"Song Qiao, if you want your daughter to live, bring ten thousand yuan to Lido at seven tonight to ransom her. Don't think about calling the police, or I'll kill her!"
Buzz!
Song Qiao's mind exploded. He looked at the message on the Motorola pager in his hand in disbelief, then at himself in the mirror.
The person in the mirror had thick, dark hair, no crow's feet at the corners of his eyes. He rubbed his young, familiar yet unfamiliar face vigorously, his eyes filled with shock.
"How, how is this possible?"
Song Qiao violently pushed open the bathroom door. Outside was a messy, ten-square-meter living room. The Vivienne Chow celebrity calendar hanging on the wall clearly showed April 1, 1995.
"Could it be... I've traveled back?"
"No, impossible!"
"A dream... it must be a dream!"
Slap!
Song Qiao yelped in pain, a burning sensation on his face.
"This, this isn't a dream!"
"I've really come back!"
In an instant, tears streamed down Song Qiao's face.
"Xixi, hold on. This time, Dad will absolutely not let anything happen to you!"
"Dad is coming with money to ransom you right away!"
Song Qiao yanked the pager hard and began rummaging through cabinets.
In 1995, it was the fifth year of marriage for the twenty-six-year-old Song Qiao and twenty-four-year-old Xia Yuqing. They had a four-year-old daughter—Song Xi.
Their family of three had lived a life that wasn't exactly wealthy but was very warm. However, after Song Qiao became addicted to gambling two years ago, everything changed!
First, he lost his job at the factory for being absent-minded, then it only got worse. He made the mahjong parlor his home, gambling day and night, quickly losing all the couple's savings and selling everything they owned.
Finally, Song Qiao tried to mortgage their house, but Xia Yuqing hid the property deed, foiling his plan. Unwilling to give up, he went into debt with loan sharks to gamble. After six months of compound interest, he owed Brother Kun ten thousand yuan!
In 1995, the average monthly wage for a factory worker in an inland city was only three hundred yuan. This ten thousand yuan was an astronomical sum for the already penniless Song Qiao.
He clearly remembered that at this time in his previous life, after his daughter was kidnapped by Brother Kun, he had turned to the police out of desperation.
During the police operation that evening, the desperate Brother Kun, with his daughter, fled to the rooftop of the Lido Hotel. He missed his step and accidentally fell to his death...
After that, Xia Yuqing suffered from depression and also walked onto the hotel rooftop, jumping to her death...
Grief-stricken by the loss of his wife and daughter, Song Qiao reflected on his actions, quit gambling, and ventured south. Thirty years later, he became one of China's top ten richest men.
However, his success and fame did not alleviate the guilt in his heart. For thirty years, he had been plagued by self-blame, remorse, and regret!
If only he hadn't gambled, everything would have been different!
Song Qiao had thought there was no going back, but heaven actually took pity on him, giving him a second chance.
This time, he wouldn't let his daughter get hurt, no matter the cost!
This time, he would save their family!
Creak!
A beautiful but slightly weary woman pushed open the door.
Xia Yuqing!
Thirty years apart, seeing his young wife standing before him, Song Qiao broke down. Overcome with emotion, he burst into tears and rushed to embrace her tightly.
"Yuqing!"
"I missed you so much. I have so many things I want to tell you..."
Xia Yuqing had worked the entire night and returned home exhausted. She was startled by Song Qiao's sudden embrace.
"What... what's wrong?"
"Are you out of money again?"
"I... my salary for this month won't be out for another two days. If you really need it urgently... I, I can try to borrow from my colleagues."
"But... can we stop gambling..."
This foolish woman.
No matter how many times he messed up, she was always so understanding!
In a flash, Song Qiao was in tears.
He had been such a scoundrel before, not cherishing such a good wife!
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry. It's all my fault. I'll never gamble again. After we rescue Xixi, I promise we'll live a good life together..."
Rescue Xixi?
Xia Yuqing's heart trembled. She pushed Song Qiao away, her gentle face turning anxious, "Xixi... what, what happened to her?"
"She... she was kidnapped by Brother Kun..."
Boom!
Thunder struck in Xia Yuqing's mind, as if her world had collapsed. In her agitation, she fainted.
"Yuqing!"
Song Qiao quickly caught Xia Yuqing and pinched her philtrum. After a while, she slowly regained consciousness.
"You... you, give me back my daughter!"
The usually gentle Xia Yuqing beat Song Qiao's chest with her frail fists, crying heartbrokenly.
Song Qiao felt deep self-reproach and let her punch his chest. After she vented, he clasped her hands tightly and vowed, "You... don't worry, I won't let anything happen to Xixi. Brother Kun just wants money. As long as I pay him back, Xixi will be fine!"
"But... but where do we have any money?"
"We do!"
Song Qiao looked around the house and gritted his teeth, "We still have this house!"
Saying that, Song Qiao, relying on his memory, found the property deed under the TV cabinet.
Holding the property deed, Song Qiao looked at Xia Yuqing's desperate, red-rimmed eyes, his heart feeling as if it were being cut.
He had searched for this property deed several times before, even hitting Xia Yuqing. After she left, Song Qiao decided to go south. It was only when he was selling furniture before leaving that he finally discovered this deed.
But by then, everything had changed...
Thinking of this, Song Qiao's eyes also turned red. He gritted his teeth, and under Xia Yuqing's tear-filled, swollen gaze, he clenched his fist and walked out of the house.
"You wait for me at home. I will definitely bring our daughter back tonight!"
...
In the mid-nineties, the Lido Hotel was the largest hotel in North City.
At seven in the evening, Song Qiao pushed open the door to the VIP room. He saw Brother Kun, with his brutish face, sitting at the head of the table. Beside him were two heavily made-up women, feeding him food.
Around the table below sat a circle of Brother Kun's henchmen, all burly and fierce-looking as they eyed Song Qiao.
Brother Kun pushed away the women beside him, wiped his mouth, and asked calmly, "Did you bring the money?"
"No."
Slap!
Brother Kun slammed his palm on the table, causing dishes and bowls to clatter. He roared, "Are you playing me!"
With a signal, two thugs near Song Qiao stood up and moved to grab him from the sides.
"Get lost!"
At this moment, Song Qiao was not the meek and submissive Song Qiao of the past.
After thirty years of navigating the business world, his gaze was sharp. With a glare, he scared the two thugs so much that they didn't dare approach.
"Why does this kid feel different!"
Brother Kun was also stunned. Although Song Qiao before him was still the same gambling degenerate, his demeanor had completely changed, as if he were a different person.
However, he quickly recovered and said menacingly, "Song Qiao, I never expected you to be so bold as to confront me. It seems you don't want your daughter to live!"
Facing Brother Kun's threat, Song Qiao showed no fear. Instead, he pulled out a chair and calmly sat down.
"I don't have the money now, but I will in a month."