeing that his chest was still rising and falling, she regained her composure.
She stared intently at the scarred man: "Can we go now?"
"Leave?" Scarface suddenly grinned maliciously, his gaze sweeping over Shang Wu with a blatant look.
"Little beauty, you're so smart and beautiful, it would be a shame to let you go. You can take that pretty boy with you, but you have to come with us!"
Shang Wu's expression changed drastically: "You broke your promise?"
“Credit? What’s that worth?” Scarface laughed loudly. “Brothers, get this beauty in the car! Just leave that cowardly young lady and gigolo here!”
Cheng Keke screamed in fright and clung tightly to Shang Wu's arm.
Shang Wu knew things were going badly and struggled desperately.
But she was no match for these burly men.
One of the thugs roughly pried Cheng Keke's hands off and pushed her to the ground.
Another person directly covered Shang Wu's mouth and nose with a handkerchief.
The pungent smell quickly blurred Shang Wu's consciousness, and she eventually fell into complete darkness.
"Shangwu! Shangwu!"
Cheng Keke slumped to the ground, watching as Shang Wu was quickly shoved into an inconspicuous black van by that group of people and disappeared into the thick fog. Terrified, she could only cry out helplessly.
After a long while, Lu Rang on the ground slowly opened his eyes.
A sharp pain shot through the back of my neck, and I was still somewhat disoriented.
He sat up abruptly, looked around, and saw only an empty parking lot and Cheng Keke sitting on the ground not far away, crying her heart out.
"Where is Shang Wu?" Lu Rang's heart sank.
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