Heartthrob, Your Image is Crumbling!

Chapter 594: Almost Exposed

Zhou Yuwen had previously discovered treasure in the basement of a castle abroad. However, due to the distance, he never thought about bringing it all back to the country. He only brought back a few small items, intending to find professionals to appraise them. As for how much they were worth, it merely depended on the buyer.Zhou Yuwen could not produce thirty million in cash, but if this gemstone were taken to a European auction, it would certainly fetch more than thirty million.

So when Zhou Yuwen suggested taking the gemstone, Tao Tian opened her mouth but ultimately remained silent.

Zheng Yanyan, who was originally the most worried about Lu Lin, also felt some hesitation in her heart upon hearing that Zhou Yuwen intended to trade the gemstone for Lu Lin.

Everyone present was Zhou Yuwen's women, yet when faced with this matter, they all tacitly maintained their silence. To put it simply, their relationship with Zhou Yuwen was just that of boyfriends and girlfriends. They hadn't really sacrificed anything for him, so even if Zhou Yuwen ignored them, it would be taken as a matter of course. With a fortune of thirty million, he could easily find thirty or even three hundred girls just like them.

When Zhou Yuwen went into the room to retrieve the gemstone, Tao Tian followed him inside.

Among the girls present, Tao Tian was considered the most mature. Watching Zhou Yuwen take the gemstone out of the safe, she asked, "Are you really going?"

Zhou Yuwen replied, "It's just thirty million. To me, it's nothing."

"It's not about the money."

Tao Tian said, "They specifically asked you to go alone. You can effortlessly produce thirty million, but have you ever thought about what happens if they don't release Linlin and end up kidnapping you as well?"

"I've thought about that."

Zhou Yuwen had naturally considered it. Truth be told, he was indeed quite hesitant, but because he was confident enough in his own combat skills, he felt he wouldn't be kidnapped so easily.

He even had the confidence to counter-attack the kidnappers.

Regarding this point, Zhou Yuwen was being a bit naive.

But that was exactly what he thought.

Zhou Yuwen said, "But I can't just leave Linlin to her fate. Honestly, whether it's Linlin or any of you, I would go. I've said it before, since you are willing to follow me, I will treat each and every one of you equally."

As Zhou Yuwen spoke, he packed the gemstone, ready to head to the designated location.

Upon returning to the living room, Tao Tian looked at Zhou Yuwen's broad back. After some thought, she finally bit her lower lip and declared, "I'll go in your place!"

This actually took Zhou Yuwen somewhat by surprise.

It was August, right in the middle of the hottest months of the year. Tao Tian was only wearing a pink camisole paired with denim shorts. Her full chest was exceptionally prominent, and the camisole, held up by merely two thin ropes, seemed entirely unable to bear the weight.

Tao Tian took the gemstone from Zhou Yuwen's hand and told him, "Since you said we are family, then you are the head of the house! We cannot let the head of the house take risks! Let me go in your place!"

Tao Tian's words not only shocked Zhou Yuwen, but even Zheng Yanyan and the others found it unbelievable.

It should be known that although they currently got along fairly harmoniously, they ultimately belonged to different camps and harbored their own little schemes.

They never expected that at such a critical moment.

Tao Tian would actually step forward like this.

Of course, the reason Tao Tian stepped forward wasn't because of Lu Lin.

She simply didn't want Zhou Yuwen to put himself in danger.

Her fearless actions shocked everyone, but at this moment, no one else could step forward as resolutely as she did.

Even Zheng Yanyan, who had been constantly worrying about Lu Lin, showed hesitation in her eyes upon hearing Tao Tian's declaration. She opened her mouth, wanting to say she would do it, but the words refused to leave her lips.

They were all just ordinary girls who had never experienced something like this.

Facing kidnappers was something they found extremely difficult to do.

Only Tao Tian was absolutely certain.

If you asked if she was afraid, she was definitely afraid.

But she couldn't shake the feeling that if Zhou Yuwen went, it would certainly be a point of no return.

Looking at her resolute expression, Zhou Yuwen could not help but chuckle.

He told her to stop messing around.

"They made it very clear that I need to go over. Why are you blindly joining the fun?"

"If you and Linlin both end up tied up, this single gemstone might not even be enough to cover it."

Zhou Yuwen teased.

But Tao Tian felt deeply saddened. In the blink of an eye, a layer of mist formed in her eyes. She said, "The two of us getting tied up is better than you getting tied up alone. If I really get kidnapped, it proves this gang of robbers doesn't keep their word, and you shouldn't even think about coming to save us! Don't worry, when the time comes, I will absolutely smash my head and die! I definitely won't let them have it easy!"

Tao Tian spoke with tragic solemnity, leaving Zhou Yuwen caught between laughter and tears. He told her to stop talking nonsense.

"It's better if I go. Don't be so pessimistic. Trust me, I will bring Linlin back safely."

Zhou Yuwen embraced Tao Tian and patted her shoulder as a form of comfort.

Afterward, he glanced at the others who looked like they wanted to say something but held back.

Perhaps Tao Tian's words had completely outshined these girls, making them too ashamed to step forward.

Zheng Yanyan's eyes were also slightly red. She wanted to say something, but couldn't bring herself to speak.

Zhou Yuwen nonchalantly waved the girls over, pulled them into a big hug, and told them it was just a minor matter and he merely needed to pick Linlin up.

Later, when Zhou Yuwen was about to leave, the girls still wanted to follow him.

But Zhou Yuwen stopped them all.

In this kind of situation, the girls going along would likely only end up adding to the trouble.

Naturally, Zhou Yuwen wasn't truly going to go as just one person. At the very least, he informed Liu Shuo, who then brought along all the highly skilled helpers from his security company.

The other party had arranged to meet at an abandoned construction site.

When Zhou Yuwen's side moved out, eight SUVs carrying nearly forty people quickly parked outside the gates of the construction site.

Liu Shuo, who was responsible for driving, felt quite frustrated after learning the cause and effect of the situation. He never expected that the people he dispatched would disappear without a trace, forcing Zhou Yuwen to personally risk his life.

Liu Shuo thought for a moment and said, "Brother, how about you wait in the car and I go in your place? I guarantee I'll bring sister-in-law Lu Lin back in one piece."

Zhou Yuwen retorted, "Give it a rest."

"With your build."

"Even an idiot would know you aren't me."

"Since they know Linlin is my woman, they must have conducted some investigation on me. Forget it, I'll go over personally."

Hearing this, Liu Shuo did not know what else to say.

He couldn't help but mutter, "Brother, damn it, it's just a woman, do you really have to go personally?"

Zhou Yuwen patted Liu Shuo's thighs without saying a word.

He simply opened the car door and entered the construction site alone.

Actually, he didn't know why he was being so bold either. Perhaps his life had been sailing too smoothly, giving him the illusion that nothing could ever stump him.

To be honest, Zhou Yuwen did bring some weapons with him this time.

Zhou Yuwen felt that with his combat prowess, dealing with three to five top-tier fighters wouldn't be an issue at all.

From seven steps away, a gun is faster.

But within seven steps, Zhou Yuwen was absolutely certain he could take this group out.

Taking advantage of the dark night, Zhou Yuwen followed the instructions sent by the other party and climbed the unfinished building.

The moonlight tonight was quite decent. The top of the unfinished building looked starkly pale.

Truth be told, coming to this desolate and uninhabited place in the dead of night was indeed a little frightening.

He just didn't know where the other party was hiding.

After arriving at the designated floor, Zhou Yuwen looked around everywhere but couldn't spot a single shadow.

Just as Zhou Yuwen was wondering why they hadn't even made a phone call to contact him.

A cold sneer suddenly echoed from a distance.

"I didn't expect you to actually come. Young man, you have a lot of courage."

The voice sounded like a middle-aged man, full of vigor and remarkably deep.

Zhou Yuwen raised his eyes to look over.

He saw the tied-up Lu Lin being gripped by the neck by a man.

Even though she was tied up, Lu Lin still maintained a calm and unflustered expression. She gazed at Zhou Yuwen, a hint of emotion seeming to flicker in her eyes. She hadn't expected Zhou Yuwen to genuinely come completely alone.

Her hands were bound behind her back. Frankly, this style of bondage really accentuated Lu Lin's figure perfectly. She was wearing a crop top and black bootcut jeans on her lower half, leaving her easily graspable slender waist exposed.

Naturally, her outfit was still quite neat.

This indicated that the kidnappers at least possessed some professional ethics.

The man's silhouette was concealed in the darkness. Using Lu Lin as a shield, he continued to sneer, "Coming here alone is useless. You couldn't have forgotten my demands, right? Thirty million, not a penny less, or I'll tie both you and this woman up together!"

Zhou Yuwen replied, "This kidnapping of yours was a bit too sudden, so I simply didn't have time to prepare the cash. I have a gemstone here. It would fetch at least fifty million at a European auction. Using this gemstone to exchange for the hostage should be acceptable, right?"

Zhou Yuwen lightly shook the gemstone in his hand.

A priceless treasure was truly something else.

Even in the darkness, it emitted a faint, captivating glow.

The man was full of disdain upon hearing this. He scoffed, "How do I know if what you're saying is true or false?"

Lu Lin felt incredibly speechless hearing this. She retorted, "Does he have any reason to lie to you? He even came here in person."

"I didn't tell you to speak!"

The man grew annoyed and forcefully shook Lu Lin.

Meanwhile, Lu Lin merely rolled her eyes.

Zhou Yuwen couldn't help but laugh from where he stood. He had initially been worried that Lu Lin would be terrified.

However, given Lu Lin's personality, she truly did not know the meaning of fear.

The man pondered for a moment and told Zhou Yuwen to place the gemstone in the middle area first; he needed to inspect it.

Zhou Yuwen naturally had no objections.

And just like that, the man got his hands on the gemstone.

He inspected it left and right but couldn't see anything particularly special about it.

He couldn't resist asking Lu Lin, "Are you sure this is real?"

"Nonsense," Lu Lin replied, thoroughly exasperated.

In truth, the man was clearly displaying some hesitation as he looked back at Zhou Yuwen.

He demanded, "I asked for thirty million in cash, and right now you're only giving me a broken stone. I have no way of knowing if it's real or fake, so I cannot let this woman go. You have to go back and prepare another three million in cash for me!"

Hearing this, Lu Lin became a bit displeased and was just about to say something.

But the man clamped a hand over her mouth.

The man glared fiercely at Zhou Yuwen and threatened, "You don't want your woman to get hurt, do you?"

Zhou Yuwen stared silently at the man. For some reason, he had the distinct feeling that this kidnapper wasn't very professional. After pondering for a brief moment, Zhou Yuwen suggested, "It's too late right now. Let alone three million, I probably couldn't even gather one million. Big brother, I know you're only after the money, so there's no need to make a woman suffer. I have a solution here."

"Oh? You have a solution? What kind of solution?" The man couldn't help but feel a spark of interest.

Zhou Yuwen asked, "See if this works for you."

"You let that woman go first, and tie me up instead. Since you want money, I am definitely worth more than her. I have as many women as I want. Even if I don't give you the money, there's nothing you can do about it. But if you tie me up, it's completely different. Once you have me, however much money you want is just a matter of a single word, right?"

Zhou Yuwen's proposal genuinely stunned the kidnapper. He looked at Zhou Yuwen with a hint of admiration. "You plan to trade yourself for her?"

Zhou Yuwen nodded. "Is there a problem?"

The man questioned, "As far as I know, you have more than one woman, and she isn't even your main one. Are you really so perfectly willing?"

"There's no such thing as main or not main. Big brother, just tell me if this works or not. You tie me up and let her go back to gather the money. That's much better than keeping her here while you wait."

The man still couldn't quite believe it. "You're not playing tricks on me, are you?"

"What kind of tricks could I possibly play? Big brother, I'm just a powerless university student who couldn't even hurt a fly. Look at me, my arm isn't even half as thick as yours. What tricks could I pull?"

"Big brother, we're both grown men, there's no need to make things difficult for a woman," Zhou Yuwen stated with utmost sincerity.

The man thought about it for a second. "You need to think this through. If she leaves and doesn't come back to save you, then I can't guarantee you'll stay alive."

Hearing this, Zhou Yuwen smiled. He cast a glance at Lu Lin and said, "She won't."

"You're that confident?"

Zhou Yuwen didn't reply.

Inside the unfinished building, Lu Lin lifted her eyes to look at Zhou Yuwen, remaining silent. In reality, the moment Zhou Yuwen claimed he couldn't even hurt a fly, she knew exactly what he was plotting.

But she kept quiet.

Actually, with Zhou Yuwen's capabilities, the fact that he was willing to come here all by himself already proved he had genuine feelings for her.

"I'll ask you one more time, are you absolutely sure you want to trade yourself for her? You'd better think clearly!" the man asked once again.

Zhou Yuwen replied, "Brother, if you're not at ease, I'll tie myself up first. As long as you let her go, everything is negotiable!"

"Hahaha!"

The man suddenly burst into roaring laughter and directly pushed Lu Lin aside.

Then, with immense gratification, he declared, "Daughter! You've found yourself a good man! I can finally rest easy!"

"???" Zhou Yuwen froze.

He stared at Lu Lin in sheer disbelief.

As for the tight ropes that were originally binding Lu Lin, they naturally fell away entirely the moment the man pushed her.

She shot Zhou Yuwen an apologetic look.

Before she could even speak, the man behind her enthusiastically stepped forward and firmly embraced Zhou Yuwen. "Good son-in-law! I am incredibly satisfied with you! From now on, we are a family! Rest assured, if you ever face any trouble in the future, just give me a holler! Your father-in-law might not have much else, but I have money, I have men! And I also have this!"

As he spoke, the man formed an "eight" gesture with his fingers.

"???"