At 11:50 PM, the flight from Seoul to Jiangcheng landed on time. Twenty minutes later, Old Fourth, with a poker face, arrived at the airport parking lot with Li Ping, who looked ashen. Old Third had been waiting for a while.
After a brief exchange between the two brothers, they drove to the South Bay Pier.
South Bay was a small, remote port that had been abandoned for over twenty years. It usually only accommodated a few private fishing boats and was quite desolate. However, occasionally, at night, smugglers, human traffickers, and other criminals would visit.
Chu Yuxuan sat on a dilapidated fishing boat, smoking a cigarette with the tip glowing intermittently, creating a somewhat desolate atmosphere. As the minutes passed, and it neared 1 AM, a large SUV arrived and stopped by the seaside.
Old Fourth got out first, went around to the other side, opened the car door, and dragged Li Ping out by her hair, walking slowly toward the fishing boat. Old Third followed behind, muttering, "It's been years since your wedding, and you still look like a soulless ghost..."
Once on the boat, Old Fourth let go of Li Ping and stared at Chu Yuxuan without any expression, simply nodding and addressing him as "Big Brother." Chu Yuxuan lightly patted his chest and said, "We'll discuss your issues later. Old Third, turn on the lights."
Old Third, familiar with the boat, easily found his way to the cabin and turned on the lights.
Li Ping, who had just been thrown onto the deck by Old Fourth, didn't get up. She lay there, staring up at Chu Yuxuan with eyes filled with despair and fear.
Old Fourth said, "I was afraid she might cause trouble, so I gave her a shot. She should be able to talk now."
Chu Yuxuan sat back on a bench, coldly staring at Li Ping. After a moment of silence, he asked, "Don't you have anything to say to me? Chen Hong!"
At the mention of "Chen Hong," Old Third stood frozen in place!
At this point, Chen Hong, who had been disguised as a woman, revealed his true identity with a pitiful smile. Perhaps the drug administered by Old Fourth still had some effect, his speech was weak and slurred, "Chu Yuxuan, how did you know I wasn't dead yet?"
Chu Yuxuan blinked indifferently, "The night my mother had the accident, I was also kidnapped. When I woke up, I was on a boat. I was held there for a month, and every day I heard them looking for you… They couldn't find you after a month, so I concluded that you must have been hiding in a very secure place."
"Ha... You really went to great lengths to find me!"
Chu Yuxuan took out a cigarette, placing it in the corner of his mouth, "So, tell me, what happened on the night of June 17th, ten years ago?"
Chen Hong closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "Fine, I accept my fate! Chu Yuxuan, I know that your concern for my brother and sister is all fake. The Chu family is full of cold-blooded animals… I can tell you what happened back then, but you have to promise me that you'll let Ting go!"
Chu Yuxuan nodded, "I'm not so shameless as to harm an innocent woman. Besides, I owe Chen Qiang, so I wouldn't harm Chen Ting. On the contrary, I will make amends for her."
Chen Hong looked skeptical, "You… you promise?"
Chu Yuxuan said, "Speak!"
Chen Hong remained silent for a while. Then he braced himself with his hands on the deck, sat up straight, took a few breaths, and recalled, "That night, your mother worked late. I was driving her home. Passing by South Bay Pier… here, we were suddenly forced to stop by a car. At the same time, another car hit ours, overturning it. I was dizzy and saw four or five people surround us, then they dragged me and your mother out of the car...
"I was held at gunpoint, crouching on the ground with my head covered. Your mother was taken onto a yacht… At that distance, I couldn't hear clearly, but I vaguely heard a man on the yacht talking about a deal, saying that if your mother handed over the stuff, he would give a lot of money.
"What did the man look like?" Chu Yuxuan asked with a frown. "What was he looking for?"
Chen Hong shook his head, "It was too dark to see clearly, but from the voice, he should have been a man in his forties or fifties. As for what he wanted, I don't know…"
Chu Yuxuan pondered, "Go on, what happened next?"
Even though many years had passed, Chen Hong still felt a lingering fear, "Your mother refused the deal, and the man signaled to the Audi that had forced us to stop. Then, a thug opened the trunk and took out a large suitcase filled with U.S. dollars and some gold bars!
"But your mother was unmoved and shouted at the man. They started beating her… for three or four minutes until she couldn't stand. Then the man ordered his subordinates to kill me and said he wanted to kidnap you as well…"
Chu Yuxuan clenched his fists involuntarily, his eyes glistening with tears, "How did you escape?"
Chen Hong swallowed hard, "I was held at gunpoint and terrified, but I thought, since I'm going to die anyway, I might as well fight back! Just as the man was about to shoot me, I suddenly tackled him to the ground, grabbed the gun, and fired wildly at the surrounding thugs. Taking advantage of their panic, I jumped into the Audi and drove away… Although I'm not particularly skilled, driving is my hobby and profession. I soon lost them and found a safe place."
Chu Yuxuan's tone was cold, "I'm curious, if you escaped, why didn't you report it? Why did you go into hiding?"
Chen Hong bit his lip, "I considered reporting it! But… I discovered that the Audi I drove away had a suitcase in the back seat, filled with money! Four hundred thousand dollars!"
"So, you ran away with the money?" Chu Yuxuan said angrily.
"Heh…" Chen Hong forced a bitter smile, "You, a rich young master, don't care about money. But as a driver with a monthly salary of five thousand, I'd never earn that much in my lifetime! I... I was tempted by the money, thinking it was heaven's favor, giving me not only a chance to survive but also to get rich!
"Do you dare to touch such money?" Chu Yuxuan gritted his teeth, "You have some guts! …What happened next? Where did you take the money?"
Chen Hong seemed dazed, "At first, I wanted to go to Korea. Since I had the money, I planned to get plastic surgery and change my identity, spend money lavishly… But at that time, I could only contact a black boat to Thailand, so I decided to go there first and then transfer to Korea."
"But then… maybe it was heaven's punishment, I was targeted by some Thais. They drugged me, stole my money, and… turned me into a ladyboy to continue making money for them! It wasn't until the year before last, when they were surrounded and caught by Thai police, that I regained my freedom!"