I had no concept of time as the van sped along. It could've been ten minutes—or hours. All I remember is that, amidst the chaos, someone suddenly pinned my head down and forced a bitter liquid into my mouth.
"Ugh… cough cough!"
I struggled desperately, trying to spit it out, but someone was gripping my throat. The liquid was so bitter it tasted like poison, burning down my throat and searing into my stomach.
My eyelids grew heavy. My limbs began to stiffen and weaken. A crushing wave of drowsiness overwhelmed me, dragging my consciousness under.
I heard Junxi shouting beside me:
"Zeyang—stay awake! Don't fall asleep—!"
But I couldn't hold on.
The darkness swallowed me whole.
…
When I woke again, the world was silent.
The air was damp, thick with the smell of mildew and rust—like an old warehouse left to rot.
My hands were tied behind my back. My eyes were tightly blindfolded. My body lay on a cold, hard floor—I couldn't move at all.
Then, a familiar voice reached my ears.
"Zeyang, you're awake? Don't be scared. I'm here."
Junxi's voice was close, low and strained.
He was trying to stay calm.
He was all I had.
Before long, footsteps echoed through the warehouse—heavy, slow, and suffocating.
Someone approached.
I heard the sound of a phone being dialled, followed by a soft click as the speakerphone was turned on.
A cold, raspy voice came through the speaker, like it had been digitally altered—emotionless and flat:
"Prepare ten million in cash. Deliver it to the designated location within four hours. If you alert the police, the children will never come back."
I felt a tremor run through my body.
There was a pause on the other end of the line. Then the voice spoke again, lower and colder:
"I don't care how you get the money. It must be you—Li Chengyuan. You bring it yourself. If you're not here in four hours… we'll make other arrangements."
I held my breath.
My heart pounded like it was trying to break out of my chest.
Li Chengyuan.
My father.
They were after him.