“Ran, cool down. Don’t ever hit that button,” Luo Yi shuddered.
“Tell me where my mother and my grandfather’s ashes are. If you don’t, we can all die!”
“It’s at home. Don’t worry, I didn’t touch it!” Luo Yi assured.
Ning Ran already had an inkling that the woman wouldn’t have brought it along.
“Does Feng Minsheng know where it is?” Ning Ran queried.
“He knows. I was going to return the ashes to you anyway. There’s no point for me to keep them as it only gives me nightmares. I lied only because I was worried you wouldn’t give me the money. I don’t want the money anymore. You can have the ashes,” Luo Yi explained.
“Call Feng Minsheng now and get him to deliver the ashes. Otherwise, this will be the end of us!”
“Ok, I’ll make the call immediately,” Luo Yi fished out her phone.
Ning Ran took the phone from Luo Yi, “I’ll make the call and you can do the talking.”
“This child…”
“Don’t even try to make the connection. I’m not your child,” Ning Ran cut her off coldly.
“Ok, I won’t. Go ahead and call,” Luo Yi hurriedly supplied.
Ning Ran’s call to Feng Minsheng went through as she beckoned for Luo Yi to speak up.
“Minsheng, are you still out?” Luo Yi asked.
“Yes, Aunt Luo. Have you gotten the money?” It was Feng Minsheng’s voice.
Ning Ran gritted her teeth with hatred. This a**hole claims that he liked me but was actually in cahoots with this old witch to blackmail me!
“I don’t have the money. She wants the ashes to make the exchange. Make a trip for me and get those two boxes of ashes here,” Luo Yi replied.
“Right now?”
“Yes, right now. I’ll be here waiting,” Luo Yi affirmed.
“Ok. Take care, Aunt Luo.”
Ning Ran ended the call but did not return her the phone for fear that she would try anything funny.
The wait felt like ages and the atmosphere in the room was depressing. Nobody spoke.
“Ran, we are at our wits’ end too,” Luo Yi’s voice was gentle.
Ning Ran did not reply.
“We’re living a hard life. The debtors are after us and we have to hide all the time. If it weren’t for that, there would have been no need for us to do this to you.”
“That makes it alright for you to make life difficult for me? So what if I’m not having a great time either?” Ning Ran retorted.
“Aren’t you doing well? You’ve borne two kids for the Nan family. They’d be more than willing to give you any sum of money if you asked for it. With so many assets to their name, this bit of money is nothing.”
“You guys shouldn’t have spread rumors about me. Nan Chen thinks I’m a heartless person and refuses to lend me any money. Would you like to make a call and clarify it for yourself?”
Luo Yi immediately waved her hands, “No, no, no. I’m not calling. We’re not close at all. What do I have to say to him?”
“That’s weird. Your daughter was Nan Chen’s ex-girlfriend, right? You’ve never met your future son-in-law?” Ning Ran probed.
“On the surface, Luo Fei was Nan Chen’s girlfriend. The Nan family had never acknowledged that relationship. The company was in a fix back then. I had asked Luo Fei to seek Nan Chen for help. He did help out a couple of times but we still couldn’t tide over and he gave up eventually.”
“The Nan family are cruel. They pay no heed to people like us. Given your contribution, you should seize the opportunity to make a fortune, Ran. Or else, you would lose the chance to do so should they take your kids away. If it’s hard for you to ask for the money, we could team up and split the earnings by half.” Luo Yi said.
Ning Ran scoffed silently. To think of splitting money at a time like this. Isn’t she something?
“Is that so? What do you think I should do then?” Ning Ran feigned interest.
Luo Yi looked at Ning Ran, “If you’re really willing to listen to me, getting away with fifty million wouldn’t be a problem.
When the time comes, you can take thirty million and I can have twenty million. We’ll be able to live a comfortable life and never return to Flower City!”
Ning Ran pretended to consider the proposal, “You still haven’t shared your plan.”
“Don’t you have two kids? We’ll bring them somewhere secluded and demand a ransom from the Nan family. If they refuse, we’ll kidnap them. That said, I’m certain that the Nan family would pay up.”
Luo Yi’s plan wasn’t brilliant; Ning Ran had already guessed it.
“That’s my own flesh and blood. Making use of them to extort for money? I’m not as shameless as you,” Ning Ran chided.
“We don’t have to reveal ourselves. We can hide the kids and make-believe that they were kidnapped by someone else. We could get the Nan family to transfer the money to someone else’s bank account. Nobody would ever find out. The kids wouldn’t be hurt either. Where’s the harm in that?”
Luo Yi seemed pleased with her ingenious plan as the sense of pride was written all over her face.
“That’s not a bad idea. Let me mull over it,” Ning Ran lied.
“What is there to mull over? Just listen to me. We can do whatever we want when we’re rich.”
This woman is too wicked.
“In the event that the Nan family refuse to pay up, do I have to end up hurting my own kids?” Ning Ran challenged.
“They won’t. The Nan family would give in. Trust me.”
“What if they don’t?”
“If they don’t, it means that they don’t care about the kids. We can then lower our demands till they accede. If you agree with me, let’s kick into action. I guarantee that you’ll strike it rich!”
Luo Yi then continued, “Even though there’s a lot of misunderstanding between us, we’re still a family. As long as we are rich, those misunderstandings won’t mean a thing, right?”
Luo Yi observed Ning Ran as she spoke.
Of course, Ning Ran wouldn’t be moved by her words. She only intended to find out how vicious Luo Yi could be.
“We’ll talk again when I receive my mother’s ashes. Oh yes, I have a question. My mother was doing just fine. Why did she suddenly pass away? Did you bribe the doctor or hire someone to kill her?”
Luo Yi’s eyes glinted at her question and she instantly became alert.
There were things that could be shared and some that should never be said. Luo Yi was well aware of that.
“I didn’t hurt your mother. I was truly upset about her death too. Although, I have no idea if your father knew of the situation. I was playing mahjong with my friends when your mother died. I’m really clueless.”
Luo Yi’s eyes shone, an indication that wasn’t telling the truth.
“There’s no need for us to be on bad terms. Why don’t you put the remote controller down? You’re still young. We don’t have to die over such a small matter,” Luo Yi advised Ning Ran.
As soon as she said that, Luo Yi’s phone rang. It was Feng Minsheng.
Ning Ran gestured Luo Yi to answer and behave herself.
“Luo Yi, I have it with me. I’m in the hotel lobby. Do I bring it over?” Feng Minsheng questioned.
