029 No More Acting, Showdown
“It doesn’t matter if she doesn’t have money. What about her parents?”
After saying this, Brother Song listened carefully to make sure the girl in the bedroom next door hadn’t woken up.
Just as Wang Heng was hesitating whether to play a trump card, the other party played his first.
Brother Song said, “Let’s split it eighty-twenty.”
Wang Heng: “…What did you say?”
Brother Song held up two fingers with one hand and made an eight with the other, saying solemnly, “The money we get from her parents, we’ll split it eighty-twenty. What do you think? No need to act. I know you’re not her relative, you must be her friend. I have her parents’ contact information, and I specifically asked. Her family has no relatives in Rongdu.”
Wang Heng rubbed his forehead. “My cover was blown that quickly… But, I want to ask you something first. Has anyone ever told you that for a kidnapper, you’re not very professional?”
Brother Song immediately shook his head. “What do you mean, kidnapper? That’s so crude. And with this method, I’ve already received payment from several clients.”
“Payment…”
“Be more refined. You’re a university student, an intellectual. Don’t make it sound so unpleasant.”
“Then may I ask how much payment you’ve received?”
Brother Song figured that this kid must be a little tempted to get a share of the money to be asking such a question.
So he tempted him, “A full three hundred thousand. How about that?”
Wang Heng: “For a few hundred thousand, the risk you’re taking is not small.”
Brother Song shook his head. “The risk isn’t big. You see, I only kidnap, I don’t kill. I don’t do anything heinous. I just lock people up for a few days, and when the money arrives, I run it through an overseas account, launder it, and then transfer it back. This house isn’t mine, the car isn’t mine. I haven’t left any traceable clues.”
“Not heinous…”
“Of course not. I haven’t even touched your phones or wallets. In the current public security environment in the country, the most severely cracked down on are violent criminal cases, like murder. But I haven’t even laid a finger on you. How is that violent?”
Wang Heng said thoughtfully, “And the targets you choose don’t have local social connections, right…”
Brother Song: “Smart. You’ve hit the key point. So those parents have two choices: either call the police or transfer the money to me.”
Wang Heng: “But those two choices aren’t mutually exclusive. They can totally call the police and transfer the money, and have the police monitor your account.”
Brother Song: “This is where the videos and recordings come in. With these, I send them to the parents and tell them that until I receive the transfer, their child won’t get a single bite of food. If they call the police, it’s even more serious. I’ll just say I’m going to kill the hostage directly. How many parents do you think will call the police? How many parents won’t pay?”
Hearing this, Wang Heng couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. This guy’s criminal plan was really meticulous. Luring the child into a dark room and locking them up, cutting off all contact with the outside world, and then manipulating the helpless parents… The key was that the evidence for extortion was very convincing, and the ransom amount was within the parents’ ability to pay. The probability of success was indeed not low. And since there was no physical harm, the police’s pursuit wouldn’t be too strong. Some parents might not even choose to call the police at all, as long as their child was safe.
But the next moment, Brother Song’s tone changed, and he said painfully, “But you pulled out my listening devices and cameras. This is troublesome. I can’t negotiate with the client’s parents!”
Wang Heng crossed his arms and retorted, “So you want me to cooperate and film Pei Ningle’s helpless state?”
Brother Song clapped his hands lightly. “Smart, that’s it. Young man, don’t be in a hurry to say no. Think about it carefully. I’m taking a risk of getting caught by doing this, but you’re not taking any risk at all. You’re also a victim. There’s no evidence that can point to you.”
Wang Heng narrowed his eyes. “Heh, if there are still any remaining listening devices in the house now, then there would be evidence of a crime.”
Brother Song was stunned for a moment, then tried to persuade him earnestly, “I have no reason to screw you over. And as long as you don’t screw me over, neither of us will get caught. We’ll finish this deal peacefully, and you’ll get a windfall. Isn’t that good?”
Wang Heng: “That simple?”
“It’s that simple,” Brother Song added. “How about this? I can give you two thousand in cash right now. When her parents’ money arrives in my account, I’ll immediately transfer twenty percent to you. Even if something goes wrong with the rest of the money, that’s my loss. Your payment is absolutely guaranteed.”
Wang Heng fell silent.
Brother Song was secretly delighted, feeling that this deal was probably in the bag. He didn’t rush him, just waited quietly. Besides, Pei Ningle was sleeping in the bedroom just a wall away. He didn’t dare to be too loud or too hasty. If he accidentally woke the girl up, things would get even more troublesome…
But suddenly, Wang Heng said, “Sorry, I refuse.”
Brother Song’s eyes widened. “What?”
Wang Heng: “I don’t like to take this kind of money, so let’s just forget it.”
Brother Song struggled for a moment, then said painfully, “Then how about this? I’ll give you thirty percent! It can’t be any higher. I have costs too!”
Wang Heng still shook his head. “Even if you split it fifty-fifty with me, I won’t do it.”
Brother Song’s cheek twitched, and he immediately threatened, “If you don’t agree, you don’t agree. I won’t let you out either. When you’re about to starve to death, you’ll have to agree even if you don’t want to.”
Wang Heng: “Then we’ll talk about it then.”
Brother Song stood outside the window, staring at him for a long while, then snorted coldly and turned to leave.
Wang Heng listened carefully and found that the footsteps didn’t go far. They just turned a corner and disappeared. It was obvious that Brother Song hadn’t gone far and was also in this old building.
He walked to the bedroom door, paused for a few seconds, and quietly pushed it open. But because the door hinges were very old, just a slight movement made a harsh “creak-creak” sound.
The girl on the bed immediately woke up and shouted, “Who is it!”
Wang Heng had only wanted to see if she was asleep, but he didn’t expect to wake her up. He helplessly knocked on the door and said, “It’s me, Wang Heng.”
“You… have something to say to me?” The girl subconsciously wanted to pull the blanket tighter, but then she realized she wasn’t covered by one.
After all, it was already a good thing that this place had a broken bed with a mattress. Of course, there were no pillows or blankets.
Wang Heng sighed. “You were so uneasy a few hours ago. I thought you would have insomnia. I didn’t expect you to sleep better than me.”
The girl rubbed the back of her head. “Hehe, I’ve always been a heavy sleeper… I even had a nickname in class, Sleeping Beauty.”
“That impressive?”
“Yeah.”
“Then you should go back to sleep. I won’t disturb you.” With that, Wang Heng was about to back out and close the door.
But it was only then that Pei Ningle finally came to her senses, remembered her situation, and picked up the worries that she hadn’t been aware of in her sleep.
The girl asked urgently, “Have you found a way to escape?”
“No. We’ll talk about it when it’s light.”
Wang Heng closed the bedroom door.
