Ning Shuqian dragged her tired body back home, but Wen Haowen had yet to return. He was likely still working overtime in the office. Her earlier words probably had a huge effect on him. In recent times, Wen Haowen had not been asking too much about the entertainment city project but had shifted his focus onto the heirloom sales strategy. He had discussed with her several times on ways to handle Wen Xinya.
Recently, she had been spending her days at the hospital because of Xia Ruya’s car accident. Wen Haowen had been understanding about it and even hinted at her to take this opportunity to nurture a good relationship with Xia Ruya. This would be beneficial for the future development of the Wen Corporation in Harbor City.
Ning Shuqian inwardly scoffed at Wen Haowen’s lack of smarts. Even if the Li Family and the Wen Family had not fallen out, Ruya would never have anything to do with the Wen Corporation just based on how heartless and cruel the Wen Family had treated her then.
Wen Haowen was clearly delusional.
Nevertheless, it was a good thing for her that Wen Haowen harbored such thoughts. After all, only then would Wen Haowen regard her with importance and trust her—opening himself up for her manipulations. There was no need for her to worry that Wen Haowen might stir any trouble for her.
Ning Shuqian took a bath, which soothed some of her fatigue, and was about to call Wen Haowen. Although she had more sway than Wen Haowen over the entertainment city project, she still did not hold main control over it. There were many things that she still depended on him to help her deal with.
Ning Shuqian had just picked up her mobile phone when it started ringing.
An unfamiliar number was displayed on the caller ID. Ning Shuqian hesitated for a moment but still picked up the call.
The line connected, but there was no sound from the other end. Ning Shuqian felt it rather strange. “Hello… hello. Who is this?”
Ning Shuqian had just spoken when a sobbing and wailing Ning Yuya could be heard through the phone. “Mum… this is Yuya. I have been captured… save me. You must save me…”
Ning Shuqian was thunderstruck. It was Yuya!
Yuya was captured?
Ning Shuqian started trembling as she heard the fearful voice of her own daughter through the phone. She fell into a complete daze as her mind went blank, unable to react at all.
How did Yuya get captured?
What was going on?
Could it be Yuya had used up all the money she had given her earlier? And so was using this ploy to get more money to buy drugs?
She couldn’t be blamed for thinking that. The reality was that over the past few years, Yuya had indeed spun all sorts of lies to wrangle money out of her to buy drugs.
“Mum… I am so scared. You must save me…” Perhaps she had been completely overcome by fear, but Ning Yuya kept wailing hysterically as if she had totally lost her senses.
Ning Yuya’s strident crying snapped Ning Shuqian out of her daze. Only then did she finally comprehend what had happened. She hastily asked, “Yuya, you said you are captured? What happened? Yuya…”
A loud slap rang out through the phone, followed by Ning Yuya’s painful gasping. “Don’t hit me… my mum… she’s very rich, don’t…”
Hearing her daughter being slapped, Ning Shuqian’s hand shook so much that she nearly lost her grip on her mobile phone. Her heart broke as she shouted hoarsely, “Don’t hit my daughter. However much money you want, I will give it to you… Yuya… Yuya… how are you now… Yuya…”
Yuya had been pampered from a young age—how could she withstand such suffering?
“Mum… mum…” Ning Yuya’s wailing came to a sudden stop, to be replaced by a continuous dial tone.
“Yuya, Yuya…” Ning Shuqian called after her daughter desperately. Unwilling to give up, she hit the redial button, but the line could not be reconnected.
As if possessed by a demon, she repeatedly pressed the redial button.
After failing to connect for the umpteenth time, Ning Shuqian really descended into a panic now. Yuya was her only daughter and she had doted on her from a young age. Although Ning Shuqian was disappointed in Yuya for getting into drugs and not living to her full potential, she was still her child whom she had carried for 10 months and gave birth to.
As weird or delinquent as she was, she was still her own flesh and blood!
Ning Shuqian was in a frenzy as waves of regret washed over her. If she had not been spending all this time taking care of Xia Ruya because of her car accident, leaving her no time to care about Yuya, her daughter would not have been captured.
Her mobile phone rang again.
Ning Shuqian clutched at her phone and saw a message sent by that unfamiliar number. She hurriedly opened it. “Your daughter is in our hands. If you want her to remain safe and sound, prepare 10 million in cash. If you dare to call the police, you will never see your daughter again.”
Ning Shuqian was utterly stunned!
This was a… kid… kidnap!
Yuya had been kidnapped?
Ning Shuqian tried dialing that number again but still failed to connect. She had no choice but to reply with a message. “Who are you? Why have you kidnapped my daughter? Don’t hurt my daughter. 10 million is too much, I cannot fork out this amount. Can you reduce the amount by a bit…”
Ning Shuqian gritted her teeth as she clicked the Send button.
10 million in cash was no small sum to Ning Shuqian. She had accumulated a sizable nest egg after being with Wen Haowen all these years, but they had asked for such an exorbitant amount, immediately demanding for 10 million right from the start. This was more than half of her savings, and she would not give it up that easily even though she could afford it.
But after that message was sent, it was like a stone sinking into the deep sea without a trace.
Ning Shuqian’s heart sank with it and her panic rose to peak levels. Unable to bear her anxiety any longer, she couldn’t help sending another message. “As long as you don’t hurt my daughter, we can always negotiate…”
She collapsed on the sofa, feeling an icy chill all over. Since Yuya got addicted to drugs, she liked to hang out at those disreputable bars and clubs. Ning Shuqian had previously exhorted her not to frequent those places as there were all sorts of shady characters there and accidents could easily happen. But Yuya had completely disregarded her advice.
Thereafter, she gave up nagging as she really had no way to control Yuya.
Who knew this would happen.
She thought about seeking Wen Haowen for help, but in the end, didn’t dare to. Wen Haowen hated Yuya. She would be doomed if he called the police.
Ning Shuqian thought about Xia Ruya’s car accident. Somehow, she instinctively felt that there were many things amiss about that incident. And it didn’t feel like Yuya’s kidnapping happened by pure chance.
Was this a move by Wen Xinya for revenge?
Thinking of that, Ning Shuqian shivered non-stop. For reasons unknown, she couldn’t help feeling this matter was connected to Wen Xinya.
If Wen Xinya was really behind this, then Yuya’s kidnapping would not be such a straightforward affair—Wen Xinya was not the type to make use of ploys such as kidnapping.
So what in the world was Wen Xinya intending to do?
Ning Shuqian was filled with fear and unease. Whenever she thought of what happened to Xia Ruya, she would feel like a huge, formless hand was squeezing her heart, making her feel a suffocating pain.
