APCF – Chapter 131 Sudden Twist

The dark clouds thickened, swallowing the last traces of starlight. The night, dense as ink, pressed down like a suffocating weight. Through the haze, only a little girl’s tearful voice could be heard: “Daddy, it’s so dark here. I’m scared!”

“I’m here, Tingting. Don’t be afraid,” Nie Dawei gritted his teeth. “Tao Tao, you vicious bitch, let go of my daughter!”

“Oh? The child can hear you, and that’s how you choose to speak?” Tao Tao pursed her red lips and smiled lightly. “Tingting, your daddy’s being very naughty. Auntie still likes you, though.”

“But I don’t like you… sob sob… I want Daddy…”

Nie Dawei’s heart shattered at the sound of his daughter crying. Without thinking, he lunged forward to snatch her from Tao Tao’s grasp.

But just as he took a step, several thugs blocked his path. Through the human wall, Tao Tao twisted her elbow, pointing the tip of her blade at the little girl. “Nie Dawei, I advise you not to act rashly. I’m terribly timid—what if you scare me, and my hand slips and hurts her? That wouldn’t be good.”

By “her,” she meant Tingting. Nie Dawei froze in place, eyes bloodshot. Qi Xingchen and the others also dared not move.

Seeing that they were hesitating, Tao Tao let out a soft chuckle and dusted off her white dress. Red lips and black hair, she looked like a ghost out of a nightmare.

She raised her hand and pointed first at Nie Dawei. “You.” Then at Qi Xingchen. “Bring me his things. Do that, and I’ll let your daughter go.”

Nie Dawei stiffened but said nothing.

“Forming alliances already?” Tao Tao sneered. “Qi Xingchen, I have to admit—you really are good at manipulating people…”

She pressed the blade down toward Tingting’s neck. “Nie Dawei, think carefully. Do you want to help Qi Xingchen, or do you want your daughter back?”

Children have a natural sense of danger. Even if she didn’t understand what was happening, with a blade pressed to her carotid artery, Tingting cried louder and louder, sobbing, “Daddy, I’m scared! Daddy, I’m scared!”

Hearing her heart-wrenching cries, even those who weren’t her father felt deeply uncomfortable. Nie Dawei clenched his jaw, turned to Qi Xingchen, and said, “Brother, I’m sorry. I owe you for this one.”

Qi Xingchen shook his head, saying nothing, and pulled out a voice recorder and a mini camcorder.

He was just about to hand them to Nie Dawei when Bo Ye suddenly said, “Wait.”

“What are you waiting for?!” Nie Dawei was frantic. “Wait any longer and my daughter will be dead!”

“That’s not what I meant,” Bo Ye said in a low voice. “Tao Tao can’t be trusted.”

…That’s right. Everyone suddenly realized—knowing how ruthless Tao Tao was, what if they handed over the evidence, but still didn’t get the child back?

Qi Xingchen and Bo Ye exchanged a look, then turned to Tao Tao. “A one-sided trade is meaningless. I have no way of confirming you’ll actually release Tingting.”

Tao Tao frowned. “Then make a proposal.”

“You send someone, I’ll send someone. We’ll exchange in the middle—” Qi Xingchen pointed to the space between the two groups. “Right there.”

Tao Tao gave him a long look, seemingly trying to read his mind. After a moment, she nodded. “Fine. But don’t try anything clever.”

Qi Xingchen didn’t bother arguing. “Let’s both walk to the middle, then.”

Tao Tao gave a cold snort and handed Tingting over to a man in black beside her. Seeing the blade finally leave the girl’s throat, Qi Xingchen let out a breath and prepared to step forward with the recorder and DV in hand—

“Xingxing,” Bo Ye called out. “Let me go.”

Qi Xingchen hesitated. The men in black were clearly prepared, possibly armed. He was worried Bo Ye might get hurt.

But before he could object, Bo Ye had already taken the items and was walking toward the center. Qi Xingchen’s heart jumped into his throat, his gaze fixed tightly on Bo Ye’s back.

After about two minutes, both sides reached the designated spot. Tao Tao reminded the man in black, “Don’t forget to verify the goods.”

Even before he could pass on the message, Bo Ye had already turned on the recorder. Voices from their earlier conversation began to play.

Bo Ye then opened the DV camera—its memory card was still perfectly intact inside.

The man in black turned to Tao Tao and gave a confirming nod. Tao Tao parted her red lips and said calmly, “Alright. Let’s begin the exchange.”

With her signal, the man in black shoved Tingting forward. At the same moment, Bo Ye held out the voice recorder and DV with his left hand.

It was late at night, and the wind had grown stronger, whipping their clothes noisily. All eyes were fixed on the hands of the two figures in the center of the field—

Finally, their hands met in midair. Bo Ye used his free right hand to take Tingting’s hand, while the man in black reached with his own free hand to grab the recorder and DV.

“On the count of three, we both let go,” Bo Ye said. “Three, two…”

At “one,” Bo Ye kept his word and released first. The man in black, thinking the handoff had gone smoothly, also let go.

With the momentum, Bo Ye immediately pulled Tingting behind him. The man in black, pleased at retrieving the recorder, didn’t get a chance to celebrate—he suddenly found he couldn’t pull the DV loose.

…How was that possible?

Just as he hesitated for a split second, Bo Ye kicked his wrist hard. The man’s hand jolted in pain, the recorder flew out of his grasp, and the DV swung right back into Bo Ye’s hand.

As it turned out, when Bo Ye took the DV from Qi Xingchen, he’d silently looped its strap twice around his pinky. It was too dark to see clearly, and with Bo Ye deliberately curling his finger inward, everyone thought he was simply holding it in his hand.

Focused on the mission, the man in black bent down immediately to retrieve the recorder. Bo Ye seized those few seconds and pushed Tingting to run back with him.

Nie Dawei, worried sick about his daughter, rushed over to take her.

“Brother Ye, watch out behind you!”

At that moment, the man in black had just picked up the recorder and was reaching to grab the back of Bo Ye’s shirt. Thanks to Qi Xingchen’s warning, Bo Ye dodged left and avoided the grab.

But the man was professionally trained. Missing the first move, he immediately launched into the next. With a lunge, he dashed to Bo Ye’s side, clawed at his shoulder with his right hand, and reached for Tingting with his left!

It was a ruthless tactic—a forced choice. If Bo Ye dodged, the man could recapture Tingting.

Realizing the danger and with no time to think, Bo Ye stood his ground. He stuffed the DV into Tingting’s arms, then scooped her up and gently tossed her toward Nie Dawei—

Tingting, clutching the evidence, landed safely in Nie Dawei’s arms!!

But the price for saving the girl and the DV was a brutal claw to Bo Ye’s shoulder. From the joint down, a numbing pain spread rapidly through his arm.

His shoulder slumped involuntarily—he knew the arm was out of commission for now!

Seeing Bo Ye hit, the man in black pressed the advantage. He slid in close and swung both fists toward Bo Ye’s face. Meanwhile, more thugs charged in under Tao Tao’s orders.

Sensing the situation was deteriorating, Qi Xingchen shoved Nie Dawei out of the circle. “Protect Tingting and the DV—call the police now!”

Before he even finished speaking, he led Qi Jiaze and Allen in rushing to support Bo Ye.

As Qi Xingchen feared, the attackers were indeed armed. They themselves were bare-handed, while the thugs had steel pipes and daggers.

The moment both sides clashed, anyone could tell who held the upper hand—just by looking!

But they had no choice. They had to fight—at least long enough for the police to arrive.

Qi Xingchen grabbed a branch off the ground, Allen found a broken brick, and Qi Jiaze whipped off his belt and lashed it across a thug’s face. “Shit, I haven’t had a good fight in ages—tonight, I’m gonna beat the hell outta someone!”

To be fair, Qi Jiaze’s belt was devastating. With him clearing a path in front, Qi Xingchen and Allen flanked him on both sides. Fighting their way inward, the three of them soon rejoined Bo Ye!

Because his left arm was useless, Bo Ye had taken a few more hits by then—but the other guy’s face was also battered and bruised.

Qi Xingchen, furious and distressed, wrapped one arm around Bo Ye’s waist and, using his other leg, swung a backward hook at an impossible angle for a normal person.

The pursuing thug had never seen such a high, backward split-kick. He froze—only to feel his jaw practically crack open—

Qi Xingchen’s heel shot upward and struck his chin with precision!

A kick to the jaw like that was no joke—the thug saw stars. Qi Xingchen followed up with a punch that nearly knocked him out cold, then snatched the steel pipe from his hand and passed it to Bo Ye.

Now the four of them stood back-to-back, each facing a different direction.

This way, if anyone was in danger, someone nearby could immediately step in.

Of course, Tao Tao wasn’t stupid. While Qi Xingchen and the others fought, one man quietly circled toward Nie Dawei’s position.

After being pushed away, Nie Dawei ran while scanning the surroundings—he eventually spotted an abandoned trash bin on the roadside.

He placed Tingting, still clutching the DV, inside the trash bin. To keep her from being discovered, he told her to stay quiet, then hid himself by the wall nearby.

He crouched in the corner, trembling as he called the police. Just as he finished and looked up—

His entire body was suddenly enveloped in a towering shadow.

The man held a knife, swaying it lazily. “Where’s your daughter?”

Nie Dawei stammered, terrified. “I-I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?” The man sneered, the blade gleaming with a cold light. “Then I’ll find her myself.”

With that, he strode toward the trash bin.

Nie Dawei didn’t understand why the man didn’t care about the evidence and insisted on finding his daughter instead. As the man neared the bin, a surge of strength exploded in Nie Dawei’s body—stronger than anything he’d ever felt before. He lunged—

And clung tightly to the man’s calf!

The man staggered to a stop, annoyed. “Let go.”

Nie Dawei gritted his teeth. “No!”

The man frowned and bent down to punch him hard. “I said—let go.”

That punch was delivered with full force. Nie Dawei was dazed from the blow, but he still said, “Not letting go!”

“Still not letting go, huh?” The man completely lost his patience. He shoved the knife into his pocket, grabbed Nie Dawei’s hair with one hand to force his head up, and began punching his face with the other.

“I told you to let go! Huh? Let go or not?! Let go or not?!”

It only took a few punches for his brow bone and nasal bridge to crack. Nie Dawei’s vision went dark from the pain, and he was gasping for breath. His mouth was full of the metallic taste of blood, but he clenched his teeth tightly. “…Not letting go!”

“…F*ck,” the man cursed, scanned the surroundings, and picked up a rock from the ground—

Then smashed it down hard on Nie Dawei’s head!

He used full force this time. Nie Dawei clearly heard the sound of his skull fracturing.

A huge gush of blood spurted out. His vision turned completely red, and his body swayed, barely staying upright.

The man took the opportunity to kick him aside.

Freed from restraint, he continued toward the trash bin.

Nie Dawei lay on the ground, staring at the man’s gradually blurring figure. It was as if he’d lost the ability to think—or maybe it was some deeper concern pulling at him, forcing him to think.

—Where is that man going?

“Huff… huff…” He could barely breathe.

The man was heading toward the trash bin.

—What happens if he opens the bin?

“Huff… huff…”

If he opens it, he’ll find Tingting.

—And who is Tingting?

Tingting… Tingting… Nie Dawei’s mind suddenly cleared.

She was his flesh and blood, his beloved daughter, the one he loved most in this world.

He might be cowardly, but he would never allow anyone to harm even a single hair on Tingting’s head!!

“Tingting, Daddy’s coming…”

Nie Dawei muttered to himself. Digging his fingers into the ground, he crawled forward inch by inch using both his hands and feet.

Perhaps it was the filth of the trash bin that gave the man a moment’s hesitation, but Nie Dawei really did reach it before the man could lift the lid. Just as the man made up his mind and prepared to act—

He felt that familiar grip on his leg again.

“…F*ck your mother!”

Success had been within reach, only to be thwarted again. The man was enraged. He crouched down and began slamming his elbow into Nie Dawei’s face, chest, and ribs.

“I didn’t plan to kill you, but you just had to get in the way. Fine, I’ll let you die the worst way imaginable!”

In the dark, the sickening thuds of flesh being struck mingled with the crisp cracking of ribs breaking—it was chilling to hear. Nie Dawei clenched his teeth tightly and didn’t make a sound.

He didn’t want to scare his daughter.

After a while, the man grew tired from beating him. He grabbed Nie Dawei by the neck and said, “Die now or enjoy a bit more before dying, hmm?”

Nie Dawei choked, gurgling, blood foaming from his mouth and trickling down like a stream.

Bored with such a weak opponent, the man grew tired of playing. Still holding Nie Dawei by the throat, he slowly lifted him, enjoying the look of fear in his eyes.

But then he noticed—there was no fear.

Before he could figure out what was wrong, he suddenly felt a cold sensation at his throat—then heat.

Looking down, he saw a knife stuck in his neck. It looked familiar.

It was the same knife he had put in his pocket earlier.

With the last of his strength, Nie Dawei drove the knife in deeper. Then, without paying attention to the man’s falling body, he dragged himself to the filthy trash bin.

“Tingting, don’t be scared… Daddy’s here…”

Back on Qi Xingchen’s side, things weren’t quite as tragic as Nie Dawei’s, but they were not far off. The enemy outnumbered them two to one, and they were all trained fighters. After a long, exhausting fight, injuries aside, their stamina was a huge issue.

Qi Xingchen leaned on a stolen stick, bracing himself with both hands on his knees, gasping for breath. The other three weren’t much better off. Qi Jiaze wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. “Bro, why aren’t the cops here yet? Are we gonna die here?!”

To make things easier, Qi Xingchen and Bo Ye had planned all night and deliberately chose this deserted suburban area. It would be a miracle if the police showed up fast. Qi Xingchen shook his head. “I don’t know. If we don’t make it out tonight, I’ll owe you my life in the next.”

“Come on, what are you saying that for? If we die together, it’s not a loss!”

“Yeah,” Bo Ye grabbed Qi Xingchen’s hand. “If I get to rest forever by your side, I’ll have no regrets.”

Qi Xingchen felt his nose sting, but it wasn’t the time to get emotional. He scratched Bo Ye’s palm and forced himself to stand.

During the earlier fight, one of his legs had been hit by a steel pipe—it was no longer usable. He could only stand still and fight from one spot.

Thinking he was about to attack, two opponents facing him raised their weapons. Bo Ye immediately moved to cover Qi Xingchen with a defensive stance.

Qi Jiaze and Allen, having caught their breath, also stood up.

They had sweat pouring into their eyes. Qi Jiaze blinked, and suddenly noticed a figure not far to the left.

That person was trying to climb over the wall—skinny, sallow-faced, wearing a loose hospital gown that flapped in the wind as if it could blow away any second.

…Wasn’t that Tao Xuan?!

Qi Jiaze was shocked and angry.

What the hell was he doing here? Did he have any idea how dangerous this place was?

And the four of them were barely holding on themselves—there was no way they could spare anyone to protect him.

Was he here to get himself killed?!

Back when they first tied up Nie Dawei, in order to reassure Tao Xuan, Qi Jiaze had turned on location sharing with him.

Tao Xuan must’ve followed the shared location to get here.

Qi Jiaze was filled with regret.

But the person was already here, and regret was useless. Qi Jiaze kept glancing in that direction, ready to signal Tao Xuan to run at any moment.

The atmosphere grew increasingly tense. Another round of fighting was about to erupt. Just as someone raised a stick, Tao Tao suddenly spoke up: “Stop.”

All the thugs halted immediately.

Tao Tao walked through the crowd. Since she’d been standing by as a spectator the whole time, her pristine white dress wasn’t touched by a speck of dust, standing in stark contrast to the four others who had been rolling around in the dirt who knows how many times.

She stopped in front of Bo Ye first. “Even when injured, you don’t look the least bit disheveled. As expected of my man.”

Bo Ye frowned. “Don’t flatter yourself.”

“Flatter myself? You’re saying I’m flattering myself?”

Tao Tao seemed to find it unbelievable. She repeated it twice and raised her voice. “Do you know? If Qi Xingchen hadn’t meddled, you were supposed to be with me!”

As if she’d just heard the biggest joke in the world, Bo Ye sneered, “Even if Xingxing didn’t exist, I’d never fall for a vicious woman like you.”

“You—”

Her once-beautiful face twisted with rage. Tao Tao was furious and raised her hand as if to slap Bo Ye.

But she quickly put it down again.

She took a deep breath and moved in front of Qi Xingchen. “Look at how loyal he is to you. But what a pity… You think taking Bo Ye from me means you’ve won?”

Qi Xingchen frowned. “I’ve never thought of Bo Ye as some prize to be won, and I never saw myself as competing with you. Your so-called winning and losing—it’s all in your head.”

“Tsk tsk tsk,” Tao Tao clicked her tongue. “I really hate people like you the most. You say you don’t compete, but somehow, you always end up with all the good things. It makes people so envious… envious to the point they want to…”

She leaned in close to Qi Xingchen’s ear and slowly spat out three words: “Destroy you.”

Just a moment ago, Qi Xingchen hadn’t feared taking on four people alone, but now, those three words sent a chill down his spine. The fine hairs on his arm stood up, and a sense of dread rose in his chest.

Seeing the confused and alarmed look on his face, Tao Tao was very satisfied. She folded her arms and began pacing. “Do you know how I managed to follow you here?”

The four of them stayed silent. This was something they hadn’t figured out either.

“Then did you ever consider, whether it was instructing Director Li to flee or bribing Qi Corporation employees to cook the books, I always used others as intermediaries. So why did I make direct contact with Nie Dawei, leaving a trail for Xu Changlin to trace?”

Qi Xingchen froze.

That’s right. Neither he nor Bo Ye had ever considered—Tao Tao was so meticulous in everything she did. How could she have left behind the most crucial and easiest-to-trace clue?

Qi Xingchen forced the words out: “You did it on purpose?”

“Smart,” Tao Tao smiled.

Qi Xingchen: “You knew we’d go after Nie Dawei from the start, so you were monitoring his actions the whole time?”

“Wow,” Tao Tao’s smile deepened. “Now I really want to destroy you.”

Qi Xingchen’s eyelid twitched. He had thought Tao Tao’s takedown of the Qi Corporation was already brutal enough.

But who would have thought—this entire situation had been a carefully laid trap by Tao Tao from the very beginning.

But… what was the point of her trap?

Qi Xingchen asked, “Have you already figured out how to destroy me?”

“Of course. I planned everything long ago,” Tao Tao paused. “My people should have found Nie Dawei by now. When the little girl comes back, I’ll hold your hand and stab her in the chest. Then I’ll tie her father to a stone and throw him in the river. Tomorrow’s headline will read: ‘Third Young Master of Qi Corporation Kidnaps Migrant Workers, Murders Father and Daughter.’ Tell me—how do you think the public will see you?”

Qi Xingchen: “……”

So the video they recorded to extract a confession was all part of Tao Tao’s plan. With a few edits, everything they had said could become “evidence” of their murder of Nie Dawei.

Not to mention… they had actually committed kidnapping.

It had to be said, with memories from her past life, Tao Tao had far too many advantages over them.

The others couldn’t help but show disgust when they heard Tao Tao’s plan. It was hard to imagine someone so completely callous toward human life, so twisted in her thinking, could even exist.

Qi Jiaze was so furious that he couldn’t control his words. “Are you insane?! If you hate my brother, come at us! Why drag innocent lives into it?!”

“Yes, I am insane!”

Tao Tao laughed even more gleefully. “Qi Xingchen stole everything that was supposed to be mine. Killing him alone isn’t enough—I want to destroy him completely! I want him to bear the crime of murdering a six-year-old girl, and die drowned in public scorn and condemnation!”

“But what do you even gain from all this? You kill my brother, and he still won’t like you!”

The words “won’t like you” seemed to hit a nerve. Tao Tao’s face immediately darkened. “Who are you to lecture me? If it weren’t for the fact that you’ve been taking care of Tao Xuan, I would’ve killed you already!”

“You still have the nerve to bring up Tao Xuan?”

The mention of Tao Xuan only made Qi Jiaze angrier. “Since he was hospitalized, how many times have you visited him? Do you know that in the beginning, he couldn’t adjust and would call out your name in his sleep every night? Did you or any doctor ever show any concern for his condition? Have you fulfilled even a single day’s worth of your duty as a sister?”

At those words, Tao Tao was briefly stunned for a few seconds. But her expression quickly grew darker. She walked up to Qi Jiaze. “Since you’re so ungrateful and don’t cherish the life I spared—”

She pulled out a knife as she spoke. “—then I’ll just take it back!”

She raised the knife high. No one had expected her mood swings to have escalated to the point where she would actually attempt murder just like that.

The worst part was, Qi Jiaze was too close to her. Before he could react, the knife was already swinging down. He tried to block it, but just as he lifted his arm, one of the men nearby slammed a baton into his upper arm.

“Hiss—” Qi Jiaze gasped in pain and had to stumble backward. Two of the thugs rushed forward, grabbing him and twisting his arms behind his back.

After fighting for so long, his physical strength was nearly exhausted. Qi Jiaze couldn’t break free.

Seeing his brother in danger, Qi Xingchen didn’t hesitate. He jumped toward Tao Tao on one leg. Bo Ye and Allen rushed to Qi Jiaze, hoping to rescue him before Tao Tao could act.

But the knife fell too quickly—faster than anyone anticipated. So fast that Qi Jiaze didn’t even have time to wonder if he had any regrets.

The knife had already reached his chest.

Oh well, if I die, I die, Qi Jiaze thought with forced optimism. Hopefully, I’ll turn into a vengeful ghost right away—save my brother, my brother-in-law, and Allen, and make sure Tao Xuan gets safely back to the hospital…

Pfft— The sound of a knife sinking into flesh rang out.

But Qi Jiaze felt no pain.

Was dying really this easy? He opened his eyes in confusion—

And saw a thin figure in a hospital gown, standing in front of him.

Tao Xuan had arrived, so suddenly that the whole place fell into an eerie silence.

About thirty seconds later, Qi Jiaze’s trembling voice broke through the stillness. “Blood—so much blood!”

He sank to the ground with Tao Xuan in his arms, pressing both hands against the stab wound. “It won’t stop! What do I do—there’s so much… Bro, go get gauze! And antiseptic, hurry!”

“You… you idiot,” Tao Xuan weakly shook his head. “This is the outskirts. Where would you find gauze?”

“But—But without gauze, what about your wound? I can’t stop the bleeding!”

“It’s okay, it’s okay, don’t cry,” Tao Xuan coughed twice. “Give me a moment, I want to say something.”

Qi Jiaze immediately clamped his mouth shut, but tears still streamed uncontrollably down his face. Tao Xuan reached up to wipe them away, but found there were too many. He gave up and pulled out his phone instead.

“Sister.”

He called out to the stunned Tao Tao. “Everything you just said—I recorded it and sent it to the police. They’re not far behind me. They’ll be here any minute. Stop now. I hope… I’ll be the last person you ever kill.”

Then he reached for Qi Xingchen’s hand. “Brother Xingxing, I actually knew all along that you were the one who asked Jiaze to take care of me and help me with school. Thank you. I’m really grateful that I had you as a big brother in this life.”

Maybe it was the strain of saying so much all at once, but Tao Xuan had to catch his breath before turning to Qi Jiaze. “…Why are you still crying? Didn’t you say real men don’t cry? Don’t cry. Just listen.”

“Jiaze, I’ve lived 17 years, and the happiest days of my life were the ones I spent with you. I always wonder how I got so lucky to meet you.”

“I also want to say sorry—I promised I’d take the college entrance exam with you. But now… it looks like I’ll have to break that promise. Still, even without me, you have to take the exam seriously, okay? I’ll be watching you from the sky.”

“…Mm… mmm…” Qi Jiaze sobbed uncontrollably.

“That’s more like it… Look.”

Tao Xuan slowly lifted his phone. On the screen was the location-sharing interface between the two of them. “Look—our two little arrows are overlapped, which means we’ll always be together. Jiaze, don’t miss me. And don’t forget me.”

“We’ll always be together…”

The hand holding the phone slid limply to the ground.

Tao Xuan remained forever on June 3rd—

That early summer day when he never got the chance to have his surgery, never got the chance to take the college entrance exam with Qi Jiaze.

_{wuwuwuwu Tao Xuan, why? I hate Tao Tao. She’s really insane.}