Movie variety show soul travels between two worlds to become a rich man

Chapter 719 Who is the Hunter and Who is the Prey?
"Hmm~"

A suppressed groan escaped from deep in her throat as Xu Yuan slowly opened her heavy eyelids.

The first thing that catches the eye is an incandescent light bulb hanging overhead, its filament hissing with electricity, the flickering light cutting the entire space into fragmented shadows.

Mold spread rampantly across the wall, outlining eerie and distorted patterns, like mysterious totems in an ancient tomb in the Chu region, seemingly coming to life under the swaying light.

His hands were tightly bound behind his back to a rusty stainless steel chair with rough nylon rope, the cold touch seeping into his skin through the thin fabric. A strong smell of rust filled the air, mixed with the odor of mold and dust, and each breath had a grainy, astringent taste.

The entire room was like a corner forgotten by time, every inch of the walls covered with thick verdigris, as if bronze artifacts that had slumbered for thousands of years had just been unearthed. Outside the blackened iron window frames, there was a strange, dim yellow hue, indistinguishable between dawn and dusk.

squeak-

The rusty iron gate was pushed open, and two figures walked in one after the other. Backlit, their faces were indistinct until they drew closer, at which point Xu Yuan could recognize them—the older Chen Dazhi was still dressed in his elegant Tang suit, while the younger one was none other than Zhong Aihua. The dim light cast distorted shadows on their faces, making their once familiar features appear strange and eerie.

“Mr. Xu,” Chen Dazhi spoke first, his voice as polite as ever, but sounding particularly ironic in this context, “I told you long ago that there is nothing I cannot do in Hong Kong.”

Xu Yuan chuckled softly, the sound echoing in the empty room, carrying an indescribable sarcasm.

"What's so funny?" Chen Dazhi frowned.

Xu Yuan raised her head, letting the dim light fall on her face: "I laugh at you for having reached the end of your road."

His gaze was sharp as a knife, deliberately emphasizing the words "at their wits' end." Bai Ruilian had always been cautious, adept at setting elaborate schemes, and almost never used violence. The fact that she was now resorting to kidnapping indicated that they were in complete disarray and had begun to use any means necessary.

Chen Dazhi frowned, about to retort, but Zhong Aihua gently pressed his shoulder: "Uncle Chen, leave this to me."

Chen Dazhi paused for a moment, then smiled knowingly: "Indeed, Mr. Xu rarely comes to Hong Kong, you old friends should catch up properly." After saying that, he gave Xu Yuan a meaningful look, then turned and retreated into the shadows.

Zhong Aihua stepped forward slowly, his face still calm, but his entire demeanor had undergone a subtle change. Back in the mainland, he was like a cheetah lurking in the grass, concealing his sharpness and waiting for a fatal blow; but now, his murderous aura was on full display, as if a wild beast had returned to its den, no longer hiding anything.

“Brother Xu,” Zhong Aihua’s voice was soft, but carried an undeniable pressure, “we are all smart people, so let’s be frank. As long as you hand over the goods, the previous agreement will still be valid.”

Xu Yuan's heart stirred slightly. It seemed they had searched him while he was unconscious, but had clearly found nothing. This made him even more certain that the other party had no idea where the fragment came from.

They didn't even know what they were looking for.

This realization gave Xu Yuan more confidence, and he deliberately gave a mocking smile: "It's just torture, right? Go ahead and try it."

Zhong Aihua suddenly reached out and gently brushed aside the sweat-dampened hair on Xu Yuan's forehead. This overly intimate gesture made Xu Yuan freeze.

“Brother Xu, you’ve got one thing wrong.” Zhong Aihua’s fingertips were icy cold. “What we need isn’t the trump card itself, but to make sure it doesn’t appear at the Beijing-Hong Kong Cultural Exchange Exhibition.”

His voice suddenly turned cold, "I don't need to do anything to you. I just need to lock you up here for three days until the appraisal meeting is over..."

"Do you think the Hong Kong police are all useless?" Xu Yuan interrupted him, deliberately raising her voice. "I'm the focus of all the Hong Kong media now. If I've been missing for more than 24 hours, the police will search high and low to find me. And the first place they'll investigate will be your Bai Ruilian!"

Chen Dazhi, who was in the shadows, suddenly burst into laughter, the sound particularly jarring in the empty room: "That's the funniest joke I've heard all year!"

Zhong Aihua walked expressionlessly to the window and shoved open the rusty window frame with both hands. The ear-piercing metallic scraping sound almost tore her eardrums apart, and a strong, rotten stench instantly flooded the room.

"The police won't be able to find this place in a short time."

With difficulty, Xu Yuan turned his head, and when he saw the scene outside the window, his pupils suddenly contracted.

They were on the seventh floor, but they couldn't see the sky at all from the window. The buildings were packed together like a deformed honeycomb, the distance between them was terrifying, in some places less than half a meter, and the densely packed windows looked like countless empty eyes.

The gray-brown exterior walls were stained with oil, and wires and pipes of varying thicknesses crisscrossed between the buildings, forming a giant spider web. Although it was daytime, this depression surrounded by high-rises was as dark as night, with only a few scattered dim lights flickering in the depths.

What's most unsettling is that people are still living in this seemingly abandoned complex. You can see figures moving in the windows across the street, and occasionally, sharp arguments can be heard.

This place is the dark heart of the urban jungle, a corner forgotten by civilization.

"Wow—"

A cry of an eagle echoed through the slums of Tuen Mun's old district. The eagle, its wings outstretched, circled overhead, its head lowered, its sharp eyes surveying the dilapidated high-rises below, resembling pigeon coops. No. 10 Blackie's Path, a luxury residential area situated on the hillside south of Mount Nicholas in Hong Kong, is one of the city's most upscale communities.

Surrounded by dense forests, it connects Wanchai Gap and Wong Nai Chung Gap, and offers a distant view of Repulse Bay, making it a picturesque place.

On the observation deck on the third floor of Villa A, No. 10 Bulijing, Gao Dongxu, who had finally escaped from Huang Yanyan, joined up with the six girls, including Aning, and moved into the newly purchased villa. He changed into a loose, light white casual outfit, released the eagle spirit, and found the area where Xu Yuan was imprisoned.

After seeing the place, he couldn't help but feel a bit of a headache. He withdrew his divine sense from the shared eagle spirit vision and reached out to pinch his brow.

"They really know how to find a good location for a slum in the old Tuen Mun district—"

I stood up from the deck chair, walked to the railing, and gazed at the beautiful scenery all around.

It has to be said that Ah Ning, Xiao Xue, and their group of women really know how to choose a location; he is very satisfied with this villa in every way.

Of course, they really dared to spend money on themselves; this villa cost him 400 million Hong Kong dollars.

Fortunately, he didn't feel bad about spending the 400 million, since it was 'investment income' he received from Huang Youfa of D Rongbao.

These earnings certainly shouldn't be left lying around in the account; they should be spent as soon as possible.

Money that comes in the wind is only truly yours if you spend it; if you keep it and don't spend it, it's hard to say who it will belong to in the future.

Looking around, Gao Dongxu's lips curled up slightly. He had heard from Xiaoxue that the neighbors living around him were all very important people.

There's an unspoken consensus among Hong Kong's wealthy circles that only those living on The Peak are considered truly distinguished. Therefore, these tycoons compete to buy luxury homes on the Mid-Levels at even higher prices.

However, the most important thing about living in the mountains is that it offers enough privacy.

Moreover, Bulijing's exterior is unremarkable, very understated, with red tiles and white walls, a regular shape... well, it's very much like a self-built house in an inland village, discreet and hidden among lush trees, maximizing privacy.

Dangdang——

Hearing a sound behind him, Gao Dongxu turned around and saw Xiaoxue, dressed in a simple yet elegant white dress, holding a coffee in one hand and looking at the floor-to-ceiling glass door with the other. She gave him a sweet smile, gesturing for him to go back inside.

Wearing a long white dress, Xiaoxue seemed to be immersed in tranquility. Her delicate, fair face shone with a captivating glow in the setting sun, like a dazzling pearl.

Gao Dongxu smiled as he walked to the French doors, opened them, and went inside. He saw Xiaoxue, whose hair was casually tied into a bun with a few wisps of hair hanging down her neck. Far from looking messy, it added a touch of nonchalant beauty to her. She looked exactly like a young lady who had just walked out of the neighbor's yard, which made him furious.

He stepped forward and embraced her incredibly slender waist. Her white dress clung quietly to her body curves, highlighting her alluring figure while maintaining proper decorum in areas where it shouldn't be exposed.

Gao Dongxu hugged Xiaoxue tightly, who was smiling sweetly, and looked at her beautiful and innocent face. He then lowered his head and kissed her red lips.

"What?" After the kiss, Xiaoxue let Gao Dongxu put his arm around her slender waist, bent down slightly to put the coffee cup on the table, and then looked at him with a charming smile and asked.
Gao Dongxu raised an eyebrow and smiled as he offered a hint.

"Ugh~~~ You're bullying me—" Xiaoxue pouted angrily after being reminded.

"Hehe, I didn't complain, why are you angry? In my opinion, while Su Yan's lotus flowers in full bloom are certainly beautiful and full of life, your lotus buds, like the tip of a brush dipped in rouge, are most charming and reserved when they are about to bloom."

Gao Dongxu carried Xiaoxue, who was blushing and looking charming, to the sofa in a princess carry as he spoke.

Xiaoxue sat charmingly on Gao Dongxu's lap, wrapping her slender, snow-white arms around his neck. Their eyes met, and in her almond-shaped eyes filled with tears, she asked with great concern, "Do you dislike them?"

"How could that be? I was just joking. You know how much I admire your conscience," Gao Dongxu quickly coaxed.

"Hmph, if you're going to look down on me, then my conscience has really been wasted..." Xiaoxue pouted and said coquettishly. She knew she was a little prince, which was her only source of insecurity and the main reason she didn't want to be with others.

"I swear to God, I really didn't have any complaints. If I'm lying, may I be punished by being allowed to leave the house..."

"Alright, stop talking nonsense—" Xiaoxue quickly stretched out her long, slender, white fingers and covered Gao Dongxu's mouth to stop him from making any rash promises. "I believe you..."

As she spoke, she released her hand and kissed Gao Dongxu's lips.

(End of this chapter)