Chapter 54 The Grand Finale
The voice sounded unexpectedly familiar. Shen Qingtang subconsciously looked up at the woman walking in and uttered the name that was both unexpected and not unexpected: "Shen Ruowan, it really is you."
She was usually low-key and never competed with others. This sudden kidnapping, coupled with Zeng Mei's long journey to the scene, made her guess the mastermind behind it all. However, she hadn't expected that Shen Ruowan, the female protagonist of the original book, would actually hire someone to kidnap her; this behavior didn't quite match her pure and innocent image in the book.
Seeing Shen Qingtang sitting leisurely on the bench, her eyes not blindfolded and her hands and feet not tied, looking as relaxed as a store manager checking inventory, Shen Ruowan glanced at Zeng Mu and the other two with great disdain and said, "Is this how you do things?"
Fortunately, she didn't put all her eggs in one basket.
Zeng Mu said coldly, "You told us to bring her here, so don't worry about how we do it." After saying that, he stared at the two burly men dressed as bodyguards in black suits behind Shen Ruowan. His gaze lingered for a second on the identical scars on their right cheeks and their blue pupils, and his nostrils seemed to fill with the smell of bloodshed.
He frowned and said, "Miss Shen, they say family members shouldn't eat at two different places. What do you mean by calling other people over?"
Sensing the skepticism in the other person's tone, Shen Ruowan snorted coldly, "You won't be shortchanged by the six million you're owed, so don't worry." She then looked coldly at Shen Qingtang, slapping down a share transfer agreement, saying, "Shen Qingtang, no matter what, we're cousins by blood, and I don't want to hurt you." She paused, then added, "As long as you're sensible enough to sign this share transfer agreement, I guarantee you'll be safely sent back to the Qin Mansion."
After saying that, she spoke with a mocking tone, but couldn't hide the jealousy in her eyes: "After all, you're going to marry Qin Guanlan, aren't you? Exchanging a small amount of Shen family shares for your bright and happy future is a very worthwhile deal."
As she spoke, she handed a black pen to Shen Qingtang, her dark eyes filled with silent coercion.
Shen Qingtang frowned and said, "But I haven't inherited these shares yet."
Shen Ruowan said impatiently, "Then you'll be yours sooner or later." After all, she had already become a discarded pawn. After saying that, she urged again, "Hurry up and sign it."
Shen Qingtang had no choice but to take the pen from Shen Ruowan. However, when she had written half of the name, she suddenly looked at the person opposite her and said, "Shen Ruowan, your mental state is not quite right right now. I suggest you see a psychologist."
"Heh, I'm mentally unstable, isn't that all thanks to you?" After saying that, Shen Ruowan's eyes became bloodshot, her body trembled slightly, and her facial nerves twitched uncontrollably. A trace of hatred quietly emerged in her eyes as she looked at Shen Qingtang, and her heart was filled with turbulent waves.
Ever since she brought Zeng Mei to cause a scene at the "My Sisters" live broadcast, the series of consequences still make her feel bitter and astringent when she thinks about them, and she often regrets it late at night.
She didn't know how Shen Qingtang had whispered in Qin Guanlan's ear, but all the previously suppressed scandals about her—being arrogant, swearing, being kept by a sugar daddy, having poor acting skills, and being a nepotism hire—were brought back to the surface, and related topics trended on social media for three days and three nights. Her reputation was completely ruined, and the rising starlet became a laughingstock. She went from being an envied female celebrity to a pariah and a negative example. A large number of fans unfollowed her, switched allegiances, and some even turned against her, making her the most comprehensive source of negative information.
Brands have terminated their endorsement contracts one after another and are demanding compensation from her. All the variety shows she participated in have been cut, and her related TV and film works have either been buried or taken down. Even her name has become a banned word on major platforms. If she were just being criticized, Shen Ruowan could barely accept it, after all, being famous for being controversial is also a form of traffic. But now she has been effectively blacklisted. Her agency is already processing the contract termination and compensation process. In the past few days, various breach of contract fees have consumed all the money she has earned over the years, and she even has to pay out of her own pocket.
At this point, her career completely collapsed, and not only that, her love life also became very unsuccessful.
This time, Qin Rongyun was determined to break up with her. She did all sorts of shameful things, such as calling, texting, waiting for her at her company, and ordering flowers to beg for reconciliation. But Qin Rongyun actually had the heart to block and delete her. He stayed at the Qin Mansion and never went out. It was said that he was drunk and depressed all day long and kept muttering her name.
Upon hearing this news, Shen Ruowan felt a surge of anger. Honestly, if she couldn't let go of her, why was she so stubborn about saving face? Couldn't she have just given her a way out?
They're both in the entertainment industry, so how is he any more innocent or noble than me?
Seeing that she couldn't win over Qin Rongyun, she went to her ex-lovers who had given her resources in the past. However, these people either took the opportunity to threaten and trick her into bed, or they were indifferent and sarcastic, or they avoided her at all costs, causing her to repeatedly run into obstacles.
Since she can't go to the company, she can only stay at the Shen family's house now.
However, she also received more scolding and disdain. Because of Qin Guanlan's intervention, the Shen Group is now isolated and helpless. Unfortunately, they just decided on a tourism park project in the second half of the year, originally intending to diversify their development. However, they are facing a shortage of funds at this critical juncture. If the Shen Group cannot survive, it will have to declare bankruptcy.
Recently, this oppressive atmosphere has become increasingly intense. She has also vaguely sensed that some people despise and look down on her, and even dare to talk about her to her face. And this talk is not only from the servants, but also from her closest family members, and even from her grandfather who used to be generous with his praise and compliments.
Under such high psychological pressure, Shen Ruowan had long since shed her previous hypocritical facade, and in a fit of despair, revealed her true colors, becoming gloomy and ruthless.
She only has two ideas right now.
First, to reclaim the Shen Group, which rightfully belongs to them; second, to exact a severe revenge on Shen Qingtang!
Shen Qingtang lowered her eyes, looking at Shen Ruowan's neurotic expression, silently signed her name on the share transfer agreement, and pressed her red thumbprint. Then she said, "Shen Ruowan, I must remind you that even if I sign my name under duress, this document is not legally valid."
To put it bluntly, this is just a self-deceptive act. Once she tells the truth, the document will lose its validity.
Hearing this, Shen Ruowan shrugged nonchalantly, gripped the document in her hand, and said with a relaxed expression, "In that case, it's good that no one reports it."
Shen Qingtang felt a strange sensation when she saw the bright and unrestrained smile on Shen Ruowan's face.
Seeing the two bodyguards retreating, one of them reaching into his pocket for something, Zeng Mu felt a sense of crisis and shouted, "What do you want?"
In a flash, Shen Ruowan had already run out of the warehouse and said to the two people who had already left, "Close the door! Pour the oil and set it on fire!"
The pungent smell of petroleum immediately filled the warehouse. In an instant, a lighter was thrown in, and a dazzling fireball exploded in their field of vision, bursting forth in a spectacular display.
Sparks of fire shot out, searching for ignition points in the dilapidated warehouse, which was suddenly transformed into a sea of flames.
"You bitch! How dare you scheme against us!" Zeng Mu looked at the raging flames that seemed to devour people, his face dark, and he felt a pang of regret for being caught off guard.
He didn't expect that this woman was so crazy that she asked them to come and kidnap people and kill them, making them scapegoats with no evidence.
Chen Er was clearly still confused, feeling the burning heat all over his body, and asked with a puzzled look, "Brother Mu, what's going on? We helped her kidnap people, why is this woman attacking us instead?"
Zeng Mu: "..." He twitched his lips speechlessly and uttered a harsh word: "Stupid."
Kui Wu looked at Shen Qingtang with a guilty expression and said, "Doctor Shen, I've really messed you up this time. If I had known that the person they wanted to kidnap was you, I would never have agreed to join them."
"I just wanted to pull off this heist, make a fortune, go back to my village to farm and retire. If I survive, I will definitely turn myself in and turn over a new leaf."
In stark contrast to the anxious, regretful, or confused expressions of those around her, Shen Qingtang remained calm as always. She looked around, trying to find a way to escape, but unfortunately, Shen Ruowan was prepared. Both sides of the window were piled with debris, the fire was raging, and there was no way to get out. Moreover, the smoke was getting thicker and thicker, which was very choking and made people's eyes water.
Shen Qingtang looked up, stopping Kui Wu's rambling confession, and asked, "Is there any underground passage here that allows us to escape?"
"Kuiwu, you're in charge of this warehouse, you should know about it, right?"
"Brother Kuiwu, you know the terrain here, so come up with a solution quickly."
Perhaps it was Shen Qingtang's calm expression that soothed the panic in the others' hearts, and they all stepped forward to surround Kui Wu, trying to find a chance to survive.
Kui Wu said dejectedly, "This is just a small warehouse, where would we get the money to build an underground passage?" Sensing the extremely disappointed looks in everyone's eyes, he lowered his head and said in an even lower tone, "There is a wall in the back that has been in disrepair for many years, but even if the three of us had the tools, we wouldn't be able to break through it right away."
"Unless... unless there are ten burly men, then maybe."
Hearing this, Shen Qingtang's eyes flashed with a sharp gleam. He took out a silver needle from the bag inside his clothes and said, "Perhaps, I have a way."
*
Seeing the thick smoke billowing from the warehouse and the flames spreading, Shen Ruowan, whose emotions had been suppressed for so long, felt an overwhelming sense of joy. She laughed heartily at the hard-won Shen Group share transfer agreement in her hand, saying, "With this agreement, the Shen Group is finally mine!"
"Shen Qingtang, just stay inside. This is the cremation I specially chose for you! There are a few men to take you with them, so even if you die, you won't be without men."
"I'm your cousin, haven't I been good enough to you?"
The two mercenaries beside her said, "Miss Shen, we've killed the person you wanted. When will the final payment be settled?" Shen Ruowan waved her hand and said, "Wait another half hour. I want to watch Shen Qingtang die with my own eyes."
The fire crackled and popped as she imagined Shen Qingtang's desperate expression, feeling a sense of immense satisfaction, as if she were enjoying a delicious feast.
Suddenly, the tall man next to her shouted in one direction, "Who goes there? Come out right now!"
Shen Ruowan frowned, a sense of foreboding creeping into her heart.
Suddenly, a man holding a phone popped out of the bushes and shouted excitedly, "Family, did you just hear that? Shocking headline: Shen Ruowan murdered her own cousin, Shen Qingtang!"
"She's completely insane; she even dared to mess with Doctor Shen."
The live stream chat was flooded with comments.
[Shen Ruowan? Isn't that the disgraced female celebrity? It's not surprising that she would do something like murder for money.]
[As expected, there's a lot of gossip in wealthy families; they're willing to fight to the death for just a tiny bit of company stock.]
[This is infuriating! Is there no law anymore? There are just too many parasites like this in society!]
[How dare they mess with Doctor Shen! I'm nearby, I'll be right there to help.]
[Don't worry, our main search team is on its way.]
Did anyone record that? This is evidence of Shen Ruowan's murder.
Don't worry, I not only recorded it, but also sent it to President Qin's work email.
[Hang in there, anchor! I can hear police sirens!]
......
At the same time, the number of viewers in the live stream quickly rose from over 10,000 to over 100,000.
Shen Ruowan immediately realized something was wrong. She covered her face with her hands and shouted, "Stop filming! I'm not Shen Ruowan!" But her words were clearly an attempt to cover up the truth. After saying that, she immediately gave the two mercenaries a cold command: "Take him out!"
Seeing that the two of them hadn't moved, she urged them impatiently, "Hurry up! I'll give you more money, another two million!"
One of the men said with a grim expression, "I'm afraid it's already too late."
As soon as she finished speaking, more people holding up their phones appeared in front of Shen Ruowan, clearly capturing her distorted and frightened face.
Immediately afterwards, the police rushed to the scene, quickly apprehended the two mercenaries who tried to escape when things went wrong, and Shen Ruowan, and ordered, "Quickly! Arrange for personnel to put out the fire!"
From a distance, the warehouse looked exactly like a burning fireball. Qin Guanlan got out of the police car, staring intently at it, his heart sinking little by little.
Looking at the Qin and Shen families who had arrived, Shen Ruowan asked incredulously, "How did you find them so quickly?"
Shen Qinglan was both anxious and angry. She went up and slapped her, saying, "This is the internet age. Besides, the person you kidnapped is my sister, the famous Shen Qingtang."
In fact, the cause of the incident was quite accidental.
When Shen Qingtang was kidnapped, a pair of prankster bloggers happened to be filming a video by the window and recorded the scene.
Because of the dim lighting, the blogger didn't notice it after uploading the video. It was only the sharp-eyed viewers who noticed the anomaly. As the saying goes, there are many experts among ordinary people. Soon, someone determined the location based on the blogger's IP address, apartment layout, lighting, and angle.
A large number of people on the internet also came across this place and shared their experiences. Based on the pieced-together information, they actually found the kidnapped person – Dr. Shen, a non-celebrity guest who had just become popular on the variety show "My Sisters"!
Many people shared their experiences in the comments section, praising the doctor's excellent medical skills and character. They felt even more sorry for the doctor after learning that he had been implicated in a human trafficking case.
Now, with the kidnapping incident, many people's inherent sense of justice has resurfaced.
Coupled with the official platform's continuous promotion, many people joined the search team and provided clues and reported the location. A group of night anchors who wanted to become famous and were exploring nearby heard the news and went to look for it.
After some back and forth, following the clues, they found the warehouse and also broadcasted all the evil deeds committed by Shen Ruowan.
Although people nearby kept carrying water to rescue, the fire was only burning because of the high altitude and the night wind.
Qin Guanlan frowned, his heart burning as if on fire. He said, "No, I have to go in and save them right away."
"Save people? How can we save them? The fire is just too big."
"That's right, even firefighters don't dare to rush in recklessly."
"Brother Qin, don't worry too much. Sister Chen has saved so many people, God will surely bless her."
"Guan'er, it's not that I want to stop you, but it's just too dangerous for you to go in."
Even the fire chief who had been urgently dispatched advised, "Mr. Qin, why don't you wait a little longer?"
Hearing the crowd's attempts to stop him, Qin Guanlan pursed his lips and said, "How can I wait? Am I supposed to just watch Qingtang die in front of me?"
They haven't gotten married or had children yet, and they haven't spent the rest of their lives together.
At the same time, he took a deep breath and made a decision: "If Qingtang dies, I will not live on alone."
The cold tone made Qin Sumiao nervously swallow, but she could only watch silently as the other person took off their coat and put on a gas mask and high-temperature protective suit.
Su Rong opened her mouth but couldn't say a word for a long time. Her eyes were already red and tears were falling one after another.
She knew her son was a man of his word, and that everything he said was carefully considered. But as a mother, she could only stand by and suppress her own worries.
Just as Qin Guanlan was about to rush in, a familiar voice, like a thunderclap, landed right next to Qin Guanlan's ears.
"Brother Qin, what are you doing?" Shen Qingtang's face was dark, and her eyes were filled with confusion.
Behind her were three large men who staggered and coughed incessantly. Overwhelmed with the relief of escaping death, they collapsed to the ground like dead flesh.
A tear suddenly rolled down Qin Guanlan's cheek as he ran quickly and pulled Shen Qingtang into a tight embrace.
The usually calm man was now very excited, his whole body trembling and his voice hoarse: "Qingtang, it turns out it was really you."
"I'm so scared... I'm so scared that this is all a hallucination, and that God must have heard my plea."
The viewers in the live stream, who were initially relieved, were stunned by what they saw: "..."
Finally, everyone typed "I'm totally shipping them" in unison, and even those viewers who had doubts about the couple's relationship shut up.
After all, when faced with a crisis, one's subconscious physical reactions cannot be faked.
【END】
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Author's Note: It's finished! Hooray! [doge emoji with rose in hand] I hope some lovely readers will support my new novel, "Game Fusion: The Apocalyptic Female Lord".
Veteran gamer Meng Peining was invited by the developer to try out the large-scale holographic Western fantasy game "First Lord". She readily agreed because of the high reward.
This game boasts appeal to all ages and offers a high degree of freedom, with a Western fantasy theme featuring leisurely infrastructure building, farming, and food.
When she opened her eyes, she was staring at a zombie with bluish-purple skin, a red face, and fangs—supposedly her subjects.
The wicked cherries that explode at the slightest touch, the red peppers that burst at the drop of a hat, and the carnivorous flowers that she chews on constantly—these are said to be the most abundant crops in her territory.
Meng Peining stared at the character's attribute panel, which alternated between transforming into a witch and a dragon. She lowered her head and licked her sharp wolf claws, her lips twitching: ...Just how many games did this game development team incorporate?
*
In the interstellar year 2030, the apocalypse suddenly erupted.
Whether you are a distinguished interstellar general, an outstanding scientific researcher, or a renowned agronomist... once infected with the zombie virus, there is only death.
Worse still, the endless evolution of mutated plants and animals and the increasing frequency of extreme weather events have plunged everyone into fear and anxiety.
So, do you want to join the Divine Phoenix Territory and become a citizen?
*
As the territory continues to expand, manpower becomes increasingly scarce. Meng Peining firmly believes that without a team, you can only work yourself to death.
Therefore, he called upon all people in the last days to lead them, regardless of age or gender, as long as they were alive.
What? You're just an ordinary person? No, no, I'm not going.
Become a citizen and receive a special ability awakening potion! Mix and match any of the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, earth, ice, lightning, and poison.
What? The zombies there are also citizens? No way, no way.
Survival rate of 100% when going on missions with zombies, amazing, incredibly amazing.
What? You're going to Ruitian Base and Xiguang Base?
Don't you know that all these base owners have gone to Shenfeng Territory to become its citizens?
Shenfeng Territory is undoubtedly a sacred place in the hearts of people in the post-apocalyptic world, because it has abundant crops and fertile soil, city walls that the enemy has been unable to conquer for a long time, and powerful superhumans.
One phrase became widely circulated during the apocalypse.
"Sister, marry any of the people from the Divine Phoenix Territory you meet!"
*
Meng Peining always thought this was just a sham game, so she ambitiously became the number one female lord in the apocalypse.
Even after successfully completing the level, he still resolutely chose to quit the game.
But she didn't know that the game and reality had quietly merged, and the people of the Divine Phoenix Territory, having lost their lord, were also plunged into despair.
On the night of the full moon, the cold and handsome man, known for his fierce reputation as the Judge, appeared with his red eyes, transformed into a wolf, and carefully stroked the smiling face of the woman in the photo with his huge wolf paws, his eyes full of tenderness and longing.
The little wolf cub in his arms cried even louder, "Mommy, don't you want Little Cabbage anymore?"
"How could you abandon your husband and children? Waaaaah!"
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