“My dad wants you to go over there.”
Qiao Zhilan jumped up immediately, about to leave, but Qiao Zhiwei grabbed her and continued asking Qiao Wanxia, “Can Uncle tell us where Dad is?”
Qiao Wanxia shook her head. “Someone gave my father a letter, demanding he transfer a ransom to an account. Otherwise, in two days, we’ll only see Uncle and Aunt’s bodies. So my dad wants you to go over and discuss with him how to handle this.”
After saying this, Qiao Wanxia lowered her head in distress.
“Bastards! Our family is already in this state, and where would we get the money for a ransom? They’re trying to kill him!” Qiao Zhilan cursed, then burst into tears.
Qiao Zhiwei stared at Qiao Wanxia and asked, “How much is the ransom?”
“Five thousand yuan.”
Qiao Zhiwei thought that Grandpa Huo had just given her five thousand, though she had spent one hundred fifty on clothes and a belt.
But if she sold her watch, she could easily gather the full five thousand yuan.
She suspected someone knew that she could just barely come up with this amount.
And it had to be related to her uncle otherwise, the kidnappers could have sent the message directly to her, instead of going through him.
Thinking this, she said coldly, “We sisters don’t have this money. If your family has it, I can go over and discuss with Uncle to see if he can lend it to save my dad’s life first.”
Qiao Wanxia hadn’t expected Qiao Zhiwei to take this attitude. Hesitating, she said, “I’m not sure how much money our family has. You’ll need to discuss it with my dad.”
Qiao Zhiwei nodded. “Alright, I’ll go discuss it with Uncle.”
Qiao Zhilan stepped forward. “I’ll go with you.”
Qiao Zhiwei considered her sister’s impulsive nature she spoke and acted without beating around the bush. If she knew Qiao Zhiwei suspected the uncle, she would alert him and impulsively clash with him.
So she turned to Qiao Zhilan. “Stay home and cook dinner. Don’t wait up for me.”
Qiao Zhilan, who always listened to Qiao Zhiwei, nodded. “Okay.”
Qiao Zhiwei followed Qiao Wanxia to their uncle’s house. Uncle Qiao Luwen and Aunt Li Chunhong immediately came out to greet them.
Li Chunhong grabbed Qiao Zhiwei’s hand, looked her over with a tender gaze, and said with concern, “You’ve lost weight.”
Qiao Luwen glanced at Qiao Wanxia. “Go pour a cup of water for your cousin.”
Qiao Wanxia immediately went inside, made some tea, and handed it to Qiao Zhiwei. “Cousin, here’s some tea.”
Qiao Zhiwei took it and looked at Qiao Luwen. “Uncle, Wanxia just said you received a ransom letter. Can I see it?”
“Sure.” Qiao Luwen got up, went inside, and handed a yellow envelope to Qiao Zhiwei.
She opened it and took out a thin piece of paper.
Written in two lines with a pen were the words:
If you want Qiao Luwu and his wife to live, transfer 5,000 yuan to this account within 24 hours, or you will only see their bodies.
After reading it, she folded it back into the envelope and looked at Qiao Luwen with a pleading expression. “Uncle, what do you think we should do? Should we report it to the police or pay the ransom?”
Qiao Luwen looked worried. “Weiwei, your uncle is just as lost as ever. You make the decision.”
Qiao Zhiwei was silent for a moment. “Then, Uncle, can you lend me 5,000 yuan so we can pay the ransom first?”
Hearing this, Qiao Luwen and his wife both took a deep breath and looked at each other.
Finally, Li Chunhong spoke first. “Weiwei, when your father’s factory closed, he borrowed a lot from your uncle. Since we were originally one family, we naturally didn’t treat him like other creditors, making him write IOUs. See, your cousins and Wanxia haven’t had to do any work yet.”
Qiao Zhiwei smiled. “No matter how much Dad owes you, it’s not like he owes you an entire building.”
The house her uncle’s family lived in now had originally been bought by her father as a gift for them.
Besides this house, her eldest cousin’s wedding was also paid for by her father, and it was done grandly, treating him like a true son.
But ever since the Qiao family got into trouble, she had never seen this good cousin appear.
Qiao Luwen hesitated, then said, “All we have left is this house. If we sell it, where would we live? Our whole family is stuck at home with no income, and your cousin-in-law is making trouble.”
Qiao Zhiwei nodded. “Yes. Without my parents, life is hard for all of us. Uncle, please think of a way to raise this money.”
“Weiwei, do you think, given our current situation, we can raise the money?”
“Then should we just watch Dad die?”
Qiao Luwen’s lips twitched. “Your wedding’s coming up soon. Doesn’t the Huo family show any concern?”
Qiao Zhiwei sneered inwardly. Sure enough… if her father knew that all his support had gone to a cold, merciless vampire family, how heartbreaking that would be.
Even though her heart sank, her face remained unchanged. “Huo Jingnian has already paid off all the debts. What more do you expect from him? Besides, knowing Dad was kidnapped, do you think the Huo family would compromise with the kidnappers? I’m not going to gamble with my dad’s life.”
Qiao Luwen was silent for a moment. “Then I’ll think of a way later.”
“Thank you, Uncle,” Qiao Zhiwei said politely.
“I’ll step out for a bit. Wait here for my news,” Qiao Luwen said, getting up.
“I’ll head home first. Zhilan’s waiting for me. Call me when you have news,” Qiao Zhiwei replied, not wanting to linger and have her aunt and cousin ask too many questions.
“Alright.”
After they left, Qiao Luwen didn’t go out but looked at Qiao Wanxia. “Did you hear that correctly?”
“No. I heard Huo Jingli complaining that Grandpa was favoring Qiao Zhiwei and gave her five thousand yuan.”
“If she had it, she wouldn’t hold back. Right now, the sisters are most concerned about the whereabouts of Luwu and his wife,” Qiao Luwen said in disbelief.
“Could she be suspicious? Qiao Zhiwei is very clever,” Li Chunhong said.
“If that happens, what about my brother? If he ends up in trouble with the authorities, his future is ruined,” Qiao Wanxia said anxiously.
Qiao Luwen’s gaze darkened. “If she doesn’t hand it over, then we can’t blame her.”
After dinner, Qiao Zhiwei received a call from Qiao Luwen. “Weiwei, I asked around, and in the end only one friend could lend it, but he wants to see you in person.”
“Which friend?”
“He Youguo. You should know him; he was also a friend of your father’s.”
Qiao Zhiwei recognized him. She hadn’t expected her uncle to actually borrow the money. Was she just overthinking?
Thinking this, she immediately said, “Then I’ll go soon.”
She wanted to see for herself.
Qiao Zhiwei told Qiao Zhilan and set off.
The Qiao family’s house was about fifteen minutes on foot from her uncle’s.
After walking for about seven or eight minutes, a voice suddenly called from behind, “Weiwei.”