Chapter 138

With a single phrase that epitomized Chinese culture, Shen Tang was propelled into the air. Luckily, Gu Qingan reacted quickly and shielded her, preventing her from crashing into the wall too hard. Nevertheless, the impact between the two of them was still substantial.

Shen Tang took a couple of deep breaths, trying to steady herself. The person who opened the door was Brother Biao, and he seemed bewildered. However, he quickly regained his composure and said, "Sorry, someone's here. Let's take advantage of the chaos and run!"

"Who's coming?" Shen Tang asked.

Brother Biao was momentarily stumped, but just then, Shou Zi ran over and exclaimed, "Hey, why are you still here talking? The police are here! Let's go!"

Upon hearing that the police had arrived, Shen Tang untied the rope and started running with the two men. However, after running for a short distance, she realized something was amiss. She was the victim, so why was she running?

As soon as Shen Tang stopped, Shou Zi grabbed her sleeve and said, "Miss Shen, can't you run anymore? I'll carry you!"

Shou Zi squatted down, as if he really intended to carry her.

His thinking was simple—to impress Shen Tang and perhaps leave a good impression on her. After all, he would be her future boss, so it was important to make a favorable impression.

Suddenly, Brother Biao halted and said, "Look, I panicked. Shen Tang doesn't need to run. The police are probably here to rescue them."

Shou Zi smacked his forehead and exclaimed, "Oh no, Brother Biao, what should we do then?"

Shen Tang had no intention of unloading the burden. "Don't worry, I will tell the police the truth and won't falsely accuse you."

Shou Zi was overjoyed, already envisioning a life of luxury. He would use the money to marry a beautiful wife and have chubby children.

Brother Biao, on the other hand, grasped the underlying meaning.

After a moment of silence, he asked, "Does your previous job and the school district still matter?"

"They matter," Shen Tang replied earnestly.

"Alright, I trust you."

The group turned around and headed back. By now, the ones who needed to be caught had already been apprehended. The once imposing Big Brother was now pinned to the ground, unable to move.

Shen Tang flashed a triumphant smile at him. How the tables had turned.

Big Brother seethed with anger, struggling fiercely, but the more he struggled, the tighter he was held down.

Among the group of police officers, there was a man dressed in civilian clothes. He had narrow, phoenix-like eyes that made him appear unapproachable. However, a perpetual smile softened that impression.

Upon seeing Shen Tang and Gu Qingan, he walked straight towards them. "Sister, sister-in-law."

Shen Tang didn't recognize him, but Gu Qingan nodded calmly and said, "Long time no see." "Have you seen Huaian?" the man asked, glancing at Shen Tang. He seemed hesitant, as if there was something difficult to say.

Shen Tang's heart sank, sensing something ominous. "Has something happened to him?"

Seeing Gu Qingan also nod, the man reluctantly said, "Huaian was seriously injured. He broke his leg and is currently in the hospital. He didn't want me to tell you."

Shen Tang frowned. If he was injured, why wouldn't he want her to know? Could it be...

She blurted out, "Could it be that he broke his 'third leg'?"

Gu Qingan also looked up abruptly, his words caught in his throat. The man hurriedly shook his head, "No, no, his 'third leg' is fine."

Shen Tang looked at him suspiciously and asked, "If it's all good, why didn't you tell us?"

The man choked for a moment, then sighed and shook his head. "Ah, you'll know when you get there," he said.

"Oh, by the way, who are these two?" Shen Tang asked.

Shen Tang truthfully recounted the events that had happened earlier, including their kidnapping of her and her attempt to persuade them to change their ways.

Shou Zi looked bewildered and said, "No, Miss Shen, how can you say that?"

"Did I say something wrong?" Shen Tang questioned.

"Well, you did promise us earlier that you would let us become security guards," Shou Zi retorted.

Shou Zi looked at Brother Biao and said, "Biao Ge, say something!"

"Don't worry, if you both sincerely change and repent, I will fulfill my promise," Brother Biao admitted outright.

Shou Zi was dumbfounded and was also escorted onto the vehicle with the others.

Later, Shen Tang learned that Brother Biao had a daughter with autism, and the treatment and special schooling required a lot of money.

He used to work in construction, but the company absconded with the funds, leaving him with no choice but to take the wrong path.

Fortunately, he hadn't committed much wrongdoing yet, and Shen Tang was his first victim.

On the other hand, Shou Zi was already a small-time thug, and he was the one who brought Brother Biao here. Shen Tang sighed and donated some money for the treatment of Brother Biao's daughter.

Of course, that is a matter for later, not to be mentioned for now.

At present, Shen Tang and Gu Qingan couldn't wait to rush to the hospital where Gu Huaian was.

Besides Shen Tang, Gu Qingan, and the man, there was also a driver. The four of them traveled in one car.

Shen Tang and Gu Qingan sat in the backseat.

During the journey, Shen Tang learned from the man, whose name was Xie Yuan.

She guessed that Xie Yuan might be the one responsible for the misunderstanding between her and Gu Huaian last time.

Shen Tang didn't have a very good first impression of him; he couldn't compare to Cen Songbai and Fu Junsheng.

She sensed that Gu Qingan's attitude towards him was also average, not particularly affectionate.

From Xie Yuan's account, they learned that Gu Huaian had been discovered by hikers in the mountains and they called for help. His phone was not working, and he still hadn't replaced it for some reason.

When Shen Tang heard this, she felt something was off. How could Gu Huaian, who was a workaholic and used his phone every day, not get it replaced?

She glanced at Xie Yuan from the corner of her eye; he seemed quite normal and didn't look like a bad person.

But bad people don't have "bad person" written on their faces.

Shen Tang asked, "Did Gu Huaian say anything when he woke up?"

Xie Yuan shook his head. "He just told me not to tell you anything and then fell unconscious again. His leg injury is serious; he might need amputation."

Shen Tang's heart skipped a beat. "Amputation? That serious?"

"Yes, but the surgery hasn't been performed yet. Huaian doesn't know about it yet, and I'm afraid it will greatly affect him," Xie Yuan explained.

Shen Tang nodded in understanding and casually asked, "By the way, how did you know we were here? And why did you bring the police to rescue us?"

Gu Qingan, sitting beside her, also raised his head slowly.

She also wanted to know the answer to this question.

She had thought earlier that it was Gu Huaian who sent him to rescue them, but now it seemed that wasn't the case.

They had only arrived here a couple of days ago, and few people knew about this matter.

So, how did Xie Yuan find out?

Xie Yuan chuckled softly, "Sometimes, being too clever isn't a good thing."

Shen Tang smiled faintly, "But being not clever isn't necessarily a good thing either."

Shen Tang thought that this person was about to reveal his true intentions, but unexpectedly, Xie Yuan sighed and continued, "Yes, what Huai'an said is true. We couldn't deceive you after all."

"Now that you've asked, I'll tell you the truth. In fact, it was Huai'an who sent me to pick you up, but he didn't want you to know about it. His injuries are quite serious, and there's a high probability that he won't be able to keep his leg. He doesn't want to see anyone."

Shen Tang furrowed her brows.

She was contemplating the truth of this matter.

She had a skeptical attitude towards every word spoken by this man named Xie Yuan.

Moreover, his words seemed inconsistent and contradictory, changing his stance from time to time.

Putting herself in his shoes, if she were facing the prospect of amputation, she might also not want to see anyone.

But Gu Huaian shouldn't be like that.

She was certain because Gu Huaian had promised her that he would tell her everything, no matter what happened.

Therefore, Shen Tang believed that Xie Yuan was lying.

So, what was his motive?

Wasn't he Gu Huaian's friend?