Honestly, it was infuriating. She'd thought that just one Xiao Pei couldn’t make any real trouble—after all, she knew Zhu Xun wouldn’t bother with her. But then, of all people, Lauren Shaw showed up.

She knew very well what Yancy Shaw was capable of. If he found out that she’d ordered someone to kidnap Lauren Shaw, he’d never let her off the hook.

Her standing in the Zhu family wasn’t what it used to be. If Zhu Xun learned about this, her life would only get harder.

"Don’t say I didn’t warn you. You people had better get out of there right now, or you’ll die an ugly death."

Zhu Yurou hung up straight after those words.

The kidnapper stared at the disconnected phone, still not quite sure what Zhu Yurou meant. Unwilling to give up, he tried to call her back, but the line wouldn’t connect.

The man cursed under his breath. "Damn it!"

"Bro, what did she say?"

He hesitated. "She told us to get out of here as quickly as possible."

"But the money isn’t in yet. If we leave now, everything’s been for nothing, hasn’t it?"

The man didn’t answer. He walked to the window and peered outside—the night was pitch-black and eerily silent, so still he could hear the wind rustle the curtains.

Far off, a few dogs barked.

A tension coiled inside him. He stared at the room’s door, unease gnawing at his chest.

Inside, Xiao Pei was sprawled on the floor, staring blankly at the ceiling. Her face looked chalk-white, lips drained of all color. Lauren Shaw called her name several times, but she gave no response.

Worry gnawed at Lauren Shaw.

"Xiao Pei, how are you feeling? Is your stomach hurting?"

"Lauren Shaw, it hurts... my stomach..." Xiao Pei curled up, clutching her belly, looking fragile and pitiful.

Her voice faded, barely more than a whisper, as if someone siphoned all her strength away.

Sensing something was terribly wrong, Lauren Shaw scooted closer to her.

Suddenly, the door burst open.

A kidnapper appeared in the doorway, eyes cold and hard.

Lauren Shaw barely cared how disheveled she appeared; she just begged, "Please, take her to a hospital! She’s going to die if you don’t!"

She hoped to spark some shred of compassion, but she forgot—these men were kidnappers. Mercy was not part of their vocabulary.

The man let out a cold snort. "She’s worthless. Why would I waste effort taking her to a hospital? If she’s going to die, she should die quickly—makes it easier for me to find somewhere to dump the body."

"We’re talking about two human lives!" Lauren Shaw growled, eyes red with fury. No matter her history with Xiao Pei, at a time like this, she just wanted Xiao Pei to survive.

The kidnapper sneered at her, voice dripping scorn. "She dies, so what? You think anyone will care? You’re not the same. We’re keeping you because you’re valuable—otherwise, do you think I’d be standing here talking to you?"

"If you want to live, keep your mouth shut. Make me mad, and I can’t guarantee what I’ll do."

Lauren Shaw bit her lower lip, knowing pleading was useless. Instead of wasting her breath, she needed to find a way out.

Meanwhile, Yancy Shaw stepped into the hallway, a Bluetooth earpiece clipped to his ear. Yuan Ran, stationed on the rooftop across the street, quickly pinpointed Lauren Shaw’s location.

"Young Master Shen, the young madam is in a south-facing room on the sixth floor. There are two kidnappers inside."

Two kidnappers?

"You can move in now," Yancy Shaw said, already striding toward the sixth floor.

With only two kidnappers, it was clear they couldn’t be Mo Fan’s men.

Inside, the kidnappers deliberated on how to get Xiao Pei out since she was barely hanging on.

Lauren Shaw watched as they came in with a burlap sack and stuffed the barely-conscious Xiao Pei inside.

"What are you doing? Where are you taking her?"

"She’s about to die, so we’ll dump her outside. No point letting her die in here and give us bad luck."

One of them slung the sack over his shoulder, saying he’d stash it in the car first, ready to bolt as soon as they got the money.

The other stayed in the room to guard Lauren Shaw.

Xiao Pei clearly couldn’t stand much more of this. There was little hope now for the baby she carried.

Desperate, Lauren Shaw shouted, "She’s carrying two lives! How can you be so heartless?"

The kidnapper slapped her hard across the face, voice vicious. "Shut the hell up! Or you’re next!"

Gritting her teeth, Lauren Shaw glared at him, eyes cold. The kidnapper shrank back under her stare and barked, "Hurry up and get her out of here!"

—

Outside the door, Yancy Shaw arrived at the sixth-floor room, debating how best to stage the rescue.

Suddenly, the door flew open, and one of the kidnappers emerged, a sack slung over his shoulder. Their eyes met—Yancy Shaw’s first frantic thought was that Lauren Shaw was inside.

The kidnapper glared at him. "Who are y—ah!"

Before he could finish, Yancy Shaw landed a solid punch to his face, then twisted his wrist until there was a sickening snap. The man yelped in pain; in the next instant, Yancy Shaw snatched the sack away and kicked him hard, sending him crashing into the wall.

He opened the sack—and found not Lauren Shaw, but a barely-breathing Xiao Pei.

Frowning, Yancy Shaw barked orders to get Xiao Pei to the hospital.

Eyes fixed on the still-closed doorway, he yanked the groaning man off the floor and hissed, "Unlock the door!"

The man scrambled for the key and shakily unlocked it.

The first thing Yancy Shaw saw inside was Lauren Shaw’s dim, dazed eyes.

The other kidnapper had Lauren Shaw in a chokehold, a dagger pressed to her throat.

"Shengsheng!" Yancy Shaw’s eyes narrowed sharply at the sight of the blade. (Note: Shengsheng is a term of affection—her nickname.)

"Yancheng..." Lauren Shaw called his name softly. Her cheek was swollen and a trickle of blood dripped from the corner of her mouth. Yancy Shaw’s eyes darkened, a flicker of pain passing through them.

He ground out, "Did you hit her?"

The kidnapper snarled, "You lying bastard—I'll kill her right now!"

As he swung the knife down, Yancy Shaw lunged, grabbing the man’s wrist. His other arm shielded Lauren Shaw and was cut in the process.

The kidnapper stumbled back several steps, knocking Lauren Shaw to the ground.

Yancy Shaw’s glare was murderous as he advanced, his voice cold with boundless fury. "How dare you hit her."

The kidnapper, knife still in hand, wavered under the force of his presence and instinctively took a few steps back.

Yancy Shaw pressed in, leaving no way out. In desperation, the kidnapper lunged, swinging the knife at him.

Yancy Shaw dodged swiftly, his elbow coming down hard on the attacker’s joint. There was a scream and the knife clattered to the floor.

He followed with a heavy punch to the man’s head. The fight was over before it started—the kidnapper’s skills were nothing in the face of Yancy Shaw’s fury. Soon he was sprawled on the ground, unable to move.

Yancy Shaw looked almost feral, driven by the sheer rage of seeing Lauren Shaw hurt. His anger was beyond control.

Lauren Shaw watched, stunned and shaken, as Yancy Shaw, wild as a wounded beast, rained blows on the fallen man. She sat on the floor, unable to come back to her senses for a long time.