"I mean, Lu Xingzhi is in my hand. Do you want to see your husband again?" The man abruptly raised his voice. "If you do not believe me, I can hack off his leg or show you a hand at the army base entrance."
"No! I don't need it!" Jiang Yao almost shouted.
"Do not touch him!" said Jiang Yao, her voice shaking. "I do not want a crippled man. I won't want him if you do that."
"What a heartless person," the other party sneered. "Come, repeat it loudly and tell your husband what you said. I promise I will not touch him as long as you say it."
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"I told you not to touch him. If he became disabled, I would not want him anymore. I won't stay married to a disabled man. Is that enough?" Jiang Yao gritted her teeth. "Are you satisfied?"
The man laughed. Then, he spoke to someone else. His phone was on speaker.
"Did you hear that, Young Master Lu? Your wife said she would not want you if you were crippled. This is the person you adored. Talk to her. Tell her you're in my hands."
Jiang Yao was nervous as she held the phone, not because she was afraid her words would hurt Lu Xingzhi, but because she was scared she would hear Lu Xingzhi's voice on the phone.
She was also concerned that she would not be able to hear Lu Xingzhi's voice.
If he was there, at least she knew where he was.
What if he was not there? Where would he be? Was he in any danger?
Was he safe?
"I told you to talk to your wife and child!"
The man did not wait for the person to speak before he kicked him. "You don't believe that I'd hack off your legs?"
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmOn the phone, Jiang Yao could only hear the man's cursing voice and faint sounds of him hitting and kicking at someone, but she could not hear the person being hit at all.
Was it just for show? Was the person he kicked a sandbag? Was he trying to trick her?
After about ten seconds, Jiang Yao heard the man's exasperated voice again, "Your husband is such a tough guy!
"Fine, he will not say anything. I will give you two options. First, I will send you his leg as proof. If you come here quickly with his leg, you might be able to save his life. Second, I will give you 36 hours. If you do not arrive after 36 hours, I will hack him into pieces and send you two to three pounds of his flesh a day.
"Remember, 36 hours. Go to Lanning. When you arrive at the airport, my people will show you how to get here."
Then, the other party hung up, leaving only a beeping sound on the other end of the line.
Jiang Yao gripped her phone, her palms drenched in a cold sweat.
"What did he say?" Mr. Jiang's heart had been in his mouth since he heard Jiang Yao say she did not want a crippled man, and when he saw Jiang Yao's expression after the call, he became even more concerned. "Yaoyao? Who was it? What did you mean when you said he was a cripple?"