In the office building, the boss listened to the woman's crying on his phone and smiled with satisfaction.
"Heh, nothing much," the boss kicked the small coffee table in front of him.
Even before Shen Yuanshu's accident, he had noticed his unusual attention towards Huo Rou. What exactly was it about this little girl that made him so utterly captivated by the biomedical genius he had meticulously built? Today, it seemed, besides her looks, it was this voice. After all...
When she cried like this, it truly made one—feel pity.
Ensnared by love, he deserved to be useless! The boss's eyes turned cruel again.
"I'll send Huo Rou down to wait for you," the boss lit the cigarette in his hand, and in the swirling smoke, he whispered contemptuously, "That should suffice for your loyalty."
The person on the phone gritted his teeth and threatened, ferocious and menacing. Everyone listening to Huo Rou's pleas for mercy was triumphant, their laughter drowning out the faint sounds from the corner.
The phone's speaker had been turned off since the boss kicked the coffee table. At this moment, a subordinate approached with a fawning smile, "Boss, she wants to hear her son's voice. She's crying and won't believe us if she can't hear him."
"Let her hear him!" the boss exhaled a ring of smoke impatiently.
The subordinate, receiving the order, took the phone downstairs and placed it in front of An An. An An knew it was his mother's call. With red eyes and a stiff neck, he bravely said, "Mom, I'm fine, don't worry..."
Before he could finish his comforting words, he heard a wailing cry from the phone.
An An froze. Who was that?
Even when his mother was sad, she would secretly tear up and wipe her eyes. But the dramatic sobbing on the phone sounded so much like Aunt Zhang from the village.
That was the same tone she used when her son went missing and she searched the whole village.
An An, who had been worried about crying and making his mother upset, was now unsure whether to cry along or continue playing strong.
"Mom..." An An called out weakly.
Huo Rou's crying paused slightly, and An An felt a little relieved. Then, Huo Rou continued to shout, "Son! My son!" An An sniffled, his eyes red, and shouted back, "Mom, save me!"
Although he didn't know why it had to be so dramatic, An An was trying his best to cooperate.
The kidnappers were pleased. They issued a few arrogant threats and hung up.
The wind blew, and the leaves rustled.
Huo Rou calmly put away her phone, her eyes slightly red, concealing the murderous intent deep within.
Qin Ningyi, who was bewildered by her exaggerated crying, took Huo Rou's hand. "If you must go alone, I'm coming with you."
Pei Feng handed them two invisible earpieces for real-time communication.
To make the act complete, after waiting for about ten minutes, Qin Ningyi drove Huo Rou directly towards the office building.
Pei Feng watched their car drive away and then, with the remaining team, circled around to approach Chen Li.
As Qin Ningyi and Huo Rou's car neared the entrance of the office building, they were stopped.
Seeing only one car and its direct approach, the others felt somewhat at ease.
"This way, it's just her, right?" those surrounding the vehicle sought reassurance from each other.
"Get out!" they stepped forward and kicked open the car doors.
However, Huo Rou did not get out. "Where's my son?! I want to see him!"
She no longer put on the crying act. Those surrounding them saw the situation inside the car; only the front seats were occupied.
An An's voice came from inside the building, "Huo Rou, if you come in alone, you can see your son!"
Those inside were arrogant, their confidence boosted by the earlier phone call.
Huo Rou raised an eyebrow. Did these people really think she was stupid?
She scanned her surroundings, taking in the situation. A faint voice from He Zhongwu came through the earpiece, "In position."
After confirming the on-site conditions, Huo Rou pulled open the door handle.