You're dumping me, huh? Fine, then I'll just pick up the school beauty and make her my wif

Upon hearing this, Jiang Che's expression didn't change much, but Bai Yuning, who knew him well, noticed that his hand holding the phone was trembling slightly uncontrollably.

It was obvious that he was trying his best to suppress his emotions.

The officer in charge nearby also overheard the conversation, frowned, and immediately gave a wink to his subordinate behind him.

The subordinate understood immediately, turned around and quickly walked to the side, lowered his voice and dialed the technical department to begin urgently locating the source of the incoming call signal.

Jiang Che knew he couldn't lose his composure at this moment, otherwise, once the other party realized he was panicking, they would only become more passive.

But he still couldn't completely control his tone.

"She's in your hands?"

The middle-aged man on the other end of the phone did not deny it, "Yes, it's safe with me, you don't need to worry."

Jiang Che immediately pressed, "Who exactly are you?"

"..."

"What do you want?" Jiang Che didn't get an answer, so he changed his question, trying to negotiate, "Money? Or something else?"

"Name your terms, I'll pay any price."

Jiang Che said those last few words without hesitation.

When Bai Yuning heard this, she tilted her head slightly and glanced at him.

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but ultimately remained silent.

Because she knew that Jiang Che had never been "rational" when it came to matters involving Su Qinghe.

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone.

Then the middle-aged man gave a soft "hmm," as if he were smiling.

But he didn't set any conditions or make any demands; he simply said, "She's fine, she'll be alright."

"Beep—beep—beep—"

He then hung up the phone.

Jiang Che was a little confused about what trick the other party was playing. He slowly put down his phone, and his already unpleasant expression became even more serious and cold.

It wasn't for money, nor for revenge.

So what exactly is this person after?

Moreover, judging from the other party's tone, he did not seem to have any ill intentions towards Su Qinghe.

It was as if his purpose in making this call was singular: to tell Jiang Che that Su Qinghe was still alive.

That's it.

All sorts of bizarre factors intertwined, making Jiang Che even more confused.

Although Bai Yuning was also confused about the situation, as the older sister, she naturally had to soothe her younger brother's emotions in time.

She reached out and gently patted Jiang Che's shoulder, comforting him, "Don't worry, the police's technical department is tracing the source of the call signal, and we should have results soon."

Jiang Che wasn't in a hurry, but in the current situation, it would probably be necessary to hire a master to keep a calm mind.

His girlfriend was kidnapped and her whereabouts and fate are unknown. The kidnapper didn't ask for money or make any demands, and didn't even make the most basic threats.

He made a phone call so casually, said "She's with me," and then hung up.

This approach, however, proved to be more troublesome for Jiang Che than anything else.

Because he couldn't figure out the other party's motives at all.

A person without motive is the most difficult to deal with.

……

at the same time.

In the back seat of the black Maybach, the middle-aged man hung up the phone and casually placed it on the armrest next to him.

He turned his head to look at Su Qinghe sitting to his right, then chuckled softly, "Your little boyfriend is quite impatient, saying he'd pay any price right off the bat."

"It seems he really likes you."

Upon hearing this, Su Qinghe slowly opened her eyes, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously curved into a smile. "Of course."

"My boyfriend, whom I've carefully nurtured, has eyes and heart only for me. Isn't that only natural?"

The middle-aged man chuckled again at her words and shook his head.

After not seeing her for more than half a year, this girl is still the same as before, as arrogant as ever.

but……

The middle-aged man tilted his head and looked her over for two seconds, his gaze filled with a mixture of inquiry and long-standing curiosity.

He had actually wanted to ask this question for a long time.

Ever since he witnessed Jiang Che carrying Su Qinghe away from the shadows of an alley six months ago, he has been pondering this matter.

"Qinghe, your master has something to ask you."

"Um."

"Back then..." the middle-aged man hesitated, choosing his words carefully, "How could you be so certain that Jiang Che would soften his heart and take you in?"

His brow furrowed slightly. "You studied under me for almost half a month back then. I watched you plan out the whole thing step by step."

"You were only eighteen back then, a young girl, but you were quite bold. You were even willing to risk your own eyes just to put on a 'fallen school beauty' act in front of him."

"Have you considered the possibility that he might not have shown up in that alley?"

"What if he shows up but doesn't do anything?"

"Have you considered what would happen if you made the wrong move?"

When Su Qinghe heard these words, she pursed her lips and shifted her gaze from the middle-aged man's face to the coconut grove rushing past the car window.

After several seconds of silence, she slowly spoke, "I have thought about it."

"How could I not have thought about it... During that time, I went through all the possible scenarios in my mind, thinking about them over and over again for several nights until my head ached."

"But later I realized that thinking about it so much was completely useless."

She turned her head slightly and smiled calmly at the middle-aged man, "I like him."

I've liked it for a very, very long time.

"But he only ever treated me as an ordinary friend. If I hadn't kept finding opportunities to bother him, we wouldn't have had much interaction at all."

"During his first and second years of high school, he only had eyes for Lin Wanwan, the most beautiful girl in his class."

"But I don't care."

"He didn't like me, so I watched him from afar for two years."

"See how hard he pursued Lin Wanwan, how he sent her flowers, gifts, and breakfast, how he remained devoted despite being treated coldly time and time again..."

"I feel sorry for him, but I also envy her."

Su Qinghe smiled silently as she said this.

It was a smile so faint it was almost imperceptible, but if you looked closely at her eyes, you would see something very deep flowing within them.

It wasn't the shyness or fluttering of a typical girl in love.

Rather, it was an obsession that had been suppressed in my heart for far too long.

"Master, think about it. A girl has a crush on a boy for two years, but she doesn't dare to say a word to him during those two years. She can only stand in the corner and watch him from afar..."

"Can you understand this feeling?"

"I don't understand," the middle-aged man admitted.

When he was Su Qinghe's age, he had already started making his own way in society, and later, through his own efforts, he climbed to a position that many people could only dream of.

For him, he can basically get whatever he wants directly through money or force.

Su Qinghe naturally knew about her master's situation, so she didn't expect him to understand and continued talking on her own.

"So when I found out he was dumped by Lin Wanwan, I cried all night."

"Half of it is out of pity for him, and the other half is..."

She paused, lowered her eyes, and said with barely concealed morbid excitement, "Half of it is joy."

"Because I knew my chance had finally come."