C21 The Seducer

"I need you to stay safe," Chiang Hao implored with heartfelt emotion.

When one tactic fails, it's time to try another.

Sweet talk was getting him nowhere; perhaps it was time for a little charm offensive.

"Scram!" Shen Bingzhen flagged down a taxi without a second thought.

Really?

Could she be that resolute?

He had poured his heart out to a woman as round as a barrel and in her mid-forties, only to be met with such blunt rejection.

Chiang Hao's ego was dealt a crushing blow, as swift as a bolt of lightning.

But he was far from ready to throw in the towel. He couldn't afford to.

She was a key player in the salvation of the Han family, and he couldn't just let her slip away.

He was her last hope; maybe she would be the one to secure a loan for the Han family.

"Don't leave!" Chiang Hao wrapped his arms around Shen Bingzhen in a tight embrace.

Her name might suggest sharpness, but her figure was more akin to a century-old tree—his arms barely encircled her.

"Release me... What are you trying to do?"

Shen Bingzhen fought to get free, but Chiang Hao's grip only tightened.

"Help... Help me, please... Brother..." Unable to escape, Shen Bingzhen resorted to pleading with the taxi driver.

"I love you. Don't go. Your age, your body, your children—I don't care about any of that. I love you for you."

Life is a stage, and Chiang Hao was giving the performance of a lifetime.

His acting prowess was worthy of an Oscar.

"Go away!" Shen Bingzhen lashed out with kicks and punches.

But Chiang Hao was steadfast, holding her close, and he even broke into song: "I love you, love you, like a mouse loves rice... This is your favorite love song. I'm singing it for you. Please, won't you stay?"

"What a moving love story. It's so rare these days to witness such genuine affection," the onlookers murmured, dabbing at their teary eyes with tissues, overcome with emotion.

"You little rascal. She doesn't want you, so stop harassing her. Let go of my fare and don't interfere with my livelihood."

The taxi driver, a middle-aged man, was unimpressed by Chiang Hao's fervent display and barked at him to back off.

"Enough! If you keep this up, I'm calling the police to report you for indecency." Shen Bingzhen, seething with anger, whipped out her phone.

"Fine, I can hold onto you, but not your heart. If you're set on leaving, I won't hold you back. Go ahead. If you ever miss me, you can find me at Room 201, Unit 3, Building 3 in Yongze District, right next to A University."

Chiang Hao noticed that the taxi only had a driver inside, suggesting the kidnapper might not be in this vehicle. He released Shen Bingzhen.

With a sigh of relief, Shen Bingzhen escaped Chiang Hao's grip and hurried into the taxi.

Boom!

The driver ignited the engine, and the taxi shot forward.

As Chiang Hao was about to resume withdrawing money, he caught a glimpse of the taxi stopping at a crossroad ahead. Several burly men emerged, the doors slammed shut, and the vehicle took off once more.

"This is bad, the criminals are lying in wait ahead."

Sensing trouble, Chiang Hao quickly commandeered a motorcycle from the bank entrance, revved it up, and chased after the taxi.

The taxi raced through the streets and, after half an hour, pulled into an abandoned factory on the outskirts of town.

Shen Bingzhen was blindfolded, her mouth sealed with tape, and her limbs bound with rope. Two hefty men hauled her from the car and dumped her onto the concrete floor.

"Who are you people?"

Once the blindfold was removed, Shen Bingzhen surveyed the strange surroundings, fighting back her fear, and demanded loudly.

"Who are we? Take a good look and tell us what you think," chuckled a large man with a black dragon tattoo on his neck.

"I don't know you at all. What do you want with me?"

Shen Bingzhen eyed the intimidating men, her fear mounting.

"It doesn't matter if you don't recognize us; we know who you are. You're Shen Bingzhen, the bank manager of the Gansu Bank's South Lake branch, aren't you?"

The tattooed man checked the photo in his hand once more for confirmation.

"We're obviously here to kidnap you. What else would we want with someone of your... stature?"

Standing beside the tattooed man, a man with a scar across his face wore a smug grin.

They were well aware that Shen Bingzhen was the gang leader, and her husband was a renowned real estate tycoon in the area, flush with cash.

The four brothers had spent a month plotting to abduct Shen Bingzhen, aiming to extort a hefty ransom from her wealthy spouse.

"I can't fathom what your husband sees in a fat woman like you. What made him marry you?" sneered a young man with dyed red hair and shifty eyes.

"Rich folks have unique tastes. Who knows, maybe her husband has a thing for plump women. They're cushy and feel good to the touch," chimed in the man previously referred to as the "driver."

"Haha... Old Zhao, I bet it's not her husband who's into fat women—it's you, isn't it?" The tattooed man teased, a cigarette dangling from his lips.

"Yeah, Brother Zhao, with your skinny frame, you must have a thing for curvy ladies, right? How about we let you enjoy yourself first, then we'll call her husband for the cash?" The man with the scar joined in the mockery.

"Haha, that's a plan. Let Brother Zhao have his fun, and we'll snap some pictures for him to reminisce later," the red-haired man with the cunning look proposed.

"Get lost!" Old Zhao lashed out with a kick to the red-haired man's rear.

Peals of unbridled laughter echoed through the factory.

"This is a society governed by law; don't mess around. The police will come for you," Shen Bingzhen warned, hoping to intimidate the thugs with the threat of law enforcement.

She had seen countless movies depicting kidnappings for ransom, yet she never imagined she'd find herself in such a predicament.

"Police? You're in our clutches now and still have the nerve to threaten us with the cops?" The tattooed man's laughter ceased abruptly as he approached Shen Bingzhen, striking her across the face with a cigarette-stained hand.

Crack!

The sound of the slap reverberated through the cavernous factory, unnaturally loud.

Shen Bingzhen's nose bled profusely from the blow, the blood streaming down, staining her entire body.

"You're in our hands now, so you'd better keep quiet," Old Zhao leered.

It was clear that the man with the tattoo on his neck was the leader of the quartet. His laughter ceased, and the others instantly adopted a grave demeanor.

Struggling to keep her nosebleed at bay, Shen Bingzhen forced her head up, only to recognize something familiar about the tattooed man.

Then it hit her—this man was the A-class fugitive plastered all over the internet, with two murders to his name. One of his victims was from a family who had reported a kidnapping, only to be brutally murdered after he discovered they had gone to the police.