Kidnapping

"Bzz—"

The phone on the desk suddenly gave a faint vibration. Its screen lit up, becoming the only light in the dim study.

Yu Zechuan had been dozing in his chair. At the sound, he slowly opened his eyes, utterly clear-eyed. He obviously had not been asleep. He picked up the phone and glanced at the message on the screen without surprise.

The island Jiang Boyun had invested in was actually one of Yinchuan Group's alternate development projects from years ago. Its surrounding resources were abundant and the scenery exquisite. But the Yu family patriarch had secretly taken a team to inspect it for a long time back then and discovered not only that venomous snakes were breeding there at an alarming rate, but that there were problems with the terrain as well. They had even made arrangements with a shipping company, only to be forced to abandon the project in the end.

The news had been kept airtight. Only a handful of people knew.

Jiang Boyun was cautious by nature and would definitely conduct an investigation in advance, but Yu Zechuan had secretly bought off every inspection team Jiang sent. The reports they brought back would therefore always say the same thing: high returns, suitable for development.

Lin Hongjing of Dingyou Group was the Yu family patriarch's close friend and one of the leading figures in their circle. As long as he was willing to step in and lead Jiang Boyun to invest in and develop properties nearby, the plan would be more than halfway to success. Once the island's internal conditions were made public, not only would Jiang Boyun's investment of tens of billions go down the drain, he would also face enormous bank loans.

But Yinchuan Group would be badly crippled as well.

"They're already dead. Why should I care about any of that...?"

Yu Zechuan gave a soft laugh in the darkness, filled with nothing but endless mockery. He slowly opened his cigarette case, drew out a slim white cigarette, and held it between his lips. The flint wheel of his lighter turned, and a faint blue flame leapt up, illuminating his gloomy face.

Yu Zechuan worked the computer mouse with his right hand. Through the white smoke, dense rows of data scrolled across the screen: the accounting records from that year.

At Jiang Boyun's instigation.

By Lu Yan's hand.

Smoke curled into his lungs, choking him. It stung his beautiful amber eyes until they were bloodshot. Hatred was like the urge to cough lodged in his throat, impossible to suppress.

Yu Zechuan had organized the data on the computer for a long time. He had reviewed it too many times to count, enough to recite every figure in it from memory. Yet two names remained joined to it, bone to sinew, impossible to tear away.

The lies Lu Yan had told back then shattered before this mountain of evidence. They were utterly vulnerable.

"None of you will get away..."

Staring at the screen, Yu Zechuan spoke softly. There was no great surge of rage in his voice, only the calm certainty that a killer must pay with his life and a debtor must repay what he owes. And he, too, would collect the debt owed to him.

By the time Xue Jin drove over that night, the ashtray at the corner of the desk was already piled high with cigarette butts. Catching the thick, choking smoke in the air, he instinctively looked at Yu Zechuan seated at the computer. A rare flicker of conflict crossed his eyes. "Zechuan, do you really have to go?"

Yu Zechuan pushed back his chair and stood. His pure black shirt hung loose around a body that had grown thin enough to seem hollow. He stood before the floor-to-ceiling window and pressed a hand against the cold glass. The distant neon lights and bustling voices seemed close enough to touch, yet an unbridgeable gulf had long since been drawn between them.

His voice low, he asked Xue Jin in return:

"I've lived for this day. Do you think I should go or not?"

Xue Jin stepped forward, visibly anxious. "But Jiang Boyun has already taken the bait. Before long, he'll be ruined and disgraced. There's no need for us to..."

Before he could finish, he met Yu Zechuan's sinister, ruthless gaze. The rest of his words seemed caught in his throat. One more word would become a betrayal.

Fine sweat beaded on Xue Jin's forehead. He clenched his fists, waging a fierce battle within himself. At last, he compromised, closing his eyes in dejection. "I'm going with you."

Then he repeated firmly, "I'm going with you."

Yu Zechuan said nothing this time. He looked at the man who was, and was not, a brother to him, his feelings complicated beyond measure. Although they had agreed to seek revenge together, when the moment arrived, Yu Zechuan suddenly realized that Xue Jin was still different from him.

Xue Jin had never been to prison. His hands had never been stained with blood. As long as he could pull himself free of this whirlpool, the rest of his life could still be clean. There was even a girl he liked waiting for him.

At the end of the road, with nothing left to lose: those words described Yu Zechuan alone.

Having smoked too much, his throat was rough and hoarse.

"I told you. All you need to do is get Jiang Boyun to sign the contract. Leave the rest to me."

But Xue Jin was unexpectedly insistent. Eyes red, he growled, "I said it from the beginning too. Whatever happens, we handle it together. Or have you never considered me a brother at all? Do you think I'm not worthy to help avenge Grandpa?!"

Yu Zechuan frowned. "I never said that."

Xue Jin's chest rose and fell unevenly. "Zechuan, you only just got out. I truly don't want you to get blood on your hands again. But if you insist that Jiang Boyun repay blood with blood, I'm going with you!"

The air fell utterly silent.

Yu Zechuan did not speak. He seemed to waver.

Xue Jin pressed his advantage. "Zechuan, once Jiang Boyun goes bankrupt, he'll be better off dead. Rather than dirtying your hands, why not let him destroy himself? With what the two of us can do, Yinchuan Group can definitely rise again. Why throw away the rest of your life over someone like him?!"

What Xue Jin said made sense. But sense was only sense. Plenty of people understood it, yet could not do it at all.

Yu Zechuan glanced at Xue Jin's anxious expression. At last, he gave an unreadable hum. "I'll think about it."

The tension in Xue Jin's face finally eased, and he smiled in relief. "That's more like it. Grandpa wouldn't want you to dirty your hands for trash like that either."

Yu Zechuan neither agreed nor disagreed. "Did you come here for something?"

Xue Jin's brows drew together slightly. "Nothing. I was passing by and thought I'd check on you. Jiang Boyun seemed a little strange today. He took two bodyguards with him somewhere, but I don't know where."

Yu Zechuan said, "You didn't ask?"

At that, Xue Jin grew irritated. "Ever since that guy surnamed Lu spouted nonsense in the office last time, Jiang Boyun has been on guard around me. If he hadn't been unable to find a capable assistant on short notice, I'm afraid he wouldn't even have let me stay involved with the island project. I told you a long time ago he was no easy mark. His mouth is full of lies!"

Yu Zechuan lowered his eyes calmly.

"I know."

"I never believed him."

Xue Jin choked up for a moment. As though remembering something, he set the paper bag he was carrying on the desk. "You skipped dinner again, didn't you? I picked this up for you from a restaurant nearby."

Yu Zechuan did not even look at it. "Got it. It's late. Go home first. You don't need to stay involved in what comes next. Get some rest."

Xue Jin still seemed uneasy. "If you... if you decide to do it, remember to tell me beforehand."

After saying that, he stared intently at Yu Zechuan. Only when he saw him nod in agreement did he finally turn and leave, reassured.

"Xue Jin—"

Just as he reached the door, Yu Zechuan suddenly called after him.

Xue Jin turned back instinctively. "What is it?"

Yu Zechuan asked seriously, "Have you ever been to prison?"

The question was so out of nowhere that even Xue Jin froze for a moment. But before he could figure out how to answer, Yu Zechuan laughed softly again. "I'm joking. Go. Don't look back."

Xue Jin found it odd, but did not think much of it. He nodded and left.

After he was gone, Yu Zechuan returned to the computer desk and took a share transfer agreement from the drawer. The named transferee was none other than Xue Jin.

Before Yu Zechuan went to prison, he had transferred half his shares to Jiang Boyun and kept the other half. But those things no longer had much use for him. They could serve a far greater purpose in Xue Jin's hands.

The Yu family had once been awash in wealth, pouring money out like running water and helping countless people. Yet when all was said and done, Xue Jin was the only one who remembered that kindness, even though he could not even be considered an adopted son.

Yu Zechuan himself found it ironic.

He slipped the agreement into a document envelope and sealed it. Then he went into the bedroom and changed into neat clothes suitable for action, concealed a sharp dagger in his sleeve, put on a mask and cap, and slipped into the night like a ghost.

At nine that night, with just an hour left before people became their most tired, Lu Yan was wide awake.

There was no other reason. He had been kidnapped.

The surroundings were pitch-black, and the air carried a damp, rotten smell, very much like a basement. Lu Yan was tied to a chair with a black cloth over his eyes. All he could hear was the pounding of his own heart.

Despair filled him. Only three days remained in his mission to survive for thirty days, and yet he had been kidnapped on his way back to the hotel after dinner.

Only three days left! Only three days left!

Even with Lu Yan's carefree nature, he could not help mentally banging his head against the wall in regret. Why had he gone out for dinner in the first place?! Skipping one meal would not have killed him! Great, now he was about to eat his last meal!

Things had been too peaceful for too long, and Lu Yan had let down his guard. He moved his wrist unconsciously. The rope scraped his skin, bringing a rough sting that clearly reminded him of his current situation.

Who was it?

Who had kidnapped him?

Leaning against the chair, Lu Yan breathed heavily as he rapidly ran through the possibilities in his mind. Yu Zechuan was first, Xue Jin second, and Jiang Boyun third.

No matter which of those three it was, he was in for a bad time.

At this point, even waiting had become a kind of blessing.

Lu Yan only hoped the "kidnapper" would not think of him too quickly. Dying now would be far too stifling. It was like playing a game: dying at the start and dying at the final stage were two completely different feelings.

But heaven refused to grant his wish.

In the latter half of the night, Lu Yan was suddenly jolted awake by footsteps approaching from afar. He instinctively sat up straight and listened closely, only to discover that the footsteps had stopped right in front of him.

"..."

Even blindfolded, Lu Yan could still sense a deeper shadow falling over him.

His breathing grew quick with tension.

Click.

A hand gently flicked on the room's light switch. Bright light pierced through the gaps in his blindfold, sharper than needles.

Lu Yan turned his head instinctively, but someone immediately pulled off the blindfold. The sudden white glare left his mind spinning. After a few brief seconds to adjust, he opened his eyes again and finally saw the face of the person who had come.