Song Yao clutched her stomach, her voice muffled. "I... I’m starving."
’The esteemed Mr. Shen’s very own daughter... couldn’t even get a full meal?’
"So, you had a rough time with the Song family?"
The young man in the back seat finally spoke, his tone laced with suspicion.
The question seemed to open the floodgates. Song Yao immediately started wiping away tears, sobbing about how miserable her life was.
Listening to her, the two men were secretly aghast, their fists clenching subconsciously.
’If the Song family really treated Mr. Shen’s daughter this way, then this mission was more than just a simple abduction.’
Just as she was speaking, Song Yao suddenly wiped her face and broke into a grin.
"It’s a good thing my real dad sent people to rescue me! By the way, what are your names? From now on, you’re my saviors!"
The driver’s hands tightened abruptly on the steering wheel.
"Miss Song, what if I told you that the place we’re going..."
His eyes in the rearview mirror no longer looked away.
"Ling Qinghan!"
The man in the back seat suddenly barked, cutting him off sharply.
Sensing the threat in his voice, Ling Qinghan pressed his lips tightly together.
Song Yao tilted her head, blinking innocently.
"What’s the matter?"
"It’s nothing, Miss Song."
The young man in the back chimed in with a smile.
"We’ll be with your parents soon. You won’t have to suffer like this anymore."
But the smile didn’t reach his eyes, which held a hint of sinister cold.
The scenery outside the window sped by.
’Actually, they hadn’t planned on killing anyone.’
’The initial plan was just to send Song Yao away, find a remote place to lock her up for life, and ensure she never appeared before the Shen family again.’
’But that was no longer an option.’
’The situation had changed. They couldn’t stick to the original plan.’
’What if he had a change of heart later and, on impulse, ran to the Shen family to confess the truth...’
’The consequences would be unimaginable.’
The young man’s hand slid discreetly to his waist, his fingers brushing against the cold hilt of a knife.
’She had to be silenced.’
Song Yao was still laughing cheerfully.
"This world is full of good people after all! When I first saw you, I thought I was done for."
Ling Qinghan said nothing, his knuckles white as he gripped the steering wheel.
’He knew he couldn’t act strangely now, or everything they’d done would be for nothing.’
"Oh? You were afraid we were bad guys?"
As he spoke, he leaned forward slightly, his hand slowly drawing a dagger.
"Because... I thought you were sent by Liu Yumin’s daughter! I was even wondering, ’If I get in this car, will I ever be able to get out...’"
Before she could finish, the young man lunged!
He pinned Song Yao’s shoulder with one hand while thrusting a short knife at her neck with the other!
But just as the blade was about to connect, the car swerved violently, lurching from side to side!
The young man lost his balance and was thrown against the window!
The short knife went wide, only managing to slice through the leather on the edge of the seat.
"Ji Xianbei!"
Ling Qinghan roared, his voice cold and explosive.
He twisted sideways and kicked the other man in the waist.
This was followed by a blood-curdling scream from Song Yao!
She cowered in the corner of the passenger seat, her hands clasped over her head, her body trembling uncontrollably.
Knowing his cover was blown, Ji Xianbei dropped all pretense. He struggled to his feet and lunged for Song Yao in the front seat!
He jammed his knee into the gap between the seats, his arm stretching out to grab her by the collar.
Ling Qinghan reacted in a flash, pulling out his weapon.
"Don’t move!"
Ji Xianbei’s eyes were practically splitting with rage. "Ling Qinghan! Are you out of your mind?"
He turned to glare at him, veins bulging on his temples.
"You’re the one who’s lost his mind!"
Ling Qinghan roared back.
"Who is she? She’s Mr. Shen’s biological daughter!"
He yanked Song Yao behind him with his left hand, shielding her with his body.
"But she’s also Shuangshuang’s Achilles’ heel!"
Ji Xianbei bellowed.
"Let me finish her! Or else Shuangshuang will be ruined sooner or later!"
He pointed at Song Yao, his finger trembling uncontrollably.
"Our mission is to send her away! Not to kill her!"
Ling Qinghan bit out each word.
"That’s *your* mission! I promised Shuangshuang I would never let her be in any danger. Even if it means murder, I’ll do it!"
Ji Xianbei forced the words out through clenched teeth.
"Stop the car! Stop the car now!"
Song Yao, looking terrified, reached for the steering wheel.
The car swerved, nearly crashing into the guardrail.
Ling Qinghan slammed on the brakes!
The car screeched to a halt, and inertia threw all three of them forward.
The front airbags deployed instantly with a series of loud thumps.
Ji Xianbei frantically grabbed a seat to steady himself. The dagger flew from his grasp and disappeared into the crevice by the floor mat.
Before he could even regain his footing, Song Yao had already yanked the door open and bolted!
Without a word, Ji Xianbei followed her out of the car, ready to strike.
But just as he pulled his weapon from his pocket, Ling Qinghan’s fist came crashing down!
The two immediately began to grapple with each other.
Ji Xianbei couldn’t break free. He grew frantic, furious that he couldn’t chase after Song Yao and finish the job.
"I’m going to tell Shuangshuang everything you did tonight!"
"They all say you’re the one most loyal to her—bullshit! You call yourself her childhood sweetheart? You don’t understand her at all!"
Ling Qinghan didn’t respond, simply firing shot after shot, forcing Ji Xianbei to stay back.
Ji Xianbei was burning with impatience, terrified Song Yao would get away.
Suddenly, an idea struck him!
The next second, Ling Qinghan fired another shot.
A blood-curdling scream suddenly erupted from behind a tree, followed by complete silence. It was Ji Xianbei.
Ling Qinghan’s heart sank.
’Don’t tell me... did that last shot actually kill Ji Xianbei?’
Acting on instinct, he immediately rushed over to check on him.
’It’s over!’
’It’s a trap!’
"Go to hell, Ling Qinghan!"
The moment he got close, Ji Xianbei sprang up, swinging at his head!
But once again, he had underestimated Ling Qinghan.
In that life-or-death moment, Ling Qinghan dodged on pure instinct, tilting his head just enough that the blow only tore open the flesh on his shoulder.
A sharp pain shot through him as blood streamed down his sleeve, staining half his arm red.
Ji Xianbei stumbled backward, forced to pull back to regain his balance.
"Fuck! So close! But forget him for now. That girl, Song Yao, is the real target... You’re lucky to be alive!"
Ji Xianbei’s expression turned cold. He gave up the fight, turned, and sprinted back toward the car, intending to drive after Song Yao.
But when he lunged into the driver’s seat and fumbled for the ignition...
"What the fuck?! Where are the keys?!"
Nothing!
The car keys were gone!
Furious, he slammed his fist on the steering wheel.
Finally, resigning himself to his fate, he took off running in the direction Song Yao had fled.
Meanwhile, Ling Qinghan was clutching his bleeding shoulder.
One chasing the other, they disappeared into the woods in the blink of an eye.
A moment later, a rustling sound came from the bushes.
Dry leaves were pushed aside, and a few branches trembled.
Then, a figure covered in dirt and grime emerged.
"So what if you have guns? BANG, BANG, BANG, just firing wildly! If I wasn’t clever enough to hide, you two would have used me for target practice!"
It was none other than Song Yao!
She scrambled back to the car in a few quick strides, jumped into the driver’s seat, and immediately locked the doors.
If Ji Xianbei and Ling Qinghan had seen this, their eyes would have popped out of their heads.
A moment ago, they were still locked in a standoff among the trees.
Neither of them had noticed Song Yao quietly slipping away.
While they were locked in a life-or-death struggle, they had failed to notice that Song Yao had silently swiped the car keys!
She put the car in gear, released the brake, and slowly pressed the accelerator.
Song Yao floored the accelerator, and the car shot forward.
"Take your time chasing me, boys! This lady is outta here!"
She glanced at the rearview mirror, the corner of her mouth curling into a smirk.
Just as she finished speaking, she heard enraged shouts from the distance.
’Trying to play mind games with me? A couple of kids who haven’t even finished puberty. You’re still way too green!’