Su Qi endured the discomfort, swallowing hard several times to suppress the urge to vomit.
Fortunately, the car soon stopped.
There was a rustling sound from the front seats where Kou Han sat. The two kidnappers exchanged a few words, then opened the car doors. Su Qi stole a glance and saw that outside, the sky had turned dark. The sun was setting in the west. They seemed to be at the top of a cliff, with a beautiful view, but the wind was strong, making the surrounding trees and grass rustle.
As night fell, the scene became somewhat eerie and terrifying.
"I thought this little lady was faking it, but she's been quite calm all the way. She's really composed, her own husband saved Yan Tou, and she can still be so calm. I've never seen a woman like this. She knows she's about to die, yet she doesn't cry or make a fuss."
"You think Master Huo is blinded by greed? I really don't understand the preferences of rich people."
"Why do you care? People like Huo Tingyun deserve to die, but it's a pity we can't kill him. This woman can't be kept either. Let's get rid of her quickly and take the money to escape."
Su Qi, sitting in the car, could still hear their voices.
The two kidnappers took off their masks, smoked a few cigarettes, then put them back on and walked towards Su Qi.
Su Qi didn't dodge. She calmly looked at them. Her composed and serene gaze as she faced death made the two burly men freeze. Then, one of the kidnappers reached out, grabbed Su Qi, and pulled her out of the car.
Su Qi was still bound, so she walked unsteadily. One of the kidnappers, seeing her swollen belly and the cliff, knew she couldn't escape. He untied the ropes around her. As soon as she was free, Su Qi let out a sigh of relief, stretching her limbs and finally feeling a bit more comfortable.
"You know you're going to die, right? Cry a little for me to hear?"
Seeing Su Qi's beautiful face, the kidnapper couldn't resist teasing her.
Damn it, Huo Tingyun really has good taste. He'd never seen such a beautiful woman before.
"I'll cry for you in the underworld, so you can join me sooner!"
Su Qi curled her lips into a cold, beautiful smile.
Her words were sharp, but the kidnapper was stunned into silence. The other kidnapper reacted first.
"Stop the nonsense. Let's finish this quickly and push her off."
Before the kidnapper could grab Su Qi, the sound of a car engine suddenly cutting off echoed from behind.
Who was it?
Su Qi turned her head. A man jumped out of a black SUV.
He was still wearing a white coat, and even his gold-rimmed glasses hadn't been removed. He seemed to have rushed here, panting. As soon as he got out of the car, he reached into his pocket. His usually gentle face was filled with coldness.
"Let her go, or neither of you will leave this place alive!"
When the two kidnappers saw what Xu Linchuan pulled out of his pocket, their expressions changed. One of them, quick-witted, rushed to Su Qi's side, grabbed her shoulder, and then took her a couple of steps towards the edge of the cliff.
"If you dare to shoot, we won't survive, and you won't be able to save her either!"
In the blink of an eye, Su Qi was grabbed by the kidnapper. The tall, strong man from the north was no match for Su Qi, and she was easily restrained. She couldn't believe the man standing before her.
"Linchuan?"
"I'm here. Don't be afraid."
Xu Linchuan reassured Su Qi, then gripped the weapon in his hands. The dark muzzle of the gun pointed at the two kidnappers. "Let her go, and I'll spare your lives. You let go of her, and I'll put down my weapon."
Su Qi shook her head. "Linchuan, don't negotiate with them. They are desperate criminals…"
"Don't worry, I'm here. You'll be fine."
Xu Linchuan forced himself to stay calm and smiled at Su Qi.
As the sun sank lower, the light on the cliff was dim, but Su Qi could clearly see Xu Linchuan's smile.
She couldn't believe it.
At the moment of her death, it was Xu Linchuan who appeared to save her.
Not Huo Tingyun, but Xu Linchuan.
It was Xu Linchuan, whom she had always hated and detested.
"Linchuan, I'm not worth it…"
She wasn't worth him being so good to her.
She had caused his family no peace, hospitalized his father, driven Xu Linyun insane, and caused…
She could have avoided it, but she didn't, because she hated the Xu family!
But Xu Linchuan, why did you still come to save me?
Do you really know nothing?
Su Qi's mind suddenly recalled a sentence she had read in her youth.
When you fall in love with someone, they don't have to lie to you; you'll lie to yourself.
She had found it amusing back then, wondering how anyone could be so foolish as to deceive themselves.
Now, she realized it was true.
Xu Linchuan was such a person.
And she had been like that once too.
Self-deceiving.
A whirlwind of emotions churned within Su Qi. Her ten slender fingers clenched into fists, her fingernails digging into her palms.
Huo Tingyun had pushed her into hell, while Xu Linchuan wanted to pull her out.
"Alright…" the kidnapper grinned sinisterly. "One person for one weapon!"
Xu Linchuan stared intently at the kidnapper, his gaze locked, afraid that if the kidnapper loosened his grip, Su Qi would fall off the cliff. He tightened his hold on the weapon.
"One person for one weapon. A gentleman's word is his bond. Don't try any tricks."
Xu Linchuan said in a deep voice and began to count.
"Three."
"Two."
"…"
Xu Linchuan released his hand, preparing to throw away the weapon. However, the kidnapper in front of him showed no intention of releasing Su Qi. Su Qi tried to break free from the kidnapper's grasp, only to find that he hadn't loosened his grip but had tightened it. As Xu Linchuan moved to rush forward, the kidnapper suddenly exerted force.
Su Qi stumbled, almost falling off the cliff. She grabbed a nearby tree trunk, then turned and broke free from the kidnapper's restraint, rushing towards Xu Linchuan.
The other kidnapper wasn't stupid. Seeing this, he quickly took out a weapon from the car and aimed it at Xu Linchuan.
"No—"
Su Qi cried out, and then with a bang, a gunshot rang out. From a distance of about a meter, Xu Linchuan's white coat was quickly stained red, but he still firmly caught Su Qi.
The moment the bullet entered his body, adrenaline surged, and he didn't feel much, not even realizing he'd been shot. After catching Su Qi, Xu Linchuan picked up the weapon from the ground, aimed it at the kidnapper, and pulled the trigger without hesitation—
"Bang."
Another gunshot.
Su Qi felt a splitting headache.
The kidnapper with the shotgun fell to the ground, riddled with bullets, lying in a pool of blood.