The Show Begins

The air was thick with the smell of scorched earth, and the incessant buzzing of cicadas made the atmosphere even more stifling.

The “kidnappers” who had been waiting inside the factory couldn’t help but fan themselves with the edges of their shirts, glancing around impatiently. One of them finally spoke up, “Why isn’t he here yet? It’s so damn hot, I feel like I’m going to die.”

The few “armed” underlings around him also couldn’t resist complaining.

“Yeah, yeah, in this heat, we should’ve scheduled this for 6 PM. It wouldn’t be this hot.”

“Let’s make it quick when he gets here. If we pass out from heatstroke, it’ll be a hell of a joke.”

“It’s already 4:10, and he’s still not here. Do you think he’s not coming?”

“Shh.”

Someone couldn’t help but cough lightly, reminding everyone to stay calm.

Meanwhile, Han Xi, who was “tied up” in a chair, remained remarkably composed.

To make the scene more convincing, her mouth was taped shut, and she truly looked like a helpless, kidnapped girl.

She had her eyes closed, taking a nap, completely ignoring the chatter around her.

After all, Fang Zhou would definitely come. She believed in him.

Before long, the lookout at the door shouted, “He’s here, he’s here!”

Everyone finally got into position, adjusting their expressions and actions, ready for the arrival of their target.

Fang Zhou, carrying a suitcase, arrived as expected.

As he stepped through the factory gate, he felt the heat wave subside slightly, but the musty smell of decay inside the factory immediately assaulted his nose, causing him to frown.

He scanned his surroundings but saw no one, though he could feel multiple sets of eyes focused on him.

Fang Zhou forced himself to stay calm and then shouted toward the front, “I’ve brought the money. You can release her now!”

One second, two seconds, three seconds passed, but there was no response.

Fang Zhou took a deep breath and raised his voice, “If you don’t believe me, I can open the suitcase and show you!”

With that, he squatted down as if to open the suitcase, but he didn’t actually move.

As long as the other side didn’t speak, he wouldn’t open it.

After a minute, someone finally stepped out from the second floor—a skinny man wearing a mask. He looked down at Fang Zhou and rudely said, “Open it and show us what’s inside!”

Only then did Fang Zhou start to move. He entered the code into the lock, and with a click, the suitcase opened.

Inside, stacks of cash were neatly arranged, the sheer amount of money enough to make anyone’s heart race.

Fang Zhou only opened it for a moment before quickly closing it and locking it again.

Now it was his turn to negotiate.

“I want to see the hostage.”

He hadn’t even seen Han Xi yet, so he couldn’t let these wolves pounce on the money.

A cold laugh echoed through the air, and then Fang Zhou heard someone clap a few times. A wooden door on the first floor opened, revealing Han Xi, bound and unable to move.

She was surrounded by four or five burly men, all wearing masks that obscured their faces, but their menacing eyes made it clear they were not to be trifled with.

“Han Xi!”

Fang Zhou called out to her anxiously, but he saw that her mouth was taped shut, preventing her from speaking.

The usually elegant and refined woman now had disheveled hair, her clothes were covered in dust, and she was missing a shoe, her feet caked in mud. It looked like she had been pushed and hurried along the way.

Fang Zhou’s heart suddenly clenched, and a sharp pain shot through him.

Han Xi must have suffered a lot.

Such a proud person, reduced to this state—she must be feeling terrible inside.

But most importantly, the woman he had always seen as a bright moon hanging high in the sky had been dragged down and rolled in the mud. How could that not break his heart?

Fang Zhou’s eyes instantly reddened, and his hands trembled uncontrollably at his sides.

He wished he had a knife in his hand right now so he could take down all these kidnappers!

“Take the tape off her mouth!”

Fang Zhou began making his demands, but they were immediately rejected.

“What’s the rush? Hand over the suitcase, and we’ll release her.”

Fang Zhou’s grip on the suitcase tightened instinctively. He knew this was his only bargaining chip and couldn’t give it up now.

He shook his head, refusing their terms.

“No way. You untie her first and bring her to me, then I’ll give you the suitcase.”

The leader of the kidnappers sneered, as if mocking Fang Zhou’s overconfidence.

He gave Fang Zhou a disdainful look before saying, “How do we know the money in your suitcase is real?”

Fang Zhou cursed inwardly: These guys are really cunning.

He cleared his throat and then spread his arms, turning in a circle as he explained, “I am unarmed, and she is defenseless.”

Then he pointed at the kidnappers and said, “And you all are armed to the teeth.”

“If I were trying to trick you with fake money, you could kill us at any time. Why would I take that risk?”

The leader nodded slightly, seemingly convinced. “That makes sense.”

He then gestured to one of his men, who ripped the tape off Han Xi’s mouth.

“Open your suitcase and throw a stack of money over here for us to verify.”

“Fang Zhou!”

Han Xi called out his name, her eyes glistening like jewels soaked in rain, dazzling and bright.

Fang Zhou had never seen Han Xi like this before; she even reminded him a bit of Chu Xinran.

His heart ached even more. The once dignified CEO had been reduced to a frightened little girl—how humiliating that must be.

He figured Han Xi had never been to such a rundown place in her life, let alone been kidnapped.

He noticed that the skin around her mouth had turned red, likely from an allergic reaction to the tape being on for too long.

Fang Zhou nodded at Han Xi, trying to comfort her.

“Don’t be afraid. I’m here. You won’t be harmed.”

His voice was steady and strong, filled with determination and reliability, as if no matter what happened, he would stand in front of her.

But as Han Xi, who had orchestrated this entire drama, heard his words, a wave of guilt suddenly washed over her.

She felt like she shouldn’t have used this method to test Fang Zhou’s feelings.

But the show was already halfway through—how could she stop now?

Besides, she genuinely wanted to know what place she held in Fang Zhou’s heart and how far he would go for her.

Perhaps this was a common flaw among women everywhere—they liked to test their partners and wouldn’t stop until they got what they wanted.