Yunyu woke up amid a series of jolts. In fact, rather than being shaken awake, he was shaken awake by 609’s piercing shrieks.
Wuwuwu, Host, you’re finally awake. 609 was practically scared out of its wits. Just a second ago, it was still immersed in Yunyu’s performance, so how did the next second turn into a runaway kidnapping crime scene!
Even though he was currently in a very dangerous situation, Yunyu still maintained a nonchalant expression, as if everything was developing exactly according to his preconceived expectations. Don’t panic. Nothing’s going to happen.
After pacifying 609, Yunyu surveyed his surroundings. This was a camper van that could be described as very comfortable. From his angle, he couldn’t see the driver’s cabin, but Yunyu could sense that this tiny camper van was most likely plastered with hidden cameras peeping at him.
Although he truly loved the passionate and infatuated gazes others cast upon him, that didn’t mean he enjoyed this sticky, toxic line of sight that felt like a snake’s tongue licking across his body.
It truly made him feel disgusted.
Residual weakness from inhaling smoke still lingered in his body, and Yunyu struggled in place for quite a while before managing to sit up.
However, before he could make any further movements, the vehicle came to a stop.
The van door was pushed outward, and the outside light instantly poured in, forcing Yunyu to squint in discomfort. It took him a good while to clearly make out the person standing opposite him.
A person he was overly familiar with.
Teacher Yin… Mo Yunyu’s voice was strained, his eyes filled with disbelief. Why is it you?
The scholarly man who had previously sat far away in the mentor’s seat leaned his body forward slightly, his hand trembling as it reached out to touch Mo Yunyu, only to be avoided with disgust by the latter.
Don’t touch me! Mo Yunyu’s eyes reddened with anger. He genuinely never expected that Teacher Yin would actually be a member of that group chat, and perhaps even the creator of it.
Mo Yunyu’s guess was spot on. This was a long-planned kidnapping, and Teacher Yin was both the chat group owner and the ringleader.
Teacher Yin’s gaze was filled with infatuation mixed with the sadness and displeasure of being rejected by the other, his expression even twisting into something fierce. Disregarding Mo Yunyu’s resistance, his hand reached up to stroke the young man’s cheek.
Why couldn’t it be me? My darling, I’ve finally touched you.
Mo Yunyu could barely hold back his urge to retch. He wanted to push the other man away, but lacking even a shred of strength, he could only be carried out of the camper van against his will.
Along the way, Mo Yunyu didn’t stop struggling and making threats for a single second.
Do you know who my sister is? She will never let you off the hook!
This is a crime! Send me back to turn myself in now, and it’s still not too late…
It wasn’t until they entered the building’s elevator and found themselves inside a confined space, and subsequently stepped out of the elevator to see countless photographs plastered across the walls before them, that Mo Yunyu finally felt a belated sense of dread.
Thousands of photos, without a single exception, were all of himself.
Those familiar eyes instantly became chillingly alien, every single pair staring straight at Mo Yunyu through the photographs, making him shiver uncontrollably.
Teacher Yin, who hadn’t reacted at all previously, finally gave some feedback. He pulled Mo Yunyu tighter into his embrace, his tone as gentle as coaxing a child, yet the words he uttered made the person in his arms even more terrified.
Don’t be afraid. None of us will hurt you.
We?
Realizing something, Mo Yunyu’s complexion instantly turned dead white.
The final door slowly swung open, revealing four men standing or sitting inside.
You know, we originally had twenty-two people, Teacher Yin chuckled softly. But eight idiots exposed themselves, four were useless sacrifices, and five are handling the cleanup work.
Now there are five of us left. I wonder if you can handle it. Teacher Yin’s voice dropped low at that moment, the implication self-evident.
Stunned as he listened to the words echoing from above, Mo Yunyu looked toward the other four men who practically tried to devour him alive with their eyes, unable to utter a single sound for a long while.
It wasn’t until he was placed on the bed that he remembered he needed to escape, frantically summoning every last shred of strength to sprint toward the door.
Yet there were simply too many hands grabbing at him. No matter how he dodged, someone caught his legs or his arms, and in the end, he was miserably dragged back onto the bed, curling up and wrapping himself tightly inside a quilt.
Mo Yunyu finally reached his breaking point, hiding inside the quilt to shed tears. Yet the pride inherent to a member of the Mo family kept him from begging, forcing him to desperately search for any possible way out amidst his panic and terror.
Fortunately, the men surrounding him patiently waited for the prey to walk out of its trap, giving the quarry ample time for futile struggles.
Finally, he wiped away his tears and exposed his face, flushed red from being stifled inside the quilt.
What on earth are you people trying to do? Mo Yunyu’s voice was still trembling, but his gaze swept across all five people including Teacher Yin, forcing himself to memorize every single face.
He recognized every single one of them: the lighting technician, the special effects artist, the stage designer, the program director.
Every single one of them was included.
Mo Yunyu’s action acted like a fishhook, easily snagging a fish. Before Teacher Yin could open his mouth, someone else cut in ahead of him.
Yun-bao, we just want to get close to you. The special effects artist took a step forward, and Mo Yunyu instinctively shrank back. Teacher Yin immediately blocked the other man.
As everyone knew, there were no permanent partnerships among people, only permanent interests.
Their goal was obvious: they all wanted to possess Mo Yunyu, even if it was just for a single touch or a fleeting glance lingering upon them.
Since he was the target himself, breaking up their alliance became a relatively simple task.
Like a newly hatched fledgling, Mo Yunyu crept forward on his knees over the bed, clutching the cuff of Teacher Yin’s sleeve. He tilted his head up slightly, his eyes swimming with moisture and brimming with absolute pity.
Please make them leave, okay? I’m begging you…
The plea from the person he had desired for so long without success brought Teacher Yin immense euphoria. He turned his head and looked toward the others with a triumphant, bragging air.
You guys scared him.
However, how could Mo Yunyu’s little tricks escape the notice of the worldly, experienced program director? The director stepped closer, ignoring Mo Yunyu’s attempt to hide behind Teacher Yin, and cast an amused look at Teacher Yin.
Teacher Yin had better be careful not to get bitten back by the prey.
Teacher Yin instantly realized what kind of scheme Mo Yunyu was harboring. He turned his gaze back to the youth and sighed softly. Don’t waste your energy. You won’t escape.
Mo Yunyu hardened his heart, deciding to cast all caution to the wind. Mimicking the affectionate posture Shi Jingchi had once used and drawing upon Zhou Xingyu’s mastery of shedding tears on command, he pressed his cheek directly against the other man’s palm.
Wuwu… I’m scared. Teacher Yin, please make them go outside first, okay…
Hot tears trickled down the corners of his eyes. None of the surrounding men had ever witnessed the usually high-and-mighty Mo Yunyu reduced to such an infinitely fragile state, looking practically at the mercy of others.
Their breathing grew ragged, desperate to pounce forward right then and there to kiss away every single tear track on his face.
Finally, before things completely spiraled out of control, Teacher Yin helplessly wiped away his tears and granted Mo Yunyu’s small request, ruthlessly ordering his allies outside first so he could stay behind to soothe the youth’s emotions.
The most displeased of them all was the special effects artist. The moment he tried to voice his dissatisfaction, the program director held him back.
The director wore an ambiguous, knowing smile. Don’t be impatient. We’ll take turns one by one.
He believed that as the mastermind of it all, Teacher Yin had his own judgment.
After all, if they all swarmed him at once, poor Yun-bao would definitely get hurt.
Watching the four depart with reluctance or simmering interest, Mo Yunyu finally snatched a brief moment to catch his breath.
Meanwhile, back at the production team, absolute chaos had erupted, with numerous people pulling all-nighters.
A top-tier popular contestant had actually been kidnapped right inside the recording venue. Spoken aloud, it was a scandal guaranteed to detonate the entire internet, not to mention the victim’s identity as the young master of the Mo family.
With external pressure from the Mo family on one side and the top star glaring with a gloomy expression as he combed through clues alongside the police on the other, the director was at his wit’s end, forced to maximize every effort to suppress news of Mo Yunyu’s kidnapping while praying the young man would return safely, or else his entire career and show would be finished.
Ordered by his doctor to stay hospitalized for a full three days, Shi Jingchi instead appeared in the surveillance room, his eyes glued fixedly to the screen, unwilling to miss a single frame.
Still no trace of their whereabouts? Shi Jingchi stood off to the side, his anxiety worsening with every passing minute.
Yet the two individuals who had spirited Mo Yunyu away seemed to have vanished into a smokescreen, untraceable anywhere.
The police were equally helpless. They had never encountered kidnappers who didn’t ask for a ransom, and could only conduct internal investigations one by one, only to turn up a few disposable pawns who couldn’t cough up a single clue regarding Mo Yunyu’s whereabouts.
Right at that moment, a phone call rang out.
Answering without a second thought, the officer’s expression grew increasingly grave the longer he listened. Hanging up, he immediately notified his teammates.
Everyone assemble! We have a lead!
Today’s Mo Corporation looked just as busy as any other day, but the atmosphere on the top floor was unusually frozen. The special assistants in the secretary’s office walked on eggshells, terrified of incurring the wrath of their supreme boss.
Mo Yunniao had mobilized virtually every connection at her disposal, wishing she could dig three feet into the earth just to unearth the person who had kidnapped her younger brother and grind their bones to dust.
Finishing her final available phone call, Mo Yunniao rubbed her aching temples and sank back into her chair, completely drained of strength.
She had never believed in any deities or buddhas, but right now, she only wanted to pray to the heavens to protect her younger brother and keep him safe and sound, even if it meant paying an astronomical ransom to buy him back.
This was the first time Mo Yunniao realized just how much she cared about this younger brother. After all, members of the Mo family had always lacked familial warmth, carrying an indifference written deep into their very bones.
Much like how she, at just seven years old, first learned that a new life was coming into the family, her initial reaction hadn’t been joy, but rather worry over whether that newcomer would eventually usurp her status.
During those few years when her mind was still immature, she had also felt a sense of panic and horror over her own cold-bloodedness. Yet why should worldly conventions dictate that women must only be modest, humble, and submissive? She was determined to climb step by step, pushing the Mo family lineage to its ultimate extreme until she mastered everything she wished to grasp.
Fortunately, her younger brother lacked any business acumen, and fortunately, he had grown up to be an unprincipled playboy.
This allowed her to advance without a single worry under the family’s tutelage, while also indulging her younger brother with a clear conscience.
She admitted to the baseness within her heart, yet never expected that tied by the bonds of blood, he would care about her so deeply, leading her to reciprocate that care in equal measure.
Standing high above within the towering Mo Corporation building, Mo Yunniao sighed softly and clasped her hands together, praying that if gods truly exist, please, I beg of you, protect my younger brother and ensure he returns safely to my side.