The old master’s name was He Zhihuan, and he was 82 years old this year.

Although the He family lived in separate houses, they all resided within a large mansion, not far from each other, so they could enjoy the company of their children and grandchildren.

In order to enjoy the presence of his children and grandchildren, although the He family members lived in separate houses, they all resided within a large mansion, making it convenient for them to visit one another while still maintaining privacy.

Pushing the wheelchair was his second son, He Mo, accompanied by the butler, Liu Bo, and two bodyguards.

Before the incident with He Puting and his father, the He family’s external affairs were managed by the father and son, while the internal matters were handled by the butler, Liu Bo.

The two wives were only responsible for caring for their children and did not involve themselves with the household duties.

Not to mention ordinary people, He Puting had been exceptionally gifted since childhood.

He graduated from prestigious schools and was skilled in business. After joining the company, the stock market value tripled.

He was the eldest grandson and the pride of the old master.

To dare curse him to death?

Were they asking for their own life?

Ah Mu was so frightened that her soul seemed to leave her body. She stammered, “Old master… I… Madam, save me…”

The old master only gave the butler a glance before letting his second son push him into the room.

Ah Mu still hoped her mistress would protect her, not realizing that today’s situation in the He family was more like a catastrophe.

Otherwise, the old master wouldn’t have dragged his sick body so early in the morning to visit the wedding room of his eldest grandson to discuss matters.

In the past two days, he had taken charge personally and suppressed the kidnapping case, with only a few people aware of the details.

But the eldest daughter-in-law had proven to be incompetent, to the point of talking about such life-threatening matters to the servants?

Not only Ah Mu but even the Eldest Mistress, Xu Wanxin, would soon be controlled.

As the bodyguards dragged Ah Mu away and were about to seize Xu Wanxin, she anxiously shouted, “Dad, Dad!”

She continued, “Dad, Puting’s father is seriously ill, Puting doesn’t know where he is suffering, why are you having people grab me?”

Because the bodyguards hadn’t moved on Su Linlang, she knew Su Linlang still had an old relationship with the old master and thus had some favor.

She quickly called out to her, “Linlang, please help me, beg Grandpa, we still need to discuss how to save him… um…”

The scene suddenly grew chaotic, but as the bodyguards covered Xu Wanxin’s mouth and carried He Bingyan away, it quickly fell silent.

Su Linlang let out a sigh of relief.

Based on her experience, she realized that Ah Mu was deliberately trying to push her into the role of a “kidnapper accomplice.”

Such a person was problematic and needed to be controlled immediately.

Meanwhile, the weak-willed Xu Wanxin was only adding to the confusion.

Originally, the kidnapping case had been kept under wraps.

However, due to Xu Wanxin’s impatience and contacting the pawnshop to sell jewelry, her actions exposed their whereabouts.

The media caught wind of it, and a large number of reporters followed the He family 24/7, broadcasting their every move on television, indirectly aiding the kidnappers and making the rescue operation much more difficult.

Her secret savings were also stolen amidst the He family’s chaos, taken without a trace.

As for He Puting’s prolonged kidnapping, it was closely linked to Xu Wanxin’s blunders.

…

The place was suddenly quiet. Su Linlang stood in the garden, observing quietly.

Soon, He Mo, the second master of the He family, walked out.

The old master only had two sons, He Mo and He Zhang.

He Zhang was Su Linlang’s father-in-law, and He Mo was what she called her second uncle.

From his expensive yet somewhat flashy attire to the glittering Rolex gold watch on his wrist, Su Linlang, who was experienced at judging people, could tell that he lacked real ability.

However, being the second son of the richest man in town, with the eldest son’s family in trouble, it was his turn to manage the situation.

In the original story, it was under his efforts that He Puting was rescued, though tortured to the point of being crippled, eventually managing to escape on his own.

…

He Mo sighed, “Father’s kidney has never been good. He worked hard for your marriage, and now his health has worsened. Who knew that my elder brother and his son would cause such a big problem? He was supposed to get a dialysis today but hasn’t yet, still pushing through. Linlang, your second uncle knows you’re young, inexperienced, and might be scared, but you must hold yourself together in front of Grandpa. No crying.”

Su Linlang obediently nodded, “I will.”

She was dressed in a silver-gray gown, with a youthful face, still full of childlike innocence.

Because it was her first time here and she was quiet, the He family hadn’t noticed anything unusual about her and actually liked her quite a bit.

He Mo gave her a reassuring, elder-like pat, “Don’t worry, second uncle is here to take care of everything.”

It was clear that he was excited, finally being able to take charge, full of confidence.

This was He Puting’s study.

On the desk, there was a solo photo of him from his doctoral graduation.

The bookshelf was filled with various honors and medals he had earned through his studies, military service, and work.

The old master’s face was waxen and his breath faint, but his brows were furrowed with tension, and his gaze fixed on that photo.

The man in the photo had a high forehead, clear and bright brows, and a gaze that was as clear as the sky. His features resembled the old master’s.

The day before the wedding, he had smiled and told Su Linlang, “If you don’t want to marry, just say so. I will talk to Grandpa.”

At that time, Su Linlang was still trying to reconcile two souls within her, unable to speak, feeling anxious. She turned away in frustration, and He Puting patted her shoulder and went to prepare for the wedding.

…

The old master finally turned around, coughed a couple of times, and then spoke in a deep voice, “There was an accident in the underwater tunnel the night before last. Your father-in-law was seriously injured, and Puting was kidnapped. We received a call saying that if we want him to stay alive, we must keep quiet. Now we need to discuss how to respond.”

The night before last, there had been fierce gunfire in Hong Kong’s only underwater tunnel. A group of bandits armed with AK-47s shot the driver and bodyguards, severely injuring He Zhang and kidnapping the groom.

The wedding hadn’t turned into a funeral yet, but it was close.

The old master’s personal bodyguard was standing at the door, ready to control Su Linlang at any moment.

However, she did not cry or make a scene as the old master expected. Instead, she quietly said, “I had already guessed that something had happened to him.”

The old master waved his hand, and the bodyguard closed the door.

…

He Mo said, “It must have been those mainland thugs. Father, leave it to me. I will make sure to bring Puting back.”

The old master furrowed his brow, “Don’t forget, last year, the eldest son of the Ji family was kidnapped for a ransom of 800 million. Right now, we have 1.6 billion in our accounts, but 1 billion needs to go into the Hongshan Peninsula project. The rest depends on whether the board approves.”

In the 1980s, the stock prices and land values in Hong Kong were skyrocketing, creating many millionaires and billionaires.

However, kidnappings were also happening at an alarming rate, and the kidnappers were becoming more ruthless and greedy.

He Mo almost slapped his chest in confidence, “Father, as long as you give me the authority to manage the board, I will convince everyone to pay. Seven to eight hundred million is nothing, we can afford it.”

The old master, though sickly, was still mentally sharp.

He replied, “800 million was the last ransom. This time, the price will not be the same, it might even double.”

Su Linlang marveled at the old master’s sharpness.

In the original story, the kidnappers demanded exactly 1.6 billion, doubling the previous ransom.

He Mo said, “Father, we can’t always let the kidnappers set the price. I’ll negotiate with them and bring the price down.”

The old master’s gaze turned to Su Linlang, who remained calm as ever.

After a moment, he said, “Since this involves Linlang’s husband, if you agree, then we’ll proceed as planned.”

He took a deep breath, “Though I’m ill, I still have the strength to sign a check.”

If this plan went ahead, He Puting would be tortured by the kidnappers to the point of being maimed and blind, and he’d have to escape with a slim chance of survival.

Su Linlang would also be suspected of being an accomplice and would be wanted by the police.

That obviously could not happen.

She had the ability to rescue He Puting herself and would bring him back healthy to repay his kindness for burying her father.

As she spoke with He Mo, Su Linlang’s gaze remained fixed on the old master: “Second uncle, kidnappers are merciless and reckless.

The moment they prepared for the kidnapping, they put life and death out of their minds.

The one thing they don’t care about is human life.”

“What do you mean?” He Mo was taken aback.

To him, Su Linlang was just the granddaughter-in-law from the main branch, not someone who should be speaking here.

“Father, Linlang is just a little girl. We shouldn’t let her get involved in something this important. She’s too young and might accidentally blurt something out. Let her return to her room,” he insisted.

The old master’s brows furrowed even more tightly.

It was already surprising that the granddaughter-in-law, who was supposed to just fill the numbers, was offering an opinion. He was not only surprised but also somewhat angry!

Su Linlang wasn’t afraid; she pressed on, saying, “Second Uncle, are you negotiating with criminals to save someone, or are you trying to kill my husband?”

She noticed that the usually dark, deep-set eyes of the old master suddenly brightened. Clearly, she had struck a chord with him.

He Mo found it amusing. “Linlang, my older brother is gravely injured and unconscious, and Puting is my eldest nephew, the heir to the He family. How could I not want to save him? But the kidnappers are asking for one or two billion—should we just agree to it outright? Even if I did, would the board approve? Isn’t bargaining a normal approach?”

Su Linlang raised an eyebrow. “The kidnappers want 1.6 billion, and you negotiate it down to 800 million. If they cut off one of Puting’s legs in return, would you still agree?”

The old master, He Zhihuan, was gravely ill, barely holding himself together to manage the situation. He nodded slightly, clearly satisfied with Su Linlang’s response.

He Mo felt something was off. “You… this girl is strange.”

Su Linlang had only recently arrived in Hong Kong. Despite her stunning looks, more beautiful than any pageant queen, she was cold and aloof. She usually played with the family’s pet goose, rarely speaking to others.

A renowned feng shui master had declared that Su Linlang and He Puting were a match made in heaven and that her destiny was extraordinarily blessed.

This delighted the old master, who insisted on the marriage.

But people weren’t blind.

Many had already noticed something unusual about Su Linlang.

He Mo’s wife, Sun Linda, had privately observed her and found her odd—dull and awkward, as if she were in a daze.

Yet today, Su Linlang not only spoke fluent Cantonese but was also sharp-tongued and logical in every word she said.

He Mo paused, as if uncovering a clue. “The kidnappers are from the mainland, and Linlang is a mainland girl. Father, she must be colluding with the kidnappers. She’s probably their mole, a spy sent here by them.”

His conclusion sounded seamless and reasonable.

If Su Linlang later “ran off with the money,” it would be easy to label her as part of the kidnappers’ scheme.

The old master coughed lightly, his eyes narrowing. “Nonsense! Linlang’s father was part of the PLA and even saved my life. How could she be in cahoots with the kidnappers? Linlang… cough, cough… Grandpa is thinking of temporarily appointing you as acting chairperson of the board. What do you think?”

Chairperson of the He Family Board of Directors?

Her?

Su Linlang was exasperated.

The old master truly lived up to his reputation as a self-made tycoon—sharp and calculating.

This was clearly a trap for her.

Unfortunately, she didn’t take the bait. Instead, the foolish He Mo panicked first. “Father, she’s a snake in the grass, colluding with the kidnappers to harm our family. Are you crazy? You want to hand over the board to her? If she gives all the money to the kidnappers, what’s the point even if Puting comes back alive?”

Now his true colors showed—he cared more about money than He Puting’s life.