After agreeing on a time with Tang Yiting, Li Qiao hung up the phone.
Then she gave it a quick thought and sent a simple [OK] emoji in the class WeChat group.
At 1:00 p.m., the sky was gray and overcast. Tang Yiting pulled up outside the Li residence in her pink sports car.
About half a minute later, Li Qiao strolled out unhurriedly. She took one look at the car's bubblegum paint job and fell silent—there was really no good way to describe it.
Tang Yiting was the textbook example of a tough girl with a girly heart.
Once she got into the passenger seat, Tang Yiting eagerly leaned over and asked, "Hey, what's the theme for your farewell party tonight?"
Li Qiao buckled her seatbelt and glanced at her. "No idea. I didn't check."
Apparently, the requirements for the event were posted in the WeChat group, but she hadn't looked at them.
Tang Yiting was speechless for a moment. As she started the engine, she muttered, "You've been low-profile for so many years, and you're not even thinking about making a splash at your farewell party?"
"Nope."
Tang Yiting turned the wheel, stealing a sidelong glance at Li Qiao, still unwilling to give up. "Really? Not even a little? I was hoping we could show up tonight as a power duo!"
Li Qiao closed her eyes and gave her a cool, expressionless look.
…
They arrived at Shuiyun High-End Styling Studio, walking in side by side.
Tang Yiting was a regular here. Whenever her family hosted any sort of banquet, she would come to this place to pick out dresses and get her hair and makeup done.
As soon as they entered, Li Qiao headed straight for the lounge area and took a seat, clearly familiar with the place.
Tang Yiting had her own personal stylist. After briefly explaining the requirements for the event, the two of them headed to the couture section on the second floor.
At the bottom of the stairs, Tang Yiting didn't forget to call out, "Qiaoqiao, come on!"
Just then, Li Qiao's phone lit up with a new message. She waved her hand toward Tang Yiting without looking up and stayed focused on the screen.
Seeing this, Tang Yiting didn't press her and disappeared up the stairs.
The message was from Li Shaoquan—just four pitiful words:
"Dad, save me."
Based on what Li Qiao knew about him, this kind of message usually meant one thing: he needed money.
She opened her mobile banking app and was just about to transfer funds when his call came through.
She frowned slightly, answered the call, and got straight to the point: "How much do you need?"
"Huh? A woman? Who are you?" a rude and unfamiliar voice barked on the other end.
Before she could respond, Li Shaoquan's panicked voice shouted, "Help me! They've kidnapped—"
"Shut the hell up!" the unfamiliar man roared, followed by the unmistakable thud of a punch landing on flesh, and a muffled grunt—loud and clear through the phone.
Li Shaoquan had been kidnapped?
Li Qiao's eyes narrowed sharply, her expression turning ice-cold. "Just say it. What do you want?"
There was a long pause on the other end, with faint whispers in the background.
Just as her patience wore thin, the voice finally spoke again:
"I want his household register. I don't care who you are—bring it here now or I'll kill him!"
The call was abruptly cut off.
Li Qiao slowly lowered her hand and stared at her phone, deep in thought.
Had she just heard right? A kidnapper asking for a household register?
She pondered for a few seconds before opening her tracking app and checking Li Shaoquan's phone location.
Jiangjing Luxury Residences.
So the kidnappers were… in his own home?
Something wasn't adding up. Li Qiao couldn't figure out who exactly Li Shaoquan had managed to offend.
He was practically a shut-in—never went out, a full-blown tech nerd. Who could he have possibly ticked off?
Without wasting any more time, she shot Tang Yiting a message on WeChat and hurriedly left the Shuiyun Styling Studio.