Zhou Xuan emerged from the darkness, his figure silhouetted against the light, making it impossible for Tai Shu to discern his features.
"Who are you?"
Tai Shu stumbled back two steps, his eyes darting wildly, searching for any opportunity or direction to escape.
A black car stopped beside him. A young man in a white shirt stepped out from the driver's seat. He wore dark sunglasses, a mocking smile playing on his lips as he looked at Tai Shu.
"You... how did you find this place?"
Tai Shu's heart pounded furiously as he couldn't help but ask.
His eyes were fixed on the man's wrist.
He saw a string of prayer beads on it, and his heart sank with a jolt, a sense of foreboding washing over him. "It... it was you?!"
"Yes, it was me."
The young man took off his sunglasses, revealing an incredibly charming face.
Wang Sheng!
This was Wang Sheng, the same person he had fought with in Zhonghua territory before.
The other party had been protecting Qiu Yuelian.
If it weren't for this damn guy, he would have almost succeeded long ago.
Wang Sheng raised an eyebrow, continuously striking the ground with the long iron chain in his hand. The clanking sound reverberated, settling in Tai Shu's heart as endless fear.
"Tai Shu, you truly disappoint me," he said. "Why do you always do this?"
Tai Shu froze, instinctively retorting, "I don't know what you're talking about."
Wang Sheng smiled, dangling the prayer beads in front of him. "Tai Shu, this is a gift from me to you. What do you think? Do you like it?"
Tai Shu's body trembled.
"You..." His pupils constricted sharply. "What did you do?"
"Me?"
Wang Sheng said with a smile, "It was me who had your beloved daughter give this to you. She's been thinking of you, you know. She said you wanted to succeed, didn't you? She misses you very much and hopes you'll go back to see her!"
"What did you do to her?"
Tai Shu roared, lunging forward to grab Wang Sheng.
However, Zhou Xuan stopped Wang Sheng from retaliating.
"Tai Shu, if you were smart, you'd know that whether we do anything to your daughter, and what we do, depends on you."
His voice was filled with chilling coldness, seemingly capable of freezing one's heart in the night.
Tai Shu narrowed his eyes and released Wang Sheng.
He was at the end of his rope.
And this man who had appeared against the light seemed to be the true decision-maker.
"And who are you?"
Zhou Xuan snapped his fingers, and Baili Lie and Lin Zhilong also caught up.
"Who I am is not important, but I'm here to cooperate with you. As long as you obediently hand over what you have, I can guarantee that no one will know your daughter's secret."
In a flash of lightning, Tai Shu understood.
This person could find him and knew his daughter's secret, meaning he must have extensive connections.
He had been in hiding for so long. Although he knew Lin Zhilong's men controlled the Silver Triangle area,
he didn't know that Zhou Xuan was the strong man wearing the rabbit mask, nor that Zhou Xuan was Lin Zhilong's boss.
So, he decided to take a gamble.
"What if I don't agree?"
"Don't agree?" Zhou Xuan laughed in the darkness. "You can try. If you truly refuse, I assure you, I don't mind making some 'little' moves on your daughter."
"Although I am a gentleman and disdain using such tactics, you are too cunning. After all this effort to uncover information about your daughter, how could I possibly give up?"
"I..."
Tai Shu's expression flickered. What this man said was true. If he disagreed, his daughter's secret might be exposed.
Everyone was looking for him now. Once news of his daughter leaked, neither he nor his daughter would be able to leave the Silver Triangle alive.
But how could he trust a stranger?
"You don't need to consider it. I know you're conflicted right now because you truly want to save your daughter. However, I must tell you, she is already in my hands. As long as you do as I say, I can ensure her safe return home."
As Tai Shu spoke, he handed the video over to Zhou Xuan.
Zhou Xuan clicked to play.
On the screen, a sumptuously dressed young man embraced a girl of sixteen or seventeen. The girl's clothes were intact, and it seemed nothing had happened, yet the girl struggled desperately, but to no avail.
It was precisely this scene that made Tai Shu feel that there was still hope.
In the video, the young man suddenly smiled maliciously and reached out towards the girl's clothing buttons.
This scene drove Tai Shu to the brink of madness.
He saw the despair in his daughter's eyes, the tears welling up in them.
But at this moment, he was powerless. He had completely lost control and couldn't think of anything else.
He saw the tears flowing from his daughter's eyes and was about to snatch Zhou Xuan's phone.
"Hey, Tai Shu, this isn't good..."
The phone was tossed by Zhou Xuan to Baili Lie.
Tai Shu watched in despair as the screen of the phone on the other end went dark.
"So? I hope you've made your decision now. My patience is limited."
It seemed now that Zhou Xuan was indeed here to cooperate, but what about Qiu Wenlong?
The item in his possession was meant to keep Qiu Wenlong in check.
Since this mysterious man knew his daughter's secret, he would definitely not let his daughter off easily.
Moreover, he also knew that Qiu Wenlong had a mysterious force behind him. If he truly handed over the item to this man instead of Qiu Wenlong, who had been threatening and extorting him, his daughter might also meet with misfortune.
"Mr. Tai Shu, I know you are hesitant, but for your daughter's sake, you should know I'm right."
Zhou Xuan, with feigned boredom, continuously twirled the scimitar in his hand, while Wang Sheng's iron chain was always poised for an opportunity.
Tai Shu gritted his teeth and finally made his decision.
"I can agree to cooperate with you, but I hope you will release my daughter. Regardless of any mistakes she may have made, it has nothing to do with her. Please do not involve her!"
He had nowhere else to retreat and could only do his best, trying to use his daughter to exchange for the last sliver of hope.
After speaking, he threw the item in his arms to Zhou Xuan.
Zhou Xuan inserted the item into his laptop. The video on it was glaringly about Qiu Yuelian.
After calmly watching the entire video,
"Mr. Tai Shu, you are mistaken. I not only want this video but also something else."
"You..."
Tai Shu's expression changed. He hadn't expected this mysterious person to know that he had other information as well!
Who was he?
What should he do if he didn't agree?
He knew this person kept his word. If he didn't hand it over, he would surely act against him and those around him!
Who was this person? Why did he capture his daughter?
And why did he want his other information?
Zhou Xuan casually swept his gaze over Tai Shu. "Mr. Tai Shu, you have a choice now. One is your daughter's life, and the other is something related to the Qiu family. I am simply one step ahead. If I hadn't come today, and Qiu Wenlong had found you later, you wouldn't have had a good day either. I believe Mr. Tai Shu, you understand that it's going to someone anyway, isn't it?"
"You..." Tai Shu trembled with rage, wishing he could rush forward and bite this man to death!