The night was as dark as the black ink and the outskirts of the city had long been devoured by industrial ruins.
Li Chengyuan's car stopped outside an abandoned warehouse. In the distance, the only dim streetlamp swayed in the wind, like a flickering hope on the verge of extinguishing.
In the back seat, the ransom sat silently inside a black briefcase.
His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, knuckles white. A vein throbbed at his temple, like his torment had taken physical form.
Bai Wanyi's words echoed in his mind over and over:
"This money is only for my son. If you dare use it to rescue that child… you're dead to me and not my husband anymore, Li Chengyuan."
But he came after all.
Because locked inside that warehouse wasn't only his biological son, but also the boy he had raised with his own hands for ten years, the one he had come to love like his own.
He stepped out slowly, lifting the briefcase. Every step felt like walking on blades, shredding his sanity and his heart.
Two men in black approached at the entrance of the warehouse. One of them took the briefcase and lifted the lid, his brows immediately furrowed.
"Only ten million?" the man's tone turned icy.
Li Chengyuan's expression shifted, and his eyes became darkened. "Didn't you say... ten million was enough?"
The man let out a sarcastic laugh. "We only look at the numbers, not the story. Brother Cheng is waiting inside— been waiting a while."
With a clang, the iron door opened. A wave of rust and mildew hit him in the face.
He stepped into the warehouse. The lighting was harsh and pale. In the center, Cheng Hao lounged on a metal chair, a cruel smile playing at his lips.
"Chairman Li, long time no see," he said lazily, tapping the back of the chair with his fingers. "Word is you married into the Bai family. Didn't think you'd really bring the money."
Li Chengyuan's face was cold and stern. He uttered two words: "Release them."
"Release?" Cheng Hao raised a brow and chuckled, waving his hand.
Several kidnappers pushed two boys out of the shadows, and it was me and Junxi.
Our clothes were torn, faces pale, blood at the corners of our mouths, hands and feet tied. I looked helplessly at my father, Li Chengyuan, while Junxi bit down stubbornly on his lip, silent.
Li Chengyuan's gaze trembled, his heart felt like it had taken a direct blow.
"You already see them now," Cheng Hao drawled, narrowing his eyes. "But you only brought enough ransom for one. So you tell me. Which one goes free?"
The moment he finished, the air froze.
Li Chengyuan took a sharp step forward, his gaze like a blade. "...What do you mean, 'one'?"
"Ten million per head," Cheng Hao shrugged, as if discussing a trivial business deal. "No discounts. No credit."
"That was the agreed amount!" Li Chengyuan roared, his chest heaving, fists shaking. "And now you are telling me that it only saves one?"
"Exactly," Cheng Hao grinned, mocking and malicious. "You know how this works. This isn't a game— it's buying a life."
Li Chengyuan was burning with rage, like a cornered beast. "This is extortion!"
"Whatever you say," Cheng Hao spread his hands. "But here's your chance…choose one to take. The other… will wait for the next payment, if they live long enough."
Li Chengyuan's gaze flicked between the two children.
My lips moved slightly, forming a silent plea: "Dad."
Junxi sat up with stubborn determination, but the exhaustion on his face was impossible to hide, as if he was fighting against pain with every last ounce of strength.
Suddenly, Li Chengyuan understood that this wasn't a negotiation.
It was a trial, which was a judgment on him as a man, a father, and a husband.
He looked down at the heavy black briefcase.
There was only one ransom.
But two lives.
"Choose," Cheng Hao said casually, each word landing like a hammer. "Aren't you the master of balance sheets and cost-benefit logic?"
"Tonight, Li Chengyuan, let's see what price your love really holds."