“She’s over there,” Liu Meixian walked some distance before meeting the man. She pointed toward where Zhang Jiali was waiting in line. “Find a way to lure her somewhere else and get it done quickly.”

“What about the money?” the man asked, rubbing his fingers together.

Liu Meixian glared at him. “Money? You’re getting such a pretty girl for free, and you still want money?”

“Come on, Ah Mei, don’t be like that,” the man replied with a sly grin. “You’re living the good life now. Your man’s got money, so what’s a little extra? Besides, once I get rid of this girl for you, all his assets will be yours, right? Are you seriously haggling over a few thousand?”

Feigning remorse, he added, “If you don’t pay up, I’m not doing it. This kind of thing weighs heavy on the conscience, you know.”

Liu Meixian’s face turned green with frustration.

But they had come this far, and backing out now would make it harder to find another opportunity later.

Gritting her teeth, she pulled an envelope from her bag. “Here, take it. Make sure she disappears for good. Sell her off to Vietnam or Thailand—just make sure she doesn’t stay local.”

“Got it, got it.”

The man quickly counted the money, grinning when he confirmed the amount. “Don’t worry, Ah Mei. I’ll handle this perfectly. That girl won’t find her way back even in her dreams.”

The line crept forward, but neither her aunt nor her siblings had returned. Zhang Jiali began to worry, glancing around nervously.

Suddenly, a man rushed over, wiping sweat from his brow. “Little girl, are you Jiali?”

“Yes… Uncle, who are you?” Zhang Jiali asked, stepping back cautiously.

The man propped his hands on his knees, pretending to catch his breath. “There’s no time to explain. Your father’s had an accident! Come with me quickly!”

“My dad? What happened to him?” Zhang Jiali froze in shock, panic setting in. “What’s wrong with him?”

“Come with me, and I’ll tell you on the way,” the man said, grabbing her arm.

Under normal circumstances, Zhang Jiali would have sensed something was off. But upon hearing her father was in trouble, she was overwhelmed with fear. With no adults around her, she instinctively followed him.

The people nearby overheard their conversation but thought nothing of it.

The man was thrilled when Zhang Jiali followed him. However, after walking just a few steps, he bumped into someone. Startled, he stumbled back, clutching his head and shouting, “What idiot doesn’t watch where they’re going?!”

“Dad?”

Zhang Jiali looked up and saw Zhang Jianjie standing in front of her. Her face lit up with surprise and joy.

The man hadn’t realized what was happening. Turning to Zhang Jiali, he urged, “That’s right! If you want to see your dad, just follow me. He’s in bad shape after the accident—”

Crack!

Zhang Jianjie cracked his knuckles loudly. Behind him stood a group of his colleagues. Gritting his teeth, he growled, “Oh? I don’t recall getting into an accident.”

“Dad? It’s really you!”

Overjoyed, Zhang Jiali broke free from the man’s grip and ran straight into Zhang Jianjie’s arms.

Zhang Jianjie held his daughter tightly. Seeing the man’s expression change as if planning to flee, he said to his daughter, “Be good and wait for Dad over there. I’ll handle this guy first.”

He handed Zhang Jiali to Gu Xicao and her younger brother, then stood up, fists clenched, glaring at the man. “So it’s you, huh? Trying to abduct my daughter, is that it?”

Facing the group of burly, angry men before him, the man swallowed hard, nervously laughing as he took a few steps back. “Brother, this is all a misunderstanding! I’m not a trafficker-l mistook her for someone else!”

By now, the commotion had drawn a crowd.

Zhang Jianjie swung his fist, landing a punch that knocked the man’s tooth out and sent blood spraying onto the ground. He sneered, “Misunderstanding my ass! You lied about me being in a car accident to trick my daughter-what were you planning, huh? I don’t know? Everyone, come look! This guy’s a child trafficker!”

“A trafficker? Oh, no wonder he’s getting beaten up-he deserves it!”

“I was wondering why that guy grabbed the little girl earlier. Turns out he’s a trafficker! How terrifying!”

“A trafficker in an amusement park? He’s probably here to kidnap children! Everyone, check if your kids are still here!”

Sundays were prime family outing days.

Hearing about a trafficker sent the parents into a panic. They scrambled to find their kids. Those who located their children were relieved, but those who couldn’t began to panic, some nearly in tears.

Without hesitation, the crowd turned on the man.

Women yanked his hair while men pummeled him mercilessly with their fists.

Meanwhile, Liu Meixian was sitting with Huang Yin and Huang Quan, eating ice cream. She was calculating in her head, assuming the man must have taken Zhang Jiali away by now. She was even rehearsing how to spin a story to deceive Zhang Jianjie.

Suddenly, she noticed a group of people hurrying past, excitedly saying, “Quick, let’s go to the roller coaster area- there’s a commotion! Someone caught a trafficker!”

Her heart skipped a beat.

The ice cream slipped from her hand and splattered onto the ground.

Huang Yin was equally startled. “Mom, could it be… that man?”

“No, it can’t be,” Liu Meixian muttered, trying to convince herself. “I told him to handle it cleanly, and it’s not like this is his first time. He’s never been caught before.”

Despite her words, anxiety gnawed at her. She couldn’t focus on eating anymore and rushed toward the crowd with the two children to check.

Pushing through the crowd, Liu Meixian spotted Zhang Jianjie beating a man in the middle of the chaos. Her mind went blank.

Wasn’t Zhang Jianjie supposed to be working a shift for someone today?

Why was he here?

“Dad, it’s Aunt Liu and the others!”

Zhang Jiali immediately noticed Liu Meixian and her children and called out to Zhang Jianjie, trying to stop him.

Hearing this, Zhang Jianjie paused, panting heavily. He flung the man to the ground.

The man groaned in pain, his face battered and bruised.

Although Liu Meixian wanted to avoid being seen, Zhang Jianjie had already spotted her. She had no choice but to force herself forward.

“Honey, what’s going on? Why did you beat this man so badly?”

She subtly gestured to the man, signaling him not to reveal her involvement.

Zhang Jianjie sneered, glaring at Liu Meixian. “You don’t know?”

Her scalp tingled, and her throat tightened. Forcing a smile, she replied, “What don’t I know?”

“This bastard is the one you hired to abduct Jiali! I saw it with my own eyes -you gave him the money!”

Zhang Jianjie signaled to one of his companions, who stepped forward with a camera.

“Liu Meixian, you’re truly vicious. You paid this guy to kidnap Lao Zhang’s daughter. What did Lao Zhang ever do to you? We’ve already photographed the moment you handed over the money.

Just wait-you’re going to jail!”

Hearing this, the crowd erupted in shock.

Elderly onlookers were especially outraged.

“My God! How could a woman be so cruel to do such a thing?” one elderly man exclaimed in disgust.

An elderly woman beside him chimed in, “It must be the stepmother. Look at how close those two kids are to her, while the little girl doesn’t resemble her at all!”

“Stepmother or not, that doesn’t justify such cruelty. Plenty of stepmothers are kind. This one’s just heartless!” another elderly woman argued angrily.

The onlookers began pointing and whispering about Liu Meixian and her children.

Frozen in place, Liu Meixian felt her head buzz. Her mind was blank as she took in the crowd’s disdainful gazes and their harsh comments. Panicking, she pleaded, “Honey, let’s go home and talk this out. This is a family matter, after all. I made a mistake-just a moment of poor judgment.”

“A moment of poor judgment, my ass!”

Zhang Jianjie clenched his fists, his face red with fury. “You think I’m an idiot? You went out of your way to hire someone to abduct my daughter, and you dare call this a family matter? I’m divorcing you, and I’m pressing charges!”

“What?!”

Liu Meixian’s mind went blank.

Her youngest son, Huang Quan, seemed to realize things were not going well for them. He ran up to Zhang Jianjie, pounding on him with his tiny fists. “You bastard! You’re a bad person! You’re bullying my mom! This is all your fault!”

Still fuming, Zhang Jianjie barely noticed the child’s weak punches. But in his current state, he had no patience. He shoved Huang Quan aside, sending the boy sprawling to the ground.

Huang Quan landed with a thud, scraping his hand.

Spoiled by Liu Meixian, the boy had never suffered such indignity. He immediately burst into tears, kicking and screaming on the ground. “You’re a bad man! Mommy, kill him! Kill him!”

The crowd fell silent, their jaws collectively dropping in shock.

This drama just kept escalating.

Liu Meixian rushed to her son, her heart aching as she saw the scrape on his hand. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at Zhang Jianjie, her voice trembling. “Why take it out on the child? He’s just a boy!”

“Mom, stop talking!”

Noticing how dark Zhang Jianjie’s expression had become, Huang Yin tried to warn her.

Zhang Jianjie let out a cold laugh. “Good, very good. I must have been blind to marry you. You’re greedy- trying to abduct my daughter, scheming against me. I’ll see you in court! Every penny I spent on you and your kids, you’ll pay it all back!”

Liu Meixian froze, completely at a loss for words.