Chapter 467 – Kidnapped?
Just as Xie Miaomiao and Duan Wei were planning to harm Xu Jinning, they had no idea that their scheme had already been discovered by someone.
And that person was none other than Old Master Xie.
At that moment, Old Master Xie was listening as the people he had sent to protect Xu Jinning repeated, word for word, what Xu Jinning had said in response to Xie Miaomiao.
Unconsciously, his eyes reddened.
The old man knew that he had never misjudged Xu Jinning. From the very first time Xiao An brought the girl to meet him, he had liked her and felt a strong sense of closeness.
He had always been willing to treat her like a granddaughter, to spoil her, and to protect her.
The thought of Xu Jinning becoming his granddaughter-in-law filled him with immeasurable joy.
For Xu Jinning to marry into the Xie family was a blessing for them—it was the Xie family who had gained a higher status.
Now, hearing how Xu Jinning had stood up to that ungrateful daughter, he felt even more assured that his affection and protection for her had been well-placed.
Xu Jinning understood him.
She had always silently guarded him.
She knew the pain and sadness he carried in his heart.
How could anyone not love and care for someone like Xu Jinning?
Even hearing her words secondhand moved Old Master Xie deeply, touching his heart.
It took him a long while to compose himself, and only then did he pick up a handkerchief to wipe the moisture from the corners of his eyes.
When he put the handkerchief down and opened his eyes again, he had returned to being the wise and composed elder.
“So, those two ungrateful children are planning to kidnap Girl Ning, is that right?” Old Master Xie asked.
“For now, it appears so.”
“Hmph!”
Old Master Xie let out a cold snort, his eyes filled with icy contempt.
He hadn’t expected that even at this point, those two ungrateful children still wouldn’t give up. They were even willing to reach for Girl Ning to pursue their own interests.
Old Master Xie thought that even if they had tried to scheme against him, he wouldn’t have been so angry. After all, he had already been betrayed and plotted against once before.
But for them to target Girl Ning, the one he was protecting—this was something he could not forgive!
Fortunately, their plan had been uncovered before they could put it into action.
In fact, ever since he learned that the notebook was written by Xu Jinning and discovered her true background, the old man had, in accordance with Xu Jinning’s wishes, refrained from reporting it.
However, he was well aware of Xu Jinning’s importance.
Especially after hearing from Xie Ting’an that Shen Huai had previously sent assassins after her.
As a result, he had secretly assigned people to protect Xu Jinning.
The protection was subtle, and as long as her safety wasn’t at risk, they wouldn’t interfere with anything else.
This protection had actually begun several years ago.
Old Master Xie had informed Xu Jinning at that time and obtained her consent.
And this time, the only reason they reported to him was that the people who approached Xu Jinning were Xie Miaomiao and Duan Wei.
Especially when they learned that they intended to harm Xu Jinning.
After a long, silent contemplation, Old Master Xie finally closed his eyes and made a decision.
“I’ve already given them a way out.”
“Actually, as long as they kept to themselves and lived their lives properly, they could have had a good life.”
“But now, they don’t want peace, so there’s no need to give it to them anymore.”
“They wanted to go abroad, didn’t they? They think life abroad is better?”
“In that case, let’s send them away.”
“To… Country K.”
The person before him was slightly surprised, not expecting the old master to choose to send them out of the country.
However, this kind of “going abroad” was entirely different from studying or traveling abroad.
The old master’s true intent was clear.
He intended to send them to Country K without the necessary documents, without money, and with no understanding of the country. It was easy to imagine the kind of situation they would face once they arrived.
Especially since Country K was an extremely underdeveloped nation, with a poor economy and backward in many aspects.
The old master was essentially sending them to Country K to fend for themselves.
“All of them?” the person asked.
“All of them!” the old master responded firmly.
“Yes, sir!”
In truth, when it came to the three adults, Old Master Xie had no hesitation at all.
As for the younger ones…
He did waver, but…
When he thought of the investigation’s findings about the younger ones’ actions, the old master could only conclude with one phrase: Like father, like son.
Some of them had become so corrupt to their very core that they were beyond redemption.
Since they had already severed ties with him, the younger ones were no longer his concern either.
The old master told himself he needed to harden his heart.
If he didn’t, it would be Xiao An or Girl Ning who would be harmed in the future, and he would regret it forever.
And so, just as Xie Miaomiao, Xie Zeheng, Duan Wei, and the others were planning how to kidnap Xu Jinning and arrange their escape abroad, they were caught off guard.
One night, as they stepped outside, a sack suddenly dropped from the sky, knocking them out and binding them before they were dragged into a vehicle.
When they woke up, panic set in.
Especially when they found themselves still in the car, trapped in the sacks, unable to see what was happening around them, with their mouths stuffed so they couldn’t even speak.
They could only tell from the rocking of their bodies and some noises that they were in a vehicle.
No one knew how long the car had been driving.
Later, they were moved again, this time seemingly onto a boat…
The boat journey felt particularly long.
This time, they weren’t stuffed into sacks but were all locked together in a pitch-black room. They were still tied up, and their mouths were gagged.
They could only make out that both families were together in the same place.
Over the next several days and nights, the people who had kidnapped them only gave them water and food but didn’t let them leave the room.
The water and food were barely enough to keep them from dying of thirst or hunger.
But as for being able to eat or drink their fill? That wasn’t possible.
As for using the toilet?
There was one in the room.
So, they stayed in the room for days and nights. In fact, since the room was completely dark, they couldn’t even tell how much time had passed.
All they knew was that it felt like an eternity.
Naturally, they had thought about escaping, but they couldn’t find any opportunity at all.
They had also considered mentioning Old Master Xie, but even when those people heard his name, they were unmoved.
It was unclear how much time had passed before the boat finally came to a slow stop.
After that, the kidnappers threw them onto the shore like garbage, leaving them with one final message before departing.
“The old master asked me to deliver a message.”
“You should never have had such wicked intentions or tried to scheme against the person he’s protecting.”
“Since you were planning to go abroad, we thought we’d send you off first.”
“From now on, try to survive well in Country K.”
With that, the kidnappers boarded the boat again and left.
All that remained were Xie Miaomiao, Xie Zeheng, and the others, collapsed on the ground, utterly exhausted and powerless.
Hearing those words and the mention of the old master, they finally understood everything.
