Chapter 8

Head... dizzy, nauseous... wanting to vomit. Various uncomfortable sensations surged from within and outside her body. Shen Qingxin frowned in pain. What on earth had happened to her? Why did it feel like she had come down with a serious illness, and she couldn't muster any strength in her whole body?

So... wanting to vomit. There was a strange sensation in her mouth and nose.

She shook her head in pain, wanting to call for someone to save her. Save... her?! Her brain went "boom." She remembered everything. She had been kidnapped! She wasn't at home!

She sat up abruptly. The movement was too sudden, causing her to hold her head and moan in pain. She still remembered that after being forced into the car by those three men, they had taken out a handkerchief soaked in anesthetic and knocked her out, and then she had lost consciousness. She struggled to open her eyes, wanting to see clearly where she was currently located.

A room decorated with piles of vulgar ornaments. It was evident that the room owner's taste was truly not very good. But the question was, who on earth had kidnapped her? And what was their purpose in kidnapping her?

She looked around curiously, also wanting to see if there was any possibility of escape. While looking around, she discovered that she wasn't the only one placed on the large red bed; there was also a woman with her back to her.

Who was it?

She curiously turned over the woman who was apparently still unconscious, wanting to see her face clearly, but was startled by it. She couldn't have imagined that the woman was actually Ji Ruohuan! Wasn't Ji Ruohuan very capable? How could she have been kidnapped just like her?

"Gently, my head is very dizzy..." Ji Ruohuan, whom she had mistaken for still being in a deep sleep, suddenly spoke weakly, her face as pale as a sheet of paper.

"Are you okay?" The more Shen Qingxin looked at her weak appearance, the more she felt she was stronger than the other person.

Ji Ruohuan still kept her eyes tightly closed. "Just let me lie down a little longer..." She had woken up earlier than Shen Qingxin, but the physical discomfort made her afraid to move around. Seeing that the person lying beside her was Shen Qingxin and not some strange wild man, she closed her eyes to rest again. Not long after, Shen Qingxin woke up as well.

"Mm, then you lie down and rest, I'll look around." Seeing her looking so listless, Shen Qingxin didn't find it convenient to keep bothering her, so she simply looked around to see if there were any chances to escape.

She first tried the room door, which was locked from the outside as expected. Unless the other party opened the door on their own, they had no chance of walking out the front door. Then she opened the window. Although the window was easy to open, they were on the fifth floor. Shen Qingxin looked down and immediately closed the window in fear, not daring to jump down.

After looking inside and out, from beginning to end, she finally realized they were in a closed, independent suite, and there was simply no chance of escape. Only then did she sit down beside Ji Ruohuan in frustration.

Ji Ruohuan remained in her previous position and asked without moving, "Are we trapped?"

"Mm, what should we do?" Shen Qingxin nodded dejectedly.

"It looks like we have no choice but to wait for the person who kidnapped us to appear on their own." Her head didn't seem as dizzy anymore, and her stomach had settled down. Ji Ruohuan finally opened her eyes slowly, but still didn't dare to make any big movements.

"What an ugly room." Just looking at the room's decor made her head start to ache; it was simply vulgar to the extreme.

"Right, the owner of this house must have no taste." Shen Qingxin followed her in boredly picking out faults in the person who had kidnapped them.

The two women criticized for a good while, which could be considered venting the anger in their hearts, before they stopped.

"Why do you think he kidnapped us?" Shen Qingxin felt very strange. Had the person who kidnapped her made a mistake? She had nothing; besides being able to design jewelry, she couldn't do anything. What was the use of kidnapping her?

"It's quite interesting that he kidnapped us." Ji Ruohuan raised her eyebrows. She was very clear about her own value and Shen Qingxin's.

But what made her angriest was that she had been kidnapped so easily. Facing the old woman the other party sent to pretend to be lost, she hadn't had any vigilance at all. No wonder she had been drugged.

Damn it! This matter was simply damaging to her, Ji Ruohuan's, reputation.

"Oh?" Shen Qingxin didn't understand.

"You'll know later." Ji Ruohuan smiled mysteriously, intending to wait for the person who kidnapped them to come and visit them on their own.

"Mm. You... you don't look very well. Are you okay?" Looking at her still pale face, Shen Qingxin was very worried.

They had been awake for a while, and her own strength and spirit had already recovered, but she didn't see Ji Ruohuan able to sit up full of energy like her. Was she really okay?

Ji Ruohuan looked at her steadily and smiled gently. "Thank you, I'm fine."

"But you..." Shen Qingxin intuitively thought she was comforting her.

"Do you know, this time, three people were kidnapped, not just the two of us." She said in a low voice, with hidden meaning.

"Ah! You?!" Shen Qingxin realized and looked at her still flat abdomen. No wonder Ji Ruohuan was so weak.

This was bad! Seeing Ji Ruohuan's appearance, it would be even more difficult for the two of them to escape.

And this matter absolutely had to be kept secret; they must not let the kidnappers who brought them here know, otherwise, she didn't know what kind of unconscionable things the other party would do. Some terrifying and cruel images began to appear in her mind.

"That's why I'm so useless. If it weren't for this, I think I definitely wouldn't have been kidnapped." It was all because she was blinded by joy that she had lowered her vigilance.

"Does Feng Jue know?"

"You've asked the key question. He doesn't know about this yet. Oh my god! I can imagine how furious he will be when he finds out." Ji Ruohuan's mouth drooped. Although Feng Jue was often very gentle and considerate toward her, that didn't mean he wouldn't get angry at her. Imagining the way he looked when he got angry, she was afraid.

But this time it wasn't her fault! Could Feng Jue vent his anger on the culprit who started it all?

"He will get angry?" Shen Qingxin found it hard to imagine what the refined-looking Feng Jue looked like when he was angry. However, according to her imagination, even if Feng Jue got angry, it probably wouldn't be that scary, right?!

"Yes, and very scary, very fierce." Ji Ruohuan pouted her little mouth, her head aching.

"Eh? That really doesn't show."

"So annoying, the person who kidnapped me is simply framing me!" Ji Ruohuan irritably wanted to pull out the hair of the person who kidnapped her.

Shen Qingxin really didn't know how to soothe her, so she could only laugh dryly.

"Ah! They're here." Ji Ruohuan suddenly sat up, her sharp ears hearing the footsteps coming from outside. She stared at the door as if nothing had happened.

"What?" Shen Qingxin looked at her, not understanding. Her hearing wasn't as sensitive as Ji Ruohuan's.

Immediately after, the door creaked open, and a middle-aged man wearing a white suit and looking fat and greasy walked in, followed by four burly men.

"Heh! Heh! The two distinguished guests are awake." The middle-aged man—Han Shichang—smiled very falsely, sitting on a chair specially moved by his bodyguards.

"What do you want to do?" Afraid they would be detrimental to them, Shen Qingxin thought of the precious little baby inside Ji Ruohuan again. Without thinking, she shielded Ji Ruohuan behind her. If the other party really wanted to use force against them, at least she could block in front.

Ji Ruohuan saw her small movement, and her mouth curved into a beautiful arc.

"Please believe in my good intentions. I just invited you here to be my distinguished guests; I don't want to hurt you two." Han Shichang clapped his hands and laughed, looking very satisfied at the two beauties who had been kidnapped.

"Since we are distinguished guests, why do you have to lock us up, and why use improper methods to invite us here?" Shen Qingxin didn't believe his words at all.

"I think the method my subordinates used to invite you two here wasn't very good. I apologize to you on their behalf." Han Shichang didn't have any intention of apologizing; he was just saying it casually. Anyone could hear his perfunctoriness. He had always only cared about the result and didn't care about the process.

"No need." Just looking at his hypocritical appearance made Shen Qingxin want to vomit.

"The two of you coming here to be guests without notifying your family seems a bit unreasonable. Please, two young ladies, make a phone call to report your safety to your families!" Han Shichang waved his hand, and his subordinates immediately handed over a phone.

Here it comes! Shen Qingxin and Ji Ruohuan looked at each other. It seemed this hypocritical and disgusting man was prepared to blackmail their families.

"I think you don't just want money, right?!" Ji Ruohuan saw through the truly greedy face beneath the man's hypocritical mask.

Shen Qingxin looked at the man in shock, vaguely knowing in her heart what the man most likely wanted besides money.

"Mrs. Feng is indeed smart. My goal is the Chilong Jade Lock." Since his thoughts had been seen through, Han Shichang stopped pretending and directly stated what he wanted, so that the two of them would cooperate obediently. If they were stupid enough not to cooperate obediently, he certainly wouldn't mind giving them a little color to see.

"You have no reason to want the Chilong Jade Lock. You can't do anything even if you get it." Shen Qingxin was confused. If one of the Feng family or the Sima family obtained it, they could indeed command their own family, which could be considered a tug-of-war between the two families. But if the item fell into the hands of an outsider, it wouldn't have any effect at all. What did he want the Chilong Jade Lock for?

Ji Ruohuan also looked at him with a peculiar gaze, as if his brain wasn't clear.

"Hmph! Don't try to fool me! The Chilong Jade Lock contains the secret of the previous dynasty's treasure. Do you think no one knows just because you don't say it?!" Han Shichang wasn't a fool; he didn't fall for their trick. If it didn't contain the secret of the treasure, why would the two families fight to the death, even staging scenes of brothers fighting each other?

Shen Qingxin and Ji Ruohuan said in unison: "Ah?! The previous dynasty's treasure?!" Looking at him with even more shocked eyes, they intuitively thought he had gone crazy for money.

"That's right, it's the previous dynasty's treasure. I will obtain it. Ha!" Han Shichang was triumphant, waiting for Sima Langri and Feng Jue to personally offer the Chilong Jade Lock.

It was said that the treasure map was inside. This was a piece of inside information he had finally obtained. Although it hadn't been verified, he believed the credibility was very high. Otherwise, why would the people of the Feng family and the Sima family fight to the death? Once he got his hands on it, he would immediately go to the mainland to dig for treasure.

Ha! Ha! Ha! Everyone, wait to see him return triumphantly with wealth that rivals a nation!

Shen Qingxin and Ji Ruohuan looked at each other, knowing that no matter what they said, this person wouldn't listen. Anyway, he only believed in the answer he had decided on. Let him be!

"You don't know, when I learned that the Chilong Jade Lock contained the previous dynasty's treasure, how excited I was inside. And I also sent people to observe from the sidelines for a long time, only to know that you will be the key to helping me get the treasure. Ha! Ha! Ha! So, just be wronged for a while and be guests here."

In order to successfully kidnap the two of them, he, with his detailed plan, had gone to great lengths to achieve it. No matter what, he wouldn't waste these two important chess pieces in his hands.

Seeing him looking like he was about to go crazy for a non-existent treasure, the two women wisely didn't provoke him, laughing along dryly. The most important point in dealing with a madman was to protect oneself and not conflict with the madman casually, otherwise, one would die a very ugly death.

"Can you make the call now?" Han Shichang ordered the people around him with his eyes to hand the phone to the two women.

Ji Ruohuan and Shen Qingxin sighed long and hard, thinking that what was meant to come would always come.

Ji Ruohuan helplessly took the phone, pressed the buttons, and dialed her dear husband. Once the call was connected, she called out coquettishly: "Jue..."

Before she could even finish speaking, and before she could hear her dear husband's angry roar, the phone was snatched away, and Han Shichang directly negotiated with her husband.

Watching Han Shichang and Feng Jue discuss the exchange conditions, Shen Qingxin knew it was her turn next. She wasn't stupid enough not to know the other party wanted her to call Sima Langri, but the Chilong Jade Lock was so important to Sima Langri. Would he be willing to take it out?

Knowing she shouldn't, she still couldn't help but secretly guess his thoughts. At this critical moment, would Sima Langri think she or the Chilong Jade Lock was more important? On one hand, she hoped Sima Langri could put her first; on the other hand, she didn't want him to give up the Chilong Jade Lock. After all, he had pursued it for so long; how could he just give it to Han Shichang for nothing? Because of this, her heart fell into a tug-of-war. On one hand, she was afraid that in the end, she would have to sadly watch Feng Jue use the other half of the Chilong Jade Lock to exchange for Ji Ruohuan; on the other hand, she was afraid that Sima Langri would be depressed because he lost the Chilong Jade Lock for her.

Neither of the two results was what she wanted, but one of them would be realized. What should she do?!

Very quickly, Han Shichang and Feng Jue had negotiated the conditions. He happily asked his subordinates to hand the phone to Shen Qingxin again. Shen Qingxin took the phone heavily, hesitating whether to dial Sima Langri.

"What's wrong? Hurry up and dial?! Don't you want your life?" Seeing her delay in taking action, Han Shichang was a bit impatient.

Seeing that he was about to get half of the Chilong Jade Lock, while the other half was still dragging on with her, how could this be? Perhaps he should give her a little color to see, to let her know how serious he was.

"I..."

"She will dial." Ji Ruohuan knew her struggle and hurriedly answered for her, signaling her with her eyes to dial the phone. How Sima Langri would answer was no longer something they could lead. Protecting their lives was the most important thing right now. She didn't think Shen Qingxin had the ability to risk her life with a madman.

Shen Qingxin looked at Ji Ruohuan and thought of the little baby in her belly. She had almost forgotten that she should protect Ji Ruohuan and her child. She couldn't be selfish and harm them. She had to make this call.

She pressed the buttons heavily. It was exactly the same situation as Ji Ruohuan's. She had just called out: "Langri." The phone was snatched away.

Han Shichang happily negotiated the conditions with Sima Langri, agreed on the time and place to take the Chilong Jade Lock, and then hung up the phone.

"Heh! Heh! Sure enough, just as I expected, kidnapping you two was really the right move." Ah! He was in such a good mood. Just thinking about the batches of antique treasures that would become his property made him so happy he couldn't sleep. After he got the treasure and sold it, he would build a few more villas and collect beauties from all over the world, making others envious and envious.

The two women didn't have any good feelings for him, letting him be happy, not wanting to chime in.

"However, to ensure your men will listen obediently, I have to ask you to cooperate with one more thing." Han Shichang gave a look to the people around him.

They saw two big men holding knives walking toward them. The two women felt uneasy emotions surging in their hearts. Ji Ruohuan feigned calmness, while Shen Qingxin blocked in front of her again, not letting others hurt her.

"What on earth do you want to do, you pig-head?! If you have something, just come at me." Seeing that the situation was not good, Shen Qingxin simply provoked him, so that he would deal with her and not hurt Ji Ruohuan.

"Miss Shen!" Ji Ruohuan knew her intention and was so moved she didn't know what to do.

"What did you call me?!" Hearing this, Han Shichang ran over angrily and slapped her twice hard. He hated it most when people added words like 'pig' to him. He thought he was handsome and suave, even if his figure was a bit broad, how could words of the 'pig' generation be worthy of him?

"Stop!" Seeing Shen Qingxin being hit, Ji Ruohuan hurriedly tried to stop him.

Shen Qingxin didn't want her to get involved, shouting: "Don't worry about me!"

"No!" Ji Ruohuan couldn't care about that much. She couldn't let Shen Qingxin stand up for her and suffer.

"Hmph! Grab them both for me! You! The one surnamed Shen, you actually dare to insult me. If it weren't for the sake of the Chilong Jade Lock, do you think I would have just slapped you twice and called it a day?" Han Shichang was very angry.

Snatching the knife from the bodyguard's hand, he waved it at Shen Qingxin. Seeing this, Ji Ruohuan's heart went cold.

"Hey! Don't mess around!" Ji Ruohuan tried to find a way to make Han Shichang give up the idea of moving against Shen Qingxin. Since he was very sensitive to the word 'pig,' she was prepared to scold him to her heart's content.

"Cover both their mouths for me." This time Han Shichang learned to be smart. He wouldn't let the two women have a chance to scold him again, ordering the bodyguards who were holding them.

"Yes." The bodyguards immediately did as he said, making the two women unable to speak again.

"Heh! Heh!" Han Shichang gently placed the knife against Shen Qingxin's tender cheek and said, "I really want to ruin this beautiful face of yours, but now is not the time. What a pity."

He needed to vent, so he grabbed her hair and cut off a large handful quite happily.

"This is the lesson I'm giving you!" He slapped her twice more to cool off.

With four slaps in a row, Shen Qingxin's tender little face was swollen half a foot high. She was in so much pain she was about to cry, but she insisted on not letting the tears fall. For one, she didn't want to let the villain be triumphant, and for another, she didn't want to make Ji Ruohuan feel even more guilty, so she endured it with all her might.

Ji Ruohuan stared wide-eyed, moaning. She moved her hands and feet desperately, and the anger in her pupils seemed like it wanted to tear Han Shichang into pieces.

"As for you, heh! You didn't make me angry, so it's just a small matter!" Han Shichang then shifted his target and cut off a small lock of Ji Ruohuan's hair.

"You send these two locks of hair to Feng Jue and Sima Langri, understand?" Handing the two locks of green silk he had obtained to the person on the side, his purpose in doing this was to let those two men know that if they didn't obediently do as he said, he couldn't guarantee what would be sent to them next time.

"Yes."

"Ha! Ha! Ha! You had better behave yourselves!" Han Shichang stepped out of the room where they were imprisoned with a triumphant, despicable smile.

Once he left, the two bodyguards who were holding Shen Qingxin and Ji Ruohuan also let them go and followed Han Shichang away.

"Are you okay?" As soon as she gained freedom, Ji Ruohuan looked at Shen Qingxin's red and swollen cheek with concern, feeling very self-reproachful in her heart.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. This will fade soon." Shen Qingxin tried to answer lightly, but speaking pulled at her red and swollen cheek, making her frown in pain.

"Don't speak for now, I'll go get a towel to help you with a cold compress." Seeing this, Ji Ruohuan hurriedly went to the bathroom to get a towel.

The friendship between the two women was slowly established inadvertently.

△◆△

The three men were rarely gathered together with a common hatred. After Feng Jue and Sima Langri received the threatening phone calls, their faces looked no different from usual on the surface. In fact, Sima She, who was sitting on the side, could already feel how intense the rage burning in them was.

Since their beloved women were kidnapped, they had used various channels to start searching. So, before Han Shichang's phone call came, they already knew the identity of the mastermind and were just waiting to negotiate with the other party.

Both men agreed to the other party's request without objection, promising to hand over the Chilong Jade Lock.

Sima She silently discussed various matters with them, thinking about what method to use to rescue the two of them. Originally, he suggested a surprise attack to save them, but both men firmly opposed it, worried that it would provoke Han Shichang and cause their beloved women to be harmed. Therefore, they still decided to cooperate with Han Shichang's plan to proceed, so that the two women could have the best protection.

"Although Han Shichang wants you to show up alone, I don't think he will be a gentleman and face you alone. He will definitely bring many subordinates. So, at the place of the transaction, we must also arrange manpower just in case." Sima She suggested as such.

"I agree." Feng Jue agreed with his view with a heavy face.

"I also agree." Sima Langri didn't treat Han Shichang as a gentleman either. Necessary defensive measures were required. Moreover, Qingxin didn't know self-defense. He was afraid that if a conflict broke out between the two sides, she might be hurt. It was also necessary to think comprehensively.

"Very good, then I will make the arrangements." Seeing that neither of them objected, Sima She smiled with relief. Fortunately, these two didn't have any plans to play the hero, otherwise, he would have had a headache.

"Arrange for medical personnel to accompany us as well." Feng Jue suddenly added this.

"What's wrong?" Sima She didn't understand why he would suddenly say this. Sima Langri, because of his sudden words, felt uneasy inside.

Feng Jue said his hidden worries in a low voice. "Ruohuan's voice doesn't sound right. I'm worried she..." According to his understanding of his wife, with her personality, if she were kidnapped, she would definitely feel her self-esteem was damaged and would be angry and shouting. How could she have such a weak voice?

"I understand." Sima She nodded in understanding. Regardless of whether anyone was injured, having medical personnel accompany them was indeed necessary.

Sima She noted down the key points one by one.

"They shouldn't have any problems. Han Shichang still wants to get the Chilong Jade Lock; he won't dare to do anything to them." Sima Langri said this, with a large component of comforting himself.

"I hope so." Feng Jue still felt uneasy.

Both men were burning with anxiety, but at this moment, they couldn't do anything and could only let the two women hold on by themselves.

Damn it! Damn Han Shichang, damn himself. How he wished the person kidnapped was himself, rather than letting his most beloved person suffer the slightest harm...

Others saw the heavy mood of their masters and all silently did the things that had been ordered from above, not daring to interrupt at all.

"Young Master! Han Shichang sent someone to deliver something." A Xiang ran in hurriedly, holding a box.

Feng Jue's other subordinate also appeared with A Xiang, holding something.

Both men snatched the things Han Shichang had given them and opened them to see. They saw a lock of green silk inside. Looking at the green silk that was clearly cut by a sharp tool, the expressions on the two men's faces became even colder, and unbearable curses escaped from their elegant lips at the same time.

Sima She shrank his shoulders and peeked at the green silk in the two men's hands. Comparing the two, one could tell whose woman was more unlucky. But he was very curious why Han Shichang would target the well-behaved Shen Qingxin. The person who should have been taught a lesson was Ji Ruohuan, right?

"Why is the hair cut from Qingxin more than Ji Ruohuan's?" He couldn't help but voice the doubt in his heart.

The two men compared the two locks of green silk and discovered that Sima She had hit the key point.

"Something happened..." Feng Jue's heart sank even further and colder. Just thinking about the things that might have happened to his beloved wife that he couldn't imagine and didn't dare to imagine, he felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

"We must rescue them quickly." Sima Langri also had a bottom line in his heart. Unless Ji Ruohuan had an accident, otherwise, no matter what, Han Shichang's arrow shouldn't have been pointed at Qingxin.

Damn it! Qingxin was fighting alone; how could she win against Han Shichang?! Her current situation must be very dangerous. He had to save her! And save her as quickly as possible.

Feng Jue had no heart to chime in, holding his wife's hair tightly and burying his head in it.

"What next?" This was a serious matter. Sima She waited for their possible changed decisions.

"Surprise attack!" Both men said in unison, unable to wait any longer.

"Good!"

Both men said with one mind: "No mercy!" Since Han Shichang dared to move their women, he had to be prepared to pay a corresponding price.

Determination flashed in their eyes. This time, no matter what, they wouldn't easily let go of the bold Han Shichang.

Sima She, who was on the side, was very glad that he had never provoked both of them at the same time. Fortunately, he was smart; let the fools do the not-so-smart things!

Very good. Anyway, he hadn't exercised his muscles and bones for a long time. Han Shichang coming to his door was just the right time. It was time to exercise properly.

The three men made up their minds, preparing to make Han Shichang look good, and also to let him understand that the people of the Sima family and the Feng family were not to be offended easily, especially the women who belonged to them—they were not to be touched!