Rescue

The little girl lay quietly on a straw mat in the room. Her pink dress was already filthy.

Ye Yuan walked over and gently patted the girl a few times.

After calling to her several times, the girl finally woke up groggily.

When she woke up and saw the unfamiliar person before her,

she burst into tears with a wail. But then she seemed to remember something. As she backed toward the corner, she said plaintively,

"Uncle, don't make Xinxin take any more medicine. Xinxin won't cry."

As she spoke, she covered her mouth with both little hands in distress.

Seeing the girl like this, Ye Yuan could not help thinking of his own niece.

He walked over, picked her up, and said to her,

"Uncle isn't a bad person. The bad people who gave you medicine have already been tied up by Uncle. Do you want to go see them?"

The girl trembled continuously in Ye Yuan's arms. Only after hearing that he had tied up the bad people did she relax a little.

Still holding the girl, Ye Yuan went to where he had tied up the two kidnappers.

When the girl saw them, she was so frightened that she wrapped her arms tightly around Ye Yuan's neck. Her little body strained backward as she dared not look at the two men.

Ye Yuan had stuffed cloth into the two men's mouths to keep them from shouting. In the middle of the night, on a deserted island, the ghostly howls of two men would have been unbearably annoying.

Ye Yuan carried the girl to the speedboat by the shore. He had originally wanted the little girl to sit down so he could drive the speedboat and take her away.

Since Ye Yuan had gone out to swim in the sea, he had not brought his phone. He could only take the child back to Fishing Bay Island first.

No matter what Ye Yuan said, the girl refused to get down. She only clung tightly to his neck.

With no other choice, Ye Yuan held the girl with one arm and steered the speedboat with the other.

As the speedboat pulled away from shore, Little Shark surfaced beside them. The little girl was not as afraid of the shark as Ye Yuan had expected. Instead, she stared wide-eyed at the big fish she had never seen before.

Ye Yuan patted Little Shark on the head, told it to go play by itself, then drove the speedboat back to Fishing Bay Island.

Along the way, the girl gradually became less frightened. From her, Ye Yuan eventually learned an unexpected piece of news.

The girl was actually Su Mei's daughter. Linking that with Zhang Gui's situation, the key to it all became easy to understand.

Su Mei must have demanded that Zhang Gui pay compensation for breaching the contract. Zhang Gui had held a grudge and then kidnapped her daughter to retaliate.

After returning to the island, Ye Yuan had his mother help the little girl take a bath.

She changed into one of Niuniu's outfits. Niuniu was delighted to see a child her own age.

Niuniu usually had few friends. Seeing a little friend at home, she brought out all the toys her uncle had given her. She also pulled Nian Xin over to see the red "Golden Dragon," then they rode Big Yellow together.

Su Nianxin rarely came into contact with animals at home. Seeing so many cute and obedient animals here, she quickly forgot about the kidnapping and began playing with Niuniu.

The moment Ye Yuan returned home, he called Su Mei. He was certain that Su Mei must be frantic with worry.

At the Su residence.

Su Mei and Su Weiguo sat in the living room. Mother Su had already gone to sleep.

The father and daughter had agreed not to tell Mother Su about this for the time being.

Su Mei had just received a call from someone claiming that Su Nianxin was in their hands. The caller used a voice changer, making it impossible to tell whether they were male or female.

They told Su Mei to prepare five million before noon tomorrow, then hung up immediately.

"Xiao Mei, don't worry. My colleagues and students are all helping us look for clues. I heard the police already have a lead. The van was last seen at Blue Island Pier."

Su Weiguo told Su Mei the information he had received.

Ever since receiving that call, Su Mei had not said a word. She remained in a dazed state, clutching her phone tightly in her hand.

At that moment, the phone in her hand rang again.

Without even looking at it, Su Mei answered.

"Money isn't a problem. I need to hear my daughter's voice first. I need to make sure she's safe. I'll give you every cent."

Su Mei was much calmer now.

"Sister Su, it's me, Ye Yuan."

Ye Yuan's voice came through the phone.

"Xiao Yuan, something happened at my home. Can we talk again in a few days?"

Su Mei had no mood to take anyone's call right now. After saying that, she was about to hang up.

Ye Yuan hurriedly said,

"Sister Su, is Su Nianxin your daughter?"

Su Mei's finger, already on the hang-up button, suddenly froze. "How do you know Nian Xin? Have you seen her? Where did you see her?"

Su Mei fired off several questions in a row. Ye Yuan could understand how she felt, so he did not explain. He simply said directly, "The little girl is at my house right now. She's fine. She's doing well..."

Before Ye Yuan could finish, the busy tone from the phone left him feeling awkward.

"What's going on?" Ye Yuan was still confused when the phone rang again.

"Ye Yuan, don't go anywhere. I'm coming over right now. Wait for me." Su Mei hung up immediately after saying that.

After calling Su Mei, Ye Yuan called the police station as well. There were still two kidnappers on that island, after all.

Though they were not good people, Ye Yuan did not want them to simply die on the island.

He was not worried about them escaping. Even if they managed to untie the ropes around them, it was an island in the sea. Without a boat, where could they possibly run?

After receiving Ye Yuan's report, the police station immediately began taking action.

After making the calls and coming outside, Ye Yuan saw the little girl wolfing down the food Mother Ye had made at the dining table.

From the time she had been kidnapped that afternoon until now, the little girl had not eaten anything. She had also cried for a long time and was already starving.

As she ate, she kept saying Mother Ye's cooking was delicious, making Mother Ye beam from ear to ear.

After dinner, it was already very late. The little girl cried and wanted to go home, so Ye Yuan told her that her mother was already on the way.

Only then did the little girl calm down. Niuniu kept her company as they watched cartoons.

Before long, both little girls had fallen asleep on the sofa. Ye Yuan carried them both back to the room, one in each arm.

Sitting in the villa courtyard, Ye Yuan had Big Yellow crouched beside him, occasionally licking his fingers. Little Gold landed on the back of his chair and preened its feathers.

Su Mei soon arrived at Ye Yuan's villa. An elderly man had come with her, and Ye Yuan was startled when he saw him.

Su Weiguo, a marine biology expert. Back in college, Ye Yuan had stood in a tiered classroom for a full two hours just to attend one of his public lectures.

Su Weiguo was a heavyweight in the domestic marine biology field. Wanting to attend his public lecture, Ye Yuan had arrived early to save a seat. But later, students who could not find seats began bidding to buy them.

Back then, Ye Yuan had not passed up the chance to make money. He sold his seat to a fellow student for two hundred yuan.

Thinking of Su Mei's and Su Weiguo's names, Ye Yuan vaguely formed a guess.

The moment Su Mei entered the villa, she looked around everywhere. Knowing she was looking for her daughter, Ye Yuan explained,

"The little girl had a tiring day and was already sleepy. She's asleep in the room."

Su Mei was still worried, so Ye Yuan had no choice but to take the father and daughter to the room. Seeing the little girl sleeping soundly, they did not wake her.

The group returned to the living room. Ye Yuan had his mother prepare some food for Su Mei and Su Weiguo as well. Neither of them had eaten all evening, so they sat at the dining table and began talking.