“Of course, it’s a real gun, with a cold barrel and bullets that can take lives,” Su Linlang said calmly.

Liu Bo was stunned.

He slammed on the brakes and froze, not daring to move.

Su Linlang ordered, “Raise your hands.”

Liu Bo slowly raised his hands, his voice trembling. “Young Madam, the gun might misfire. Please, put it down.”

Instead of lowering the gun, Su Linlang calmly disengaged the safety. “Exactly, guns can misfire. And if they accidentally kill someone, it’s not a crime. So, Liu, you’d better not try anything funny.”

The situation had escalated quickly.

Once could be considered an accident, but Liu Bo had deliberately rammed into them a second time.

Xu Tianxi, holding his pounding head, started to realize something. “Liu, are you connected to the kidnappers?”

It all made sense now—Liu Bo was the insider, providing information to the kidnappers and aiding in the abduction.

But it was hard to believe.

Liu Bo, the loyal steward who had served the He family for three generations, trusted for his honesty, had been behind the wheel for over a decade.

Despite his role as a servant, he lived a comfortable life in the expensive Port City, owned multiple properties, and held a significant amount of He Corporation stock.

Once retired, his life would be more leisurely than Old Master He’s.

The He family had always treated Liu Bo and his family well.

How could he betray them?

However, finding the mole among the kidnappers was a breakthrough that could help rescue the victims.

Xu Tianxi tried to suppress his dizziness. “Liu, there’s still time to turn back. Tell me where Pu Ting is, and we’ll return home to plan his rescue. I promise I’ll persuade Pu Ting to forgive you.”

Liu Bo hesitated for a moment but then became agitated. “Young Master Tianxi, I’ve always been loyal to the He family! The young master being kidnapped has nothing to do with me. You’re mistaken!”

Xu Tianxi, struggling to stay conscious, wiped the blood from his nose. “Then why did you deliberately cause the car accident and knock us out? What are you after?”

Liu Bo waved his hands in panic. “Young Master Tianxi, I did nothing wrong! I was doing this for the good of the He family!”

Xu Tianxi reached for the car’s phone. “I’m calling the police!”

But before he could finish, Liu Bo suddenly lunged at him, shoving his arm away.

Liu Bo’s hand darted toward the center console, shouting, “Young Master Tianxi, please don’t move!”

The car sped along the highway, and Xu Tianxi, already concussed, felt his limbs weaken.

He realized Liu Bo was reaching for the gun stored in the center console. It seemed his life might end in this car.

But he hadn’t realized the real master of this vehicle was Su Linlang.

In a blink, she spun the gun in her hand with her index finger and struck Liu Bo’s temple with the butt of the gun.

The next moment, Xu Tianxi found himself holding a gun, while Liu Bo was slumped over the steering wheel, the car horn blaring continuously.

Dazed, Xu Tianxi looked at the gun—it was a small BBQ-model tranquilizer gun.

It seemed Liu Bo hadn’t intended to kill them, just to knock them out.

Xu Tianxi tried to open the car door and take the driver’s seat, but the doors were locked. Liu Bo had locked the car from the front.

He hadn’t expected the seemingly naive young madam to not only hold a gun but also know how to use it.

Despite his dizziness, Xu Tianxi decided to continue negotiating. “Liu, it’s not too late to fix this. If you take us home right now, we can figure out a way to rescue him together.”

Liu Bo responded as if coaxing a child. “Young Master Tianxi, please don’t make trouble. Give me the tranquilizer gun, and Young Madam, put down the handgun. Be good and come with me. I’ll send you back to your hometown on the mainland, alright?”

Xu Tianxi tightened his grip on the tranquilizer gun and pointed it at Liu Bo. “You kidnapped Pu Ting, and now you want to kidnap my sister-in-law?”

Liu Bo shook his head vehemently. “No, no, I didn’t. It was the First Madam’s orders.”

Xu Tianxi was stunned again. “So, my aunt instructed you to kidnap my sister-in-law?”

That seemed impossible.

Liu Bo sighed. “Young Master Tianxi, you know how the First Madam feels. She didn’t even approve of Sun Jiaqian, the former Miss Hong Kong, as a match. She’s been determined to find a noblewoman for the eldest young master.

The Old Master, however, casually chose a woman from the mainland. The First Madam wasn’t happy. And now that the young master has been kidnapped, she believes it’s because the young madam brings bad luck and instructed me to quietly send her away.”

Xu Tianxi felt dizzy again.

It was true that Xu Wanxin wasn’t fond of Su Linlang and had cried in private many times.

But she was a devout Buddhist who wouldn’t even kill an insect—could she really have hired someone to commit such a crime?

“I’m sorry, Young Master Tianxi…” Before Xu Tianxi realized it, Liu Bo had already snatched the tranquilizer gun from his hand.

But at that moment, there was a loud bang. Blood splattered everywhere as a bullet pierced through Liu Bo’s hand, embedding itself in the leather seat.

Xu Tianxi looked up to see Liu Bo’s right index finger missing its tip, blood gushing out.

Both men stared at Su Linlang, who was unharmed, calmly holding her Gucci bag.

She had fired the shot.

Liu Bo froze, stammering:
“Y-Young Madam, maybe… maybe you really bring misfortune to your husband. Leaving the He family might be better for Young Master Pu Ting. I… I just want to save him!”

His honesty, which even his father vouched for, was undeniable.

Xu Tianxi knocked Liu Bo on the head.
“Are you stupid? If something happens to Young Madam, and the old master hears about it amidst all this chaos, can you bear the consequences?”

Liu Bo, jolted awake by the reminder, slapped his own forehead.
“You’re right. I was being foolish. Let’s go back home!”

He reached to start the car, but before the engine could turn over, a gunshot rang out—bang! The bullet narrowly missed his ear, the deafening sound echoing through the vehicle.

It was Su Linlang.

She fired again!

Xu Tianxi ducked instinctively, hands covering his head, while Liu Bo collapsed into the seat like a puddle of mush.

The bullet had grazed between Liu Bo’s legs, barely skimming the skin, tearing through the leather seat before striking the reinforced baseplate with a dull thunk.

Su Linlang spoke coldly:
“Liu Bo, you’re not taking me straight back to the mainland. You must have a designated place nearby to hand me off, right? Someone is waiting for us there, aren’t they?”

Her tone softened slightly, though it retained its edge:
“This situation will go as I dictate. I prefer peace and hate violence, but only if you cooperate.”

Liu Bo protested, trembling:
“Young Madam, we’re not trying to harm you! We’re just… just trying to send you back to the mainland!”

Su Linlang pressed the gun harder against his temple.
“If you keep lying, the next bullet goes through your skull. You’re just another criminal, and no one would fault me for shooting you dead.”

Liu Bo turned his head slowly.

It was still the same Young Madam he’d always known, but now her gaze was fierce, commanding—a predator eyeing an insignificant insect on the brink of being crushed.

“The seaside,” he finally confessed. “An old typhoon shelter. There’s a smuggler there who promised to send you back to the mainland.”

Su Linlang pondered this for a moment, then asked,
“And ‘Ah Mu’ is one of the kidnappers, isn’t she? But she’s just a lackey. Who’s above her?”

A housemaid from a mistress’s quarters couldn’t be the mastermind behind such a scheme.

There had to be someone higher up—someone orchestrating the kidnapping and planning to frame her for it.

Xu Tianxi roared:
“Spit it out already! I promise on behalf of my brother that as long as you confess, we won’t hold this against you later.”

Liu Bo hesitated, then raised his hand as if swearing an oath.
“A-Ah Mu said… it’s all under Madam Xu Wanxin’s orders.”

Xu Tianxi was dumbfounded.
“Are you stupid? My aunt chants Buddhist scriptures all day long. Do you really think she’d harm anyone?”

Liu Bo looked serious.
“But… she truly doesn’t like Young Madam…”

The mobile phone in Su Linlang’s bag suddenly rang.

The previously tense atmosphere grew eerily quiet, the shrill ringtone somehow more agitating in the silence.

“Young Madam, I was wrong, I really regret this. Please, let me take you back home,” Liu Bo pleaded.

In this era, phone numbers weren’t displayed, and tracing calls required access to a telecom office.

Su Linlang couldn’t identify the caller.

She picked up and heard Liu Guanjia’s anxious voice on the line. Covering the receiver, she signaled Liu Bo:
“Answer it.”

Liu Bo hesitated.
“What should I say?”

Su Linlang ordered,
“Stick to your original plan. Say we had a car accident.”

With the information she’d gathered, Su Linlang had a clearer picture. Ah Mu was indeed an inside accomplice, but her superior? It wasn’t likely a devout, pious Xu Wanxin.

The truth lay elsewhere.

Liu Bo answered the call nervously.
“H-Hello, Dad?”

Liu Guanjia’s voice was urgent.
“The Wanfo Temple just called, saying Young Madam hasn’t arrived yet. What are you doing?!”

Liu Bo glanced at Su Linlang for guidance and stammered,
“W-We… had a car accident…”

Liu Guanjia was livid.
“Is Young Madam alright? Tell me where you are! I’ll send help immediately!”

Su Linlang snatched the phone and ended the call. Slapping the dashboard, she barked:
“Stick to the plan. Now take me to the smuggler!”

Liu Bo blinked, confused.
“You… really want to go back to the mainland?”

Su Linlang clarified coldly:
“The smuggler is with the kidnappers. I’m going there to rescue the young master.”

Liu Bo’s trembling fingers, still recently bandaged by Xu Tianxi, twitched involuntarily as he hiccupped in fear.

Xu Tianxi, equally alarmed, tried to reason with her:
“Sister-in-law, if they’re really the kidnappers, we should go home, call for backup, and report to the police!”

Su Linlang aimed her gun at him.
“What if there are informants within the household? Do you want your cousin dead?”

She then turned to Liu Bo.
“Drive.”

Time was of the essence in a hostage rescue. Speed was paramount.

The car moved forward. To avoid drawing suspicion, Su Linlang ordered Xu Tianxi to clean the bloodstains from the windows.

Though Liu Bo’s shirt was soaked in blood, it wasn’t a problem—it only added credibility to their fabricated car accident story.

After leaving the overpass and driving for another half hour, they arrived at a construction site by the coast.

Behind them, verdant mountains loomed. Ahead lay a dusty expanse—a vast, chaotic port under construction. Towering cranes and loaders moved back and forth, the air filled with clamor and the sweaty toil of workers.

Beyond, two miles further, was a narrow path leading to a derelict typhoon shelter. The water was littered with sunken boats and abandoned fish cages—a desolate, ghostly scene awaiting demolition.

Liu Bo glanced at Su Linlang.
“Ah Mu said the smuggler is up ahead. We… we should get out now.”

Xu Tianxi hurriedly unbuckled his seatbelt.
“Sister-in-law, let me scout ahead first.”

But Su Linlang pulled out her mobile phone and asked Liu Bo,
“What’s the car phone number?”

Liu Bo recited a four-digit number.

Su Linlang dialed it on her mobile, connecting the call.

After testing the sound, she handed the car phone, along with a tranquilizer gun, to Xu Tianxi.
“Do not hang up. Follow my instructions at all times!”

She then turned to Liu Bo.
“Lead the way.”

Xu Tianxi was stunned.

His sister-in-law was truly fearless, boldly marching straight into the lion’s den!