Gu Jinxiu said, "Less than an hour."
So, they were kidnapped around three in the afternoon, and the kidnappers brought them here by around five at the latest, which means this place is less than two hours away from the school.
The school is already some distance from the city, so it should take over three hours to get here from the city.
An Junxi calmed herself and listened carefully, faintly hearing two train whistles, suggesting there are railways nearby.
There aren't many places around Yan City with cotton trees and railways... An Junxi had a rough idea. She often took side jobs for photo shoots in the suburbs around Yan City and had left footprints in many places. She guessed this should be Fire Phoenix Mountain in the South Suburb.
Most importantly, she saw discarded shoemaking tools in the room.
This was likely an old shoe factory site, and there were more abandoned factories nearby. An Junxi knew a bit about this old industrial area. Many art-loving young women had previously suggested coming here for photos, but since it was a bit far, she had never come.
Unexpectedly, she was kidnapped to this place today.
An Junxi had to admire the kidnappers' meticulous plan. This place isn't far from the port. Once they got the ransom, they could rush to the port and sail away, and the police could do nothing once they were in international waters.
However, she believed that offending the Gu Family meant that even if they escaped to the ends of the earth, they wouldn't live to spend the ransom.
An Junxi whispered her guesses to Gu Jinxiu, and his eyes gradually lit up, looking at her with a hint of admiration.
An Junxi said, "I think the safest thing to do is wait. Doesn't your family have a lot of money? Pay the ransom first, and then slowly hunt them down once we're safe."
Gu Jinxiu said, "What if they want to silence us?"
"They're all after money; they wouldn't take it that far, right?" An Junxi said. "I also want to prove something. Later, pretend you're feeling unwell and ask them to buy something. I'll check if there's a shop nearby and how long it would take to go there and back." Gu Jinxiu is their cash cow; they definitely wouldn't let anything happen to him.
As the two were whispering, they heard the door opening, and they immediately fell silent and sat properly without saying another word.
Four or five masked men walked in, standing there without saying a word. An Junxi felt an invisible pressure. She pretended to be very scared and said, "When will you let us go? My uncle will give you the money!"
An Junxi started sweating a bit. Gu Yikun was only 31 years old; how could he have such an old niece? Gu Jinxiu could have come up with a better-sounding identity.
Sure, he's only seven, it's normal for him not to know about seniority, and considering how chaotic the family relations are, it's not surprising if he claimed she was his grandmother and someone believed it.
The ringleader seemed to be making a phone call. After a while, the call went through, and he called out "President Gu" before putting the satellite phone in front of Gu Jinxiu. "Speak."
The man's throat had a voice changer, making his voice sound strange.
An Junxi knew the opportunity had come. She believed the police would be tracking the call on the other end, and if the call lasted more than twenty seconds, there was a good chance they could detect their location.
Gu Jinxiu had just said a few words: "Father, my cousin Jun Xi and I..."
An Junxi shouted, "Uncle, this is Jun Xi! Jinxiu and I have been kidnapped. They want nine billion ransom. You must give it to them. Don't tell my mom and dad! If they ask, just say I'm at Mumian Mountain sketching and will be back soon..."
An Junxi's words were fast, but before she could finish, the kidnappers ended the call.
The kidnapper yanked her hair. "Little girl, don't play tricks!"
An Junxi started to cry in fear, speaking incoherently, "Don't hit me! I'm scared! Boohoo... My parents will be worried."
The other kidnappers advised, "Forget it. The girl is scared out of her wits already. Don't complicate things."
The man pushed An Junxi away, and she hit the wall behind her, moaning in pain.
The kidnappers cursed as they walked out.
The door was locked again. An Junxi immediately stopped crying, turned her face to wipe her tears with her shoulder, and said to Gu Jinxiu, "Do you think they understood what I meant?"
Gu Jinxiu was dumbfounded; this woman was really good at acting!
He looked at An Junxi with even more admiration and humbly asked, "I don't understand what your words meant either."
An Junxi leaned close to his ear and whispered something. Gu Jinxiu nodded repeatedly, "Cousin, you're amazing!"
"Still calling me cousin? Don't get too into the role!"
Gu Jinxiu laughed, showing his tiger teeth, and suddenly asked, "Does it hurt?"
An Junxi scrunched her teeth and took a few cold breaths, "Don't mention it. Now that you say it, it does hurt."
Gu Jinxiu said, "Don't worry. Once we are rescued, my father will definitely avenge us!"
An Junxi then asked the question that had been puzzling her for a long time, "Why do you call Gu Yikun 'father' and not 'dad'?"
Although it means the same, 'father' always feels distant, not as intimate as 'dad'.
Gu Jinxiu looked a bit despondent. He lowered his head, "Father doesn't let me call him that. He says it's too unruly."
An Junxi was speechless. She cautiously asked, "Your father is pretty strict with you, right?"
Gu Jinxiu nodded dejectedly.
An Junxi didn't ask any further.
She knew that Gu Jinxiu's mother, the heiress of the Senye Group, died during childbirth. Since then, Gu Yikun hadn't remarried.
This child had no mother since he was young, and his father was so strict with him. He was indeed quite pitiful.
Suddenly, An Junxi no longer felt angry with him. Forget it, why bother with a kid!
She said, "Now we're allies. When we're rescued, you have to ask your father to drop the lawsuit, okay?"
Gu Jinxiu appeared a little shy, "I can try, but my father doesn't even know about it."
An Junxi was shocked, "But the court summons was issued in the name of the Gu Group!"
Gu Jinxiu said, "I asked Brother Cheng to issue the legal notice. Brother Cheng is the son of our butler and the head of the Gu Group's legal department, so..." So his father didn't know about it at all. He never intended to go to court, just to use the Gu Group's name to scare An Junxi.
Anyway, Brother Cheng said they could withdraw the lawsuit later.
Only then did An Junxi realize she had been played by Gu Jinxiu. She didn't know whether to be angry or to laugh, saying, "Who taught you these tricks?" This kid would be a handful when he grew up.
Gu Jinxiu proudly said, "I have my father's good genes; I'm naturally better than most people."
An Junxi's shoulders shook with laughter, "Hahaha, so self-conceited! I've never seen someone so self-conceited!"
Gu Jinxiu angrily pushed her with his foot, "What's so funny? What I said is the truth!"
The two started playfully fighting, completely unaware that they were hostages.
Outside, they heard someone shout, "Keep it down, or we'll gag you both!"