Chapter 324: Chapter 324

On the way back to Beijing, Xiao Bai calmed down, sinking into deep thought, considering what she could do, or what she was capable of doing.

Just sticking with Jiang Kechu and the others, her role was not significant. Why not seek a different path, using her advantages to look for a clue.

Not to mention how Jiang Kechu, Grandpa Xiao Bai and others planned to rescue Wan Chu’er and Yan Hui.

In some deep mountains, after climbing for several hours, the kidnappers finally stopped and threw Wan Chu’er onto the ground.

Although Wan Chu’er had braced herself, using her shoulder to cushion most of the impact, the fall still left her dizzy and nauseous. It took a while before the discomfort in her head slowly subsided. Only then did she have the energy to pay attention to her surroundings.

Her eyes were still covered, her mouth sealed, and her limbs immobilized. She could feel someone lying a few steps to her right because their breathing was very stable, not panting from the long journey. This person was, like her, a bound hostage.

Although she didn’t know the exact situation of this person, she thought that they could potentially ally when necessary.

Despite her blindness, her ears were not blocked, and she had undergone auditory training, so by relying on her hearing and touch, she had a rough understanding of her surroundings.

They seemed to be resting on a windswept slope, and since the temperature here was a few degrees lower than in Jingcheng City, she guessed they were heading north and that the mountain was around eight or nine hundred meters high.

All the way up the mountain, they encountered no signs of human habitation, not even the sound of cattle or sheep, so it must be a wilderness untouched by humans.

There were four kidnappers, and judging by their movements and breathing rate, they appeared to be strong. If she had been in good condition, perhaps she could have taken on two of them, but now, managing to defeat one would be an achievement.

Wan Chu’er’s spirit was heavy, but not worried about her own safety.

She was certain that these people would not harm her before achieving their goal.

Soon she heard the sound of a cap being twisted off, followed by the glugging of drinking water. This sound immediately triggered her desire to drink, and her throat suddenly felt parched.

She needed water, desperately needed to rehydrate.

This realization alarmed Wan Chu’er; judging by her thirst, she must have been captured for at least a day.

With this in mind, she began to twist her body and made "mmh mmh" noises. She wanted to drink water and had to get it.

Her writhing quickly caught the kidnappers’ attention. They halted their actions, seemingly observing her needs and communicating silently with glances. Eventually, the one closest to her came over and ripped the tape from her mouth.

Wan Chu’er felt that the hair around her mouth must have been stripped away as she cursed the kidnappers in her heart, while exaggerating a painful expression on her face.

"Water, water, I need water," she croaked, giving the impression she might die of thirst at any second.

The kidnappers seemed to communicate silently once more, and soon a water bottle was jammed against her lips.

Damn! Her mouth was nearly poked through. Wan Chu’er thought fiercely again that they better not fall into her hands, or she would repay them double.

While inwardly complaining, she was quick to act. She opened her mouth, bit onto the bottle, and tilted her head back to drink vigorously.

In one breath, she finished off a bottle of mineral water.

The smoky sensation in her throat was quenched, her parched insides moistened, and the water energized Wan Chu’er, making her feel much stronger.

At the same time as she drank water, Wan Chu’er also probed something else—these people were afraid of her dying.

Good, it’s beneficial to know where their concerns lie.

But these people were truly cautious. Even when they were discussing things, they neither made a sound nor took the blindfold off her eyes, even though she had already seen one of them, the man in grey.

Thankfully, they hadn’t sealed her mouth shut.

After gasping for breath a few times, Wan Chu’er spoke out, "Big brothers, why did you kidnap me? Were you instructed by someone? If it’s a commission, my... our family also has money. No matter how much others are paying you, my... my family can offer double that amount."

No one responded to her; Wan Chu’er couldn’t even hear any change in someone’s breathing.

It seems that throwing money at the problem wouldn’t work.

Wan Chu’er continued, "Brothers, my hands really hurt. Could you untie me so I can move them a bit and get the blood flowing? If you keep them tied , my hands will become useless.

Rest assured, I definitely won’t take the opportunity to pull any tricks. You can keep tying my legs—I definitely won’t run. Besides, with so many of you, I couldn’t outrun you even if I tried."

Still, no one paid attention to her. She even heard two people lying down on the ground, exhaling slowly.

Good, it seems their vigilance toward her and the other hostage wasn’t very high.

Wan Chu’er tried again, "Is there anyone there? Does anyone speak? Does anyone here speak Mandarin?"

Finally, there was a reaction. She heard a man laugh briefly—it seemed he understood what she had said.

The four kidnappers thought Wan Chu’er would keep ranting, but to their surprise, she shut her mouth completely and didn’t utter another word, simply lying down motionless.

The four kidnappers looked at each other; one of them extended a foot to kick Wan Chu’er’s leg.

Wan Chu’er: "...Big brother, what’s wrong?" she asked, this time with a reluctant tone, "Are you considering the double payment offer?"

She was concerned that if she said too much, they would seal her mouth again, which would be uncomfortable and inconvenient.

So she wisely stayed quiet, but it seemed that the other side couldn’t keep their own patience.

Seeing that she still responded, the kidnappers ignored her once more.

While Wan Chu’er was dealing with the kidnappers, Yan Hui slowly woke up feeling groggy. It took him a moment to understand his situation. By the time he was fully awake, Wan Chu’er had also calmed down.

Yan Hui struggled where he was, only managing to make his limbs ache, so he then resorted to wriggling his body.

The kidnappers had already experienced dealing with Wan Chu’er, but this time, they were much rougher. In the same way, they tore off Yan Hui’s gag, didn’t wait for him to say anything, and directly poured a bottle of water over his head.

Yan Hui instinctively opened his mouth to drink, managing to quench his thirst partially, then waited a while only to realize there was no more water coming, indicating the drink was over. After resting a bit, he then spoke up:

"Friends, what gang are you from? If it’s about money, just say so. I want to ask how my friend is doing?"

Wan Chu’er popped up to a seated position.