Return of the Antagonistic Lady Boss

Yu Minglang handed the loudhailer to Qian. Qian had already thought through what she wanted to say on the way over, so she picked it up and spoke straight into it.

"I’m psychologist Chen Xiaoqian. I’m right outside the door. Do you want to talk?"

It was almost a full minute before there was any response from inside.

"Since you’ve come from afar, you’re a guest. Please, beautiful Chen Xiaoqian, come in and let’s have a private chat."

"There’s no way I’m going in alone." Qian saw Yu Minglang’s hand signal and followed his instructions.

"Your only way out right now is to release the hostages. Everything you’re doing is pointless."

"Pointless? Hahahaha! If it was pointless, would you even be here? Beautiful women are like scarce resources perched on the tip of a pyramid. There’s always a car to pick you up, and you only show up in a few specific circles. Ordinary nobodies probably can’t even meet you, right? But I still managed to get you over here easily."

The slightly lewd tone provoked Yu Minglang’s displeasure. He snatched the loudhailer back and said bluntly,

"Let us hear the hostage’s voice. Prove to us they’re still alive."

The guy inside cooperated; Wang Xiaohong’s pig-slaughter screams rang out again. Judging from the sound, she was having a hell of a time in there.

The woman’s screams echoed in everyone’s ears, chilling to the bone. That lunatic was chuckling beside her, his laughter under the evening sky as blood-red as the clouds, shrill and eerie.

"Chen Xiaoqian, if you don’t come in, I’ll chop off this woman’s fingers. Of course, you probably don’t care about her. So you don’t care whether Panpan lives or dies either? You’re not curious where Panpan is now?"

Hearing this, Dong Yi could no longer hold back. She rushed over, grabbed the loudhailer from Yu Minglang, and shouted, "Where the hell is my son?"

"Your son? Oh, you’re that woman who adopted Panpan, Dong Yi?"

"That’s me! Hurry up and tell me where my son is, what you’ve done to him!"

Dong Yi’s voice sounded unusually anxious, and that anxiety seemed to please the man inside. He laughed again, and this laugh, compared to the creepy one before, sounded almost genuine.

"Looks like you treat him pretty well. Willing to risk your life to come here to see me—means you care a lot about that kid. I’m satisfied. Fine, you don’t have to come in. Chen Xiaoqian, you come in."

Qian exchanged a look with Yu Minglang. Minglang shook his head. "There’s definitely a trap in there. You can’t go in."

This kind of desperate criminal never planned on walking out alive. The fact he was calling Qian by name meant there was definitely some hidden trick. Under no circumstances was Yu Minglang going to let Qian take that risk.

But right now the guy had hostages in his hands and was holding Panpan’s life over their heads. Clearly, he wouldn’t stop until he got what he wanted. Qian had carefully analyzed his personality and motives before coming here; she already had a plan in mind.

"Minglang, you go in with me, okay?"

Yu Minglang nodded. If he went with her, he could protect her—if the bastard inside would agree.

"I have a way to make him agree."

"Vice President! You can’t!" said Qiao Zhen, who had come along with Yu Minglang.

No one knew what was behind that door. If the bastard went completely insane and set up explosives, deciding to drag a few people down with him in his final moments, what then?

Yu Minglang’s identity was special. How could they let him take that risk?

"It’s fine. I trust my wife." Yu Minglang exchanged a glance with Qian, then added, "And my wife trusts me."

The people standing around couldn’t help rolling their eyes at that.

"Look at the timing—this is when you two decide to show off your love?"

What a pair—literally risking their lives to rub their relationship in everyone’s face.

"My mind’s made up. No matter what he’s planted in that room, I’m going in. We’ve already studied the layout of this place. This office building is in the heart of the city’s busiest district. If he really has explosives in there, even though we’ve evacuated the crowd in advance, the surrounding buildings will still suffer irreversible damage, causing huge property losses for civilians. That’s exactly why we have to go in."

Yu Minglang was firmly convinced that Qian wasn’t acting on impulse. If she dared to suggest that he go in with her, it meant she was highly confident.

With his tough stance, Yu Minglang forced down everyone’s objections. Qian took the loudhailer and started persuading the man inside.

"I can come in, but my husband has to come with me."

"Oh? You want one more person in here so I can play with both of you?"

The guy’s provocative tone made the veins in Yu Minglang’s forehead stand out on the spot; he had half a mind to kill him right then.

"No. I want to play a game with you. Ever heard of the ELS roulette death game? Do you dare bet your life and play a round with me?" Qian didn’t rise to the bait; she grew even calmer. At a moment like this, her anger wouldn’t help the situation one bit.

"And why should I play that with you?"

There was a faint, barely detectable excitement in his voice. With her insight into human nature, Qian knew that although he said he wasn’t interested, the truth was he wanted to play.

"It’s a very profitable deal for you. With all the lives on your hands, there’s no way you’re getting out of this alive. But I’m a clean slate, full of promise, a rising elite in society. Using a life like mine to gamble with a desperate criminal like you who has nothing left—doesn’t that feel like you’re getting the better end of the bargain? And you’ve killed so many people, but you’ve probably never met anyone who really made you feel thrilled and happy doing it. The thrill I can offer you will top everything you’ve ever experienced."

This conversation that sounded insane to outsiders was actually something Qian had carefully constructed after studying his profile.

At this point, the villain no longer cared about living or dying, but he absolutely craved stimulation. He enjoyed the sensation of treating everyone like idiots and playing them.

Based on his traits, Qian tossed him some bait. A normal person wouldn’t bite—but this guy was different.

"Fine. Bring him in and I’ll play a round with you. Hahaha, interesting woman."

Qian persuaded him with ease, then had Yu Minglang prepare a revolver.

"Qian, you’re really going to play that with him?" Even though Yu Minglang trusted Qian, when he heard her insane plan, he still couldn’t accept it.

This was way too dangerous.

This roulette death game was wildly popular overseas. Every year quite a few people died playing it, yet there were still people lining up to join this deranged pastime.

A revolver holds six rounds. To play, you remove five rounds and leave just one, then spin the cylinder at random. The players take turns pressing the gun to their own heads and pulling the trigger, and you see who survives.

Which means there’s a one-in-six chance of dying. The game sounds unbelievable, but that feeling of adrenaline is exactly what draws thrill-seekers to it. Many people boast about how fearless they are, but when it’s their turn to pull the trigger, they chicken out and drop out of the game.

Qian had volunteered to play this, and that was something Yu Minglang simply could not tolerate.