Chapter 107: The Plan

Hong Chen nodded frantically, his eyes wide with a desperate urge to survive.

Seeing that Hong Chen was being cooperative, Cao Renjie casually ripped the duct tape off his mouth. Hong Chen quickly said, "That fifty million is untouched in my bank account. I'll transfer it right now, but you must keep your word."

Cao Renjie took in the panic and anxiety on Hong Chen's face and nodded with satisfaction. "Don't worry. I have no grudge against you. I only want money, not your life."

"Hong Chen, don't believe him! We've already seen all of their faces. Once they get the money, they will definitely kill us to silence us!" Just as Cao Renjie was about to gesture for someone to untie the rope binding Hong Chen's hands, Jiang Ying suddenly cried out. Cao Renjie's face darkened, and he immediately abandoned Hong Chen to walk over to her.

A wave of helplessness washed over Hong Chen, and he sighed inwardly. Jiang Ying's warning made sense, and she meant well, but her timing was terrible! She should have at least waited until his hands were untied!

With his hands free, he could have found a way to close the distance and confidently rescue her. Relying on his legs alone made it rather difficult.

Having missed this opportunity, he could only continue to wait patiently.

Cao Renjie grabbed Jiang Ying's hair with brutal force, his eyes fierce. "Women and fools are indeed hard to handle. I was kind enough to offer you a way out, and you throw it back in my face? Let me tell you, you have no choice. If you know what's good for you, do as I say!"

Cao Renjie pulled so hard that Jiang Ying felt as if her hair would tear out at any moment. The pain brought tears to her eyes, but she still gritted her teeth and said, "Cao Renjie, two hundred million is not a problem, and you can have Hong Chen's fifty million too. I can even promise not to call the police or make trouble for you afterward. We can pretend tonight never happened. But the prerequisite is that we can't just take your empty promise. You must present a plan we can agree on, one that assures us we can leave safely after paying."

Cao Renjie sneered. "You must have watched plenty of crime movies growing up. It's always ransom first, release later. You can't be naive enough to think I'd let you go before getting the money."

With that, he let go, took Jiang Ying's phone back from one of his men, and barked, "I'll tell you one more time: you have no choice. Speak. Who do we call first? I'll dial for you. Hurry up, and don't test my patience."

Jiang Ying kept her face tense, staring fixedly at Cao Renjie without uttering a word, looking as if she were daring him to kill her.

Enraged, Cao Renjie raised his hand to slap her again, but the man who had spoken earlier intervened. "Renjie, if Miss Jiang wants a plan, why not lay it out clearly? It'll put her mind at ease—and shatter any illusions she has."

"Third Brother Lu."

The man had triangular eyes and a bald head, instantly marking him as a shady character. He gave Cao Renjie a cold smile. "I believe that as long as Miss Jiang is sure she can save her own skin, she won't mind paying an extra fifty million for that kid."

Cao Renjie's eyes flickered. After pondering for a moment, he nodded in agreement, then pointed at the man and said to Jiang Ying, "Let me introduce him first. This is Third Brother Lu. He was once a big shot in the underworld of Qing City. He served ten years for manslaughter. The guys working with us tonight are all friends he made in prison. We're all worthless scoundrels; all of our lives combined aren't worth a single finger of yours, Miss Jiang."

As he spoke, Cao Renjie fished out a keychain from his pocket. On it was a Swiss Army knife, its blade gleaming coldly. Jiang Ying's breath hitched. "W-what are you doing?"

Cao Renjie gave a sinister grin. "Didn't you want a plan? I'll satisfy you right now." His finger slowly shifted from Third Brother Lu to Hong Chen. "You're right. Since you've seen our faces, we did plan to kill you both after getting the money. However, you don't have to worry, Miss Jiang. As long as you personally slit his throat, I guarantee you can leave completely unharmed after you pay."

The moment those words were spoken, Jiang Ying's face turned as pale as paper. She understood exactly what Cao Renjie meant. He wanted her to kill Hong Chen with her own hands. Once she became a murderer, Cao Renjie and his men would hold massive leverage over her, eliminating any need to silence her by death.

What kind of dark, twisted mind could devise such a cruel and venomous scheme?

Looking at Cao Renjie's cold face, a deep chill seeped into Jiang Ying's heart, instantly spreading through her body and leaving her hands and feet ice-cold.

Heavens! She had spent several months with Cao Renjie. Normally, this man did everything he could to please her, acting as submissive as a lapdog, just as he had described. Only now did she realize that he was honey-tongued but dagger-hearted—more venomous than a viper, more ruthless than a wolf!

Before Jiang Ying could steady her trembling mind, the cold blade pressed against her cheek. Cao Renjie's chilling, merciless voice rang out again. "If you don't do as I say, you'll be driving us into a corner. I will slash your face and torture you slowly, making you wish you were dead!"

Jiang Ying's pupils dilated with terror. Cao Renjie said indifferently, "Like I said, all our lives combined aren't worth a single finger of yours. If you're willing to die, we'll die with you. I've given you the plan. How you choose is up to you. I'll give you one minute to think it over."

With a flick of his wrist, a thin line of blood appeared on Jiang Ying's fair cheek. She screamed in terror.

Cao Renjie was only trying to scare her. He pulled back the knife, checked his watch, and said, "The countdown starts now!"

"Cao Renjie! Spare my life, and not only will I hand over the sixty million in my card, but I also have a much better plan than yours. It won't just eliminate your worries; it will guarantee you permanent wealth."

Cao Renjie hadn't bothered to lower his voice earlier, so Hong Chen had heard everything clearly. The moment the countdown was announced, he cried out impatiently.

Cao Renjie glanced askance at him, his lips curling into a mocking sneer. "Oh? Let's hear it then," he drawled.

Hong Chen said immediately, "Cao Renjie, my role as a live-in son-in-law for the Lin family is, to put it bluntly, just being a kept man who gets free food, drinks, and housing. In that sense, we are actually in the same line of work."

Seeing Cao Renjie's face darken by the second, he quickly changed his tone. "What I mean is, both of our goals are money and a better life. Therefore, we don't need to be in a life-or-death struggle. We have a basis for cooperation."

Cao Renjie frowned. "And? Cut the crap. My patience is limited..."

Hong Chen nodded. "You want Miss Jiang to kill me so that she becomes a murderer, while you guys are kidnappers. Since everyone has committed a crime, no one will dare betray the others. That way, you won't have to hide after getting the money and can live in comfort. But the problem is, out of two hundred million, there are six of you. That's only a few tens of millions each. Is that really enough to last a lifetime?"

Hong Chen's words caught everyone's attention, and they all turned to look at him. Hong Chen continued, "You guys have risked your lives to kidnap us. Isn't it all for villas, luxury cars, designer clothes, high-end clubs, beautiful wives, and a few mistresses on the side? That's the dream life. A few tens of millions is far from enough. You need at least a few hundred million each."

Hong Chen quickly scanned the room, noting the shifting expressions on their faces. His tone suddenly changed, carrying a bold confidence. "Cao Renjie, you know I'm close friends with Jiang Tao, right? I know far more about the Jiang family than you do. The Jiang family is the most prominent family in Qing City, and they value their reputation above all else. In the direct line of the family, Jiang Ying is the only young lady, and everyone treats her like a treasure. Her value is far more than two hundred million. If you ask me, she's worth two billion!"

"Under your plan, having her kill me only gives you peace of mind. Once you divide the tens of millions, you won't be able to use this to blackmail her for more money in the future, because that would force her to fight to the death. And if it comes to that, she won't die—you will!"

"My plan, however, is this: the six of you, plus me—making it seven of us—will give Miss Jiang a good time tonight and record it on video. This is far more secure than making her a murderer. I can guarantee she would never dare tell her family about such a scandal. And even if the Jiang family found out, they would be wary of taking action because of the leverage. To a family like theirs, a murder charge is easily swept under the rug—especially since she would only have killed under duress, meaning she might not even serve jail time. But once a reputation is tarnished, it can never be washed clean."