At this moment, Ye Yongsheng was boarding the ship. His bodyguards had already brought Zhao Yanan aboard before him. Probably to prevent her from causing trouble, they were now tying her hands and feet with ropes.
Seeing his wife unharmed, Chu Yuxuan was overwhelmed with relief. He pulled out his gun, chambered a round with a "click-click," and, using the cover of a grove near the shore, quietly made his way forward while formulating a rescue plan.
There were over ten bodyguards, each with a gun at their waist. If it was just about dealing with them, Chu Yuxuan was confident in his ability to handle the situation. But with Zhao Yanan in their hands, there was no perfect solution that he could implement alone.
He glanced at his phone, checking the positions of his brothers. Lao San and Xiao Qing were the closest, but they were at least ten minutes away. It seemed like he'd have to rely on himself. Once the ship set sail, the situation would become even more unpredictable.
Just then, a bodyguard stood up from the tall grass nearby, his face pale. It looked like he had been relieving himself. After pulling up his pants and getting ready to fasten his belt, he suddenly noticed Chu Yuxuan hiding behind a large tree.
At the same time, Chu Yuxuan caught sight of him from the corner of his eye and instinctively raised his gun. However, since he hadn't brought a silencer, he didn't want to alarm the others. He put a finger to his lips, signaling the guard to stay quiet, but the bodyguard, in shock, shouted, "Chu Yuxuan?!"
As he shouted, he bent down to reach for his gun. Chu Yuxuan, irritated, closed his eyes briefly before pulling the trigger without hesitation.
Bang!
On the ship, Ye Yongsheng had just heard what sounded like someone shouting "Chu Yuxuan," and was already shocked. Then, upon hearing the gunshot, he quickly drew his gun and hid behind Zhao Yanan. He ordered the bodyguards, "Go check it out!"
He had been cautious the whole way. How had Chu Yuxuan found him so quickly?!
Zhao Yanan, her mouth sealed with tape, her face ashen, suddenly widened her eyes, staring blankly at the grove by the shore, her eyelids trembling uncontrollably.
Was it Chu Yuxuan? She was excited at first, but soon worry crept in. She was in Ye Yongsheng's hands, and no matter how many people Chu Yuxuan brought, he would only be at a disadvantage.
Ye Yongsheng noticed the change in her expression and was puzzled for a moment. Then, he couldn't help but feel a surge of joy.
He had always thought Chu Yuxuan was just a spoiled playboy, and knowing that Chu Yuxuan and Zhao Yanan had a fake marriage, he hadn't considered using her to threaten Chu Zhijun and his son. But now it seemed like the relationship between Chu Yuxuan and Zhao Yanan wasn't as shallow as he thought!
As he was thinking, a bodyguard shouted, "It's Chu Yuxuan! He's here alone!"
Hearing this, Ye Yongsheng became even more certain of his earlier thoughts and laughed heartily. "Fate! This is fate! Son, did you lead him here? Hahaha... Chu Yuxuan, are you here to save your wife? Hahaha... I'll count to three. If you don't want her to die, you'd better come out and face me!"
Chu Yuxuan clenched his teeth, scanning the surroundings and assessing the terrain. At the same time, he removed the magazine from his gun, pulled out all the bullets, and began dismantling the bullets, twisting them to loosen the heads so they could be removed by hand. He carefully tucked them into his shoes.
Ye Yongsheng was betting that Chu Yuxuan would come out. After all, someone who dared to risk his life alone was clearly deeply concerned about Zhao Yanan.
Meanwhile, upon hearing that Chu Yuxuan had come alone, Zhao Yanan became increasingly anxious. She desperately pushed at the tape on her mouth with her tongue, trying to tear it off to warn Chu Yuxuan not to do anything foolish. Otherwise, he would only be throwing his life away!
But the tape was stuck firmly. No matter how much she struggled, it was in vain. She could only scream silently in her heart: "Leave! Don't be so foolish!"
"Three!"
Ye Yongsheng shouted the final number. At the same time, Chu Yuxuan had already tucked five tampered bullets into the heels of his shoes. He quickly sent a text message to Lao Wu with just three letters: "E, S, A." Then, he discarded his phone and gun, raised his hands, and walked out of the woods. The bodyguards swarmed him immediately and restrained him.
Seeing that his gamble had paid off, Ye Yongsheng laughed even more wildly. "Bring him up here! Hahaha..."
Zhao Yanan's face was filled with despair. Watching Chu Yuxuan being brought onto the ship, her eyes were filled with guilt and reproach as large tears streamed down her face.
Chu Yuxuan said nothing, only giving her a faint smile and shaking his head.
Ye Yongsheng kicked Chu Yuxuan hard in the chest, sending him to the ground. He laughed maniacally and grabbed a baseball bat from one of the bodyguards, swinging it viciously at Chu Yuxuan.
Zhao Yanan, her face streaked with tears, tightly closed her eyes, unable to bear watching any longer.
Chu Yuxuan gritted his teeth, remaining silent, his feet tucked tightly under him. The bodyguards stood alert, guarding the area in case Chu Yuxuan had brought anyone with him. One bodyguard pressed a gun to Zhao Yanan's head, ensuring that Chu Yuxuan wouldn't try anything.
Ye Yongsheng, after venting his anger, rested the bat on Chu Yuxuan's bloodied face and mocked, "Boy, how did you find me, huh? Quite capable, coming here all alone. You're really worried about your wife, aren't you?"
Chu Yuxuan pursed his lips, glaring fiercely at him.
"Ha... It doesn't matter how you found me. Even if your father Chu Zhijun comes here now, I'm not afraid! Hahaha!" Ye Yongsheng continued, "I underestimated you before. You can use a gun, and you found this place, but I still don't see you as a threat. You fell right into my hands for a woman! You say you're clever... But you just handed me a passport straight to safety, didn't you? Haha..."
The bodyguards burst into laughter as well.
Chu Yuxuan spat on the ground, feigning anger, and cursed a few choice words. "Using a woman to threaten me, what kind of man are you?"
Though he cursed, Chu Yuxuan felt a small sense of relief—Ye Yongsheng was betting that he wouldn't harm him because of Zhao Yanan, and in turn, Chu Yuxuan was betting that Ye Yongsheng wouldn't kill him right away, as he'd need him as insurance to safely reach the open sea.
It seemed that both of them had gambled correctly.
Ye Yongsheng swung the bat a few more times before sneering, "Young Master Chu, there's no real blood feud between us. You beat Tianyi, and now I've hit you back—consider it even. But your father owes me far too much. I can't get to him right now, so you'll just have to repay some of that debt on his behalf."
He waved for the bodyguards to search Chu Yuxuan. They threw everything they found into the sea, leaving no small item, not even a lighter or a key, unchecked. Fortunately, they didn't touch his shoes. They tied Chu Yuxuan's hands and feet and kicked him towards the railing at the back of the ship.
Ye Yongsheng ordered, "Don't get too eager just yet. Once we're safely at sea and meet our contact, you can take your time playing with him before dumping him into the ocean to feed the fish! Hahaha... Let's set sail!"
Zhao Yanan, her eyes filled with tears, looked at Chu Yuxuan, who had been beaten to a pulp because of her. The pain in her heart was unbearable.