Chapter 2 The Second Knife

The old lady's name is He Zhihuan and she is 82 years old this year.

In order to allow their children and grandchildren to be around them, the He family members lived in separate houses but not far from each other in the same large mansion.

In this way, everyone's private living space is guaranteed and it is also convenient for them to move around.

The person pushing the wheelchair was his second son He Mo, and he was also accompanied by his butler Liu Bo and two personal bodyguards.

Before the accident between He Puting and his son, the external affairs of the He family were handled by them, while the domestic affairs were managed by the housekeeper Liu Bo. The two wives were only responsible for taking care of their respective children and did not interfere in household chores.

Let alone ordinary people, He Puting has been smart since childhood, graduated from a prestigious school, and is also good at business and management. Since he joined the company, the stock market value has tripled. He is the proudest grandson in the old lady's heart.

If you dare to curse him to death, you are courting death!

Am was so frightened that he stammered, "Grandma... I, Madam, save me..."

The old lady just glanced at the housekeeper and let her second son push her into the house.

Am still thought that his wife could protect him, but she didn't know that today's shock to the He family was a catastrophe that would destroy the whole family. Otherwise, the old lady would not have dragged her sick body to come to the door in person so early in the morning to discuss matters in her eldest grandson's bridal chamber.

He personally took charge of the matter these past two days and suppressed the kidnapping case. Only a few parties involved knew about it. But his eldest daughter-in-law was so useless that she told such a deadly thing to the servants?

Not only Am, but even the first wife Xu Wanxin will be controlled.

Seeing the bodyguard dragging Am away and grabbing her wrist again, Xu Wan was anxious: "Dad, Dad!"

He added, "Dad, Pu Ting's dad is seriously ill, and Pu Ting is suffering somewhere, why did you let someone arrest me?"

Because the bodyguard did not touch Su Linlang, she also knew that Su Linlang had the face of an old friend in front of the old man, so she hurriedly called her: "Linlang, please help grandma, please, grandpa, we still need to discuss how to get people out together... um..."

There was a sudden noise at the scene, but it became silent again as the bodyguard covered Xu Wanxin's mouth and took He Bingyan away.

Su Linlang also breathed a sigh of relief.

Because according to her experience, Am instigated her mother-in-law to send her away, which was deliberately pushing her to be an accomplice of the kidnappers. This person has a big problem and should be controlled immediately.

The cowardly and indecisive Xu Wanxin only causes trouble.

Originally, the kidnapping case was covered up, but because she was too anxious, she contacted a pawnshop to sell her jewelry and revealed her whereabouts. The media got wind of it, and a large number of reporters followed the He family's every move 24 hours a day. TV stations broadcast the He family's itinerary around the clock, which indirectly provided convenience for the kidnappers and made the rescue extremely difficult.

All her private money was also taken away by someone who took advantage of the chaos in the He family.

The fact that He Puting was not rescued for a long time after being kidnapped was closely related to Xu Wanxin's confusion.

…

The scene suddenly became deserted. Su Linlang just stood in the garden, looking around.

Soon, Mr. He Mo came out.

The old man has two sons, He Mo and He Zhang. He Zhang is Su Linlang's father-in-law, and He Mo is what she calls her second uncle.

From his expensive but somewhat ostentatious clothes to the shiny gold Rolex watch with diamonds on his wrist, Su Linlang, who was experienced in judging people, judged that this man had no ability.

But after all, he is the second son of the richest man, and when something happens to his eldest brother's family, it is his turn to take charge of the situation.

In the original book, it was thanks to his rescue that He Puting was tortured to the point of disability by the kidnappers, but he still managed to escape on his own.

…

He Mo sighed, "Grandpa's kidneys were not good to begin with, and they got worse after all the hard work for your marriage. Who knew that big brother and his son would have such a big incident? I should have had dialysis today, but I haven't even done it yet. I'm just forcing myself to do it. Linlang, Second Uncle knows that you are still young and inexperienced, so you will be scared, but you have to be restrained in front of your grandfather and don't cry."

Su Linlang nodded obediently: "I will."

She was wearing a silver-gray dress and had a childish look on her face.

Because she had just arrived and didn't like to talk, the He family didn't notice anything wrong with her and they all liked her quite a bit.

He Mo comforted him like an elder: "Don't worry, I have your uncle to help you with everything."

It was obvious that he was excited and full of ambition to finally be in charge.

This is He Puting's study. On the desk is a photo of him when he graduated with a doctorate, and the bookshelf is filled with various honors and medals he received while studying, serving in the military, and working.

The old woman's face was pale and her breath was weak, but there was a thunderstorm between her brows and her eyes were fixed on the photo.

The man in the photo has a full forehead, clear brows, bright eyes, and a face that resembles the old woman.

Just one day before the wedding, he smiled and said to Su Linlang: "If you don't want to get married, just tell me and I will talk to Grandpa."

At that time, Su Linlang was trying to reconcile the two souls. She was speechless and anxious. She turned her back in anger. He Puting patted her on the shoulder and went to prepare for the wedding.

…

The old man finally turned around, coughed twice, and then said in a deep voice: "There was an accident in the undersea tunnel the night before last. Your father-in-law was seriously injured, and Pu Ting was kidnapped. There was a phone call saying that if you want to keep the person alive, you can't make it public. Now we have to discuss how to deal with it."

The night before, a fierce gunfight broke out in the only undersea tunnel in Hong Kong. A large number of gangsters armed with automatic AKs shot and killed the driver and bodyguard, seriously injured He Zhang, and kidnapped the groom.

The happy event hasn’t turned into a sad event yet, but it’s just a little bit away.

The old lady's personal bodyguard was at the door and could control Su Linlang at any time.

But she didn't cry and make a fuss as the old lady expected. She just whispered, "I guessed that something happened to him."

The old lady waved and the bodyguard closed the door.

…

He Mo said, "It must be those mainland guys who did it. Dad, I will take charge of the matter. We must rescue Pu Ting."

The old lady frowned, "Don't forget, last year the eldest son of the Ji family was kidnapped and the ransom was 800 million. We currently have 1.6 billion in our account, but 1 billion will be used to buy Redhill Peninsula, and the rest still needs to be considered whether the board of directors can approve it."

In the 1980s, Hong Kong's stock and land prices were rising rapidly, with large numbers of millionaires and billionaires being created every day.

However, kidnapping cases were numerous, and the kidnappers became more brutal and greedy each time.

He Mo almost patted his chest and said, "Father, as long as you authorize me to preside over the board of directors, I will immediately lobby everyone to pay. It's only 700 to 800 million yuan. We can afford it."

Although the old lady looked sick, she was very clear-headed. She said, "800 million was the price for the last ticket. This ticket is not worth that much. I'm afraid it will double."

Su Linlang was amazed at the old man's cleverness.

In the original book, the kidnappers asked for exactly 1.6 billion, which was doubled.

He Mo said, "Father, I can't let the kidnappers handle everything. I will bargain with them and get the price to the lowest."

The old man cast a heavy gaze on Su Linlang's face, and seeing that she was still calm, he finally said, "This involves Linlang's husband. If you agree, let's do it this way."

He took another deep breath and said, "Although I am sick, I still have the strength to write a check."

If this were to happen, He Puting would be tortured by the kidnappers until he became disabled and blind, and would have to escape with a narrow escape.

Su Linlang will also be suspected of being an accomplice of the kidnappers and will be wanted. $$

Of course not.

She has the ability and will choose to rescue He Puting herself and bring him back to health to repay him for burying his father.

Su Linlang was talking to He Mo, but her eyes were on the old lady: "Second Uncle, the kidnappers are all poor and vicious criminals. The moment they prepare to kidnap someone, they put their lives aside. The last thing they care about is human life."

"What do you mean?" He Mo was a little stunned.

In his opinion, Su Linlang was just a member of the first wife's family who came to make up the numbers, and she had no right to speak here.

"Father, Linlang is just a little girl. We shouldn't let her participate in such an important matter, lest she speak out because she is too young. Let her go back to her room." He added.

The old lady's brows furrowed even tighter.

He was also surprised and a little angry when his granddaughter-in-law, who was supposed to be there to make up the numbers, expressed her disagreement!

Su Linlang was not afraid and faced the challenge head on, saying, "Second Uncle, you said you wanted to bargain with a desperate criminal and even bargain. Are you sure you want to save people, not kill my husband?"

She saw that the old lady's eyes, which had been as dark as a well, suddenly became bright. It was obvious that what she said touched the old lady's heart.

He Mo thought it was ridiculous: "Linlang, my eldest brother is seriously injured and unconscious. Pu Ting is my eldest nephew and the successor of the He Group. How could I not want to save him? But the kidnappers want 1 billion or 2 billion. Are we going to agree to it? Even if I agree, will the board of directors approve it? Isn't it normal to bargain for the price?"

Su Linlang raised her eyebrows: "The kidnappers want 1.6 billion, and you bargain it down to 800 million. If the kidnappers chop off one of Pu Ting's legs, are you willing to do that?"

Old man He Zhihuan was seriously ill and was struggling to handle things. He nodded slightly, and it was obvious that he was very satisfied with what Su Linlang said.

He Mo always felt something was wrong: "You...you are a little weird."

Su Linlang has just arrived in Hong Kong. Although she looks pretty, even Hong Kong beauties cannot compare to hers, she is cold and dull. She usually only plays with Xiao Bingyan and never talks to others.

The Taoist priest said that she and He Puting were the best match, and that her horoscope was excellent and her destiny was indescribably noble. This made the old lady very happy, and she insisted on letting her eldest grandson marry her.

But everyone is not blind. Some people have noticed that Su Linlang is not right. He Mo's wife Sun Linda has secretly observed that Su Linlang is weird, dull and a little bit crazy.

But today she suddenly could speak Cantonese, and she was eloquent, with every word and sentence being clear and logical.

He Mo was stunned for a moment, as if he had discovered something: "The kidnapper is from mainland China, and Linlang is from mainland China. Father, she must be in collusion with the kidnapper. Maybe she is an undercover sent by the kidnapper, a spy. She is a treacherous woman."

This inference sounds very logical and reasonable.

If Su Linlang 'runs away with the money' again, they can simply accuse her of being a kidnapper as well.

The old lady coughed lightly for a moment, then her eyes narrowed and she said, "Bullshit, Linlang's father was from the PLA and saved my life, how could she be colluding with the kidnappers? Linlang... cough cough, Grandpa is going to let you take over the chairmanship of the board temporarily, what do you think?"

Is she the acting chairman of the board of directors of He Group?

Su Linlang was helpless. Old Lady He was indeed the richest man who had made his fortune from scratch. She was very smart and was setting a trap for her to fall into.

Unfortunately, she didn't take the bait. Foolish He Mo got anxious first: "Dad, she is a snake woman who teamed up with the kidnappers to harm our family. You are crazy, you actually want to hand over the chairmanship of the board to her. If she gives all the money to the kidnappers, even if Pu Ting can come back alive, what's the point?"

He's exposed. If he's asked to carry out a rescue operation, money will be more important than He Puting's life.

The old lady failed in her attempt to find her grandson's daughter-in-law, and was instead hurt by her foolish son. Veins popped out of her temples, and her eyes were filled with anger and disappointment.

But Su Linlang, the daughter of an old friend, gave the old lady new hope.

She said, "Grandpa, I am grateful for your appreciation, but I do not want the position of chairman of the board."

He Mo almost jumped up. If she didn't want to be the chairman of the board of directors, what did she want to do?

“People are the front

"The kidnappers are currently relocating and settling the hostages, which will probably take a day or two. Once they are sure they are well hidden, they will ask us for ransom. At this stage, what we should do is to immediately contact trusted private detectives and Flying Tigers to quietly look for clues and monitor the kidnappers throughout the process. Even if we have to pay in the end, we must ensure that the hostages are alive and healthy when they are rescued." Su Linlang said.

This is exactly what the old lady wanted. He would give away everything he had earned in his life just for the safe return of his eldest grandson.

The pair of dark eyes on his sallow face became brighter.

His voice was deep and dignified: "Then who do you think is capable of the rescue mission?"

He Mo was confused, but when he heard that someone was needed to be in charge, he immediately said, "Of course it's me."

"Aren't you going to be the chairman of the board of directors? Why don't you want to do it anymore?" The old man was cruel enough and quietly dug a trap for his own son.

He Mo started to work on his own: "Father, it was not easy for you to start from scratch. Now that my eldest brother is seriously ill and Pu Ting is gone, I must take full responsibility for He's. I am the chairman of the board of directors, so I should be the one to rescue him!"

Su Linlang added calmly: "This involves my husband. I care about his life the most. Of course I want to take care of it myself, but let my second uncle do it. It can be seen that he is very good at protecting the purse!"

He Mo didn't hear the sarcasm in her words and continued to dig his way into the trap: "Dad, listen, she is the kidnapper's person and she only wants to help the kidnappers to empty our family."

Just then, the housekeeper Liu Bo came in after finishing his business. He immediately said, "Liu Bo, look at what you have done. It was you who accompanied Pu Ting to the mainland to pick up Su Linlang. She was a spy sent by the kidnappers. You cannot escape the blame."

If he didn't do this, Su Linlang would not be able to win the old lady's trust. After all, she was an outsider and had just arrived at the He family.

But this Mr. He is not only incompetent, but also makes all kinds of stupid moves.

Look, this is another big mistake.

Steward Liu has been with the He family for three generations. He is the old lady's right-hand man and is very capable.

Butler Liu immediately understood what was going on. He said, "Master, the police and the military are the ones who are working with us on the background check in mainland China. The young lady's father has many military medals, and she is a model of cutting sugarcane on the farm. Even if you don't believe me, you should believe her father and believe... the endorsement of the mainland government and the PLA!"

Old lady He nodded heavily.

Although the mainland is poor, the military, especially the PLA, has been known for its fairness and strictness since liberation.

Now that it is just before the return of Hong Kong, it is indeed impossible for them to give random endorsements to a prominent family in the Hong Kong government like the He family.

Butler Liu added, "The eldest young master and I have investigated the young mistress's whereabouts from childhood to adulthood. It's clean."

The old lady nodded again: "Linlang is a talkative person. I thought she was stupid, but now I see that she is very wise!"

The old man was not one to flatter others easily. He Mo was very nervous when he praised Su Linlang so much. He immediately said, "Father, she is still young. Even if she is not a bad person, her tone is too arrogant. What is her basis for wanting to lead the rescue?"

If she were really allowed to lead the rescue, all the He family members would be under her command, and she would also be in control of the family power.

What if He Zhang died and He Puting was killed? Would the richest man in Hong Kong let a northern girl take power from then on?

What does she rely on?

Su Linlang said in Mandarin: "My father was the commander of the vanguard company and the commander of the assault regiment during the Korean War. He taught me how to fight and deploy troops since I was a child. I am the daughter of a general and the descendant of a hero."

This sentence was a bit corny, and Su Linlang herself was so embarrassed that she got goosebumps.

But she was sure that this sentence would move Old Lady He.