After the phone connected with a series of beeps, a man's voice on the other end, utterly cold, asked, "Who is this?"
Li Caiyi might not have recognized it, but Su Qi was all too familiar.
How many times in the past had the man spoken to her in such a detached tone?
Even if Huo Tingyun turned to dust, Su Qi would never forget his voice.
"Speak!"
The masked man lost his patience. Seeing Li Caiyi biting her lip tightly without speaking, he yanked her hair hard.
Li Caiyi cried out in pain, tears streaming down her face.
"Tingyun, Tingyun, help me, save me, I've been kidnapped..."
"Who told you to say that? Speak! Tell Huo Tingyun to bring ten billion in cash!"
Ten billion?!
Li Caiyi's face turned ashen. "He won't bring that much money to save me, you can give up..."
"I told you to speak! Whether Huo Tingyun brings it or not is his business, you speak!"
The man tugged again fiercely. Li Caiyi screamed in pain and was forced to shout, "Tingyun, they want you to bring ten billion in cash to save me..."
A silence fell on the other end.
Seeing Huo Tingyun not speaking, the man took the phone and walked over to Su Qi.
Su Qi looked up coldly. The light in the factory wasn't very bright, but with just one look from Su Qi, the kidnapper, who had been reaching out to grab her hair, instantly retracted his hand. "You! Speak!"
The kidnapper put on a fierce demeanor.
Su Qi's gaze fixed on the phone in the man's hand. Her red lips parted slightly. "Huo Tingyun, it's me, Su Qi."
"..."
There was still silence on the other end.
But Su Qi still heard a faint sound.
Like something being knocked over, a shattering sound. She had intended to curse Huo Tingyun, but after thinking about it, now was not the time for impulsiveness.
"Hurry and bring the money to save your first love, otherwise, it will be too late, and she'll be gone."
Su Qi's tone was so indifferent, as if she didn't know Huo Tingyun.
If she hadn't confirmed that this woman was Huo Tingyun's wife, the kidnapper would have suspected they had kidnapped the wrong person.
Just as the kidnapper was about to pick up the phone to say something, a man's frosty voice sounded from the other end, like a blade frozen in ice, emitting a chilling aura, sharp and cold.
"I'm coming over immediately. If you dare to touch a single hair on them, you and all your ancestors will be buried with you!"
The man hung up the phone without even giving the kidnappers a chance to react.
Only then did the two kidnappers seem to realize who they had provoked. They exchanged a glance. Although both wore masks and their faces were covered, Su Qi could still sense fear from them.
Even through the phone, the man's oppressive aura was not diminished in the slightest.
"Sister Su Qi, aren't you scared?"
Beside her, Li Caiyi was sobbing, her body trembling like a sieve. The young girl had too little experience and hadn't seen much of the world. Even this scene terrified her.
"What's there to be afraid of? If you're going to die, being afraid is useless. If you're lucky enough to survive, crying is also in vain."
After speaking, Su Qi closed her eyes to rest.
Perhaps intimidated by Su Qi's presence, Li Caiyi gradually stopped crying. She leaned against Su Qi, stared at Su Qi's belly for a moment, and then suddenly spoke.
"Sister Su Qi, I don't want to ruin your relationship with Huo Tingyun, and I don't want your child to not have a father, but I have no choice..."
She had to do this to repay a debt of gratitude.
Su Qi merely hummed softly and said nothing more.
The two big men sat in the distance, smoking. Time ticked by, and Li Caiyi seemed tired. She leaned against Su Qi, her head resting on Su Qi's body, and drifted off to sleep, exhausted.
Suddenly, the sound of a helicopter's rotors rumbled through the sky. Li Caiyi, who had been asleep beside her, jolted awake.
The two big men nearby also looked up towards the sky.
The dust around the factory was being kicked up by the helicopter's downdraft.
The two men stubbed out their cigarettes and then walked towards them.
With a loud bang, the factory gate seemed to be kicked open, and light poured into the factory, stirring up clouds of dust. A man approached against the light, like a deity. The kidnapper grabbed Li Caiyi and dragged her halfway to the ground. Before the kidnapper could grab her, Su Qi stood up and walked forward herself.
The kidnappers were stunned. Perhaps it was the first time they had seen such a composed woman, walking forward on her own, not at all like a kidnapped person, showing no fear. Compared to the flustered Li Caiyi, she seemed from a different world.
The factory had been abandoned for a long time, even the iron gate was dilapidated. Kicked open by the man, the gate swung open, and the wind whipped up dust. Light streamed in from outside, illuminating the man's tall and imposing silhouette.
After becoming pregnant, Su Qi had become exceptionally sensitive. She turned her face and coughed hard. She squinted her eyes, looking ahead, and saw the man descending like a god.
Huo Tingyun was wearing a dark black trench coat, draped over his shoulders like a military uniform. The man's shoulders were already broad, and the wind billowed the edge of his coat, fluttering up and down.
His loose hair was also blowing in his forehead, brushing against his temples. Beneath the loose hair was a captivatingly handsome face.
His facial features were so sculpted as if carved with a craft knife, and his features were even more refined and perfect. Even the handsomest men depicted by the world's top painters couldn't compare to him.
The moment the man appeared, all the surrounding light seemed to fall upon him. The entire world seemed to instantly lose its color, and all the lights seemed to focus on the man.
It was like the entrance of a male protagonist in an idol drama.
How incredibly cool and handsome he was.
If she hadn't been kidnapped at this moment, if this were the first time she had seen this man, Su Qi was sure she would have covered her nose and bled from it.
Not only was she stunned, but even Li Caiyi beside her stopped crying and stared blankly at the man before them.
"Stop! Don't come any closer!"
From about three meters away, the kidnapper shouted, ordering Huo Tingyun to halt.
The man frowned, his eyes as cold and sharp as blades sweeping over the two kidnappers, then over Li Caiyi, and finally landing on Su Qi.
Seemingly confirming that Su Qi's belly was unharmed, his brow furrowed. He stared at the two kidnappers and threw the two suitcases in his hands onto the ground.
"The cash you wanted. Release them immediately. Don't make me say it a second time!"
Even when speaking to the kidnappers, he sounded like he was commanding his subordinates.
Su Qi gasped.
The two kidnappers were clearly intimidated, but only for a brief moment. After all, they were professionals and were not afraid of Huo Tingyun.