Chapter 788
Chapter 788
Needless to say, Ning Ran didn't believe that Nan Chen would really disregard Nan Zhengde's safety and send the latter over to have tea with Ruan Anxi.
She found the entire matter suspicious, but she had no idea what exactly the man's plan was.
After lunch, she went back to the homestay with Ruan Anxi.
In the afternoon, Ruan Anxi again received several phone calls.
Subsequently, he requested that Ning Ran accompany him to the river to fish.
On the contrary, Ning Ran wasn't in the mood to fish. Her thoughts revolved around the fact that Nan Zhengde was coming over to be the man's hostage in her stead.
She still felt that it was impossible, firmly believing that Nan Chen wouldn't do such a thing.
At that precise moment, Ruan Anxi's subordinate handed the man a phone, on which was a video.
In the video, Lu Jingyuan and Nan Zhengde boarded a plane separately, making it evident that they were heading over.
“Have a look and see whether this is your friend.” Ruan Anxi chuckled triumphantly.
The video rendered Ning Ran speechless.
Ugh! How could Nan Chen be so foolish as to allow his grandfather and Lu Jingyuan to come over and risk their lives? But it doesn't make sense. Why would he do this?
“I'll have my men keep an eye on their location at all times to ascertain that they're heading in this direction. That aside, I can ask them for video evidence anytime. As such, they can't fool me. Look, my guests are coming. Once they arrive, you may leave. Aren't you happy?”
Ruan Anxi yanked his fishing rod up, having successfully caught a fish.
Meanwhile, Ning Ran's emotions were a jumbled mess. It went without saying that being free of Ruan Anxi's control was something to rejoice over.
However, if the price was to have Nan Zhengde take her place, she couldn't even muster up a hint of joy.
“As I said, so-called principles and bottom lines only exist because the bargaining chip isn't strong enough. Isn't Nan Chen sacrificing his grandfather and friend to save you at the end of the day?” Ruan Anxi crowed gleefully.
Nonetheless, Ning Ran remained silent, deep in contemplation. Why exactly did Nan Chen agree to it?
As she mulled it over, something suddenly occurred to her. A smile bloomed on her face.
When Ning Ran was having breakfast after waking up the following morning, Ruan Anxi received another phone call.
His subordinate again came over with a phone and showed them both a video.
In the video, Lu Jingyuan and Nan Zhengde were in a car. The latter claimed they would arrive in an hour and told Ning Ran not to worry, for she would be fine.
Ruan Anxi made a call and validated that the location indicated in the video and the GPS location matched. In other words, Nan Zhengde and Lu Jingyuan really were on their way there.
An hour later, three Land Rovers came to a stop at the open space in front of the homestay entrance.
A young woman helped an elderly man out of the car before entering the homestay.
At the same time, Ruan Anxi kept his promise and released Ning Ran, upon which the latter boarded one of the Land Rovers.
The gates of the homestay promptly slammed shut, and Ruan Anxi's men surrounded the newcomers.
The elderly man wore a black suit and had a cane in hand, coughing from time to time.
The woman, on the other hand, wore a hat and sunglasses. Her hair hung loose around her, and she said nary a word.
Ruan Anxi pointed at the chairs. “Have a seat.”
Following that, the elderly man and the woman both sat down.
Although the elderly man seemed exceedingly imposing, he wasn't Nan Zhengde. He had merely applied some makeup to resemble the man. In truth, his real identity was that of the butler of the Nan family, Chai Hua.
Likewise, the young woman wasn't Lu Jingyuan. Instead, she was Ning Ran's assistant, Cheng Xiangyun.
After taking a closer look at them, Ruan Anxi overturned the table with a kick, toppling the teapot and teacups onto the ground.
He proceeded to wave a hand. “Tie these two bogus up! I'm going to carve their hearts out!”
At that moment, Cheng Xiangyun had already gone deathly pale in fright. It had been a difficult decision for her to masquerade as Lu Jingyuan, but their looks and air were pretty similar.
Therefore, she ended up agreeing to the task to save Ning Ran, proving her sense of righteousness.
Conversely, Chai Hua was much more experienced. Having been with Nan Zhengde for so many years, he had been through plenty of trials and tribulations, so he wasn't afraid of such a scene. At the very least, his fear was mild.
“Mr. Nan said you can talk to him directly if there's such a need, but not under such circumstances because he hates being threatened. The lady you kidnapped is very important to Master Chen. Nothing can be allowed to happen to her, so we came to take her place. We're insignificant characters, so our lives don't matter. But if we were to die here, you'd be paying a huge price.”
He was incredibly steady, calmly voicing everything he wanted to say.
“I loathe being duped and played for a fool. I want your deaths, and I'll gouge your organs out one by one!” Ruan Anxi declared with a baleful grin.
“Every single person has something they detest. You detest being played for a fool, but Mr. Nan detests being blackmailed. If you really have something to discuss with him, he said that you go directly to Flower City. The Nan family will serve you superb tea and talk to you nicely. Everything is open to discussion, but not here,” Chai Hua asserted.
Despite his calm appearance on the surface, his palms were actually damp with sweat.
Ultimately, he was the one who persuaded Cheng Xiangyun over and promised her that he would ensure her safe return.
The fact that the man before them was casually threatening to carve out their organs were truly petrifying.
Just then, Ruan Anxi's subordinate came over. “Doctor, Nan Chen said he has something to say to you.”
Nan Chen's handsome face dominated the phone screen. Content provided by NôvelDrama.Org.
“What do you have to say? How dare you trick me!” Ruan Anxi bellowed.
“Yet, you dared hold my woman hostage. I haven't even settled the score with you about that. Do you think this is M Nation and you can do as you please?” Nan Chen retorted coldly.
His formidable aura stunned Ruan Anxi for a moment.
Rumor has it that he's a fearsome man, and from the look of things now, it's indeed true.
“Okay, since you dared pull a fast one on me, I'll allow you to witness how I'm going to dismember these two people step by step.”
Putting on gloves, Ruan Anxi took out his customized scalpel.
Sheer terror struck Cheng Xiangyun. Oh my God, no one told me about this plot development! Didn't they say I was merely to be a substitute in this hostage situation? Why is there a surgical procedure now?
“I've got a backup plan. If you dare do such a thing, you'll die here,” Nan Chen announced.
At that exact moment, the roar of engines split the air. A few helicopters approached from afar and started hovering above the homestay.
“I've expected you to play such a trick, so I had someone plant an explosive on one of your cars at your company in Flower City. If I die here, that building will collapse,” Ruan Anxi divulged with a malicious sneer.
“You don't have to worry about that. The person you arranged to do so is already in my custody. His name is Wu Tong, right?” Nan Chen queried.
Ruan Anxi's expression changed at once, making it clear that the man was right.
“In that case, I want these two people to die with me! Give the order for them to open fire. I don't care,” Ruan Anxi scoffed with a sinister smirk.
“As long as you let them go, the helicopters won't fire. I know you're a filial son. I just had my men send your mother her favorite baked sweet potatoes this morning,” Nan Chen remarked.
This time, Ruan Anxi's expression changed drastically. “What have you done to my mother?”
“Nothing. Don't worry, for I always respect the elderly. While her son is a b*stard, she's innocent. But then, my men are on good terms with the two people in front of you. If anything were to happen to them, things might change,” Nan Chen replied.