CHAPTER 104: CHAPTER 104: MAN’S PLANS ARE INFERIOR TO HEAVEN’S

Zhang Xuebin sighed and took over from Xiaohe. "Xingyu has been downhearted because of this incident. Miss An Yan, Xingyu’s attitude just now was poor; please don’t take it to heart."

An Yan said nothing.

She truly respected the police profession. In her heart, she believed they should be capable of anything and never expected them to experience emotions like ordinary people.

They could feel sad over a failed mission, grieve a colleague’s death, and even blame themselves to the point of being unable to recover!

All of a sudden, she didn’t dislike Ye Xingyu anymore.

Xiaohe reached out and grabbed her sleeve. "Miss An Yan, you have such great medical skills, isn’t there any way you could wake up that drug dealer? Even just a few hours of clarity would help."

Xiaohe and Zhang Xuebin both looked at her, their eyes filled with hope.

An Yan nodded. "I’ll go and see later. I have something very important to deal with today."

As An Yan spoke, she glanced at the time and said, "But you’ll need to think it through yourselves; my house calls aren’t cheap!"

"I will report to my superiors. Rest assured, Miss An Yan, we won’t expect you to work for free."

"Hmm. For today’s job, pay the hospital’s material costs and such directly to them. My consultation fee plus surgery fee total 100,000; transfer it to my account."

"Okay! Okay!"

Seeing An Yan walk towards the elevator, Zhang Xuebin quickly promised, "Miss An Yan, no matter what problems you encounter, if there’s any way we can help, just let us know!"

An Yan paused and turned around. "You’ve reminded me. I actually do need your help with something. Could you bring an air cushion and..."

***

At five-fifty, the retaliation from An Shimeng, which An Yan had been anticipating, finally arrived!

A video call request from an unfamiliar number appeared on her phone.

She accepted the call, and a hoarse, obviously electronically altered voice came through. "An Yan, your dad is in my hands! Prepare five million immediately!"

In the frame was An Zhongbo.

He was tightly secured to a wooden chair with a backrest. Only its two front legs touched the ground; the back was suspended in midair by a rope.

An Zhongbo swayed on the chair, looking like he could fall at any moment.

He seemed to want to say something, but his mouth was sealed with tape, so he could only blink incessantly, trying to convey a message.

However, the camera was quickly turned away by the kidnapper, focusing on a pair of scissors placed on the rope.

"Don’t call the police! This is the tenth floor; there’s no easy way up or down. If I see any cops, I’ll cut the rope immediately!"

An Yan panicked. "I understand. You keep calm. I’ll go raise the money now!"

"That’s more like it!"

The kidnapper then gave an address. "Bring the money here! Remember, I want non-sequential cash!"

An Yan nodded. "That might take a bit longer. Can you guarantee my dad’s safety in the meantime?"

"If you’re worried about his safety, then hurry up! An Yan, don’t try to play tricks on me. I’ve got nothing to lose, but you have everything to lose!"

"Don’t do anything rash. I’m raising the money now."

Seeing An Yan put down her phone, Wen Ya immediately suggested, "Miss, that building is under construction. There aren’t many high-rises currently being built in Luocheng. If we check them one by one, we should find it quickly."

An Yan calculated silently for a while. "No need. Just give them the five million."

"Ah, yes, five million. It’s worth it if it ensures Mr. An’s safety."

"Mm."

Although she said she’d give them five million, An Yan merely had Wen Ya turn the car around and drive past several bank entrances.

Then she had Wen Ya drive into a street known for its funeral supply stores.

"Boss, how much for this joss paper?" she asked, pointing to the neatly stacked Joss Paper in the display case.

"Three yuan a stack, or ten yuan for three!"

An Yan pulled out her cellphone. "Hello, 110? I’d like to report fraud..."

The shopkeeper panicked. "Who’s committing fraud? Put your phone down! I misspoke. It’s three yuan a stack, or ten yuan for four!"

Only then did An Yan put down her phone.

The shopkeeper looked and saw she hadn’t even dialed a number!

Smart girl!

The shopkeeper gave her a thumbs-up, then patted the counter. "How much do you need? I can give you a better price if you buy in bulk!"

An Yan reached over and grabbed two black plastic bags from the side. "Fill them up!"

The shopkeeper was overjoyed. "Alright!"

He’d thought he was dealing with a penny-pincher, but it turned out she was a big spender.

Filled, those two black bags would hold at least three hundred yuan worth!

After packing the bags, the shopkeeper even threw in a complimentary pair of couplets, with a message customized by An Yan:

"Heaven has a path I will not take; Hell has no gates, yet I insist on entering!"

Half an hour later, An Yan arrived at the designated location, carrying two black plastic bags.

It was a long, narrow alley, hemmed in by scaffolding.

Green mesh netting was draped over the scaffolding.

When the wind blew, loose screws on the scaffolding CLATTERED.

"Miss!"

Wen Ya wanted to follow her in, but the kidnapper sent a voice message. "You come in alone! If I find out you brought someone else, I’ll cut the rope immediately!"

An Yan looked up. From the surrounding buildings under construction, there were dozens of vantage points overlooking this spot.

"It’s alright. My martial arts skills are very good!"

An Yan patted Wen Ya’s hand, then took the bags of ’money’ and stepped into the alley.

About ten meters in, she saw a group of men wielding clubs.

Each had heavily tattooed arms.

Despite the biting cold, they insisted on baring their arms, as if afraid people wouldn’t notice their muscles.

Their eyes lit up when they saw An Yan’s plastic bags.

"Little girl, put the money down!"

"Hand over the cash, and we’ll hand over the person!"

"You have no right to negotiate with us!"

The leader swaggered towards An Yan with an arrogant air.

Before he could reach her, someone suddenly charged out from behind him and tackled him to the ground, shouting, "An Yan, run!"

On the rooftop, An Shimeng, dressed all in black and bundled up like an assassin, was steadying a cement block, preparing to push it down.

"..."

She had been lying in wait here all along.

She had orchestrated this whole drama to lure An Yan into this alley, intending to drop the cement block precisely on An Yan’s head.

If An Yan died, her life could return to how it was before.

Even if she couldn’t go back to the An Family, Bai Zhi wouldn’t neglect her.

But she never anticipated Ma Chao suddenly rushing out and actually intercepting An Yan, stopping her a few meters away!

The cement block was incredibly heavy. Pushing it off was one thing, but moving it to a new position was impossible for An Shimeng with her slender arms and legs.

Below, An Yan was also stunned.

Man’s calculations are no match for Heaven’s.

She had thought that this time she would definitely catch An Shimeng red-handed, leaving her with no way to deny it and ensuring she’d join her mother, Bai Xiaoyun, in prison!

The Divination Technique isn’t based on baseless speculation; the more information one possesses, the more accurate the predictions.

And when calculating An Shimeng’s fate, she hadn’t factored in Ma Chao at all!

And so...