Chapter 232

“Haoxuan is your own brother!” Song Nianchu frowned deeply.

“What do you mean, my own brother? His heart has long since favored you. In his eyes, I, his actual sister, am worth nothing.” Thinking of Mu Haoxuan’s refusal to cooperate earlier, Mu Jingmei was so furious her teeth practically itched.

“He’s never said anything like that. Ever since you got into trouble, he’s been worried sick. He even secretly hid under the covers and cried at night.” As she spoke, Song Nianchu kept watching Mu Jingmei’s expression. She wanted to calm her down first and, ideally, pry some information about Mu Haoxuan out of her.

But Mu Jingmei had no interest in hearing any of that. She glared fiercely at Song Nianchu.

“Don’t think you can make me soften up by saying things like that. I’ve hidden that brat somewhere no one can find. If you don’t give me the money, he could starve or freeze to death. When that happens, you’ll be the murderer!”

Song Nianchu’s gaze flickered. Mu Jingmei must truly have been driven into a corner to resort to such extremes.

“But I don’t have that much money on hand. Can you give me a few more days?” Song Nianchu’s thoughts raced, but not a trace of them showed on her face.

“Don’t even think about fooling me. You were able to open a factory in this godforsaken village. How could you possibly have no money? Hand it over now, or wait to collect Mu Haoxuan’s body.” A murderous glint flashed in Mu Jingmei’s eyes.

“Fine. Don’t get worked up. I’ll go inside and get the money now.” Song Nianchu could tell that Mu Jingmei was on the verge of completely losing control, so she didn’t argue with her any further.

“Don’t try anything clever, or you’ll never see Mu Haoxuan again,” Mu Jingmei warned coldly.

“I won’t.” Song Nianchu nodded and turned back into the house.

When she came out again, she was carrying a large bag.

Standing in the doorway, she opened the bag for Mu Jingmei. In the dim light, bundles of banknotes could be seen inside.

Mu Jingmei’s eyes immediately lit up, and the greed in them was impossible to hide.

She knew Song Nianchu had money. That was why she had come to Song Nianchu instead of going home to ask her parents. Her parents were penniless now; even if they emptied their pockets, they probably couldn’t scrape together more than a few bills. Going to them would have been a complete waste of time.

“Bring the money over here!” Mu Jingmei’s voice trembled with excitement.

“The money is right here, but I want to see that Haoxuan is safe and sound.” Song Nianchu didn’t move forward.

“You’re in no position to bargain with me. Hand it over!” Mu Jingmei gritted her teeth.

“If I don’t see Haoxuan, I’m not giving you the money.” Song Nianchu’s tone was just as firm.

Mu Jingmei stared at the bag of cash, then looked at Song Nianchu with a dark expression. Her thoughts raced before she finally gave in.

“He’s ​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‍fine. Give me the money, and I’ll tell you where he is.”

“You’re telling the truth?” Song Nianchu pretended to look somewhat persuaded.

“Of course. You just said it yourself—I’m his sister too. I only want the money; I don’t want him dead. Give it to me.” Mu Jingmei held out her hand toward Song Nianchu.

“…Fine. I’ll believe you.” After a long silence, Song Nianchu lifted the bag and began walking toward Mu Jingmei, one careful step at a time.

She only needed to get a little closer. Then she was confident she could take Mu Jingmei down in one move.

But before she had covered half the distance, Mu Jingmei suddenly realized what she was doing and shouted, “Stop!”

Song Nianchu halted and looked at her in confusion.

“What is it?”

“Throw the bag over here.” Mu Jingmei ordered her.

She hadn’t forgotten that Song Nianchu was a freakishly strong monster. If she let Song Nianchu get close, she had no confidence that she could escape her grasp.

“I can’t do that. What if I give you the money and you refuse to tell me where Haoxuan is?” Song Nianchu hadn’t expected Mu Jingmei, despite being on the verge of a breakdown, to remain so cautious.

“I told you, I only want the money, not his life. Keep arguing with me, and you really will have to wait to collect Mu Haoxuan’s body!”

Song Nianchu narrowed her eyes at Mu Jingmei. In the distance, she seemed to hear the faint sound of approaching footsteps.

Everyone knew that she was strong, but few people knew that her hearing was excellent too.

“Fine. I’ll give you the money.” Song Nianchu tightened her grip on the bag, but the corner of her mouth lifted into an almost imperceptible smile. “Make sure you catch it.”

The moment she finished speaking, Song Nianchu hurled the bag at Mu Jingmei with all her strength.

At first, Mu Jingmei stretched out both hands, preparing to catch it. But when the bag came hurtling toward her, propelled by the night wind, she realized that it was moving too fast for her to stop.

She instinctively tried to dodge. That was exactly the opening Song Nianchu had been waiting for. She grabbed the low stool beside her and swung it at Mu Jingmei.

The stool slammed directly into Mu Jingmei’s head. Her vision spun, and something warm began trickling down her forehead.

Dizzy and unsteady, Mu Jingmei raised a hand to touch her head. Her palm came away sticky and covered in blood.

“You… You dare hit me…” Her words were already slurred.

“That’s exactly what I dared to do!” Song Nianchu strode forward, seized a piece of clothing hanging in the courtyard, and swiftly tied Mu Jingmei up.

By then, Mu Jingmei had almost no ability to fight back. Like a fish on a chopping block, she could only watch helplessly as Song Nianchu bound her securely.

“Song Nianchu, aren’t you worried about… Mu Haoxuan?” Mu Jingmei could never have imagined that, with Mu Haoxuan in her hands, Song Nianchu would still dare to attack her.

“Once I’ve caught you, I’ll naturally be able to find Haoxuan.” Song Nianchu wasn’t that stupid.

She had been stalling from the very beginning, waiting for the right opportunity to capture Mu Jingmei.

A deal?

That was never going to happen.

“Heh. Even if you catch me, I still won’t tell you where Mu Haoxuan is. Just wait for him to die alongside me!” Mu Jingmei sneered contemptuously.

By then, Song Nianchu had tied her up so tightly that she couldn’t move. She looked at Mu Jingmei with some amusement.

“You’re not very bright, are you? Why would you go and do something this stupid? Do you really think you’re still in a position to decide whether you talk? If you’ve never heard of it, surely you’ve at least seen it in movies or read about it. There are plenty of ways in this world to make someone beg to live and beg to die.”

“You don’t want to talk? Fine. I have all the time in the world. I’ll try all ten of the ancient Manchu torture methods on you, one by one. Eventually, I’ll find one that makes you willing to open your mouth.”

A flicker of panic crossed Mu Jingmei’s eyes.

“But… Mu Haoxuan can’t wait that long…” Once she realized that Song Nianchu wasn’t joking, Mu Jingmei finally began to panic.