One hundred million

In the days that followed, Lin Qi went about delivering food as usual, with nothing out of the ordinary occurring. He and Hongyu continued to see each other daily, but both tacitly avoided mentioning what had happened that night. Even when their eyes met, they quickly looked away.

Still, Lin Qi hadn’t given up on investigating Song Qingzhu. How could a woman in her early twenties become the president of Jinyang Group? Most puzzling was that even with Tang Long’s abilities and connections, he couldn’t uncover anything about her background. There were so many mysteries here; no wonder Tang Long was suspicious, and Lin Qi had made her his focus as well.

However, after getting that Mercedes, Lin Qi no longer had a reason to contact Song Qingzhu—the hairbands and earrings were too trivial to warrant another meeting. So, he told the dispatcher at his delivery station that if any orders from Song Qingzhu came in, they should be assigned to him. In theory, orders were dispatched randomly, but the dispatcher could make exceptions. For this privilege, Lin Qi had to pay the price of two packs of cigarettes.

He was determined to keep following the Song Qingzhu thread.

As for the Mercedes, Lin Qi had left it parked in a corner of his apartment complex; as a delivery man, he couldn’t possibly drive such a flashy car. He offered it to Luo Feifei as a commuting vehicle and explained the whole story behind how he’d acquired it. Luo Feifei was quite surprised—first Lin Qi saved Tang Long, then Song Qingzhu; what luck!

But she refused the Mercedes. “I’m just a junior supervisor, and I haven’t been in the job long. Driving a car like that would attract too much attention. The bus is fine for me.”

Lin Qi could only smile wryly. If it were Luo Yingying, she’d have been driving that car around, showing it off everywhere. That was the difference between the sisters. Born to the same mother, yet so different—such is the variety among people!

Indeed, it was true.

Later, Luo Yingying ran into Luo Feifei at the company and asked her about the origin of Lin Qi’s car. When Luo Feifei told the truth, Luo Yingying stamped her foot in frustration. “That idiot! He saves Tang Long, then Song Qingzhu, but all he gets are flashy, useless things! How much can a used Mercedes fetch? At most a few hundred thousand. Serves him right to be poor all his life!”

Despite her words, Luo Yingying still said to Luo Feifei, “Bring that Mercedes over here and let me drive it for a few days. Neither of you are using it—what a waste to just leave it sitting there.”

Luo Feifei refused at once. “That’s my brother-in-law’s car. I can’t make that decision!”

Luo Yingying was exasperated. “Honestly, there’s no helping your brain! I introduce you to boyfriends, you refuse. You’ve got a Mercedes and you won’t drive it. Hopeless!”

Meanwhile, after several days of waiting, Lin Qi finally received an order from Song Qingzhu. It was still at Yunze Lake Villas, Building 6, Number 12.

It was a workday, which meant Song Qingzhu hadn’t gone to the office and was eating takeout at home again.

“Maybe you’ll get appendicitis, or a heart attack or something…” Lin Qi chuckled, gathered the food, and set out.

Song Qingzhu was indeed home. She wasn’t feeling well that day and had decided to rest. Lying on the sofa in her empty villa, she played mobile games, occasionally cursing at the screen: “Come on, brother, use your hands, not your feet!” “You’re just a respawning minion!” “Pro, teach me how to play with my mouth next time!”

Just then, the doorbell rang.

Having just ordered takeout, Song Qingzhu assumed it had arrived. Still playing her game, she got up and went to the door.

With a click, she opened it one-handed, her head still bent over her phone.

“Just leave it on the ground,” she said, without looking up.

But instead of leaving, the person stepped inside—and wasn’t alone.

Sensing something amiss, Song Qingzhu immediately looked up.

Several burly men stood before her.

“Who are you…” Song Qingzhu exited her game at once, ready to call the police.

“Miss Song, don’t move, or your life will be forfeit…” The last man to enter closed the door and flashed a fruit knife.

“Liu Bighead…” Song Qingzhu’s eyes narrowed.

“Surprised you still remember me, Miss Song…” Liu Bighead sneered, the knife in his hand glinting coldly.

Song Qingzhu didn’t bother asking how they’d gotten into the complex. Though there were security guards and walls, there were always loopholes. The question was meaningless.

The men surrounded her, their weapons drawn.

Yet Song Qingzhu didn’t panic. On the contrary, she remained calm.

“What do you want?” Her voice was cold.

“Heh, after what you did, Miss Song, I lost everything. My brothers and I can’t survive anymore, so we’ve come to borrow some money. You’d best cooperate, or this knife won’t care where it cuts…” Liu Bighead waved his blade again.

Song Qingzhu wasn’t surprised. Kidnapping her—what else could it be but for money? It certainly wasn’t to kill her.

“How much do you want?” she asked bluntly.

“Straightforward as always!” Liu Bighead replied. “One hundred million. That shouldn’t be a problem, right?”