Chapter 352: The Benefactor's Sister

She really is Ai Luoxiu's younger sister, that little princess from Y Guo, there are no M Guo people in this video.

The kidnapper holding the phone repeatedly dragged the progress bar, zooming in and zooming in again on the Investiture Banquet footage, comparing it to Mu Youyu tied up on the ground in the warehouse.

Someone stared in disbelief, eyes wide open, after comparing it several times, his heart turned to ash: "My god, we really kidnapped the wrong person, little sister, what have you been up to these days, getting so close to Qing An?"

Mu Youyu lowered her head and said nothing.

"If I had known earlier, I would have taken another look at the banquet photos; it wouldn't have come to this."

"What do we do now? We've offended the Pei Weika family; we and our brothers can't stay in M Guo any longer!"

The gang of kidnappers who had just been fierce and ruthless were now completely thrown into disarray.

The leader's face alternated between green and pale, his outlook uncertain.

He had lurked in the shadows for twenty years, having seen every kind of bloody storm.

Even life‑and‑death peril had never rattled him so much, yet he stumbled over this trivial mix‑up.

"We're doomed, we're doomed, the Pei Weika family's eldest miss—these are the people you absolutely cannot provoke on the international stage!"

"Boss, we can't touch this person—the Pei Weika family saved our lives before, you said we must never lay a hand on anyone from that house!"

"If Ai Luoxiu finds out we've kidnapped his sister, none of us will survive!"

"They dared to clash head‑on with the M Guo royalty, seeking revenge, and never imagined they'd lay a hand on the Pei Weika family."

The leader stared at the girl before him who was the spitting image of Ai Luoxiu, his eyes complex.

Mu Youyu quietly watched them, saying nothing more.

The kidnappers huddled together, the more they discussed, the more panicked they became.

"What if… we let her go?"

"Let her go? We've already grabbed her, made this a huge scene—if we release her, will her family spare us?"

"But if we don't, are we really going to lock horns with Ai Luoxiu? We can't afford to!"

"We've already notified Qing An's side—he'll be here any minute; when the two groups collide, we'll die even faster!"

"But we can't move her either—otherwise we could just take her and flee, feeding her well…"

The lot of them were in such a fluster they spun around, completely losing their earlier arrogant swagger.

Finally, the leader gritted his teeth: "Don't panic, I can't decide this myself—I'll go ask for instructions from above."

The "above" he referred to was the true mastermind behind this operation, their chief.

Having said that, the leader hurried to the warehouse corner and pulled out a satellite phone.

The moment the call connected, he immediately lowered his attitude, rattling off the whole story at breakneck speed, his tone anxious.

At the other end, silence stretched for a long time, then came a single icy order: "Watch the person—I'll be there right away."

After hanging up, the leader turned around and said, "Listen up—before the chief arrives, you are not to touch her, not to insult her. Understood?"

"Understood!" the subordinates nodded repeatedly, their gazes at the bound person completely changed.

Mu Youyu sat on the ground, watching them fall into chaos, her heart easing a little, though her exterior remained composed.

The wait felt especially long.

Outside the warehouse the snow fell harder, the cold wind howling across the open expanse, making a sound like the whisper of death.

The snow on the ground was blown by the wind into layer after layer, piling up at the warehouse doorway.

About a few minutes later, four unfamiliar figures appeared.

The man leading them was the tallest, bald, with ferocious tattoos on his neck and arms.

Mu Youyu heard the leader call him chief.

After hearing the subordinate recount the events again, the bald chief showed no panic, gave a scoffing laugh, and said in a light, dismissive tone: "Whatever, isn't she just Qing An's sister?"

His subordinate immediately chimed in with a vicious tone: "Exactly, it's just that she now has the identity of Ai Luoxiu's sister—do you really think she can get out of today's predicament?"

The leader rushed forward to protest: "Chief, no—A Luoxiu helped us before, and we absolutely cannot touch anyone from the Pei Weika family!"

Had they known she had this identity earlier, they would have gone straight for Ruo Ya instead—binding her would have been better.

The chief waved his hand impatiently: "Why hasn't Qing An shown up yet?"

As the words fell, footsteps sounded again outside the warehouse.

The bald chief raised an eyebrow, the smile at the corner of his mouth widening: "Well, speak of the devil and he appears."

The warehouse's old iron door was gently pushed open from outside.

Two figures entered, one after the other.

The man in front wore splendid M Guo court robes, his golden eyes full of irritation.

When his gaze fell on the sister in the warehouse's center, his fists clenched and he began to regret coming out today.

"Oh, you're rather slow……" the chief said, looking at the person behind him, his face darkening.

Behind Qing An stood another person.

Dressed in a black windcoat dusted with fine snow, his aura was low and intimidating, exuding the cold, overbearing presence of a superior.

Jiang Liangjin.

The moment Mu Youyu saw the two of them, her long‑strained eye sockets instantly heated.

She fought back the tears, but a thin mist gathered in her clear eyes.

The chief questioned Qing An in M Guo language: "Didn't I say to come alone? Who is he?"

Before Qing An could speak, a subordinate beside him stared at the person and Mu Youyu's hair, then whispered softly: "Chief, look—they have the same hair color."

"I heard that these days young people like to dye their hair in matching couple colors… this must be her boyfriend."

The chief blinked, then let out a scornful laugh.

He gave Qing An and Jiang Liangjin a once‑over, waved his hand grandly, and declared in a lion‑sized voice: "Fine, two people showed up—so the price has to go up as well."

"Two billion."

Isn't Qing An's sister, paired with you as your future brother-in-law, worth this price?

He doesn't care about the so-called ransom at all; he's just deliberately provoking.

I want to see this little prince, pampered to heaven by the imperial family, make a flustered, embarrassed mess over a girl.

Watch him tear his own pride to shreds with his own hands.

From beginning to end, Jiang Liangjin's gaze never left Mu Youyu.

From her disheveled hair, to her reddened eye sockets, to her wrists reddened by the rope.

Everywhere I look, the dull ache in my chest deepens a bit.

My heart aches, almost breaking through all reason.

He has countless ways to delay, to lay a net of heaven and earth, and catch them all in one sweep.

But he dares not gamble.

Jiang Liangjin suppressed the emotions welling up in his chest, gave her a comforting look, then slowly raised his right hand.

The motion was light, with no hint of aggression, yet it made every kidnapper present tense up instantly.

The bald leader sensed the danger, his eyes narrowed, he jerked back a step, and roughly hauled Mu Youyu up from the ground.

Mu Youyu, caught off guard, let out a soft groan of pain; the rope tightened further around her wrist, deepening the blood marks.

The next second, a cold dagger was pressed against her carotid artery.

"If you don't want to pay, we'll just leave—go ahead and try calling for help!"

"Qing An, if you want her alive, it's simple!" the leader snarled, his face ferocious, "You, come over, swap with her."

"Right now!"

The leader and the remaining kidnappers had their hearts leaping to their throats.

Ah! The benefactor's sister!