Chapter 255
The person in charge realized the gravity of the situation.
But there were too many children and parents at the scene. With people coming and going, he couldn't recall exactly who had picked up Duoduo.
"Please don't worry," the staff member said. "I remember it was someone Ji Zhiyi knew, otherwise we wouldn't have allowed her to leave with them. Please wait a moment, I'll go check the security footage."
"Daddy!"
A crisp, sweet voice rang out. It was Lan Yue, who had finished her performance. Lifting her skirt, she threw herself toward Ji Zhiyuan.
She hadn't seen her father in a very, very long time.
Ji Zhiyuan coldly sidestepped her. "Haven't you kicked the bad habit of calling random people your father yet?"
Lan Yue froze in place. Blinking, large tears rolled down her cheeks. "You are my daddy, I'm not calling you that randomly. I really missed you so much, Daddy. It was Mommy who did something wrong, I'm innocent. Why are you treating me like this..."
"Yes, Zhiyuan," Lan Rouxue said, having appeared at some unknown point. Biting her lip, she added, "Yue dreams about you, her father, every single day. Just out of pity..."
Ji Zhiyuan's voice was frigid. "It has nothing to do with me."
This mother and daughter had exhausted all his patience. He wouldn't waste another second on them.
"It's been so long since it happened," Lan Rouxue softened her voice. "We shouldn't always dwell on the unpleasant past. We should look forward. Zhiyuan, let's start over."
Ji Zhiyuan's face suddenly darkened. "Do you even hear what you're saying?"
His intimidating aura radiated outward.
Terrified, Lan Yue hid behind Lan Rouxue.
At that moment, the staff member came out holding a tablet with the security footage. "I just checked. Ji Zhiyi was picked up by her fourth uncle. Here, that's her fourth uncle, right?"
Ji Zhiyuan took the tablet.
When he saw the face on the screen, his heart plunged into an ice cellar.
It was Ji Liuguang... no, He Liuguang!
Back when his true identity hadn't been exposed, He Liuguang had never been very friendly to Duoduo.
Later, He Liuguang was kicked out of the Ji family. Rumor had it that he got into a conflict with his biological father, pushed him into a river, and nearly drowned him. The He family called the police, and he was arrested.
To think he was released so quickly.
He Liuguang picking up Duoduo definitely meant no good.
Ji Zhiyuan's heart began to pound uncontrollably.
At the same time.
At the back entrance of the concert hall.
Duoduo was led to a white van. Seeing several strange men inside, she backed away in fear. "Uncle He, did Great-Grandpa really fall ill? Why didn't my daddy come to take me to the hospital? Why did he send you?"
The corners of He Liuguang's mouth curled up. "Your daddy is the great CEO of the Ji Corporation. He's very busy, how would he have time for you? Hurry up and get in, don't waste time."
He grabbed the back of Duoduo's neck and gave her a hard shove, completely ignoring the fact that the little girl was wearing a long dress. The hem caught on the car door, and a sparkling gemstone fell to the ground.
He Liuguang bent down to pick it up. "This gem doesn't look cheap. There must be at least a few hundred of them on this dress. Heh, the Ji family is so rich, why couldn't they just afford to raise me too? Why did they have to be so heartless to me..."
The car door slammed shut.
The cramped space was filled with the terrible stench of cigarette smoke.
Duoduo's eyes immediately turned red.
She knew struggling was useless because she was just a child, and there were four grown men.
Her hands quietly moved behind her back. She tapped her smartwatch and dialed a number...
However, the moment she made a slight move, He Liuguang pinned her arm down, roughly snatched the watch, rolled down the window, and threw it straight out.
Meeting He Liuguang's gloomy eyes, Duoduo shrank her neck. "Uncle He, I'll be good. I won't cry or make a fuss, please don't hit me..."
He Liuguang sneered. "At least you know what's good for you!"
If Ji Jingchuan were here, he would definitely recognize that the man sitting next to Duoduo was his adoptive father, He Cheng.
The man driving and the one in the passenger seat were gamblers who often hung out with He Cheng. They were the kind of lowlifes who would abandon their wives and children and commit any evil deed just to gamble.
He Cheng frowned. "Liuguang, are you sure this little girl alone can make the Ji family willingly cough up a hundred million?"
He Liuguang twitched his lips. "She's the only granddaughter of this generation in the Ji family. The old man protects her like the apple of his eye. Asking for a hundred million isn't excessive. It's settled: I take fifty million, and the rest of you split the other fifty million."
"Who said it's settled?" Scarface, who was driving, spat out some saliva. "I'm providing the car and doing the heavy lifting, and I'm responsible for contacting the people at the docks to smuggle us out of the country. I should get the lion's share. That fifty million belongs to me!"
He Liuguang laughed out of anger. "If it weren't for me, could you have smoothly tricked the eldest miss of the Ji family into getting in the car?"
"Shut up!" He Cheng said angrily. "The job isn't even done yet and you're already dividing the spoils. Drive faster. We'll contact the Ji family for the money once we're on the boat!"
He Liuguang glanced at the innocent Duoduo.
The group's plan was to smuggle Duoduo out of the country and then have the Ji family wire a hundred million into a foreign account.
After receiving the money, they would put a bullet in Duoduo.
His eyes held a trace of pity.
Since the Ji family was so cruel to him, then the child would just have to bear the consequences.
"Uncle He..." Duoduo whispered. "Do you just want money? You could have just told me directly. I'm very rich, didn't you know?"
He Liuguang narrowed his eyes.
"I'll give my money only to you, Fourth Uncle." Duoduo leaned closer to him. "That new fourth uncle stole all the family's attention, I hate him. I still like you better. Fourth Uncle, it's too stuffy in the car. Can you open the window and let me get some fresh air?"
She took a necklace out of her pocket. "Great-Grandpa gave me this gift yesterday. It auctioned for a high price of thirty million. I'll give it to you, Fourth Uncle."
He Liuguang's expression softened a bit. He let her sit by the window and rolled it down.
Duoduo secretly tore the gemstones off her dress and threw them out.
That necklace was actually a fake one she had beaded herself.
And this dress was a custom-made performance outfit from her aunt. The blue sapphires on it were extremely rare. As long as her family saw these sapphires, they would know where she had been taken.
The car sped along and soon arrived at the Haicheng docks. This area was a massive cargo distribution center, bustling with ships and people everywhere.
Duoduo was dragged out of the car.
He Liuguang's gaze swept over her bare hemline, and his eyes instantly darkened. "You brat, how dare you play tricks on me? See if I don't kill you!"
Since she was discovered, Duoduo stopped pretending to be good. She shouted loudly, "Help! These men are human traffickers! Misters and misses, help me... Mmph!"
He Cheng offered an apologetic smile to the passersby. "My granddaughter is sick. She's just speaking nonsense!"
This group of four grown men looked like people you shouldn't mess with. Especially Scarface, just standing there was enough to keep the passersby from saying anything.
Just as the group was about to head to the hidden docks, He Liuguang's expression suddenly changed. "They've caught up to us!"