At that moment, Jiang Wan’ning was in the restroom, changing into the moon-white qipao.
The fabric was woven with a cloud-brocade pattern. Although the embroidery was somewhat crude, once worn by her, it was breathtakingly beautiful—beautiful enough to make anyone overlook the flaws in the qipao itself.
Her waist-length hair was still hanging loose, but with her deft fingers, she quickly turned it into an elegant braided hairstyle. She twisted a red silk scarf into a blooming rose and secured it beside her bun.
Just as she admired her stunning reflection in the mirror, a series of sharp screams suddenly rang in her ears—
“Ah!”
“Don’t push me!”
“Help! There are robbers!”
Panic-stricken cries came one after another.
To ordinary people, those screams meant danger.
But to Jiang Wan’ning, they sounded like music to her ears.
They’re here.
Her chance to get close to that man had finally arrived.
“Bang!”
One particularly clever idiot, desperate to escape, had originally intended to rush into the men’s restroom and use the second-floor bathroom window to flee the shopping center.
He took the wrong door, however, and barged straight into the women’s restroom.
The moment he saw the girl in the moon-white qipao, her eyes curved with a charming smile, he froze on the spot.
His soul practically left his body!
Oh my God!
The future mother of his children has stolen his soul!
For a moment, he completely forgot to close and lock the door. He simply stared at the girl without blinking.
How could there be such a beautiful woman?
Every one of her features matched his ideal type perfectly. His heart was instantly captivated, pounding wildly in his chest.
He was practically ready to drag her off to register their marriage on the spot when the robbers, utterly oblivious to the situation, charged into the restroom.
“Big Brother, look! There’s a gorgeous girl hiding in here! Take her hostage!”
“Hurry! Grab her! Use her as a hostage!”
When the robber brothers saw such a beautiful woman, they had no intention of showing mercy or admiring her beauty.
Grab her!
Lu Jinchao panicked.
He didn’t care that the two robbers were carrying guns and knives. He hurried forward, trying to stop them.
But he had forgotten something.
For all these years, he had been spoiled rotten by his grandfather. He had never suffered any hardship or properly trained in combat.
Even though he was a towering 6’1″, he was quickly beaten to the ground after just a few punches and kicks from the two robbers, completely losing the ability to fight back.
And so, under Lu Jinchao’s furious, bloodshot gaze, the two robbers successfully took the future mother of his children hostage!
“Let her go! Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you!”
“Pfft! Pretty boy, you’re a weakling! Who wants anything from you?”
The robbers disdainfully kicked the man lying on the floor several more times.
He looked so well-dressed and pretentious.
What an eyesore!
Jiang Wan’ning lowered her eyes. Her arms were folded across her chest, and her body trembled slightly as she pleaded softly,
“Please don’t hurt me, Big Brothers. I’ll go with you.”
A beautiful woman shedding tears was enough to make any man soften his heart.
The robbers were after money, not women. They only wanted to take a hostage, so they didn’t make things difficult for her.
“Good. Be a good girl and we won’t hurt you. Come here. Step forward.”
“Mm-hmm.”
And so, because Jiang Wan’ning obediently cooperated and deliberately acted weak and frightened, the robbers treated their hostage relatively gently.
As for Lu Jinchao, who had been beaten senseless on the floor and had already passed out—
What did he have to do with her?
They barely knew each other.
Aside from being her cousin’s blind-date partner, they were essentially strangers.
He had only stood up for her just now because he had been captivated by her beauty…
Downstairs, the jeep came to a stop at a safe distance.
The surrounding area had already been sealed off by the police, who had arrived somewhat late. A loudspeaker was set up, and a voice boomed through it:
“Robbers inside, listen! You are completely surrounded! Put down your weapons and surrender! Do not harm the hostages. If you cooperate, we will consider leniency!”
“Bullshit! I wasn’t scared by your threats! Get out of here for three kilometers—no, five kilometers! Leave us a motorcycle with a full tank of gas, and we won’t hurt the hostage!”
At the second-floor window, the leader of the robbers held a beautiful figure hostage and shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice loud enough to shake the heavens.
Jiang Wan’ning endured the discomfort in her ears and, with tears in her eyes, discreetly surveyed the situation below.
When she spotted a jeep bearing a particular identifying number, a flash of light passed through her eyes.
It disappeared almost immediately.
She resumed playing the part of an innocent, helpless hostage.
In an instant, a string of round, pearl-like tears rolled down her cheeks, tugging at the hearts of everyone who saw her.
“Holy crap, where did the robbers find such a stunning girl? She’s gorgeous! I’ve never seen anyone this beautiful!”
“Watch your language. Figure out how to rescue the hostage.”
“Boss, I’d like to volunteer—”
“Huh? Where’s the boss?”
“Wasn’t he just in the back seat?”
“Uh…”
“Hold your positions.”
Hearing the familiar voice over the radio, the two men sitting in the front exchanged glances, their eyes filled with pure confusion.
So…
The boss went off to play the hero and save the beauty?
Holy crap!
……
There were only two robbers.
But the second floor of the shopping center contained more than a hundred people, including sales clerks, shop owners, and customers.
Men, women, young and old alike.
Crying and cursing filled the air without end.
But everyone was terrified of the guns in the robbers’ hands. They all crouched down with their heads covered, unwilling to be the first person to stick their neck out.
Because Jiang Wan’ning cooperated with the robbers and acted as their hostage, and because she was frightened but made no attempt to resist, they didn’t mistreat her.
She found a spot and obediently sat down.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to crouch like everyone else.
The qipao simply made it too inconvenient.
She didn’t notice that among the crouching crowd, a pair of malicious eyes filled with jealousy had been fixed on her the entire time.
It was Lin Meijia.
She hadn’t managed to leave before the heavy rain trapped her inside.
So she had gone up to the second floor to browse the shops and buy a gift to take home for her mother, hoping to please her enough to persuade her to help arrange a marriage between her and the Liu family.
Who could have expected this?
Not long after, a tremendous crash came from the first floor.
Immediately afterward, a crowd of people rushed upstairs, fleeing wildly and desperately looking for somewhere to hide.
They screamed that there were robbers.
Lin Meijia’s heart nearly froze.
She had forgotten.
In her previous life, this exact day had also seen two robbers fleeing into the shopping center. They had killed several hostages before being shot in the head by a mysterious military big shot.
Because of the heavy casualties and the terrible repercussions, that powerful man had been disciplined afterward and demoted two ranks.
She had only been reborn a few days ago.
She didn’t want to die yet!
So she immediately hid herself among the crowd, deliberately smearing dirt across her face in the hope that the robbers wouldn’t notice her beauty.
But then—
Who did she see?
Jiang Wan’ning!
She hadn’t left?!
And she had even changed into a qipao!
Just because of her beautiful face and pitiful appearance, the robbers were treating her with tenderness?
Damn it!
Had those robbers been dropped on their heads as children?
Hadn’t they killed several hostages to establish their authority in her previous life?
So why weren’t they killing Jiang Wan’ning first?
Huh?
Jiang Wan’ning suddenly sensed a deep, malicious gaze boring into her back, like a sharp thorn pricking her skin.
She pretended to turn around casually.
Then, with perfect precision, she found the person whose gaze was filled with hostility toward her.
“Ah! Cousin? You didn’t leave? What are you doing here?”
Faced with Jiang Wan’ning’s sudden cry of delighted surprise, Lin Meijia felt her scalp go numb and a chill run down her spine.
Because both robbers turned their heads at the same time.
Their eyes landed on her.
And neither of them looked particularly friendly.