Villain Is Bodyguard of Heroine’s Poisonous Stepmother

Chapter 118: Demanding a Ransom from Li Zhong

Gu Wanyu had a revelation. She had moved out long ago, and Li Qiwen barely visited her throughout the year. Why did he suddenly decide to visit this time? How did he manage to unlock her phone? It must have been orchestrated by Li Zhong.

Li Qiwen’s remark that Li Zhong had guessed correctly implied that Li Zhong was merely speculating without solid evidence. Li Qiwen was dispatched by Li Zhong to gather proof. Her phone’s password was likely leaked by her two female bodyguards, who were close enough to her to potentially discover her phone’s password.

“Wait and see, both of you despicable individuals are definitely going to die,” Li Qiwen, while restrained, yelled defiantly at Chen Luo and Gu Wanyu.

“She’s your mother, yet you’re cursing her?”

“She doesn’t deserve to be my mother. Is a woman as lowly as her worthy of being my mom?” Li Qiwen’s gaze towards Gu Wanyu was filled with loathing and scorn.

The prospect of this scandal becoming public was intolerable to him. It would be humiliating and prevent him from raising his head in his circles. This fueled Li Qiwen’s growing resentment toward Gu Wanyu.

“I should have killed him before,” Gu Wanyu lamented. She should have adhered to her initial impulse to rid herself of this troublesome existence.

“You both deserve to die.”

Slap!

Gu Wanyu’s hand struck Li Qiwen’s face forcefully, showing no restraint. Previously contemplating the ruthless elimination of Li Qiwen, her action of striking him now was merciless.

“Do you know my greatest regret? Marrying Li Zhong and giving birth to you. But every mistake can be rectified.”

With a sweeping glance around, her eyes landed on an iron rod on the ground. She walked over and picked it up.

“What… what are you doing, mom? What are you planning to do?”

The chilling intent to kill in her eyes was unmistakable. Was she really about to murder her own son?

“I won’t insult you anymore, I won’t dare. Please, don’t kill me,” Li Qiwen shouted, his voice filled with terror, clearly showing his fear of death.

“Call me ‘Dad’, and I’ll have her stop. How does that sound?” Chen Luo said, watching Li Qiwen with a light smile.

“Dad, Daddy, please make my mom stop,” Li Qiwen quickly cried out, his eyes brimming with desperation, pleadingly gazing at Chen Luo.

“Tsk, tsk. I wonder what Li Zhong would think if he were here to see his exemplary son,” Chen Luo mused, shaking his head slightly. It seemed Li Zhong’s son was quite the disappointment. If the future of the Li family were to fall into his hands, wouldn’t that spell disaster? Thus, it appeared that controlling the Li family was better left to him, Chen Luo.

“Our dear son has already begged for mercy, so let’s spare him for the moment,” Chen Luo whispered to Gu Wanyu.

Feeling Chen Luo’s warm breath, Gu Wanyu’s resolve melted away, and the iron rod she was holding clattered to the ground.

“I’ll do as you say,” Gu Wanyu said, leaning heavily against Chen Luo.

“Let’s have our own child in the future.” This was Gu Wanyu’s current desire, to bear Chen Luo a child, but her wish might remain unfulfilled, as Chen Luo had no plans for children. Why need offspring for inheritance? Unnecessary. Chen Luo could trade for longevity with the system, unlikely to die unless killed. Chen Luo wasn’t particularly fond of children, hence hadn’t considered having any, or Zhao Yingxuan and Xiao Qingxue would have been pregnant by now.

The one feeling most humiliated was undoubtedly Li Qiwen, especially after hearing Gu Wanyu’s words, his anger intensified.

Feeling sorrow for his own father, the repercussions if this were to become public knowledge would be devastating for the Li family’s reputation.

‘They both must die,’ Li Qiwen vowed silently in his heart.

Thinking of how he had been coerced into calling Chen Luo “Dad” to save his own skin, Li Qiwen wished he could kill Chen Luo right there. Unfortunately, tied up as he was, he couldn’t move, and even if he weren’t restrained, his slight build meant he’d likely end up on the receiving end of a beating if he tried anything.

“Next, let’s cooperate for a photo,” Chen Luo suggested, pulling out a rope to tie up Gu Wanyu.

Having kidnapped Li Zhong, it was only natural to extract something from him. Li Zhong had been a thorn in Chen Luo’s side, causing trouble even as he dealt with the Luo family.

Due to Li Zhong’s interference, Chen Luo’s Morning Star Group had suffered significant financial losses, impacting its development, and Xiao Qingxue’s Yongqiang Group had also faced severe setbacks. Just in stocks alone, the losses amounted to tens of billions, with total damages reaching at least a hundred billion. Thankfully, such losses hadn’t yet shaken Yongqiang Group’s foundation.

How could Chen Luo let Li Zhong off without settling their scores?

After arranging a photo with Gu Wanyu, Chen Luo took several more of Li Qiwen, including images of the beating he had just received. Li Qiwen lay on the ground, a picture of misery.

He promptly sent these photos to Li Zhong.

“Do you think Li Zhong would care about you guys?” Chen Luo asked Gu Wanyu.

The amount they could demand from Li Zhong depended on how much he cared for them. Chen Luo aimed to ask for a substantial sum, assuming Li Zhong was willing to pay up.

“I know a way to make Li Zhong pay,” Gu Wanyu hinted with a slight smile.

“Oh? What might that be?”

Gu Wanyu whispered her strategy into Chen Luo’s ear, “The big families value their reputation above all. Just threaten to create and leak an indecent video featuring the two of us. He won’t dare not to pay.”

Indeed, a cunning plan. From Li Zhong’s perspective, to avoid tarnishing his reputation and becoming the butt of Magic City’s jokes, he would indeed need to cough up the money.

“The Li family lacks everything but money. If you’re after money, big sister can help you,” Gu Wanyu offered proactively, suggesting she could help Chen Luo secure wealth from the Li family.

Discussing this matter openly in front of Li Qiwen made him panic. As an heir to the Li family, he had an air of arrogance, yet he wasn’t foolish. Their open discussion in his presence implied they had no intention of releasing him, even if they managed to extract money from his father.

“Li Zhong is calling,” Chen Luo said.

Chen Luo had just sent him a picture along with a new phone number, waiting for his call. This number, untraceable and newly acquired from the system, ensured their anonymity.

“Who are you?” Li Zhong demanded aggressively as soon as the call connected.

“Cut the crap. Get the money ready. Transfer ten billion to the account I provided, and they will be released,” Chen Luo commanded, using a voice changer to disguise his identity.

Li Qiwen, though wishing to scream for help, became docile at the sight of a gun aimed at his head.

“Ten billion? You’re not afraid of choking on that?” Li Zhong retorted sarcastically.

“Choking? I’m actually quite eager to take that risk. How could we not ask for more from such a wealthy client like yourself?”

“If the money isn’t in the account within an hour, don’t blame us for creating an ‘entertaining’ video of your wife and spreading it online. It might even make Chairman Li famous.”

After delivering his ultimatum, Chen Luo didn’t allow Li Zhong any opportunity to respond and hung up. Subsequent attempts by Li Zhong to reconnect failed to go through.

“Did you locate them?” Li Zhong asked of his underlings.

“No, we can’t track the call. The number used is a ghost number.”

“A bunch of incompetents,” Li Zhong muttered, his expression darkening. In frustration, he hurled his phone, striking one of his subordinates in the face.