Outside the Tang family villa, dozens of jeeps drove up, and fully armed soldiers stormed the residence.
The Tang family members were instantly panicked. Tang Tianlong, who had fallen asleep, woke up in his pajamas. Seeing the dozens of soldiers, his face pale with fear, he hurriedly asked, "General, what's going on?"
"Take him away."
At a command, Tang Tianlong was forcibly dragged away by two men.
The already asleep Tang family members were also forcibly pulled to their feet.
Meanwhile, at Tang Chuchu's house.
Tang Bo and He Yanmei were already asleep.
"Bang!"
The door was flung open, and a group of men rushed in, forcibly escorting them away.
Jiangzhong Hotel, top floor, secret room.
Tang Chuchu was tied up, and soon all the Tang family members were brought in: her grandfather Tang Tianlong, her father Tang Bo, her eldest uncle Tang Hai, her second uncle Tang Jie, and dozens of other members of the Tang family.
The entire Tang family was tied up.
They were completely bewildered, not knowing how they had offended the Xiao family, or why they had been brought to the Xiao family villa. They all wore expressions of panic.
On a chair in the basement.
Xiao Zhan sat, a cigarette dangling from his lips.
Behind him stood a number of heavily armed soldiers. With a cold expression, he said calmly, "Tang Chuchu, do you know why I'm kidnapping you?"
Tang Chuchu didn't understand.
She hadn't damaged the painting, but how could the video footage show her bumping into it?
The bound Tang Tianlong pleaded, "General Xiao, our Tang family has never offended the Xiao family. Tang Lei of our Tang family has a good relationship with Xiao Chen of the Xiao family. Why have you captured us? Please, let us go. If I have offended you, I will prepare a small gift and personally apologize to the Xiao family."
Xiao Zhan waved his hand slightly, interrupting Tang Tianlong. "Tang Chuchu damaged a famous painting worth 1.8 billion yuan at an auction. Tang Tianlong, I will release you. Sell the Tang family assets and raise the 1.8 billion yuan. Then bring the ransom. I'll release you when you get the money. Without it, you'll all die."
"What?"
"1.8 billion?"
"Tang Chuchu, what's wrong with you?"
"How could you damage a painting worth 1.8 billion yuan?"
The bound Tang family members were shocked by the sum and began to blame Tang Chuchu.
They all cursed her, calling her a jinx who had brought so much trouble to the Tang family.
Tang Chuchu was like a dumb person swallowing bitter herbs, unable to express her pain.
Xiao Zhan shouted, "Release Tang Tianlong."
Before the operation, he had carefully investigated the Tang family. The combined assets of the dozens of members of the Tang family, totaling only about 1.5 billion yuan. This painting alone was enough to bankrupt the family.
After Tang Tianlong escaped, he approached Tang Chuchu and slapped her in the face, furiously cursing, "You useless piece of shit! You've brought disaster upon the Tang family!"
Tang Chuchu's face flushed red, tears streaming from her eyes. She cried out, "Grandpa, it wasn't me. It really wasn't me."
"You still dare to quibble? Will General Xiao wrongly accuse you?" Tang Tianlong, enraged, slapped her several more times.
After the fight, he sank to his knees, pleading like a dead dog, "General Xiao, please give the Tang family a chance to live."
Xiao Zhan said coldly, "Give the Tang family a chance? Who ever gave my Xiao family a chance? Because of a phone call from Tang Chuchu, Qianjun Ye Xiong targeted my Xiao family and bankrupted them."
Tang Chuchu came to her senses and cried, "Yes, you framed me?"
"Yes," Xiao Zhan didn't deny it. "So what if I framed you? The Tang family has to take the 1.8 billion, whether they want it or not. As the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Western Territory, killing dozens of Tang family members is easy."
Tang Tianlong seemed to have lost all his energy and spirit, paralyzed on the ground.
In that instant, he seemed to have aged decades, and cried out, "It's over. The Tang family is finished."
"Throw this old man out."
"Yes."
Two fully armed men approached and forcibly dragged the weeping Tang Tianlong away.
The Tang family members present were terrified.
General Xiao meant business. The Tang family was finished, and it was all Tang Chuchu's fault.
"Tang Chuchu, you jinx! You've ruined the Tang family!"
"How could I have a daughter like you!"
"Tang Chuchu, how can you implicate our entire family for your own fault?"
"General, I have nothing to do with Tang Chuchu. Please let me go!"
"Wow, I don't want to die. General Xiao, please let me go. Every wrong has its perpetrator, and every debt has its creditor. This is all Tang Chuchu's fault. Seek revenge on her. Kill her, and let us go!"
The Tang family members begged for mercy.
Faced with the immense power of Xiao Zhan, they had no recourse.
Hearing these words from her family, Tang Chuchu felt a suicidal urge. She was overcome with rage and instantly fainted.
Xiao Zhan gestured.
Instantly, someone brought a basin of water and poured it on Tang Chuchu's face.
Tang Chuchu, who had fainted, regained consciousness.
Xiao Zhan stood up and walked over, a dagger appearing in his hand. He lifted her chin and gently slashed the dagger across her fair face.
He demanded coldly, "Tang Chuchu, ten years ago, you entered the Jiang family's fire and were burned. You look quite beautiful now, but who was that person you rescued from the inferno ten years ago? Where is he?"
"I, I don't know." Tang Chuchu's face paled, and she trembled.
"Sizzle!"
Xiao Zhan's dagger slashed fiercely, leaving a scar on Tang Chuchu's face. Blood gushed out, instantly staining half her face red.
"Ah."
Tang Chuchu cried out in pain and struggled, but her limbs were bound, and no matter how hard she struggled, it was useless.
The other bound members of the Tang family were also trembling with fear. Some of the more timid ones even fainted from fear.
"Tell me, who exactly did you save? Did he ever come back to look for you? What's your relationship with Ye Xiong? Why does Ye Xiong respect you so much?"
"I don't know. I really don't know. Wow, I don't know anything." Tang Chuchu burst into tears.
"Sizzle!"
Xiao Zhan slashed down again, leaving another scar on Tang Chuchu's face.
She felt only the burning pain in her face, and could clearly feel the blood trickling down her cheek and onto her neck.
Xiao Zhan shouted, "Who exactly did you save? Did he ever come back to look for you?"
Tang Chuchu was stunned by the shouting. She truly didn't know. She didn't know who she had saved ten years ago. She burst into tears, tears streaming down her face.
"Wuwu, I really don't know. I didn't know it was the Jiang family at the time. I only found out later. I don't know who I saved. After I pulled him out of the sea of fire, his face was already burned. Then he jumped into the river and was washed away by the flood. I don't know who he is, and he never came back to find me. General Xiao, I'm telling the truth. Please let me go. Wuwu..."