Liu Ying abruptly stood up to push Zhang Jingchan: “You’re lying!” But her arm was grabbed by Cheng Chuan, who asked coldly, “Is what he’s saying true? So Old Zhang and I have been working for you and your lover this whole time? Damn it.”

Zhang Fengming’s expression also changed, his look turning vicious. He was about to slap her across the face when Zhang Jingchan blocked him, saying, “No matter what, she’s my sister. As long as she coughs up the money, we can split it evenly. First tie her up and gag her to keep her from running away or calling for help.”

Liu Ying was restrained by Cheng Chuan. She struggled desperately and shouted loudly, “You’re all crazy! He’s lying to you! He’s not Xu Yi—he’s Zhang Jingchan! He’s Zhang Jingchan!”

Zhang Jingchan looked at her in astonishment. Cheng Chuan paused, frowning: “What nonsense are you spouting?” Zhang Fengming had already found rope and tied up her hands and feet, then stuffed a towel in her mouth and tossed her on the floor.

Liu Ying couldn’t move. Her eyes practically shot fire, and her face was iron-gray with rage.

Zhang Fengming asked, “What do we do now?”

Zhang Jingchan said, “I’ll try to persuade her alone.”

Cheng Chuan and Zhang Fengming had no doubts. After all, if “Xu Yi” wanted to embezzle this money privately, there was no need to bring it up in front of them. “Xu Yi” clearly also needed the two of them as accomplices to fight against his sister.

The two left the gymnasium and went to the cave to stay with the subordinates. Only Zhang Jingchan and Liu Ying remained here.

Liu Ying sat on the floor, coldly staring at him. Zhang Jingchan felt around her body and pulled out a backup phone. Liu Ying struggled desperately, but in vain. Zhang Jingchan scrolled to the most frequently contacted phone numbers, looked through some text messages, and confirmed which one was Xu Yi. He took a photo of Liu Ying, then made the call.

——

After Xu Yi finished showering, he changed into a suit and dress shirt, tied his tie properly in front of the mirror, and put on his wristwatch. Walking out of the bedroom, he saw the person from the outer room was no longer there. He just smiled.

His phone rang, showing an incoming call from Liu Ying. Xu Yi immediately answered: “Hello.”

A familiar male voice came through: “Mr. Xu, it’s me.”

Xu Yi’s eyes fixed. He sat down, lowered his neck, and smiled: “Achan is quite capable.”

Zhang Jingchan said coldly, “Not as capable as you! Your sister is still alive, but my parents’ lives hang in the balance! Did you see the photo?”

Xu Yi swiped up on his phone and saw a photo of Liu Ying tied up. From the background, Zhang Jingchan had actually found their hiding place.

That township elementary school—it was attended by rural children and left-behind children, normally drawing no attention at all. Xu Yi had been funding the elementary school for years, and the principal regarded him as a great benefactor. The location was also close to the riverside dock, and Xu Yi had always kept it as a backup site. This time, Xu Yi had given the principal a sum of money. All the principal had to do was play deaf and dumb, pretending not to know they were secretly hiding behind the school’s back mountain. When police came to inquire, the principal used those pitiful children as a shield, and the police didn’t want to disturb them too much. Liu Ying and the others hid in the cave on the back mountain and escaped several searches.

“How did you find that place?” Xu Yi sounded like he was chatting casually with a friend.

“Mr. Xu is underestimating people.” Zhang Jingchan’s calm tone couldn’t hide his hatred. “Don’t you want to replace me? Come here alone. Don’t bring anyone. If you don’t arrive within an hour, I’ll kill Liu Ying in front of everyone first, then call the police. Guess how many things Zhang Fengming and Cheng Chuan will reveal about you? Seeing you personally kill your sister with their own eyes, do you think it’ll be life imprisonment or immediate execution? I’m guessing the latter.”

“Don’t joke around, Achan. Would you kill someone? Can you bring yourself to do it?” While talking on the phone, Xu Yi walked toward the bedroom, pulled open a hidden compartment in the nightstand, took out a handgun, and strapped the holster tightly to his lower back beneath his suit.

Zhang Jingchan: “Since you dare to be Zhang Jingchan, I dare to be Xu Yi.”

The call disconnected.

Xu Yi walked out of the room. Downstairs, the two subordinates were watching TV. Hearing footsteps, they immediately stood and looked up, awaiting orders. Li Weiyi’s door was tightly shut.

The mountain night was silent except for the sound of the wind, cold and bone-chillingly desolate. Xu Yi just stood there alone for a while, then slowly walked to Li Weiyi’s door.

Zhang Jingchan had Liu Ying as a hostage, and perhaps Ding Chenmo providing support from the outside. Zhang Jingchan alone couldn’t control that many people. Zhang Fengming and Cheng Chuan, those two pig-brains, had probably been deceived by him, including the four subordinates on the perimeter who hadn’t reacted yet.

Xu Yi thought, when the two confronted each other, these people wouldn’t necessarily be reliable. Then he himself might be at a disadvantage.

This move by Zhang Jingchan was extremely clever. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Unless he himself also had a hostage in hand.

Xu Yi knocked on the door. No one answered. He took out a key, opened the locked door from the outside, but couldn’t push it. He said, “Xiaoyi, this is meaningless.”

Li Weiyi’s icy voice came through: “What do you want?”

Xu Yi called over two subordinates. They quickly pushed the door open and shoved the cabinet aside. He waved his hand, indicating the subordinates should stay outside, and closed the door.

Li Weiyi sat in a chair, looking out the window as if she saw nothing.

Xu Yi sat on the edge of the bed, arms resting on his legs, lowering his head to straighten his shirt cuffs that had become slightly disheveled from pushing the door, then adjusted his tie. He said, “Xiaoyi, I need to go somewhere. I’m giving you one last choice: if you sleep with me right now, I won’t take you along. You can stay here and sleep well. When you wake up tomorrow, everything will be over.”

Li Weiyi’s neck was held ramrod straight. She laughed with utmost mockery: “Dream on.”

Xu Yi threw off his suit jacket onto the floor and pulled her beneath him in one motion. Li Weiyi tried to struggle, but how could she match a sturdy man nearly six feet tall? He pinned her hands above her head, forcing her to lift her face. His body pressed down on her body, his legs pinning down her legs. His eyes reddened in an extremely rare display, full of viciousness: “Not doing it is fine too. Say you love me. Say you love Xu Yi. Li Weiyi, you clearly loved me before!”

Li Weiyi didn’t know where she got the strength, but one hand broke free from his restraint. With a “smack,” a resounding slap landed on his face. She screamed hysterically, “Xu Yi! Why are you like this? Why? You were clearly so good, so outstanding! Everyone liked you, everyone admired you! Why did you take this path? Why did you do these things? Even if slower, taking the proper path—success, money, status, what couldn’t you obtain? But why have you become like this? Look at yourself now! Do you know… I’m very disappointed in you. Achan is also disappointed in you. Zhang Moyun, Ding Chenmo… everyone is disappointed in you! Because you could have, you could have…”

Her tears flowed down: “You could have been a good person, a very, very good person. The kind of outstanding talent that a nobody like me could never reach—a brilliant future, great achievements, a life of smooth sailing.”

Xu Yi remained frozen in one position, staring at her. His eyes finally also filled with tears. He suddenly released her and stood up, turning his back to her. He straightened his suit and tie, quickly grabbed a tissue from the bedside, and wiped away his tears.

Li Weiyi sat up silently.

He called a subordinate in to bind her hands and feet with rope, allowing her only to shuffle in very small steps. But he had already gone downstairs. When the subordinate brought her out of the house, he was already sitting in the driver’s seat of the car.

Li Weiyi was pushed into the passenger seat by the subordinate. Xu Yi’s face showed no expression, as if the person who had just shed tears wasn’t him. He fastened her seatbelt for her and drove down the mountain.

Li Weiyi asked, “Where are we going?”

Xu Yi looked ahead and answered, “Going to settle things with Zhang Jingchan. Liu Ying is in his hands. I’ll trade you for her. I won’t let you get hurt.”

After driving for a while, he said, “Tonight, either Zhang Jingchan or I will definitely die. If I can survive, after tomorrow, I won’t come looking for you again. From now on, you can live freely. I wish you peace and safety, a life of smooth sailing.”