Skeptical, aren't we?

"This is Wang Longwei, isn't it?" Her voice was steady despite the fear brewing inside her. Fei Huangjin wasn't here. She was unable to contact both Mo Yiling and Big Boss. And Xi Shenghui had most likely betrayed her. "I need proof that Song Yinan is with you and that he's safe."

"Skeptical, aren't we?" He chuckled. "Very well." Wang Longwei eyed Su Jianjun and mouthed the word 'video.'

He nodded in reply and walked to the nearby window to place a call. Song Yinan was unconscious for the time being and put in a room one floor below. It was a shame he had to be used as a pawn. The man was very valuable to his company and even thought the world of him. Sadly, the world is, and always will be unfair. "Send a live video of Song Yinan to the woman's phone, but make sure no outbound or inbound calls can get through. Can you do that?"

The voice on the other end sighed. "I've reconfigured her phone. And with Juyan's resources, I can do anything."

"Make sure you're not caught."

"Mmm."

Su Jianjun glanced at Wang Longwei and nodded.

"Check your phone." Wang Longwei taunted.

Ying Yue was about to tell him how could she when they had jammed her phone signal, but not a second later, her phone vibrated and indicated that a video message was sent over. She opened it with worried, eager, eyes.

A surveillance recording played. A man was side-lying on a bed in a bare room with white walls. At first she was confused on who it was, but then on further examination, she realized that the man's clothes were exactly the ones worn by Song Yinan tonight. Dark suit. Turtleneck sweater underneath. Her heart started beating crazily in her chest, thumping against the walls of her chest.

The video shifted to another angle, this time closer, zooming in on the very familiar, but unconscious, face of Song Yinan.

She gasped, unable to hold it in. "What are you doing? What do you want?"

He made a sound of approval. He liked what she was asking. It meant that she was ready to do anything to save that dog. "A block away from there, at the corner towards the next street, a car is waiting for you. It'll take you here -- to me. Get out of that house without anyone knowing. I know you're capable of doing that since you're Juyan's brightest star." He chuckled. "Hurry up. Otherwise, we'll cut off one of his fingers for every mistake you make. And remember, we're watching you"

Her hands shook. "Why are you doing this? There's no more point in doing this. I don't have the documents that Ying Shen left and he doesn't remember you."

"But I do! I remember everything!!!" Wang Longwei bellowed. Silence hung between them for a few seconds before he spoke again, this time in a softer, quieter voice. "I hate your brother and I hate you. I want both of you to feel my pain. I'll make you two a lesson for anyone who tries to mess with me and the Jade Circle. Got it? You have ten minutes to get to the car. Every minute more means one finger less. Now hurry up, little kitten," he teased. "The clock is ticking."

The line went dead, and Ying Yue's mind raced.

If she went there alone, it wasn't a guarantee that she could save her brother's life -- or her own. If she didn't, they'd automatically kill him.

The dark room matched the dimness of her emotions. It felt hopeless.

Think, Ying Yue. Think.

It was impossible for the Jade Circle to have broken in to the house. The security was topnotch here. The electrical power supply must have been cut from the outside, and either her phone was hacked, or they enabled a jamming device around the house.

Which meant that anything she left here wouldn't be known to them.