If You Could Hear My Heart

Yeah, the little boy in the car has nothing to do with him. He came up the mountain purely to see how she would meet her end, right?

Thinking of this, Bai Man's lips curled into a cold arc.

This tactic of hers wouldn't be of any use to Shen Chi at all.

The boy's crying in the car grew louder and louder; he'd cried so much that his voice was hoarse. Jiang Zhilan seemed to be getting a bit impatient.

The gun in Jiang Zhilan's hand was pressed against the boy's head the whole time. If anything happened to Bai Man, the boy would be the first to take a bullet.

"Alright then, let's start with the first condition." Bai Man glanced at the Chief. "You, promise to let my mom leave the country and guarantee never to pursue her!"

"That's a legal matter. I can't do it!" The Chief refused instantly.

"So, you want that little boy to die under the gun? Tsk, tsk, Chief, didn't realize you had such a ruthless heart." Bai Man sneered with mockery. "How does someone like you get to be a policeman?"

"No matter what happens, I'll follow the rules!" The Chief said sternly, "I advise you to release the hostages early, so you don't reap what you've sown."

"Threats don't work on me. I'm just pulling someone down with me." Bai Man sneered.

"Chief, agree to it." Shen Chi said in a deep voice.

His voice was low and powerful, echoing in the mountains.

The Chief took one look at Shen Chi's resolute expression, then glanced at Bai Man, nodding slightly. "Fine, I agree to your terms."

Bai Man looked skeptical. "How can you guarantee she'll leave the country smoothly and safely?"

"I'll guarantee it." Shen Chi took a few steps forward. "Here's the plan: I'll have someone escort her to the airport, stay with her until she's out of the country, have her call you to assure her safety, and ensure no cross-border pursuits by the police. Then you can decide, alright?"

Bai Man's heart wavered. She knew that as long as Jiang Zhilan left the country and wasn't pursued, her future safety could be ensured.

"Why wait? Let's do it now." Shen Chi said. "I did the math—going to the U.S. takes about 12 hours, to Sydney about 11 hours, to Japan only about 3 hours… Your pick? I think the U.S. is farthest, and you have a villa in Washington, don't you? Why not…"

"Shen Chi, don't play tricks!" Bai Man was still suspicious.

"Isn't this what you want? If not, just forget I said anything." Shen Chi said flatly, his expression indifferent.

"I don't trust you!" Bai Man was still unconvinced; this man had lied to her far too many times.

Shen Chi glanced up at the sun, speaking nonchalantly: "Like I said, I don't have time to waste with you. If you've got something to say, say it now."

"Shen Chi, call Xu Chaomu and tell her in front of me that you love me." Bai Man's lips curled into a sinister smile.

Xu Chaomu didn't even need Shen Chi to call; she was watching everything clearly via remote surveillance, hearing every word.

Xu Chaomu was so anxious she was pacing and stomping her feet at home.

"Childish." Shen Chi responded apathetically. "I've said before, the little boy in the car has nothing to do with me."

"What about this? Does this have nothing to do with you either?" Suddenly, Bai Man pulled out a handheld player.

She pressed the play button, and Shen Chi was greeted with a familiar scene: the Paris Grand Hotel!

On the screen, it showed him pushing open a door to a room.

Xu Chaomu covered her mouth. That scene was far too familiar to her—she had seen it before!

The video was indeed in Bai Man's hands!

This was the very room she had stayed in back then, and Shen Chi was about to push open that door.

Because she'd seen it before, she knew exactly what came next! It was her and Shen Chi rolling in the sheets!

"Shen Chi, unless you want all the men here to hear your woman moaning, you'd better do as I say." Bai Man smirked triumphantly.

Shen Chi clenched his fists. He hadn't seen this video before, but he only had to think for a moment to know what it contained.

"Shen Chi, you haven't seen this video before, have you? I told you a long time ago, that woman you're so fond of is a tramp to her core. Just listen to her voice, and you'll know how filthy she is." Bai Man laughed hysterically.

Xu Chaomu, watching remotely and in a panic, cursed loudly, "And you're a mute in bed, huh?!"

Xiao Mo's expression darkened. Bai Man really dared to torment Xu Chaomu; she was clearly someone courting death.

Shen Chi's face remained unchanged, but his mind was racing.

He had compromising photos of Bai Man on his phone as well, but he couldn't use them to threaten her. Bai Man no longer cared about anything—she just wanted to torment him and Xu Chaomu one last time.

Xu Chaomu was growing more anxious on her end, noticing Shen Chi beginning to waver.

This was undoubtedly a dilemma.

At that moment, Xu Chaomu suddenly discovered something through the remote feed: a very concealed spot behind Bai Man.

Earlier, due to the sun's position, it hadn't been visible. But now, she could see it clearly—that spot could be aimed at Bai Man!

But she was still at the Shen Family estate. She needed to figure out a way to alert Shen Chi.

At this moment, the atmosphere was terrifyingly still. Bai Man was growing suspicious and yelled, "Everyone, put your guns down!"

Because Jiang Zhilan had a hostage, the Chief didn't dare to act recklessly. He ordered his team, "Put your guns on the ground."

All the police officers lowered their guns, as did Shen Chi and Xiao Mo.

"My dear Mr. Shen, what's wrong? Not interested in my deal?" Bai Man smiled. "Is saying 'I love you' to me really that hard?"

Shen Chi curved his lips into a faint smile, nonchalantly replying, "Not at all. But if I say it, will you hand over the video, or keep using it to threaten me?"

"If you want the video, there are a few more conditions." Bai Man chuckled seductively. "But start by saying it. The rest, we can discuss later."

Shen Chi pulled out his phone and opened up Xu Chaomu's number.

Xiao Mo's heart sank. Was Shen Chi really going to say something so disgusting?

Even if it was a stopgap measure, saying it might leave Shen Chi plagued by regret in the future.

And Xu Chaomu… what would she think…

Just as Xu Chaomu was agonizing over what to do, she saw Shen Chi take out his phone. Before he could dial, she quickly sent him a photo of that "spot."

Almost as if telepathically in sync with her, Shen Chi saw the message before placing the call.

Shen Chi noticed the point Xu Chaomu marked for him and understood at once.

His little woman wasn't always so clueless.

He forwarded the photo to Xiao Mo. Then, slowly and lazily, he raised his phone and said, "Want me to put it on speaker?"

Bai Man's face darkened. "Put it on."

Xiao Mo received the message but didn't have a chance to open it. If he looked at his phone, it would surely arouse Bai Man's suspicion.

Having worked with Xiao Mo for years, Shen Chi knew that he understood.

Shen Chi dialed Xu Chaomu's number and spoke softly, "Mumu."

"Honey?" Xu Chaomu answered deliberately.

Watching the feed, she saw Bai Man tremble with rage for a split second.

Before Shen Chi could say anything, Xu Chaomu began, "Honey, I've been going through some recipes carefully. There are a bunch I'm planning to try out—like braised eggplant, dry pot shrimp, Dongpo pork, and…"