Chapter 15

Chapter 15

At 9:30 in the morning, Qi Mo drove straight out of the city.

His destination was Yuncheng.

The distance between Jiangcheng and Yuncheng wasn’t exactly far, but it wasn’t a short trip either—just over 300 kilometers, a three-hour drive, tops.

As Qi Mo’s car left the city, Qi Huai received the news: “He’s out of the city.”

“Right, Master Qi. Should we intercept him at that spot?” the tail asked over the phone.

Qi Huai responded, “Did Qi Mo take the highway?”

“No, he’s on the national road,” the tracker reported.

Qi Huai immediately ordered, “At Liangjie Mountain—that stretch of the national road is pretty desolate. Pin his car in.”

Unaware of this, Qi Mo hummed cheerfully, clearly in high spirits.

In the backseat, the baby noisily sucked on a pacifier, being good.

As long as nothing went wrong, he’d definitely reach Yuncheng in three hours. Huo Family Village was in Taohua Town, part of Yuncheng—a fifteen-minute drive or an hour on foot from the foot of the mountain to the village at the base of the hill.

Huo Family Village had only one road in and out, and the villagers were close-knit. As the spouse recorded in the Huo family registry, he was officially a member of the Huo family.

The car slowly left the bustling urban area and entered the rural stretch of the highway.

Houses, farmland…

A peaceful scene.

As the car advanced, signs of life grew fewer, and it entered the border area between cities.

Traffic on the highway began to thin.

Thick forests flanked both sides of the road, with mountain ranges rising in the distance.

A car pulled up beside Qi Mo, and soon another approached from behind. Frowning, Qi Mo thought, *What’s wrong with these people? The road’s wide enough—why crowd my car?*

Just then, the car beside him suddenly accelerated and swerved across his path…

Startled, Qi Mo yanked the steering wheel, veering onto a side road and just barely avoiding a crash.

Before he could steady the car, the vehicle that had cut in behind him spilled out several burly, tattooed thugs brandishing bats.

One of them tapped the window with his baton.

“The boss wants to talk to you,” the tattooed thug said.

Now Qi Mo understood—these men were setting him up. No wonder that driver had been swerving all over the place—they’d been targeting him all along.

*Who sent them?*

Cracking the door open just a bit, he asked, “Who’s your boss?”

“Is it Third Master Bai? If you won’t say, I’m not getting out. Go ahead, try and smash my window. Let’s see if you break it first or if I have the cops on you first,” Qi Mo retorted.

He wasn’t scared. Besides, today he wasn’t in his usual ride.

Even if that were the case, the windows of that car had been upgraded to bulletproof.

And the SUV he was driving now was fully blast- and bulletproof, costing tens of millions, made from some kind of new aerospace-grade steel—aviation-specific, extremely sturdy.

No way you’re breaking in by force.

The tattooed guy scowled at that. The person inside the car was acting real cocky, which meant he had the means and the confidence. Bai San Ye? That was the big boss of Jiangcheng.

Nobody messed with anyone connected to Third Master Bai. But the job still had to be done—just gotta play it smooth.

"You’re askin’ for it. Don’t blame me if the kid freaks out," the tattooed thug warned before swinging his wooden club hard into the windshield.

A heavy thunk rang out—the club bounced right off without even cracking the glass, showing just how much force he’d used.

Seeing the windshield completely intact, the tattooed thug backed down.

Yeah, this guy was bad news.

He cleared his throat.

"You’ll meet our boss soon enough. Relax, it’s just a talk. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have come with just a damn stick," the tattooed thug explained.

No delivery, no payday.

As for actual crimes—best avoided if possible. This ain't a crime—just an invite.

Qi Mo also wanted to see who was trying to kidnap him. A talk? What the hell did they want? Was it Qi Huai?

Probably. Even if Chen Feng had gotten screwed over, the apocalypse hadn’t hit yet. His project was only facing minor setbacks—not a big deal. Nowhere near "ruin your life" revenge territory.

Qi Mo wasn’t scared. He was packing a knife and a gun—no reason to sweat.

"Lead the way," he said.

The tattooed thug got back in his car and drove ahead.

They drove farther and farther, eventually stopping at a rundown old factory.

Qi Mo stepped out, slung the baby carrier onto his back, settled the child inside, and gave the kid’s head a soft pat.

"Where now? Lead the way," Qi Mo called out to the tattooed thug three meters away.

Behind the thug were several others, but he kept them under control, not letting any of his guys get close to Qi Mo.

"The hell kinda guy are you? You don’t look like a pushover," the tattooed thug asked as he walked beside Qi Mo.

Qi Mo turned his head toward the thug two meters away and smirked. "You don’t even know me, yet you try to grab me? Real ballsy. My husband finds out, jail time’s the least of your problems—your whole family’s screwed."

"What do you mean, my whole family… You—you’re… I remember now! You’re that Qi something, the one who got hit with acid!" one of the thugs blurted out, jumping back in shock.

In an instant, the group of thugs scrambled backward.

The wife of Jiangcheng’s richest man, Huo Liangzhou? Who'd dare kidnap her? That’s suicide.

That man doesn’t need to break a single law to destroy someone completely.

Money talks—and it screams.

Didn’t they see how the top sister’s family ended up on their knees begging for mercy?

The result was just one sentence from President Huo: "Ask your daughter why she’s targeting my nine-month-old baby who can’t even talk yet..."

Many who’d been criticizing Huo Liangzhou shut up—who doesn’t have a kid of their own?

How dare someone so evil they’d go after a baby who can’t even talk beg for forgiveness?

If someone threw sulfuric acid at your baby, wouldn’t you want to rip their whole family to shreds?

If you could forgive that, you’re not human—you’re a saint.

Don’t judge someone’s pain unless you’ve been through it.

Don’t expect others to do what you wouldn’t.

If you can’t handle the heat, don’t start shit.

Now, the entire family of the “top sister” despises her. Her sister-in-law couldn’t care less that she’s in the ICU—she’s already going scorched-earth on her.

The internet’s eating up this family’s dirty laundry—people can’t get enough of the mess.

At this moment, the thugs exchanged glances. Maybe they ought to watch out for Huo’s wife after all.

Inside the abandoned factory, Qi Huai sat on a chair that’d just been brought in.

A table stood in front of him, a teapot and two cups set on top.

Watching Qi Mo enter through the door, Qi Huai lifted his cup and said, “Bet you didn’t see this tea invite coming.”

“You skip the apology and go straight to kidnapping? Qi Huai, I just want to know—what did I ever do to you? Why treat me like this?”

These were the words he’d wanted to say in his past life.

As for this lifetime, one slap was all it took to make Qi Huai hate him forever.

But hate doesn’t just appear—it builds up.

Growing up, Qi Mo had always preferred quiet. He rarely went out to play. Only Chen Feng and Qi Huai had been close enough to seek him out.

Besides, while his parents were alive, they’d supported his uncle’s family. Every toy or outfit he got, Qi Huai got one too.

Hearing Qi Mo’s accusation, Qi Huai froze, then burst into laughter. “You’re seriously asking why I hate you?”

“I worked so hard, but you barely studied and still beat me. The company was mine—my dad built it—but when it crashed, yours saved it overnight. I gave everything for Huo Liangzhou, and you stole him just by spreading your legs! Why? Why?!” Qi Huai screamed hysterically, hurling the teapot at Qi Mo.

Too stunned to react, Qi Mo almost missed the teapot flying at him. He sidestepped. It shattered on the ground, tea splashing everywhere.

“That’s just sad,” Qi Mo shot back mockingly. “Oops, guess I’m just smarter. My bad your dad wasn’t as good as mine. And my bad Huo Liangzhou picked me—but hey, blame your own dumbassery!”

He’d braced for some epic grudge, and it’s… this?

All this because I’m better? What kind of loser logic is that?

Qi Mo couldn’t wrap his head around it.

But who cared? All he needed to know was Qi Huai wanted him dead.

Upon hearing Qi Mo’s scathing remarks, Qi Huai barked, “Beat him—knock him out and grab the kid!”

Qi Huai had already made his decision. Since Huo Liangzhou didn’t love him, and Qi Mo had practically walked right into his hands, he could take Qi Mo’s place. They were nearly the same height, and while Qi Huai was a bit stockier, it wouldn’t matter. With some training in knife skills, he could make it work.

He knew Qi Mo well enough not to get caught. Add a layer of subconscious hypnosis, and he could become Qi Mo—steal his life entirely.

Then, let Qi Mo live as him, enduring Huo Liangzhou’s loathing.

There was no better plan.

“Now—knock him out and grab the kid!” Qi Huai snapped again.

At his command, two goons flanking Qi Huai lunged forward.

But just as they charged, the tattooed henchman behind Qi Mo spoke up. “Young Master Qi, we agreed to bring him here for a talk—not to start a beating or kidnapping. Stop them.”

Immediately, Qi Huai’s men held their own in the fight.

The tattooed man’s side had numbers on their side—four against two—but the battle quickly became a stalemate.

Seeing his bodyguards blocked, Qi Huai was livid at his own men’s betrayal and stormed toward Qi Mo himself.

Qi Mo had been killed by Qi Huai in his past life. Now, with the citywide blackout drawing near, he wasn’t afraid. After all, Huo Liangzhou’s private legal team was not to be trifled with.

As Qi Huai came barreling in, Qi Mo sidestepped and stuck out his foot. Qi Huai tripped and crashed face-first, shattering two front teeth.

Qi Mo dug his heel into Qi Huai’s back.

“You’re pathetic. You can’t beat me at anything—even in a fight, you’re a loser. Want to kill me? Want my baby? Keep dreaming.” With that, Qi Mo kicked him hard.

Qi Huai felt like his stomach had caved in. Clutching his waist, he struggled to his feet.

In one swift motion, Qi Mo whipped out a blade and drove it into Qi Huai’s shoulder. He twisted, shredding the tendons between his shoulder and arm.

Aaaaah—A blood-curdling shriek tore through the air.

The piercing scream startled Baby Yan, who had been watching from his father’s arms with innocent delight. Now, he broke into terrified sobs.

Hearing his child cry, Qi Mo shot a final glare at Qi Huai—now writhing and clutching his limp arm—and turned to leave.

Both sides froze mid-fight.

Qi Mo had actually drawn blood.

“Call the police! Call them now!” Qi Huai screeched.

Qi Mo slid into his car and drove off.

Perfect timing. Not even midnight yet.

Still two hours until 1:30 a.m.

Damn it.

Why did things have to go wrong? Qi Huai was truly disgusting.

Originally, Qi Mo had planned to kill him—but that would’ve been too merciful. Instead, he’d spare his life but cripple his arm. We’ll see how tough he acts in the apocalypse without it.

The car's speed instantly surged to 150 mph. Instead of heading for the national highway, Qi Mo turned toward the foot of the mountain.

He needed to avoid surveillance. If he could last two hours, he'd be safe.

Otherwise, before doomsday even hits, he might end up in prison—that would be a problem.

He also didn’t want to be caught and dragged back by Huo Liangzhou.

Why did Qi Huai say today that Huo Liangzhou likes me? That’s impossible.

It wasn’t like he hadn’t confessed before, but remembering the humiliation from that time, Qi Mo wished he could punch his past self in the face.

This was something Qi Mo had never told anyone.

Huo Liangzhou must only be after the baby.

Thinking of the twins in his belly, that bastard Huo must only be nice to him because he wants to take them from him again.

Otherwise, why had he never acted this way before? It wasn’t until he got pregnant that—

He rubbed his belly, then turned the car onto a narrow path again... At the triangular intersection, Qi Mo ditched the car and bolted into the woods ahead.