Chapter 210: A Major Incident in the Industry
Ye Siyuan took the call, not thinking much of it at first. But as he listened, his expression grew serious. He even sent his secretary out of his office, drew the curtains, and locked the door. He sat in his office chair, no longer possessing the relaxed demeanor he had when talking to his daughter, but instead appearing remarkably calm.
There was a simple reason for this: the call was coming from his daughter, Ye Zhiyun’s, phone number, but the voice on the other end was that of a deep-voiced man.
This could only mean one thing: something had gone wrong.
“May I have your name?” Ye Siyuan asked, remaining calm, never showing a hint of panic. Especially when dealing with a kidnapper’s call, he maintained his composure.
“The name is Sun Tianci. I doubt you’ve heard of me, Your Excellency.”
“Not necessarily.”
“So you’re saying you know my name?”
“Others might not, but I do. Sun Tianci, the self-proclaimed ‘King of Gamblers’ and a regular at the casinos in Hong Kong and Macau. I’ve heard of you.”
“Heh. I never thought you’d actually know.”
A smile hung on Ye Siyuan’s face. He remained calm, without a trace of panic.
He was a businessman. He had seen all the great storms of the commercial world, even surviving a near-bankruptcy. In his youth, he’d even had a gun held to his head. He wouldn’t have made it this far without extraordinary courage.
“Mr. Sun, my request is simple. As long as you don’t harm my daughter, everything else is negotiable. You can even come to my home to discuss it in person.”
“What if you call the police?”
“I, Ye Siyuan, am a man of my word. I don’t play games behind people’s backs. In business, integrity is paramount. Mr. Sun, you’ve been in business before. You should know this.”
“Mr. Ye is truly a man. I admire that. This time, I’m acting on orders from my organization to discuss a business deal with you. My men may have been a bit rough, but your daughter is fine.”
“Discussing business is no problem. I will arrange a time to meet with you alone. As for my daughter and her friend, please treat them well. My daughter has been mischievous and unruly since she was a child. I hope you won’t mind.”
“How could I? Your daughter has been very well-behaved. She hasn’t caused any trouble here. Rest assured, I won’t mistreat her.”
There’s a chance.
As Ye Siyuan spoke with him on the phone, he began to get a sense of the man’s character.
He had indeed heard of this Sun Tianci. A gambler, a desperado. On the surface, he held a respectable job, but behind the scenes, he frequented casinos. A true addict.
It was said that he had kidnapped several wealthy businessmen and extorted huge ransoms, but there was never enough evidence for the police to touch him. The man was meticulous, his actions well-planned. Trying to pull any tricks under his nose was absolutely impossible.
But this man had one defining characteristic: he was audacious.
What normal kidnapper would dare to target the Ye family? But he did.
Most importantly, he understood what these rich people were thinking. When a person is poor, money is more important than life. But when a person has more money than they can spend, life becomes more important than money. Therefore, the rich are often more afraid of death than the poor, and more afraid of their families being implicated.
He knew this well, which was why he had made a move on Ye Zhiyun. But targeting Ye Zhiyun directly wasn’t easy, so he had set his sights on her friend instead. Ye Zhiyun was known in their circles for being loyal and honorable, a person with a good reputation. He believed that, with her personality, she would never sit back and do nothing. Because she was just like her father.
“Mr. Sun, may I know when you’ll be coming?”
“I’m on my way now. I’ll be at your company in two minutes.”
“Alright. I’ll inform my secretary. You can come directly to my office.”
“Good. You know the rules.”
“As long as she’s unharmed, I guarantee I won’t call the police.”
Ye Siyuan hung up the phone and sat in his office chair. This was truly a massive headache.
But it was precisely at times like these that one must not panic. It was crucial not to lose one’s footing. This Sun Tianci was a desperate man. The amount of money he had extorted from kidnapping wealthy people was immeasurable. Coupled with his constant activity across the strait and his connections in Hong Kong and Macau, the police had never been able to touch him.
But this was Shanghai, and for him to be so brazen here showed just how much nerve he had.
Ye Siyuan knew that with the hostage in his hands, Sun Tianci held all the cards. Rather than argue with him, it was better to comply obediently. Fortunately, there were no rumors of Sun Tianci ever killing a hostage, so for the time being, Ye Zhiyun was safe.
As for Yu Linna, he couldn’t be so sure.
Dressed in a suit and tie, Sun Tianci arrived at the company entrance, spoke to the staff, and was led to the office by the secretary. Ye Siyuan was already waiting at the door. He graciously invited him in and told his secretary to give them some privacy, saying they had work to discuss.
The first thing Sun Tianci said upon entering was, “Call out your police.”
Ye Siyuan wasn’t agitated at all. Instead, he smiled, calmly opened the door, and pulled up the blinds.
“I have one good quality: I’m a man of my word. I treat everyone the same. If you don’t believe me, you can tour the entire company. Go wherever you like.”
And just like that, he gave Sun Tianci a tour of the entire company. Under the curious gazes of the employees, he explained that this was a friend from work and even made a point of opening every closed door for him to see. After looking around for a while, Sun Tianci was satisfied. It was clear that the man had indeed not called the police. The two returned to the office.
“Mr. Ye is truly no ordinary man. No wonder people call you the successor of the business world. Perhaps in less than ten years, the country will be yours.”
“You flatter me. Anyone could sit in that position. I was just a little younger and a little luckier than others.”
“Did you know, I used to be in business too? I wanted to reach a position like yours, but I didn’t have the talent or the education.”
“Actually, I wasn’t very talented in elementary school either. I often got zeros in math and never passed English.”
“But you had enough opportunity and patience. More importantly, you have a good wife.”
“So, Mr. Sun, what kind of life do you want to live?”
“I don’t seek luxury, I just want to escape poverty. As for your esteemed daughter, I was entrusted by my organization to secure a settlement for my brothers. We just want to eat a full meal, and maybe eat a little better. Mr. Ye, the rich don’t know the hunger of the poor. We won’t be greedy. Let’s say one billion. And I only want cash.”
And he says he’s not being greedy, Ye Siyuan sneered inwardly, but he maintained a smiling facade.
A desperado was a desperado, with an appetite that was anything but small. But these people weren’t at their wit’s end; most were likely career criminals like Sun Tianci. With people like this, it was best to satisfy their demands as much as possible.
“Even if I wanted to, I can’t get you that much money at once. The bank won’t let me withdraw that much in one go. How about this? Give me some time. I’ll give you three million first.”
“Alright. Be quick about it. Your esteemed daughter is eager to go home.”
Sun Tianci wasn’t an unreasonable man; he was actually quite sensible, which bought Ye Siyuan time to negotiate. The more audacious and principled a desperate gambler was, the better. This was exactly what Ye Siyuan had hoped for. He had been afraid he would be dealing with an irrational person. The fact that Sun Tianci was at least somewhat reasonable was the greatest comfort.
After seeing him off, Ye Siyuan kept his word and immediately gave him a briefcase with three million in cash. Sun Tianci was in a good mood after receiving the deposit and said he would let Miss Ye go home soon. This was what Ye Siyuan wanted to see.
In this world, the rich feared nothing more than their families being implicated, especially in kidnappings. It was one thing if the hostage was released after the money was paid, but the worst fear was the hostage being killed after payment. It was clear that with Sun Tianci, there was a good chance of avoiding that outcome. For now, the priority was to gather the money.
…
And what about Wenqing?
They had received a photo from Shion-Sensei’s personal QQ account—a picture of a blonde girl tied up in a corner. The editorial department was already in chaos.
“Is this… Shion-Sensei?”
“Yes. She’s been kidnapped. The kidnapper just called our office. They want five hundred million in cash by noon tomorrow.”
This was the first time Chen Xi had ever encountered such a situation, and it gave her a massive headache. Of all the people to kidnap, they had to kidnap Shion-Sensei.
Shion-Sensei’s commercial value was undeniable. If anything happened to her, the related industry chain would collapse, and Wenqing would suffer a huge loss.
Therefore, nothing could happen to Shion-Sensei. The kidnappers had aimed their bamboo pole at them; they were certainly audacious.
“Did the kidnapper reveal their identity?”
“Yes. He called himself Sun Tianci.”
“That bold? He dared to give us his name? Isn’t he afraid we’ll call the police afterward?”
“Perhaps he was afraid we wouldn’t know his reputation.”
“What do you mean?”
“You may not know, but this Sun Tianci is a gambler, famous in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. This isn’t his first kidnapping. He’s extorted large ransoms using these methods several times.”
“Why haven’t the police arrested him?”
“That’s the most terrifying part. The police know what he’s done, but he always manages to evade the law. The legal systems in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan are practically useless against him. Every time he goes in, he walks out unscathed. This man is the underworld of the underworld. Did you think this would be an easy fruit to bite?” Tang He explained.
The young editors were stunned, their faces filled with shock. They had thought underworld legends were just things from novels. Who knew such absurd things happened in reality? An underworld figure, a gambler, a criminal beyond the law—did such things really exist in the real world?
But the fact that Shion-Sensei had been kidnapped forced them to believe it was true.
If the kidnappers decided to kill the hostage, Shion-Sensei would be in grave danger. Wenqing, which had just gotten back on its feet, would face a devastating blow.
“Money is not the issue. We’ll prepare it immediately. Whatever happens, we must prevent the worst-case scenario.”
Various parties began to gather the ransom money to prevent the worst from happening. As for the victims themselves, Yu Linna and Ye Zhiyun were still tied up in the confinement room, waiting for time to pass.
Yu Linna wasn’t as afraid anymore. With Ye Zhiyun by her side, she felt much more at ease. She had always been alone, with no family or relatives. Even if she died, she had no attachments. But Ye Zhiyun was different. She shouldn’t have come.
“Zhiyun, why were you so foolish? Why did you come? You knew it was a trap.”
Ye Zhiyun was taken aback, then a smile bloomed on her face—a smile Yu Linna couldn’t understand.
