"Mom, I'm scared."Zeng Rou's heart completely melted at her daughter's trembling voice.
"Don't worry, I'll give you any amount of money, as long as you don't hurt my daughter. I can even give you all my shares in the company."Zeng Rou's greatest treasure was her daughter. Money could be earned again—but if anything happened to her child, she would not survive it.
"Mrs. Zeng, don't worry. We won't hurt you. As long as you cooperate with us, I promise that you and your daughter will be fine."The man in black smiled wickedly as his eyes roamed up and down Zeng Rou's body.
Her figure could only be described as flawless—her elegant curves accentuated by the clothes she wore.Some people rely on fine clothing to look refined, but Zeng Rou was different. The clothes appeared noble because she wore them.
Xia Tian frowned slightly when he noticed the direction their car was heading. He finally realized where they were going. If they kept driving that way, they would reach the suburbs—and he knew the area well. His home was there.
"Brother Xu, lend me your coat and hat."Xia Tian knew very well that the people from Liusha had been tailing him. If he went out dressed as he was, they would continue following him. He planned to use a diversion—to "replace the prince with a cat."
That way, he could shake off Liusha's trackers.
"Be careful," Ye Qingxue said worriedly.
The car pulled over to the roadside. Xia Tian got out, and the car drove off again. He hid in the shadows and saw that Liusha's people were indeed following in an inconspicuous car. Without his special vision, he wouldn't have noticed them.
Liusha's tracking abilities were impressive. Although he'd known they were after him, this was the first time he had actually seen them.After shaking them off, Xia Tian ran toward a bridge and slid down the slope beneath it—a shortcut to the suburbs.
No one knew these roads better than he did; as a child, he had walked them countless times.
The van carrying Zeng Rou stopped in front of an abandoned warehouse. Four men in black dragged her and her daughter out. Zeng Rou clutched her child tightly. The men had already injected her daughter with something. The warehouse, long deserted, reeked of dust and decay.
The massive iron door creaked as it opened, and the wind that blew through the cracked structure sounded eerily like a ghost's wail.
Anyone brought here would feel helpless—and Zeng Rou was no exception.
"What exactly do you want?" she demanded, holding her daughter close. Her greatest fear was that they would snatch the girl away. Though terrified, she forced herself to stay strong.
"It's nothing much," the man in black sneered. "I just want Mrs. Zeng to act in a movie with us. It'll be the most daring and explicit one ever made. I'll be the male lead—you'll be the female lead."
The other three men in black pulled out cameras.Zeng Rou instantly understood what they intended to do.
"I'll give you money—any amount you want!" she pleaded, retreating as she held her daughter tightly. Panic flooded her.
"Someone's already paying us," the man said coldly. "But we have to deliver the video as proof." He stepped toward her.
Zeng Rou's mind raced. Someone was behind this—someone from the Zeng family who wanted her company shares. With that video as leverage, she would be forced to surrender everything.
It was a clever move. Killing her would attract police attention—she was a public figure, after all. Even if she died, her shares would be disputed and divided. But if she was humiliated and coerced into submission, the conspirator would get everything quietly.
"Don't come any closer, or I'll bite my tongue and kill myself!" Zeng Rou shouted desperately.
"Mrs. Zeng, I advise you not to do that. Think of your daughter. Once you die, she'll be an orphan. And in times like these, I can't promise no one will prey on her," the man in black threatened coldly.
He had captured Zeng Rou and her daughter precisely because he knew her weakness. As long as he threatened the girl, Zeng Rou would obey.
Save me… someone, please save me.Her heart cried out in despair. No matter how strong she was before others, at this moment she was utterly powerless. She longed for someone—anyone—to appear and drive these monsters away.
But reality didn't change. The man in black seized her arm; she dared not struggle, afraid for her daughter, who was trembling in terror.
The man ripped her clothes with one hand. Zeng Rou closed her eyes, accepting her fate. A tear slipped down her cheek and fell to the dusty floor.
"What kind of men bully a woman like this?"A bold, clear voice echoed from the warehouse entrance.
"Who's there?"The three men in black spun around and aimed their guns. All eyes turned toward the iron door—where a lean figure stood under the dim light.
"It's you…" Zeng Rou gasped.Relief and shock surged through her. Someone had come to save her—but it was Xia Tian, and he was alone. Four men, all armed, stood between them.
"Who are you? Don't move, or I'll have them shoot you dead!" the man in black barked, glaring warily at Xia Tian. How had he even found this place? The factory was isolated, far from any houses. It was dark outside—no one should've been here.
"If you fire, the police will arrive within half an hour. None of you will escape," Xia Tian said calmly, though his heart was pounding. He worried they might simply shoot and flee.
"Hmph, I don't care who you are. Stay still and we'll spare you. Otherwise, you die here."They clearly didn't want complications. Kidnapping someone like Zeng Rou was already risky—if things escalated, there would be no way out.
Xia Tian knew he had made the right gamble.
"I don't want to die either," he said with a sinister smile, "but you stole my woman. That leaves me no choice but to fight to the death."
"Your woman? Don't talk nonsense. She's Zeng Rou from the Zeng Group. She's been a widow since her husband died—what are you blabbering about?" the man sneered.
At that moment, warmth spread through Zeng Rou's chest. In this life-threatening situation, Xia Tian still dared to call her his woman. She finally realized how wrongly she had treated him before.
Xia Tian didn't reply—he charged forward.
The three men immediately raised their guns, but before they could fire, clouds of white dust rained down on them. It was the lime dust Xia Tian had set up earlier. He had arrived before them and noticed bags of lime stored behind the warehouse. He had poured water over them, knowing that when lime met moisture, it would react and heat up—weakening the rusted roof supports until the bags collapsed.
The lime fell directly onto the men's heads. Seizing the moment, Xia Tian activated his perspective ability, spotted their weak points, and struck from behind. In seconds, three men were knocked unconscious.
The last man in black pulled out his gun, but Xia Tian rolled behind a pillar while Zeng Rou grabbed her daughter and ran toward the exit.
Unable to locate Xia Tian, the man aimed his gun at Zeng Rou. Killing her would be troublesome, but letting her escape meant certain death for him—he had no choice.
Xia Tian's special vision caught his movement instantly. He sprinted toward Zeng Rou—but the gun fired first.
Bang!
A streak of blood flashed through the air. Xia Tian shoved Zeng Rou aside, taking the bullet himself.It was a scene Zeng Rou would never forget. Tears streamed down her face as Xia Tian collapsed.
He had once risked his life to save her daughter, and she had insulted him by trying to repay him with money. Now, again, he had sacrificed himself for them. She owed him more than she could ever repay.
When her daughter had been in danger, it was Xia Tian who appeared. When she herself had lost all hope, it was still Xia Tian who came.
"Haha! Heaven itself is helping me! This is perfect!" the last man in black laughed, stepping closer. He had almost believed Xia Tian was some kind of formidable hero—but no man could withstand a bullet. With him dead, Zeng Rou was his to claim.
He grabbed her torn clothes. "Put the child down and take off everything, or I can't guarantee your daughter's safety."
Zeng Rou felt the world collapse around her. Hope had turned to despair once again.
"You were too careless," a chilling voice spoke behind the man, "to follow orders and kidnap people like this."
The man froze.Then his body slowly fell forward—lifeless.Even in death, disbelief was frozen on his face.