The people in the picture are Yuan Meng and Huo Fu'an. They are being choked and forced to look at the camera. Huo Fu'an's face is turning blue!
It's obvious that Gu Zheng kidnapped Yuan Meng and Huo Fu'an!
No, Qingfeng has people protecting Yuan Meng and the others. If they were kidnapped by Guzheng, how come there's been no news at all? Could this photo be photoshopped?
Ling Ruoke examined the photo carefully, trying hard to discern any signs of tampering. However, the photo only showed the upper half of the chest, making it impossible to tell whether anything had been altered.
Just then, the other party sent another recording: "Mommy, Mommy..." It was Xiao Fu'an crying.
Ling Ruoke grabbed her phone and car keys and rushed out. It normally takes more than an hour to walk to Xinghai Park from here, and even by car it would take at least five minutes given the road conditions. Now, there were less than four minutes left!
As Ling Ruoke leaped downwards, her mind surprisingly cleared. She quickly dialed Xuan Yuanqi's number, opened the car door, jumped in, and the car sped off like a rocket. Traffic lights were no longer a concern; she unleashed her full driving prowess.
"Hey, sister-in-law!"
"Guzheng has grabbed Fu'an and Yuan Meng at the entrance of Xinghai Park and wants me to be there within five minutes. I'm on my way now, please!"
"I'll arrange it right away, sister-in-law, you stall her." Xuan Yuanqi on the other end could tell she was being reckless, and hung up immediately after speaking. Xuan Yuanqi knew very well that it was impossible to tell Ling Ruoke not to go, so he could only remind her to stall for time.
Ling Ruoke knew that Gu Zheng wouldn't give her any chance to be rescued. The fact that she didn't threaten to kill anyone if she notified them showed she wasn't afraid at all! Moreover, her choice of Xinghai Park as a location was ingenious; it was the closest to where Pei Huo was, and for anyone else to rescue her, it would take several minutes longer than driving from Pei Huo! This was because the east side of Pei Huo was a bustling market street, a very slow route for vehicles!
It seems Gu Zheng has made thorough preparations! Indeed, her ability to silently abduct Yuan Meng and Fu An demonstrates her adequate planning. But what have they done to deserve this relentless pressure?
Ling Ruoke pursed her lips tightly and spotted a woman dressed in black and wearing sunglasses under the large banyan tree by the entrance of Xinghai Park. That was Gu Zheng! Several black cars were parked not far from her, and Yuan Meng and Fu An were in one of them.
The car screeched to a halt.
Ling Ruoke leaped out, but didn't rush straight over. Instead, she anxiously turned her gaze, searching for Yuan Meng and Huo Fu'an. She narrowed her eyes slightly, trying to determine which car they might be in. "Where are Yuan Meng and Fu'an?"
Gu Zheng slowly stood up, her slender figure and long legs evident. She slowly removed her sunglasses, her expression looking down at him. "You've come," she said calmly.
"I want to see Yuan Meng and Fu An."
Gu Zheng curled her lips into a disdainful smile. With a wave of her hand, the door of one of the cars opened, and Yuan Meng and Fu An were pushed out. But she only stopped at the car door, without bringing them over.
"Mommy, Mommy..." Xiao Fu'an called out while crying.
"Fu'an, don't cry. You're a man, you're not allowed to cry!" Ling Ruoke looked them over and found that neither of them was injured. The child couldn't cry out, otherwise those people would try to silence him! Her gaze returned to Guzheng. "What do you want?"
Gu Zheng snorted coldly. "Get in the car, and I'll let them go." She only cared about Ling Ruoke.
Ling Ruoke's expression remained unchanged; she already knew what Gu Zheng wanted. "Fine, but I must watch them leave!" Gu Zheng was too shameless; there was no guarantee she could catch them all in the end! She herself could fall into Gu Zheng's hands, but Yuan Meng and Fu An had to leave safely—that was her bottom line!
"You think you're in a position to negotiate with me? You're trying to stall for time, aren't you?" Gu Zheng's smile was sinister. "Ling Ruoke, impossible. Because all the roads leading here have been damaged in accidents, nobody can get here."
Ling Ruoke was startled. Gu Zheng had indeed made ample preparations. All those two months of lying low had been for this! "I don't want to waste time. As long as you release them, I'll go with you immediately! I know you want me, and if you hurt Yuan Meng and Huo Fu'an, then your sister-in-law and nephew won't live a good life either!"
Just like Guzheng said, she wouldn't let her wait for rescue! However, saving herself alone would be much easier. And given Guzheng's hatred for her, she would definitely torture her severely rather than end her life with a single blow. She might suffer some tears, but she should survive!
Gu Zheng's expression changed slightly, but only for a fleeting moment. That's right, her sister-in-law and nephew were still abroad. If she killed them, Huo Qingfeng would risk his life for revenge! A mutual destruction wasn't worth it! "Alright. Someone, give her the things."
Ling Ruoke was filled with doubt when suddenly someone took out a syringe filled with medicine, placed it in a box, and kicked it in front of her. It was speculated that the medicine could cause unconsciousness or weakness.
"Inject this, and I'll let them go!" A sinister glint, unlike anything she'd ever seen before, flashed in Gu Zheng's eyes. If she could, she'd want to tear her flesh and gnaw on her bones; Gu Zheng had never hated anyone so much before!
Ling Ruoke looked at the thing at her feet, but didn't move. "What is this?"
She didn't know much about medicine. Could there really be something similar to cartilage powder? Or was it poison? But Ling Ruoke was certain that Gu Zheng wouldn't let her die like this, so this thing definitely wouldn't be fatal.
"This medicine will help you sleep. Don't worry, I don't want you to die like this." Gu Zheng glanced at the time, already getting impatient. "I'll give you two more minutes, or I'll arrest you all. Do you believe I have the ability?"
"Yuan Meng, can you drive?" Ling Ruoke hadn't held out much hope, but to her surprise, Yuan Meng nodded. She felt a little relieved and turned to Gu Zheng. "You can have a few people surround me, then get them in the car! As soon as they leave safely, you can inject that stuff into my body. Don't try anything funny with me; I'm willing to go down with the team. Anyway, if we all die, none of your Gu family will survive! I'll count to ten, and if you don't agree, then we'll die together! One, two, three…"
Gu Zheng was furious, her face turning pale. Her nephew was the only remaining bloodline of the Gu family, and she couldn't let the family line die out! For so many years, she had been a willful daughter and younger sister. Now that the Gu family had fallen into ruin, her nephew was the only remaining seed, and she had to protect him! This was the only thing she could do for the Gu family besides taking revenge on Ling Ruoke and Huo Qingfeng.
"Exchange with her!" No more time to waste! The Gu family has been destroyed; she no longer has a powerful backer to act as she pleases. She's paid every price she can; this is her last gamble, and she can't lose!
Gu Zheng's hands clenched into tight fists, her long nails digging deeply into her palms. She felt no pain, yet blood seeped from her palms, bearing the weight of her inner demons.
"Ruo Ke, don't be so foolish. She wants you, you absolutely can't go with them!" Yuan Meng shouted anxiously, and was slapped in the face.
"Yuan Meng, don't say anything. Gu Zheng, let's begin the exchange." Ling Ruoke opened the car door, the passenger seat, and the back seat. She stepped aside, and several men in black immediately surrounded her. Each of them was menacing, like wolves. However, she wasn't foolish enough to let them get close, so she stood with her legs spread apart, ready to attack at any moment.
Gu Zheng didn't want to waste time, so she didn't try anything fancy. Yuan Meng and the little one had successfully gotten into the car.
The car door slammed shut, and Ling Ruoke felt a sense of relief. As long as Yuan Meng and Xiao Fu'an were alright, that was all that mattered!
"If possible!" Yuan Meng started the car and couldn't help but shout.
"Yuan Meng, don't say anything, take the little one and leave immediately!" These are Lei Kaiyi's blood relatives left in the world, and she must protect them for Qingfeng!
Yuan Meng knew she was only dragging Ruo Ke down with her presence, so she drove away. Her eyes were filled with tears; she hadn't expected to implicate Ruo Ke. Those people were clearly not good people; she wondered what they would do to Ruo Ke!
Huo Fu'an pressed himself against the window, crying and calling her name. He hadn't seen Ruo Ke for a long time; during his time in T City, he asked every day where his mother was. Yuan Meng had been lying to him to keep him from making a huge fuss. He never expected their first meeting after their separation would be under these circumstances.
As the car disappeared, Ling Ruoke let them inject the substance into her body. They were all around her; she couldn't escape. Their men were also in front of her. If she ran away, Yuan Meng and the little one would definitely be caught.
In the moment she lost consciousness, Ling Ruoke silently murmured in her heart: Qingfeng...
The black cars were reversing and swerving around in a chaotic mess, making it impossible to see anything clearly. Then several cars sped away, but in different directions! The black cars scattered rapidly like black worms.
After a period of confusion and disarray, no one knew which car Ling Ruoke was in!
Gu Zheng looked at the woman beside her who had fallen into a coma. She was wearing a short-sleeved t-shirt, and her fair, delicate arms, like peeled lotus roots, were exposed, hanging limply at her sides. Gu Zheng reached out and pinched her hard, only releasing her grip when she saw blood seep out. She pinched a few more spots, and only stopped when she saw several blood marks appear together.
After a while, she turned Ling Ruoke's face back. Her face was bare, but her skin was fair and rosy, as tender as tofu. Many people, even with meticulous makeup, couldn't achieve such an effect, making her grit her teeth in hatred. She raised her hand and slapped her several times, watching Ling Ruoke's cheeks turn purplish-red and swell up, then smiled coldly.
Ling Ruoke, who was unconscious, knew nothing. She lay motionless and limp in her seat, letting the guzheng torment her.
A moment later, the walkie-talkie suddenly crackled to life. "Miss, a car has been following us. She might have a tracking device on her; please check! We've already sent people to intercept that car!"
"Fine." Gu Zheng's eyes turned even more sinister.
Gu Zheng turned around, grabbed Ling Ruoke's arm, and pulled so hard it looked like she wanted to tear it off. Her hands roughly groped and pinched Ling Ruoke's body, her nails deliberately leaving bloody scratches. Soon, her fair skin was mottled and uneven.
After searching for a while, she didn't find anything suspicious. Finally, her gaze fell on Ling Ruoke's hand, noticing the diamond ring on her finger. With a cold smile, she grabbed Ling Ruoke's hand and forcefully pulled the ring off, scraping her skin and drawing blood. Grabbing her other hand, she did the same, tearing the ring off her middle finger as well.
"Stop the car!" Gu Zheng handed the ring to the person in the car behind. "You drive after them and have the people on the east side keep running with these two rings. Once you reach your destination, throw them away!"
"Yes." The man took the item and ran forward quickly.
"Keep driving!" Gu Zheng coldly ordered. After a while, she turned around, watched another car head towards the fork in the road, and smiled coldly.
Turning around, he slapped Ling Ruoke across the face. "He certainly went to great lengths, even putting a tracker on the wedding ring. But Ling Ruoke, you can't escape my grasp. Even if I die, I'll drag you down with me! If I didn't want to fetch a good price, I would have slashed your face to pieces! Hahaha… Huo Qingfeng, this is what you owe me, what you owe the Gu family… Hahahaha…"
Gu Zheng laughed wildly, her eyes bloodshot and her features contorted. She had gone mad—she had gone mad when Huo Qingfeng betrayed her and when the Gu family was destroyed! It was all Huo Qingfeng and Ling Ruoke's fault!
They thought she would obediently hide abroad and never come back. But she came back, and not only did she come back, she was determined to make these people pay the price!
"Father, brother, I will definitely get back what Huo Qingfeng owes us! Ah—" Gu Zheng roared like a mad beast. She only remembered that Huo Qingfeng owed them, never considering that the Gu family's numerous evil deeds ultimately led to their own destruction. She couldn't seek revenge against the government or the army; she could only hold Huo Qingfeng and Ling Ruoke accountable!
If the heart is possessed by demons, reason ceases to exist, leaving only hatred and malice. They simply don't understand that those who become demons harm others, but ultimately, they themselves will be the ones who perish. Perhaps they do understand, but they are too focused on the immediate consequences to consider the bigger picture.
...
As Yuan Meng drove, her mind raced with panic. She took deep breaths, telling herself to stay calm. She wanted help, she wanted someone to rescue Ruo Ke!
Seeing Ruoke's phone in front of the car, she picked it up and tossed it to the back seat. "Fu'an, call Daddy and tell him that bad guys have kidnapped Mommy, quick!"
"Oh," Huo Fu'an responded with a sob, grabbing the phone and scrolling through the call history. He often played with his mother's phone, so he knew how to use it. He found his father's number and pressed the small green button.
After a while, a cold voice came from the other end: "Hello, the number you dialed is currently switched off."
Huo Fu'an clutched his phone, looking pitifully at Yuan Meng. "Mommy, Daddy's phone is off. Mommy, will that bad guy kill Mommy?" Thinking this, he was about to cry again.
Yuan Meng was driving and had to answer him. "No, we won't. We'll go find Daddy, and Daddy will definitely be able to rescue Mommy. So we can't cry. Fu'an is a little man, and he has to go with Mommy to find Daddy to rescue Mommy, okay?"
"Okay, I won't cry!" The little guy wiped away his tears; his eyes were still red, but he really stopped crying. This was all thanks to the fact that Huo Qingfeng would always tell him that little boys shouldn't cry whenever he cried.
Not long after we started driving, the car got stuck in traffic, apparently due to a traffic accident.
Yuan Meng had to stop the car, almost in tears. That woman looked so ruthless, and seemed to hate Huo Qingfeng and Ling Ruoke very, very much. If Ruoke fell into her hands, who knew how she would torture her! Thinking of this, her body trembled, and tears welled up in her eyes. But she bit her lip tightly; now was not the time to cry!
The car couldn't move, so Yuan Meng took Ling Ruoke's phone, scrolled through the call log, and dialed the numbers one by one. Besides Huo Qingfeng, the first person was named Xuan Yuanqi, and Yuan Meng dialed his number.
"Hey, sister-in-law, how are you?" The person on the other end of the phone sounded extremely anxious.
"Hello, I'm not Ruoke. I'm Yuan Meng. Ruoke was kidnapped by that woman named Guzheng! I don't know where they went!" Finally, a tear slid down Yuan Meng's cheek.
Xuan Yuanqi paused for a moment. "Don't worry, I will definitely find her! Where are you and Fu'an? Are you safe?"
"Don't worry about us, we're safe. Go find Ruoke, you must save her! That guzheng is terrifying, I don't know what it will do to Ruoke!"
"I'm glad you're all safe. I'm trying my best to find her. Don't worry, we'll definitely get her out! I'm hanging up now!"
With tears in her eyes, Yuan Meng felt a little calmer than before. She found Tan Peishi's number again and dialed it.
"Is this Tan Peishi? This is Yuan Meng. Ruo Ke has been kidnapped by Gu Zheng. Huo Qingfeng's phone is off. Could you please call your husband and have him find Huo Qingfeng immediately? Please!"
Tan Peishi on the other end screamed, "What?! Ruo has been kidnapped by Guzheng! Okay, I'll call my husband right away!"
Tan Peishi didn't have time to ask what had happened. She immediately hung up and dialed Fu Peigang's number, but it was also switched off. She was frantic and, remembering Xuan Yuanqi, immediately dialed his number again.
Yuan Meng hung up the phone. Seeing the word "Mom," she thought of the Huo family! The Huo family must have a way to save Ruoke! She immediately dialed the number, and the few seconds she waited felt like an eternity. She even forgot to breathe.
"Hey, Ruoke!"
"Is this Mrs. Huo? I'm Yuan Meng, Fu'an's mother. Ruoke was kidnapped by Guzheng. She took me and Fu'an. Ruoke was taken away because of us. Huo Qingfeng's phone is off, so I had to contact you. Please, you must find a way to save her!" Yuan Meng's voice choked with sobs.
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end, then the call was abruptly ended without a word.
Yang Ziyun hung up the phone. Although she was anxious, she wasn't flustered. With military exercises underway, Huo Zhixun, like Qingfeng, was definitely off. Her grandfather's phone should be ringing. Yang Ziyun dialed her father's number, and a stern voice came through. She immediately said, "Dad, Guzheng kidnapped Fu'an and his mother to threaten Ruoke. Now Ruoke has been kidnapped by Guzheng."
"What?!" The person on the other end of the phone slammed their hand on the table, making a loud noise! "Don't worry, I'll send someone right away!"
Yang Ziyun hung up the phone and slowly narrowed her eyes. Had she really been too lenient with Gu Zheng? How dare she touch someone from the Huo family!
Yuan Meng didn't make any more calls; she knew she had already called all the people most likely to save him. She could only dial Huo Qingfeng's number repeatedly, but it remained switched off.
Just then, another number called, without a contact name. She answered. "Hello?"
"If it's alright?" Cang Weiwo frowned slightly, seemingly sensing something was off about the voice. Gu Zheng seemed to have secretly sneaked back to China, planning one last gamble; he was about to warn her to be careful.
Yuan Meng sniffed. "I'm not Ling Ruoke, she's been kidnapped by Gu Zheng! If you can save her, please do something to save her!"
"What? Where was she kidnapped?" Cang Wei was more familiar with the Gu family than the others. Perhaps because he had seen so many storms, he was relatively calm.
"Outside Xinghai Park in Z City. Guzheng brought a lot of people and cars, and I don't know where they went! Please, you have to find a way to save her!"
"I will." Cang Wei hung up the phone, stood up, and strode out.
Seeing his hurried appearance, Xiao Yan asked, "What's wrong? Why do you look so anxious?" He was here to remind him that an important meeting was about to start.
"Ling Ruoke has been kidnapped by Gu Zheng! I need to rescue her! Use all the connections in the Fengyun Gang to find Gu Zheng's location immediately, quick!"
"Cang, why are you doing this!" Xiao Yan couldn't help but sigh inwardly. He had already said he would break off all ties eight lifetimes ago, but now, upon hearing that she was in trouble, he still rushed to save her without any regard for the consequences.
"Xiao, I don't want to hear your nonsense!" Cang Weiwu coldly rebuked him. He can't let go, and that's it, there's nothing more to say!
Helpless, Xiao Yan had no choice but to turn and leave. If it weren't for their longtime friendship, he wouldn't want to associate with this guy anymore—a typical case of prioritizing women over relationships! Ling Ruoke had long since lost feelings for him, yet he remained trapped in his own web of deceit!
Although Cang is the boss, if things continue like this, his subordinates might start to have complaints. They followed him, not to save his woman! But those involved are often blinded by their own interests, and nothing they say will change that!
Others can retreat, but Xiao Yan cannot. This life was given to him by Cang Weiwo.
...
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