Chapter 565: Chapter 565: Teasing
"Stop with this nonsense, don’t play such dangerous games next time, alright? They didn’t bully you, did they?" Xu Ke held Wen Xin with one hand, while using the other to smooth Ariel’s frizzy hair.
Ariel wanted to say she wasn’t bullied, but looking at Xu Ke’s eyes, the words turned into grievances as soon as she opened her mouth, "You don’t know how bad they were. They forced me to drink a lot, brought me to this hellhole, and wouldn’t let me puke. They threw me on the bed, and that old man tried to take off my clothes while she wanted to record a video. They said they’d blackmail me into becoming their puppet. Oh, and they also talked about getting a cage to lock me in, putting me up for auction in the underground market, and selling me to the highest bidder."
Ariel’s words made Xu Ke’s face darken. Even though he knew there might be exaggeration in Ariel’s words, he couldn’t help but feel angry, especially when he heard that Wen Xin’s father tried to strip Ariel while Wen Xin wanted to record it.
Here, Xu Ke was getting angry, while Wen Xin and Wen’s father, who seemed like he’d had his toes crushed, were impressed by Ariel’s ability to lie through her teeth.
"Don’t listen to her nonsense, she’s making it all up. We never said anything like that," Wen’s father said, enduring the pain in his body, seeing Xu Ke about to choke Wen Xin’s neck, he quickly spoke up.
"Even though you didn’t say it directly, that’s what you meant. I could sense it. Don’t bother denying it," Ariel retorted in Wen’s father’s direction, and after saying it, she burrowed into Xu Ke’s embrace, as if saying those words had drained all her courage, and she urgently needed to return to the little haven that made her feel safe and warm.
Wen family father and daughter were stunned by Ariel’s shameless act of lying without blinking and feigning weakness.
"Calm down, don’t be angry, I’ll make it right for you," Xu Ke said, patting Ariel’s head.
Wen’s father watched Ariel’s blatant lies and Xu Ke’s unreasonable bias, feeling his heart sink.
"Who sent you, and what do you want? How much did they pay you to trouble my daughter and me? I can offer you double, maybe even help you get an identity abroad so you can lead a carefree life overseas. But I have only one request, which is to let my daughter and me go," Wen’s father calmly stated his terms, hoping to sway Xu Ke and Ariel with money.
"If double is not enough, I can offer three times," Wen’s father carefully observed their facial expressions, and when he noticed no reaction to the double price, he decisively raised the offer.
Wen’s father wished to use money to carve a path for himself and his daughter, but neither Xu Ke nor Ariel cared about money at all. Even if Wen’s father handed over everything the Wen Family had today, Xu Ke wouldn’t show any joy. Ariel, on the other hand, was someone who had destroyed her family with her own hands. When the Ariel family was at its peak, it occupied half of the city. These two treated money like paper, so how could they be bribed with it, especially since this mission was just an impromptu game for them?
"If three times isn’t enough, how about four?" Wen’s father held up four fingers as he spoke.
Ariel tilted her head, puzzled, and asked Wen’s father, "You’re raising the price sky-high, but do you know how much the others paid to hire us? What if you can’t afford it when the time comes?"
Ariel’s question made Wen’s father’s expression freeze for a moment. "Don’t joke around. Our Wen Family is wealthy in Yunzhou and can surely afford a bit of money."
"Your statement is wrong then. It’s not just a small sum. The price for getting us involved wouldn’t be less than ten figures. So, I wonder if the Wen Family can come up with assets worth billions?"
Ariel’s words made Wen’s father and Wen Xin gasp. Not to mention the Wen Family, no asset worth hundreds of billions exists across Yunzhou as far as anyone knows.
"Even when lying, you should prepare a draft. Who would spend so much money just to target the two of us? As things have progressed to this point, let’s be honest with each other. How much money would you need to let us go? Don’t worry, as long as it’s reasonable, we won’t refuse, and we’ll transfer what you want as soon as possible. Rest assured," Wen Xin said.
"Your Wen Family’s little bit of money is something my baby and I don’t care about. The reason we came to you is simple: I think you’re interesting and want you to entertain me," Ariel said, nodding her head.
"Am I right, baby?" After speaking, Ariel instinctively looked at Xu Ke, seeking affirmation.
How could Xu Ke resist Ariel’s pampering and dependence? Moreover, that’s indeed the truth, so Xu Ke nodded without hesitation.
"So entertain me. If I’m pleased, I’ll let you go. But if I’m not happy, who knows what I’ll do, so you’d better work hard to make me happy," Ariel said earnestly.
She wasn’t kidding. If she wasn’t happy, she’d make sure they weren’t happy either. After all, they weren’t any good people, so there was no burden in bullying them.
"Alright, whatever you want to play, I’ll play with you. But could you let my daughter go first? She’s young, and having her neck gripped like that scares her," Wen’s father said, looking at Wen Xin held by Xu Ke.
"You care about your daughter, but why didn’t you think about how the daughters of others felt when you ruined them? Didn’t you consider that their parents would also care about their daughters?" Xu Ke coldly retorted.
"But I’m the one who did wrong; my daughter is innocent. Whatever you have, come at me. Don’t harm my daughter," Wen’s father said, his face turning somewhat grim as he looked at Xu Ke.
"Innocent? I don’t think either of you two are innocent. She wasn’t forced at all when filming others," Ariel criticized without mercy, watching their faces turn pale, she laughed satisfactorily, clutching Xu Ke’s arm and said, "Let it go, baby, let’s see what interesting things they can come up with."
"Alright, whatever you say."
Just when they thought they were cornered, they surprisingly found a way out, rendering them momentarily dazed, unsure about the true intentions of Xu Ke and Ariel.
They acted without logic, driven solely by their mood, and such people were often the hardest to deal with.