Zhang Liunian was about to refuse, but before the words could leave his lips, Mr. Xue interrupted him. "If you don't agree, I don't want this passbook either."
"..."
"It's settled then, let's go." Mr. Xue, fearing Zhang Liunian would continue to be polite, turned and left as soon as he spoke.
Watching Mr. Xue's eager departure, Zhang Liunian quickly grabbed his hand, but upon seeing Mr. Xue's slightly displeased face, the words he intended to say changed to, "Can I borrow the car for a night?"
Mr. Xue blinked, then smiled. As long as it wasn't a refusal of his goodwill, anything could be discussed. "This car was going to be left here anyway. If you want to use it, I'll lend it to you. Drive it for as long as you want."
"You've really helped me out a lot." Zhang Liunian realized Mr. Xue was a very generous and helpful person and immediately expressed his gratitude once more.
Mr. Xue clearly enjoyed hearing this and left with the car keys, chuckling.
Back inside, Zhang Liunian sat on a stool and looked at the bound Tang Guo. "Digging so many pits, did you never consider that you might get caught yourself?"
Tang Guo was somewhat disheveled at this moment, but it didn't diminish her beauty. Even under the dim light, she was still captivatingly beautiful.
"What can you do even if you catch me? I don't have a single cent on me. Catching me is useless." Tang Guo had long been prepared for this, knowing there was no money in her name.
Therefore, she wasn't afraid even if she were caught.
"Having you is enough. What if I hand you over to the police? With this large sum of money gone, will you ever be able to get out in your lifetime?"
Zhang Liunian paused for a moment, then tentatively said, "It's a shame about your beautiful face, to have to spend it all in prison, possibly even for life. How regrettable!"
"..." Tang Guo's eyes widened abruptly. Her beauty was indeed what she cared about the most. She would never be willing to spend her life in a prison cell if she, such a beauty, were to be confined there.
But she also knew very well that she couldn't admit to absconding with the money. If she admitted to stealing tens of millions, she would certainly never get out.
Therefore, from the moment she was caught by Mr. Xue, she had resolved to deny everything.
"The department store matters were all handled by me, and the money was given to you. No matter who asks, this will be my answer." Tang Guo was determined to drag Zhang Liunian down with her and make him bear the consequences.
Zhang Liunian smiled. It mattered to her. Since she insisted on denying it, he would have to resort to unconventional means.
"It's okay if you don't admit it. With that face of yours, I believe many men would be willing to help you fork out ten million." After saying this, Zhang Liunian got up to find something to take her away.
Tang Guo was startled by his words. What did he mean, "with that face"? What exactly did he intend to do?
"What do you want to do? I'm telling you, illegally trading women is against the law." Tang Guo panicked. If Zhang Liunian intended to sell her for money, what would she do? What if she encountered an old, ugly, perverted man?
She was truly flustered now, her limbs thrashing restlessly.
Zhang Liunian, however, completely ignored her and merely said to Zhang Qian, "Send her to Hong Kong tonight. They like women like her there. Then, ten million, twenty million will be small sums."
Zhang Qian, seeing his brother Liunian wink at him, immediately responded, "Such good merchandise, rich people in Hong Kong will definitely like it."
There were no auctions for beautiful women domestically, but Hong Kong was very decadent. Such things were common in the underground.
Tang Guo had naturally heard of such things, which was why her heart skipped a beat upon hearing Zhang Liunian mention sending her to Hong Kong, where men liked her.
"You can't do this, it's illegal, I'll report you..."
"Is it not illegal for you to abscond with money? I'm just learning from you. What are you so angry about?" Zhang Liunian interrupted her outburst, silencing Tang Guo with a single sentence.
"I..."
Before she could say another word, Zhang Liunian struck her unconscious with a palm, gagged her, and stuffed her into a sack.
"Brother Liunian, what do we do now?" Zhang Qian looked at the person in the sack, a confused expression on his face.
"You first..." Zhang Liunian beckoned him closer and then whispered a few words into his ear.
Zhang Qian nodded repeatedly and immediately ran off to handle the task.
Looking at the person in the sack, Zhang Liunian thought to himself that judging by Tang Guo's appearance, the money might not be in a domestic account, or perhaps not in her own account. It would be difficult to recover it quickly.
Even if he sent her to the police station now, it would probably be useless. Cases like this typically resulted in her serving time.
For him, the pressing issue now was to recover the money, or to have Tang Guo directly admit that she did everything herself and that he was uninvolved. Only then could he escape the huge debt.
Therefore, he planned to use tactics to make Tang Guo produce the money first, or admit to what she had done.
Tang Guo was unaware of this. After Zhang Liunian knocked her out, she didn't know how much time had passed before she regained consciousness, but when she did, she realized something was wrong.
"A top-grade beauty for twenty million, are there any higher bids?"
This... was that the sound of an auction? Tang Guo was stunned. She immediately opened her eyes but saw only darkness. Touching herself, she realized she was in a burlap sack, still bound and unable to move, with something stuffed in her mouth.
"Everyone, don't fight with me. Old Wang here likes women like this. After I've had my fun for a month or so, I'll share her with you guys to taste."
The speaker was a male voice. Not only did he say this, but he also reached out and felt Tang Guo's body, causing her to scream. However, she couldn't make a sound, unable to cry out.
"You son of a bitch, are you going to use your little whip and candles again? You even want to perform with your pet wolf. You're truly perverted."
"This one is a premium item. Don't let your wife's horse get involved, or it will definitely cause a death."
"Hahaha, his horse is wild. Last time it played with several women to death."
"..."
Tang Guo was overwhelmed. Just as she regained consciousness, she heard these horrifying things, which scared her into struggling continuously, but no one paid any attention to her reaction.
"Twenty million? Are there any higher bids? If not, this Mr. Wang is the winner."
The host asked, but the audience remained silent. With a final bang, the winner was confirmed.
"Hahaha, the beauty is mine!" The man called Old Wang laughed heartily, and at the same time, he didn't forget to reach out and squeeze Tang Guo in the sack. Accidentally, he pulled out the cloth in Tang Guo's mouth.
Tang Guo screamed as he squeezed her, "Ah!"
Huh, she could make a sound now.
"You are committing a crime, the police will catch you. Let me go, let me go."
Tang Guo, realizing she could speak, immediately tried to escape her fate of being sold. However, her words were met with ridicule.
"Hahaha..."