The night view of Jianghai City was beautiful. Known as the city that never sleeps, some said the daytime in Jianghai was for striving, while the night was for indulgence. Lights filled the entire metropolis.
This was a world for the wealthy. If you had money you could try anything you fantasized about here, which was why it was also called the Dream City.
"Brother Xu, thank you so much for today." Inside the BMW, Xia Tian said to Xu Dechuan, who was driving.
Ye Qingxue and Bingxin then noticed Xu Dechuan at the wheel. Ye Qingxue was about to ask Xia Tian what had happened, but she now realized it must be connected to the man driving in front.
"Why are you being so polite to me? Where are you heading next?" Old Master Xu smiled faintly.
"Xia Tian, what's going on? Let me return the bracelet to you." Ye Qingxue knew Xia Tian had no money and that such a valuable item was most likely borrowed. Although she liked the bracelet very much, she felt she had to give it back.
"Cousin, this is a gift from me to you. How could you refuse it?" Xia Tian placed the bracelet back on Ye Qingxue's wrist.
"No — this is too precious. You must have borrowed it. Return it at once." Ye Qingxue looked at Xia Tian with concern. She had been very happy today, and Xia Tian had successfully helped her fend off those suitors.
"Don't worry, I didn't borrow it. It's mine. If you don't believe me, ask Brother Xu." Xia Tian said helplessly; he understood his cousin's worry.
"Miss Ye, the blood-jade bracelet on your wrist was indeed found by Brother Xia at Antique Street," Old Master Xu said. "Blood jade has certain properties, but if you merely wear it it won't fulfill its potential. When you return home you must nourish the blood jade with three drops of your own blood each month. After a year, the bracelet will bond with your blood and begin to benefit your body."
"You heard Brother Xu, right? Keep it safe." Xia Tian smiled slightly. "Brother Xu, are three drops a month really enough?"
"Yes." Old Master Xu replied.
"Only once a month?" Xia Tian asked again.
"That's right." Old Master Xu nodded.
"Then I'm relieved. Otherwise I'd have to cut my cousin's hand every time, and I don't have the heart to do that." Xia Tian breathed a sigh of relief, but the atmosphere in the car suddenly tightened.
"Do you want another beating?" Ye Qingxue dropped her ladylike act and advanced toward Xia Tian, rubbing her fists. Xia Tian knew this was his cousin's true self.
Ye Qingxue looked like a pure goddess in public, but at home she was a ruthless queen. Xia Tian had been on the receiving end of her punishments for years; he had once suspected she was a reincarnated witch. That was why he didn't dare refuse when Ye Qingxue asked him to pretend to be her boyfriend.
"Haha — Brother Xia, you're overthinking it. A woman's menstrual blood expels toxins. If you let that blood fall on the bracelet, the blood jade will turn black and eventually degrade," Old Master Xu said with a smile after hearing Xia Tian's remark; he had researched such matters extensively.
On hearing this, Ye Qingxue's face flushed to her ears and she glared at Xia Tian as if promising retribution when they got home.
"Xia Tian, if you can guess the color of my undergarment, I'll let Qingxue go." Bingxin suddenly said. She had always felt Xia Tian was mysterious and wanted to test him again.
Xia Tian didn't overthink it. He had been occupied with how to deal with his cousin. After hearing Bingxin's challenge his perception function flipped on and he answered without hesitation, "Pikachu."
He immediately regretted it. Bingxin was dressed conservatively; not even a pink undergarment should be visible, let alone anything Pikachu-themed.
Ye Qingxue and Bingxin both stared at Xia Tian in surprise. Ye Qingxue couldn't understand how he had done it, while Bingxin smiled enigmatically, as if something had been confirmed.
"Haha, I didn't really guess correctly." Xia Tian smiled awkwardly and hurriedly explained, "It seems Sister Bingxin likes cute things like that."
If he said nothing it would raise suspicion. They wouldn't deduce he had X-ray vision, but it might lead them to imagine he had odd fetishes. He knew his cousin's temper all too well.
"So it was only a guess." Ye Qingxue sighed in relief. She had briefly suspected something improper between Xia Tian and Bingxin; hearing it was only a guess made her inexplicably happier.
She had noticed Bingxin looking at Xia Tian strangely before and had even wondered whether there was something between them. In retrospect it seemed ridiculous — they had only met twice.
She didn't know why she felt this way toward Xia Tian; after all, he was her cousin.
"Did you really guess it?" Bingxin smiled inwardly. She didn't believe Xia Tian had guessed. She had checked last time and again now; it was impossible for him to have seen it, yet he had been right. That made her even more curious about Xia Tian.
Xia Tian, possibly feeling guilty, kept glancing out the window. At that moment he saw something happening in another vehicle and his vision opened involuntarily. He was slightly stunned when he recognized Xia Rou and her daughter — they were being abducted by four men dressed in black, each holding a gun.
"She treated me badly last time; let her deal with it herself," Xia Tian thought at first, remembering what had happened in the hospital.
"No — the child is innocent." Xia Tian hesitated, then his eyes flashed. He shouted to Old Master Xu, "Brother Xu, turn around and follow the van with license plate 542B."
Old Master Xu proved he was experienced. Hearing Xia Tian, he immediately found the nearest intersection and executed a U-turn without caring about the red light; he could hear the urgency in Xia Tian's voice.
"Xia Tian, what's happening?" Ye Qingxue asked, puzzled. Xia Tian's expression was grave.
"Brother Xu, once we catch up, take them both somewhere safe." Xia Tian did not explain further.
"Should I call and have some people meet us?" Xu Dechuan asked.
"It's too late. They could escape alone." Xia Tian frowned.
Although Ye Qingxue didn't know the details, she guessed danger was imminent. "No — you can't go."
Xia Tian was also unsure. His body had become stronger, but he was no martial arts master. The abductors were four and armed; in a head-on confrontation his chance of victory was minuscule. No matter how strong he was, he could not stop a bullet. No matter how fast he was, he could not outrun one.
Yet he could not watch that little girl be killed. Although he disliked Zeng Rou's domineering manner, he had no deep hatred for her.
"If I go alone my odds are better. If you go with me, we'll certainly die." Xia Tian looked at Ye Qingxue sternly. "Brother Xu, call the police and report that Zeng Rou of the Zeng Group and her daughter have been kidnapped."
"What?" They finally understood why Xia Tian had been so anxious.
The name Zeng Rou was famous in Jianghai City. She was an idol to many women. By thirty she had built the Zeng Group into a formidable empire. Though it could not rival the four great families of Jianghai City, she was unquestionably one of the leading figures in business.
"Mr. Xu, use a public phone to call the police anonymously." Xia Tian did not want to involve himself. Even if he saved Zeng Rou and her daughter, he did not want the police to trace it back to him.
"It's too dangerous. I won't agree to you going." Ye Qingxue understood the gravity of the situation and refused to let him go.
"Cousin, trust me." Xia Tian hugged Ye Qingxue. She was taken aback. For an instant the hug felt warm; how she wished he were not her cousin.
Inside the van bearing license plate 542B.
Zeng Rou was terrified. She did not know her captors. She had simply taken her daughter out to play and then been seized. Her daughter was her emotional anchor; her greatest fear was that something would happen to the child.
Outwardly she had long been viewed as a strong woman, but only she knew how much she had suffered. She had always feigned strength and never allowed others to see her vulnerable side.
When she and her daughter were captured, she felt hopeless. No one would come to save her. The elder family members secretly wished her dead so they could divide the inheritance. No one truly cared.
She did not fear death; perhaps it would be a relief. But she could not die — she still had a daughter. If she died, her child would be orphaned and possibly bullied.
"Who are you? I'll give you money — please let us go." In Zeng Rou's view, everything could be solved with money. Her captors had taken her and her daughter; taking money should resolve the matter, she thought; who in the world refused money?
Thinking of this, she suddenly remembered the strange man at the hospital.
"Perhaps he was the only one who didn't like money." Zeng Rou did not know why that man came to mind. She shook her head and returned to the present.
"Mrs. Zeng, we know you're wealthy. We will take your money, but first we have to do something," one of the men in black said, looking at Zeng Rou without concealing his intent.