The Beautiful Wife I Picked Up Is A Little Mute - Chapter 39

Chapter 39: No One Comes In

“Don’t you dare vomit in my car!” Zhou Minghe shot a look at the boy beside him. “Hand him the tissues.”

He had only had this car for two months; it was currently his most prized possession.

Xie Mo pressed the tissue tightly against his lips, his other hand gripping the seatbelt in a white-knuckled spasm, terrified of being flung out of the wide-open window. The aftereffects of the concussion left his head throbbing so violently he felt he might faint. He wanted to ask the driver to stop and let him out, but after handing over the tissues, the man had entered a state of high excitement and ignored the back seat entirely.

The car veered off the wide highway and plunged into the dense forest. The road grew narrower, branches constantly scraping against the chassis. Zhou Minghe grumbled with a frown, “They couldn’t pick a better place to kidnap someone? I’m getting lost in these loops.”

He eventually stopped caring about the path and drove by pure instinct, crashing through the woods. Xie Mo’s dizziness came in waves, cold sweat drenching his back. He felt himself drifting into unconsciousness as the car finally stopped jolting.

A moment later, he was tapped awake. Zhou Minghe’s luck was remarkably good—after wandering aimlessly, he had actually found the place. But kidnapping meant danger was inevitable. Zhou Minghe instructed the young boy to stay in the car and wait for them.

Feeling his dry lips touched by moisture, Xie Mo realized the boy had found an unopened bottle of water. The boy poured some into the cap and held it to Xie Mo’s lips. “That uncle of mine is a bit reckless, but don’t worry, you won’t be in danger.”

Swallowing felt like shards of glass in Xie Mo’s throat. His sweat-soaked black hair clung to his forehead. The boy pulled out a tissue, wiped his brow, shoved the water bottle into his hands, and hopped out of the car, the door shutting with a heavy thud.

It took a long time for Xie Mo to regain his senses in the silence. After drinking half the bottle, some color returned to his face, and he pushed open the car door. The forest was vast and the night was deep; tree shadows swayed in the wind like ghosts, and the occasional rustle made his skin crawl. But from the conversation he’d overheard, his intuition told him he was in the right place. This “spectacle” and “kidnapping” almost certainly involved Tang Yingrui.

The thought made the pain in the back of his head seem a bit more bearable. At least he could still think.

The boy had only pretended to follow Zhou Minghe’s order to stay in the car. Xie Mo wandered around the vehicle for a bit but saw no sign of anyone.

BANG—

A piercing gunshot erupted from the building stationed not far away. The sound sent birds in the forest fluttering in a panicked exodus, their dark silhouettes momentarily blotting out the moonlight.

Xie Mo’s heart leaped into his throat. A chill raced up his spine. Has something already happened to Tang Yingrui? His legs felt weak, every step unstable, yet he gritted his teeth and moved toward the source of the noise.

Unlike the vine-covered exterior, the inside of the building was decadently luxurious and gold-rimmed. Kou Xingyu’s dark eyes were locked onto the gun in Kou Xingying’s hand—which was currently pointed at Tang Yingrui.

A minute ago, the negotiations had collapsed. Kou Xingying had originally agreed to take over all company shares, but at the last second, she changed her mind, demanding all of Kou Xingyu’s personal assets as well.

Tang Yingrui was being pinned to the ground by several muscular Alphas, unable to move. However, his mouth remained relentless, spitting out every foul insult he could think of. Even Ji Hanyue, leaning against the doorframe, couldn’t help but frown slightly.

Kou Xingyu knew Tang Yingrui was terrified. It was only when he was utterly scared that Tang Yingrui would lose control and use verbal abuse to bolster his own courage.

Click— The crisp sound of the safety being disengaged echoed through the room. The dark muzzle centered back on Tang Yingrui.

“So noisy,” Kou Xingying said, a flicker of madness in her eyes. “How about I settle him right now? I don’t want your assets anymore. Let’s both take a step back, shall we?”

Kou Xingyu’s pupils shrank. “Kou Xingying, don’t push it too far.”

Kou Xingying seemed offended by his lack of formality. “Xingyu, you won’t even call me ‘Sister’ anymore? Do you even have a place for me in your heart?!!”

Tang Yingrui’s frayed nerves actually relaxed under the suffocating pressure; he almost wanted to laugh. No wonder Kou Xingyu was such a freak—it was a family trait.

In a hidden spot, a sniper lay prone, the barrel of his rifle locked onto the distant window through the scope. His index finger hovered over the trigger, waiting for a command.

Suddenly, there was a slight movement behind him. The sniper instinctively swung his rifle butt backward in a blunt strike.

“Sss—” Zhou Minghe curled up, clutching his aching abdomen. “Can’t you fucking see who it is before you swing?”

The sniper whispered a quick “Sorry” and returned his eye to the scope.

Zhou Minghe, far too interested in the scene, lay down beside him. “Hey, do you think Kou Xingying will pull the trigger? I bet she won’t.” He glanced at the polished scope and lowered his voice further. “Cui Yejin hides things well, training someone like you.”

The crosshairs in the scope wobbled slightly. Cold sweat broke out on the sniper’s neck. “Young Master Zhou, please stop talking.”

Zhou Minghe gestured as if zipping his lips. “Fine, fine.”

But a few seconds later, he couldn’t help himself again. Just then, the sniper’s earpiece crackled with Cui Yejin’s cold command: “Make him get lost.”

The sniper relayed it verbatim: “Young Master Zhou, our Master says to get lost.”

A split second later, the sniper was slapped on the back of the head by Zhou Minghe. “Didn’t we just agree not to talk?!”

Zhou Minghe waited for the shot to be fired, but the rifle barrel didn’t budge. He looked toward the window where Kou Xingying’s elegant figure flickered in and out of view. She had returned to the country in a hurry and hadn’t brought many people. If they stormed the place, they could easily subdue her, but Tang Yingrui’s life would be at risk. If the sniper took her out in one hit, that would be ideal, but regardless, she was the eldest miss of the Kou family. You couldn’t just kill her. Every option was risky.

Zhou Minghe couldn’t wait any longer. He stood up and dusted off his pants. “Forget it, I’ll go look around.”

As he moved to find Cui Yejin, his peripheral vision caught a thin shadow walking boldly toward the front entrance.

“Holy shit…” Once he saw who it was, Zhou Minghe knew things were about to go south. Their men were all camouflaged in high positions at a safe distance. Who would dare walk right into the line of fire like that? It was practically suicide.

…

The carved iron gates were slightly ajar, a sliver of light spilling from the gap. Moving closer, the faint sound of voices finally drifted out. Xie Mo looked left and right, and seeing no one, he held his breath, preparing to slip through the gap.

But just as he was about to move, a hand suddenly covered his mouth and yanked him to the side.

Ten steps away inside the door, Ji Hanyue was waiting irritably for the outcome of the negotiations. So far, he had only seen Tang Yingrui. As for where Xie Mo was, he hadn’t had a chance to ask. Kou Xingying had an eccentric temper and hated being interrupted. If she got angry and blew Tang Yingrui’s brains out, all this effort would be for nothing.

Ji Hanyue calculated in his head: ten more minutes. If there was no progress, he was leaving.

A tiny sound came from outside the door. Ji Hanyue caught it instantly. He turned his head, seeing a fragmented shadow flickering in the light.

But no one came in.