Lin Jiujiu: “…”
This damn male protagonist was truly as crafty as a monkey.
She was thinking about how to hang up without making herself look too embarrassed when the door to the hospital room behind her creaked open.
Before she could turn around, a cool presence suddenly drew near, and a slender hand reached out and hoisted her up.
Before Lin Jiujiu could react, a pale hand was pressed onto her shoulder.
The man stood extremely close to her. He seemed to possess an inherently frightening air. Lowering his eyes, he whispered beside her ear, “I have one.”
His voice was deep and cold, like a well in the depths of winter—any water scooped from it would freeze into ice.
And yet there was always a thread of terrifying amusement hidden within that ice.
Too ruthless.
Too fierce.
Lin Jiujiu was scared to death of him.
But when she heard his words, she couldn’t help freezing for a moment.
He had one?
A recording?
Shen Huan’s connections and access to information were clearly far more formidable than the novel had described.
Another phone was placed in Lin Jiujiu’s hand. An audio interface was open on its screen.
Gu Wenhe was still speaking on the other end of the call. “Lin Jiujiu, can you stop playing these boring, stupid little tricks? How childish can you be? You’re not even half as smart as Chen Ran. If you can still come back, then dissolve our engagement as soon as possible…”
Gu Wenhe’s rambling was beginning to irritate her, and Lin Jiujiu instinctively pressed the play button.
The conversation came through clearly:
“Jiujiu, it’s not that I don’t want to marry you. Shen Huan has too much momentum right now, and I’m swamped with company affairs. I really don’t have the time.”
“If someone could steal Shen Group’s business secrets, it would make things much easier for me.”
“Jiujiu, you can’t do it. Shen Huan is too ruthless. If you help me with this, I’ll definitely marry you as promised in our engagement.”
“…”
The recording was very short.
When it finished playing, Gu Wenhe clenched her phone so tightly that her knuckles whitened. The arrogant expression she had worn moments earlier turned gloomy in an instant, disbelief flickering across her face.
The Gu family and the Lin family had been family friends for generations. Lin Jiujiu had followed Gu Wenhe around since childhood, calling her “Brother Wenhe” in a sweet voice. The two of them could be considered childhood sweethearts.
On top of their families’ business ties, their elders had arranged their engagement long ago.
Lin Jiujiu’s love for Gu Wenhe was famous throughout high society.
She had even been willing to give up her life for her.
And yet someone like Lin Jiujiu had actually dared to record their conversation. It was obvious that she had been plotting against her.
A vicious glint flashed through Gu Wenhe’s eyes.
Very well.
Her gaze shifted toward the sleeping woman beside her, and her expression softened slightly. She said coolly, “Delete the recording. I’ll transfer however much money you want.”
Lin Jiujiu silently turned her head and glanced at Shen Huan, mouthing, “How much?”
Shen Huan smiled and lowered his voice. “Nine yuan. Tell her to transfer it directly to me.”
Lin Jiujiu: “?”
She didn’t understand.
She couldn’t comprehend it.
All this trouble, just for nine yuan?
She wrinkled her brow, but repeated his words to Gu Wenhe anyway.
Gu Wenhe was an extremely shrewd person, so she naturally sensed that something was wrong.
But the matter had already reached this point. If the recording fell into Shen Huan’s hands, he would undoubtedly suppress her yet again.
Absolutely not.
It was only nine yuan. Surely that couldn’t cause any trouble.
Although the two of them were mortal enemies, they still had each other’s contact information on their social media accounts.
The transfer arrived quickly. Lin Jiujiu rose onto her tiptoes and stole a glance at Shen Huan’s phone before timidly asking, “The ransom has arrived. Can I leave now?”
Shen Huan slipped an arm around her slender waist. His fingertips were warm as he lifted her gently and placed her on the electrotherapy chair. His eyes, black as ink, held a trace of amusement.
“Wait. President Lin’s ransom hasn’t been paid yet.”
Lin Jiujiu: “Wow.”
How ruthless.
Even ransoms had to be paid twice.
She blinked. “Nine yuan as well?”
Shen Huan leaned half against the table, picked up the glass from the cabinet, and swirled it with a lazy air.
“Five billion.”
Lin Jiujiu: “What?”
The last time she had heard that figure had been in an elementary school textbook. She had counted on her fingers for a long time before figuring out how many zeroes it contained.
Shen Huan paused and looked at her face.
Confusion and shock.
Unable to resist, he curled his lips and said, “Forget it. Fifty-two million will do. I suppose President Lin can’t come up with five billion anyway.”
Lin Jiujiu: “Wow.”
Fifty-two million.
Even if she worked summer jobs until she dropped dead, she couldn’t earn enough to cover the change.
As expected of a melodramatic novel. She was really broadening her horizons.
At the same time, however, her confidence soared. No matter what, the original Lin Jiujiu was the eldest daughter of the Lin family. Surely President Lin would sell everything he owned to ransom his daughter!
Seeing the stars shining in her eyes, Shen Huan fell silent for a rare moment before beckoning to the bodyguard.
A-Zuo stepped forward with a file.
Lin Jiujiu glanced at it suspiciously twice before Shen Huan said, “These are the Lin family’s business secrets. If he refuses to pay, tell him you’ll hand them over to the He family.”
Lin Jiujiu: “…”
Was this villain Doraemon or something?
How did he have everything?
Although she didn’t know who the He family was, they were presumably enemies of the Lin family.
She waved her hand with complete confidence. “Impossible. I’m his daughter.”
After all, before she transmigrated, she had had a father who was gentle, loving, and utterly devoted to his daughter.
Shen Huan pressed his lips together. As he watched her dial the number, he looked as though he wanted to say something but couldn’t bring himself to.
The call was answered even more quickly than expected, which gave Lin Jiujiu an enormous boost of confidence.
“Hello? Dad, it’s Jiujiu.”
But the eager concern she had imagined never came. Instead, a cold female voice said, “Jiujiu? What is it?”
Lin Jiujiu was stunned. “You are…?”
“I’m… your mother.”
The woman’s voice was tinged with coldness. “Your father is eating. What do you want?”
Lin Jiujiu: “…”
If nothing unexpected had happened, this had to be her stepmother, right?
Her confidence shattered into pieces in an instant. Resigned, she took the file from A-Zuo and said in a businesslike tone, “I’ve been kidnapped. Tell Dad to save me.”
The woman suddenly let out a mocking laugh. Then her voice moved farther away. Accompanied by faint footsteps, Lin Jiujiu heard her say indistinctly to someone, “Your daughter is asking for money again.”
There was the rustle of fabric, and then a man took over the call, speaking softly. “Tsk. Just have the assistant transfer it to her.”
They probably had no idea that Lin Jiujiu could hear every word clearly. A few seconds later, the man came back on the line and said coldly, “How much do you want?”
Lin Jiujiu: “Fifty-two million.”
Lin He wondered if he had heard wrong and repeated, “How much?”
Lin Jiujiu added, “Fifty-two million. That’s what the kidnappers said—not me.”
Lin He frowned, his tone turning stern. “Lin Jiujiu, have you had enough? I’ve already given you more than enough. What do you need so much money for? All you do is run around outside all day. Can’t you learn from your older sister? You’ve completely disgraced the Lin family.”
Lin Jiujiu had developed a strong heart in a remarkably short time. She obediently said, “The kidnappers said they have your business secrets. If you don’t transfer the money, they’ll hand the documents over to the He family.”
Lin He: “…What business secrets? You still dare to lie to people? Wenhe said you’ve been hanging around with Shen Huan all day. Get back here immediately! Shameless girl, you know perfectly well what kind of relationship there is between our Lin family and the Shen family.”