"Where are you taking us?" Fang Miaomiao shielded the children behind her, her gaze wary as she looked at Qiu Xi.
Qiu Xi raised an eyebrow slightly. "What, did you deliberately let me capture you without thinking about what would happen next?"
"I don't know what you mean."
Qiu Xi was not annoyed. She leaned against the doorframe, looking at Fang Miaomiao with a half-smile, as if she were a mother hen protecting her chicks. "Let's go, or if I have to get rough, it won't be pretty."
Fang Miaomiao remained unmoved.
"Sister Xi, the people over there are almost here. We should take them."
Qiu Xi shot him a cold glance. "Are you telling me what to do?"
The subordinate bowed his head. "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare. I'm just reminding you, since Master Ran's business is almost done, I'm afraid he might take his anger out on Sister Xi if he sees these people still in the house. Sister Xi, I'm doing this for your own good. After this job, we can retire. There's no need to go against Master Ran at such a critical moment."
Qiu Xi kicked the subordinate hard. "I know what I'm doing. I don't need you to tell me what to do, understand?"
The subordinate quickly nodded. "Yes, yes."
"Let's go."
Fang Miaomiao took a deep breath. "Someone has landed on the island, haven't they?"
A flicker of surprise flashed in Qiu Xi's eyes. "You know quite clearly. That's right, Wen Zhiyan and them have landed. Ran Qiu will leave with us after he deals with them."
After getting a confirmed answer, Fang Miaomiao relaxed for a moment. "You said Ran Qiu can deal with my Wen Zhiyan? He's dreaming."
Qiu Xi said nothing, but she moved.
"Ouch! You really have a dog's bite." Qiu Xi looked at the teeth marks on her arm, yelped in pain, and threw Fang Miaomiao off. "Believe it or not, I'll pull all your teeth out later."
"Pah, I'm not afraid of you."
"Why are you still here? Didn't I tell you to take them to the back? Someone is waiting for us there." Ran Qiu frowned, seeing them standing motionlessly in front of the small wooden house. "Qiu Xi, hurry up and bring them with me."
Qiu Xi glanced at Ran Qiu, who looked flustered, his clothes disheveled from rushing. He didn't have the air of strategic control and disdain for everyone that he had before.
"Qiu Xi, what are you waiting for? Don't forget, we're in a partnership now."
Only then did Qiu Xi become more serious and have her people forcibly grab them.
Inside the small wooden house, the children's cries filled the air.
Fang Miaomiao's fists were no match for four hands. In the end, she and Wen Yan'an were lifted up.
"Can you just behave yourself?" Qiu Xi said helplessly. She had to bear some injuries every time she caught these two.
"I need to stall for time," Fang Miaomiao said calmly, allowing Qiu Xi to choke her.
Qiu Xi clicked her tongue and looked at Ran Qiu, who was leaving in the distance. "You're really sharp-tongued. Aren't you afraid they'll just throw you into the sea?"
"I'm not afraid. Ran Qiu doesn't want to die. He needs hostages."
"Quite clever. You vaguely know why you deliberately provoked me and followed me."
Wen Yan'an spotted something and his eyes lit up. He then obediently lowered his head, preventing Qiu Xi, who was holding his collar, from noticing anything unusual.
Soon.
Ran Qiu and his men rushed to the cliff.
That was where they were supposed to meet their contacts.
"Why haven't they arrived yet? Weren't the plane and boat supposed to be here?" Ran Qiu looked at the empty space, becoming agitated.
"They're here, sir, the helicopter."
"They're here, finally." Ran Qiu watched the helicopter approaching their location, and saw ships on the sea. He finally breathed a sigh of relief. Heaven was indeed favoring them. What if Wen Zhiyan came? He would still be forced to watch as he took his wife and son away from this place forever.
The victor of this game was him.
However.
Ran Qiu thought of something and had his subordinate snatch Fang Miaomiao from Qiu Xi. "However, just in case, it's better for you to stay by my side."
"Mommy." Wen Yan'an saw his mother being grabbed and thrashed wildly, swinging his arms to hit Qiu Xi. "Let go of my mommy! If you want to catch someone, catch me! Aren't you supposed to hate me the most?"
Ran Qiu chuckled. "Wen Yan'an, it seems you're quite smart. You know I hate you the most. Indeed, if it weren't for your dead father, our Ran family wouldn't be in this state. But little kid, aren't you talking too childishly? The most painful way to deal with you is not to kill you."
The helicopter quickly arrived overhead.
Ran Qiu led his men to retreat to a safe area. After the helicopter stabilized in mid-air, he stepped forward with a smile.
The moment he saw the person descending from the helicopter, the smile on his face froze. "It's you?"
"Long time no see," Fang Zhihuan waved.
"How could it be you? Where are the people I was supposed to meet?"
"They're probably on a long vacation at the police station, or maybe even permanent residents."
"Impossible," Ran Qiu roared, then grabbed Fang Miaomiao with one hand and threw away his cane with the other, pressing his hand against Fang Miaomiao's head. "Give me the helicopter and the boat, and let us leave, or don't blame me for being ruthless with Fang Miaomiao."
"Don't move, drop your weapon."
"Don't move, hands up."
One after another, voices sounded from all directions, startling the kidnappers holding the children.
"How can there be so many police?"
"Where did the police come from, Master Ran? Didn't you say that bombs were planted all around the island, and anyone who landed would trigger them?"
"Yeah, if I had known you were so unreliable, we wouldn't have listened to you."
Wouldn't it be better to live in anonymity?
Why did they have to get involved in this mess?
"Shut up, did I beg you to come? It was you yourselves who were greedy, and now you're blaming me?" Ran Qiu's face was grim.
"Sir, we're surrounded."
"Ran Qiu, you have no way out. The merchants in Country T have already been arrested. Lay down your weapons and surrender."
"Impossible." Ran Qiu pulled Fang Miaomiao. "You're lying to me."
The sellers there had been operating for so long, how could they have been apprehended so easily?
"Someone among you must have betrayed me. Who is it, who is it?"
Fang Miaomiao cried out in pain. "You, you're hurting me."
"Stupid woman, shut up. If it weren't for you, how would I have been discovered? If you hadn't suddenly come to the island." Ran Qiu's voice stopped abruptly, and his gaze fell on a spot. "It's you, you dared to betray me."
"You betrayed me, Great Uncle. Great Uncle said before he died that no Ran family member should touch this thing again." Qiu Xi said calmly.
Not only did you betray me, but you did it so poorly.
"Qiu Xi."