“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 collapsed 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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