Chapter Thirty-Six: Kidnapping Lan Ruoxue!

Sun Chuanzhi was stunned! He remembered just being thrown out, crashing so hard he felt dizzy and disoriented. In a daze, he had landed on this man's body, never expecting that this was the very person attempting to kidnap An Lan. Just moments ago, the man had been so fierce—how could Sun ever be his match? Yet now, he had somehow subdued him! Though he felt unworthy, Sun would never miss an opportunity to show off, especially with Lan Ruoxue right there.

"It's nothing, really. I'm a low-key person, not one for showing off," he said. "If it hadn't been an emergency, I wouldn’t have acted at all. You're all exaggerating." Sun Chuanzhi waved with satisfaction.

Able and humble—his demeanor immediately won praise from the other bidders. Meanwhile, Zhao Xiu'e and Lan Ruoxue hurried to his side, concerned for his well-being, their admiration for him beyond words.

But Ye Wushang had no time for pleasantries. He strode straight to Xun Wuyang, seized him by the collar. "Tell me, who opened the window for you? What is the meaning of kidnapping President An and threatening the An family?"

His instincts told him that things were far from over. When he had arrived earlier, he’d ordered all doors and windows securely shut to ensure nothing could go wrong. Yet during the explosion, the window had been open. If not for the draft, the powder residue on Sun Chuanzhi’s clothes would not have reacted with the curtain. There had to be an inside accomplice.

"You brat, you've ruined our plans. The Pei family won't let you off!" Xun Wuyang spat coldly, unmoved, then suddenly bit his tongue and killed himself. Blood streamed from his lips—he died instantly.

"Useless fool!" Zhao Xiu'e exclaimed in horror. "What are you doing? Chuanzhi finally subdued him, and we're waiting for President An to come and ask questions, and you just drove him to suicide?"

Sun Chuanzhi shot Ye a mocking glance. "All talk, no action. Some security chief! President An nearly got killed and you had no idea. What kind of judgment does the An family have to hire you? Laughable!"

Lan Ruoxue sighed helplessly. "Wushang, I warned you not to show off, but you never listen. Don’t think you can do anything just because you have that friend of yours. Strength matters most—if you’re not capable, don’t force it. If Chuanzhi hadn’t acted, if President An had been harmed, we’d all be implicated. As security chief, you can’t shirk responsibility—don’t you understand that?"

She could accept mediocrity, even incompetence. But since their divorce, he had become boastful and reckless. Frankly, she was exhausted, telling herself countless times to let him go, let him fend for himself. Yet he had saved her that night, throwing her into turmoil, uncertain how to handle their relationship.

Faced with the scolding from all three and the derisive remarks of the guests, Ye Wushang remained indifferent. He briefly checked Xun Wuyang, then beckoned to the bald man, "This guy was likely just the vanguard. The danger isn’t over yet. Seal off the villa immediately and start an internal investigation. Begin with the surveillance footage—find out who was missing during the explosion, who acted suspiciously. Everyone must be checked. Also, notify President An: stay in the safe room and don’t come out without my permission!"

Without hesitation, the bald man dispatched orders. He was fully convinced by Ye Wushang. Aside from having the foresight to draw Sun Chuanzhi into the affair, the way Ye dealt with Xun Wuyang was impressive—he was an expert. If he hadn’t thrown Sun at Xun in time, the young lady would have been in real danger.

"There's still danger?" The bidders grew anxious. They had all come hoping to win the An family’s agency, but no one wanted to risk their lives. Remembering the explosion, their hearts still trembled. If there was another attack, they wouldn’t survive.

But Sun Chuanzhi sneered, "What danger? I’ve already dealt with them. Even if there is, with me here, what’s there to fear?"

His unexpected success made his confidence swell—he felt as if he could take on anything. Zhao Xiu'e agreed, increasingly fond of Sun, "Chuanzhi’s right. There’s no more danger. Even if there is, he’s here. No problem is too great. Ignore that useless fool—he’s just fear-mongering."

"Ye Wushang!" Suddenly, Lan Ruoxue lost control of her emotions. "Are you done causing trouble? As security chief, you failed to handle the danger. Now that it’s over, you're spouting nonsense. What—is it so hard for you to admit someone else is more capable than you?"

She was fed up with Ye’s antics. If she could, she would rather never have met him, ashamed of their three-year marriage. Ye sensed her fury, but it meant nothing to him. She already believed he was that sort of person; what was the point of explaining further? They were divorced; neither owed the other anything.

"Mr. Ye!" Just then, the bald man responsible for checking the surveillance rolled in, collapsing on the floor, blood streaming from his abdomen.

"What happened?" Ye Wushang rushed to help him.

Sweating and ashamed, the bald man said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Ye. I lied to you. You told me to keep your investigation secret, but I found it troublesome and told my best friend, Ah Hu. When I went to retrieve the footage, he attacked me from behind and stole the safe room key. I fought him off and got the key back, but he escaped."

He stretched out his bloodied hand, offering Ye the safe room key. "Mr. Ye, here’s the key. I only trust you with it."

Ye Wushang’s face darkened. As expected, there was a mole. Someone on the inside had opened the window, collaborating with outsiders. Now, everything made sense.

Fortunately, the safe room was made of special materials—even explosives couldn’t breach it. An Lan was safe for the moment. But as long as Ah Hu was free, An Lan remained in danger. And the Pei family’s plot was still unclear.

Just as Ye reached for the key, a figure suddenly dropped from nowhere. Instinctively, Ye dodged aside, but the key was struck away, rolling right to Sun Chuanzhi’s feet.

"Give me the key, or I’ll kill the woman!" Ah Hu seized Lan Ruoxue, pressing a knife to her throat.

"Bastard, let go of my daughter!" Zhao Xiu'e cried, rushing forward, only to be kicked violently to the ground by Ah Hu.

"Chuanzhi, quick, save Ruoxue!" Zhao Xiu'e was in too much pain to move, so she could only look to Sun Chuanzhi for help.

But Sun was terrified. This guy had leapt from the second floor—he was truly ferocious. Even if he had the chance, Sun knew he couldn’t take him head-on.

As he hesitated, the other guests urged him.

"Young Master Sun, what are you waiting for? Save her!"

"You were so tough just now, even dealt with Xun Wuyang. This guy is nothing for you."

"Aren’t you here with President Lan? Aren’t you pursuing her? She’s in danger—how can you just stand by?"

"This is too dangerous. Take him down, or we’re all at risk."

Everyone chimed in. Though they claimed to worry about Lan Ruoxue, they were really just afraid for themselves.

Sun Chuanzhi was frazzled, but he had no choice—he had to act. He forced himself to shout, "Hey, Ruoxue is my woman. If you know what's good for you, let her go now, or you'll end up like him!"

He pointed at Xun Wuyang’s corpse.

"Shut up!" Ah Hu roared, waving his knife at the key Sun had picked up. "Want her released? Give me the key!"

Sun froze. He understood—the key was for the safe room. Ah Hu wanted it to get to An Lan.

"No, don’t give it to him," the bald man protested, despite the pain. "President An is in the safe room. If you give him the key, she’ll be in danger!"

"I don’t care. President An is important, but Ruoxue is more important!" Without hesitation, Sun tossed the key to Ah Hu. "Brother, here’s the key. Stick to the deal and let Ruoxue go..."

"Let your mother go!" Ah Hu shifted his knife to Lan Ruoxue’s back. "If it weren’t for you, Xun Wuyang would have succeeded! Now I’m exposed. If I fail this mission, I’ll die, and she won’t live either! Move—upstairs!"

He dragged Lan Ruoxue toward the stairs.

Sun tried to protest, "Hey, brother, weren’t we clear just now—"

"Clear your mother!" Ah Hu stomped, grabbing a bottle from the floor and smashing it over Sun's head. "If you say another word, I’ll kill you!"

Sun nearly wet himself, clutching his aching head, silent. Showing off felt great, but he didn’t want to die. Ah Hu was a desperado—he’d do anything if pushed. Though Sun liked Lan Ruoxue, it wasn’t worth risking his life.

"You scum! I thought you were devoted, but you’re nothing but a coward!" Ah Hu sneered, dragging Lan Ruoxue upstairs. "Calling her your woman? Go drown yourself in your own piss, loser!"

Sun’s gaze hardened as he lowered his head, not daring to speak.

"Chuanzhi, don’t just stand there, save her!" Zhao Xiu'e was frantic as her daughter was dragged away. "Weren’t you so tough before? Kill him!"

Sun remained silent, even retreating a few steps.

"Sigh." Seeing this, the guests could only shake their heads. Not even a peep—was this the same man who had defeated Xun Wuyang? They began to suspect they'd misunderstood something. If it were their own beloved, anyone who dared harm her would face their wrath, but Sun simply backed down.

Soon, Ah Hu reached the stairs with Lan Ruoxue. The outcome was clear: he would open the safe room and seize An Lan. Lan Ruoxue was merely a hostage—once she was no longer useful, she’d be killed.

The security guards had all been taken out. Ah Hu was unstoppable. Just as everyone thought there was nothing they could do—

"I’ll give you just one chance—release Lan Ruoxue," Ye Wushang suddenly declared, stepping forward to block Ah Hu’s path.

…