GV – Chapter 62

Ye Yuhuan could guess who the culprit was.

Now that the plot had progressed this far, it was about time for Guo Siwan to make her move.

After all, in the original story, Guo Siwan had resorted to kidnapping when she was cornered with no way out by the female leads.

Shen Wei and Ye Yuhuan had forcefully accelerated the plot, so they had naturally considered the possibility that Guo Siwan might act sooner. They had placed numerous tracking devices on Shangguan Xianxian and had several security guards following her in secret, precisely to prevent a sudden move from Guo Siwan.

So how, how could Song Zhiqing have gotten dragged into this too?

Ye Yuhuan was utterly baffled.

She had it all planned out; she and Song Zhiqing were going to do pottery tomorrow.

The promise she’d made while pretending to be drunk—Song Zhiqing had been secretly preparing for it. She said it was a secret, but it was obvious. After all, there were always a few hours every weekend when she was unreachable. Considering Song Zhiqing’s usual habits, her perfectionism must have been acting up again. She wouldn’t make a move until she had practiced to an astonishing level.

About half a month ago, she seemed to be ready. Her words had begun to shape the persona of a pottery enthusiast, just waiting for Ye Yuhuan to express her admiration so she could naturally suggest a pottery date for the two of them.

They were supposed to have made plans. If it hadn’t been for the sudden issue with Sheng Jing, they would have already set a date.

Ye Yuhuan picked up her phone again. Gao Yiren had already hung up. After sending a text to apologize, Ye Yuhuan called Shen Wei.

It was noisy on Shen Wei’s end. It seemed she had already gotten the news and was probably on her way there.

“When did it happen?”

“Five hours ago.”

Which was right after she had left Sheng Jing, not long before she called Song Zhiqing.

Ye Yuhuan clenched her jaw, hating herself for the first time.

It was happening again. Always so careless.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Ye Yuhuan’s tone was glacial.

This was exactly what Shen Wei had feared. She softened her voice and explained, “I was afraid you would overreact. Besides, they aren’t in danger. My people are already on their tail. We’ll have them out soon.”

Ye Yuhuan didn’t care about many things, but Song Zhiqing was one of them, and she didn’t particularly hide it. So now, Shen Wei was terrified that Ye Yuhuan’s emotions would spiral out of control.

“I think you know that if anything happens to Song Zhiqing, I won’t be playing this game of escaping the plot with you anymore.”

“I might even give you all a push.”

Ye Yuhuan threatened softly, her voice devoid of any emotion, just like when she had threatened Ye Chu.

This was her true nature. Beneath all the gentle, rational facades, she possessed the same crazed core as her mother.

Shen Wei sighed and said with a wry smile, “You always say I’ll turn on you, but you’re the one who truly doesn’t care about our relationship, aren’t you? You don’t have to worry about me secretly plotting against Song Zhiqing. I know she’s different from her past life. Besides, Shangguan Xianxian is with her now. If anything happens to Xianxian, I won’t have any interest in playing this ‘reborn female lead gets revenge’ game either.”

“You could trust me a little more,” Shen Wei said wearily, rubbing her temples.

Ye Yuhuan didn’t respond to the topic. She simply said, “Send me their location.”

In reality, Song Zhiqing being kidnapped along with her was a complete accident.

She and Shangguan Xianxian happened to be heading to Sheng Jing together after class to find Ye Yuhuan and Shen Wei. After half a month of fermentation, the news about Sheng Jing was more or less out. Countless people were now eyeing this unicorn with a bright future, ready to pounce and grab a piece of the pie.

Word had also gotten out that the Sheng Jing team was concluding their talks today. However, those holding cash and hoping to invest wouldn’t be so tactless as to show up and be a nuisance during their celebration. Only people who were practically family, like Song Zhiqing and Shangguan Xianxian, could brazenly rush over to see them right away.

On the way to Sheng Jing, the two decided on a whim to buy some desserts for the group. They had the driver pull over, and not long after they got out of the car, a black commercial van screeched to a halt a meter away from them. Several large men in black clothes jumped out. The bodyguards following Shangguan Xianxian immediately rushed forward to protect her, leaving Song Zhiqing exposed to the kidnappers’ view. The situation was chaotic, with the two groups brawling. One of the kidnappers didn’t care who this other person was and decided to grab her and throw her into the van first.

Maybe she could be used as a hostage?

The bodyguards Shen Wei had carefully selected for Shangguan Xianxian were clearly no pushovers. They fought a retreating battle with Shangguan Xianxian, quickly getting her back into their car.

The mission had clearly failed. Any further delay would only get them caught. The thugs planned to retreat. At this point, the already-captured Song Zhiqing became a chicken rib in their eyes—tasteless to eat, yet a waste to throw away.

Just as they were hesitating over what to do with Song Zhiqing, Shangguan Xianxian, having reached a safe place, immediately ordered her bodyguards to rush forward and rescue her. The kidnappers, now unable to fend for themselves, decided to retreat and regroup. At worst, they could just find a new target. Anyone coming out of Qinglin had to have some family money, right?

Through repeated discussions with Shen Wei over the past period, Shangguan Xianxian was already prepared for such a situation, but Song Zhiqing’s accidental involvement was truly unexpected.

But she couldn’t let an innocent person get hurt.

Shangguan Xianxian touched a button on her sleeve and, as the kidnappers were backing away, called out to stop them. “I’m your target. Let the person inside go, and I’ll go with you.”

She had a plan. Given how well-equipped she was, the chance of her being in real danger was slim. But it was a different story for Song Zhiqing. If anything happened to Song Zhiqing, she would never forgive herself.

Shangguan Xianxian signaled for her bodyguards to back up five meters and raised her hands above her head. After seeing Song Zhiqing pushed out of the van, she walked step by step toward the kidnappers’ vehicle.

Song Zhiqing could hear their discussion. She shook her head desperately, trying to stop Shangguan Xianxian. Seeing her movement, a kidnapper gave her a forceful shove, sending her stumbling forward. A cold glint flashed in Shangguan Xianxian’s eyes, and she quickened her pace toward Song Zhiqing.

Some people in the vicinity were already calling the police, but intimidated by the kidnappers’ demeanor, no one dared to approach. A large empty space had been cleared out in the area.

Time was tight. The kidnappers urged, “Hurry up!”

Then, one of them feigned a kick at Song Zhiqing. Shangguan Xianxian’s expression tightened, and she sped up again.

However, when she was halfway there, two kidnappers suddenly rushed forward, restrained both of them, and threw them into the van.

The impact made them both see stars. The bodyguards were too far away to help in time. They could only watch as the kidnappers slammed the door shut and sped away, leaving a cloud of dust.

The kidnappers, of course, had their own calculations. They weren’t fools; they could see that this target surely had plenty of tricks up her sleeve.

Since she cared so much about this young girl, it was best to keep her as leverage.

They weren’t the kind of stupid thieves who believed everything people said, especially these rich folks who were cunning down to their bones. They had experience in the kidnapping business and knew that the wealthy were very likely to have self-protection measures on them.

Seeing how unafraid and confident this girl was, it was highly probable that was the case.

But what did that have to do with them?

They just needed to deliver the person safely. In the process, it was best if nothing went wrong.

The rest was a headache for their employer.

In this line of work, “you do the job you’re paid for” was the truest motto.

But Song Zhiqing, who had been mistakenly captured, was clearly unaware of the situation. She had never faced such malice before. By the time she was old enough to live independently from her parents, her mother’s reputation was enough to shield her from attacks by fans.

She had only ever received gifts from strangers, never a sack over her head.

Song Zhiqing’s head and face were confined in a small space. There was tape over her mouth, which hurt. Her wrists and ankles were bound tightly, which also hurt.

She didn’t dare to struggle, only hoping this was something that could be solved with money.

However, when the kidnappers agreed to exchange her for Shangguan Xianxian, she realized it wasn’t that simple.

If it was just about money, kidnapping her would have been fine too.

Only if they were after a specific person would they fixate on Shangguan Xianxian.

It was hard to say whether she had implicated Shangguan Xianxian or if Shangguan Xianxian had implicated her. In any case, the current situation was terrible—so terrible that Song Zhiqing even thought it was just a nightmare during an afternoon nap. When she woke up, she would only have to attend two more classes before she could see Ye Yuhuan.

Song Zhiqing squeezed her eyes shut and bit down on a small piece of her lip until she tasted the faint tang of blood.

She opened her eyes. Before her was still a rough, dark blackness.

It was real.

Damn it, I’m so scared.

Shangguan Xianxian’s mouth was also sealed, and her whole body was tied up like a caterpillar. She had no way of telling Song Zhiqing that she had no fewer than ten tracking devices on her, with a dozen bodyguards on standby at all times. They would be fine.

They were both inside a black sack. The vehicle’s performance was good, with little vibration. Only the occasional turn reminded them they were on a road, heading in an unknown, dangerous direction.

The car stopped outside an abandoned factory. The sacks over Song Zhiqing and Shangguan Xianxian’s heads were not removed. From the fine gravel they felt under their feet, they guessed they were in a remote place.

The kidnappers first tied Shangguan Xianxian to a chair. When it was Song Zhiqing’s turn, they were in a bit of a dilemma.

Should they take her along and try for another score, or just leave her here to her fate?

The leader of the group made a gesture, signaling not to cause more trouble.

Kidnapping the Shangguan family’s daughter was already a huge deal. If they recklessly tried to grab another, they might never make it out of A-City alive.

They couldn’t tie her up, but they couldn’t let her go either. The kidnappers handcuffed Song Zhiqing to a water pipe on the side. The position was extremely uncomfortable; both of Song Zhiqing’s hands were twisted behind her back, and the slightest movement sent a sharp pain through her.

The tears she had been holding back for so long finally began to fall uncontrollably.

No matter how much of an all-powerful school tyrant she was, she was still only seventeen. Being firmly controlled by several burly men was an immense torment, both physically and mentally.

After making sure the two of them couldn’t escape, the kidnappers quickly left, leaving the two still-immobile girls behind.

Shangguan Xianxian struggled to free her hands a little from the plastic ties. She extended her index finger, curled it slightly, and began tapping Morse code on the back of the chair.

She remembered Song Zhiqing saying she was very interested in detective novels, so there was a good chance she would recognize it.

“Our rescuers will be here soon. Don’t be afraid.”

She was only halfway through tapping the message for the third time when a sudden set of footsteps rang out, crisp and clear.

It sounded like leather boots.

The newcomer removed the sack from Shangguan Xianxian’s head, let out a soft “huh,” and tilted her head to look at Song Zhiqing, who was tied up on the other side.

Shangguan Xianxian’s eyes streamed with tears, irritated by the sudden bright light. By the time she managed to blink them away and turn to look at the mastermind, that person had already removed Song Zhiqing’s covering.

That person—even just seeing her back, she could recognize her.

As expected, it was Guo Siwan.

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