The retribution woven into the plot had finally arrived.
On the other side, Du Cheng stared at the two addresses that appeared on his phone, especially noting that one of them was his old hometown. Coupled with Yun Ran’s earlier “advice,” his gaze instantly turned cold.
Someone without any background, yet able to hold the position of a noble school principal for so long—there was no way this person was a naive fool.
His wife was clearly a wonderful person; how could she have fallen into severe depression simply from giving birth to a daughter, even going so far as to attempt suicide by overdosing while he was away at a conference in Lin City? Why had his mother abruptly moved away...?
The principal’s eyes suddenly grew moist, and he began to suspect that if the truth were uncovered, all those scenes that once felt discordant and all the inexplicable details might finally find their answers.
After sitting in silence for an hour, the principal rubbed his face hard, then resolutely called the police.
At the same time, he took annual leave from the school board, gathered a dozen bodyguards, and rushed toward the two locations Yun Ran had given him.
When he finally found the two boys with a striking resemblance to his wife alongside the police, the principal could no longer hold back and broke down in tears.
As for the chaos that ensued on the scene as people fought over the children, he paid it no mind, only clutching tightly to those two sons who looked uneducated and like petty thugs.
In that moment, pain, heartbreak, despair, and anger overwhelmed him with such force that his body gave out, and he fainted.
At this moment, Yun Ran and her group had joined the main party and were heading to the next attraction: General Mountain.
The little chubby boy looked up at the towering height of General Mountain and his legs began to tremble. As soon as they reached the foot of the mountain, he plopped down on his bottom.
He quickly waved his hands: “No way, I can’t move anymore. I’m not climbing this mountain—I'd rather die than climb!”
The nearby hawkers, scenting an opportunity, quickly approached.
“We have sedan chairs here. Little brother, want a ride? Just 350 yuan, and we’ll carry you halfway up the mountain.”
“Yes, yes, yes!”
The chubby boy immediately felt revived. Only 350 yuan? So cheap! Of course, he wanted a ride.
The group leaders and teachers nearby all turned a blind eye—since the money wasn’t theirs, it didn’t count as breaking any budget travel rules.
Others, hearing this, rushed over eagerly—they had no desire to endure the hardship of climbing.
The sedan chair crew had never imagined their business would ever become this good. Even those resting nearby were drawn over, yet it still wasn’t enough.
A group of young boys and girls nearly came to blows.
“You’re a boy! How dare you compete with the girls?”
“Hah! Equality benefits you when it suits you, but when it doesn’t, boys must give way to girls? Why should that be?”
“You... you’re driving me crazy!”
Watching the scramble over the sedan chairs, Yun Ran cut in sharply, “Let the highest bidder win! What’s there to argue about?”
The crowd fell silent for three seconds.
“I’ll tip 500!”
“Hah, are you the only one with money? I’ll give 1000!”
“1500.”
“2000.”
...
The instigator of this chaotic scene, Yun Ran, had long since disappeared.
The spirit fruit inside her thought its host was a bit unscrupulous: [Start a fire and run—host, aren’t you even a little worried about getting tied up in a sack?]
“Ha! These weaklings think they can tie me up? What a joke!”
By the time the group leaders managed to calm these little rascals, Yun Ran was already nearing the mountainside, the three large characters “Ticket Office” visible from afar.
The main party lagged behind, but Yun Ran was unhurried, leisurely enjoying the scenery.
Just as she stopped and twisted open a bottle of mineral water to take a sip, a man who looked respectable suddenly appeared, pressing a knife to her throat.
Yun Ran: ...
“Everyone back off! One more step and I’ll kill her!”
She had known it—both the male and female leads were displeased with her; it couldn’t just be a single bird dropping on her.
Not to mention, she had fought back. Now, the story’s retribution had finally arrived.
Ah, she knew deep down she was doomed. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have so readily walked right into their hands.
Originally pretending to be a passerby, the undercover agents slowly approached the man, intending to capture him. But seeing his swift reaction—taking a tourist hostage—they abandoned their disguise.
They revealed their identities: “Zheng Qiang, release the young lady!”
Just as Yun Ran was planning to save herself and teach this man a small lesson, she sensed a faint aura of a death mark on him.
Immediately, she froze and put on a frightened expression, pretending to be an innocent girl caught in a hostage situation.
Zheng Qiang sneered coldly at the seven or eight undercover agents surrounding him, increasing his grip and dragging Yun Ran toward a nearby path.
The pain from the handcuffs on her arm caused Yun Ran to furrow her brows slightly.
The agents followed closely but kept their distance. “Don’t harm the innocent, Zheng Qiang. You’re surrounded—you can’t escape!”
“Let me go? Dream on. Even if I die today, I’ll take someone down with me!”
The lead agent, seeing Yun Ran silent, assumed the girl was terrified. Especially since she still wore a school charity vest, it was clear she was a student.
“I’ll be your hostage!”
“Do you take me for a fool? With this girl in my hands, you have to be cautious. If the roles were reversed, you’d probably rather die with me!”
No one noticed the small paper figure slowly climbing onto the back of the man holding Yun Ran.
It found the death mark on him, erased it, then swung its round little fist and delivered a heavy punch to Zheng Qiang.
That punch from the little paper figure could shatter glass underwater and even lift a sunken car—it was no weakling.
“Ah...”
A miserable scream rang out. Seizing the moment, Yun Ran twisted and broke free from the man’s grasp.
Though the agents were unsure what had happened, they rushed in immediately.
Some hurried to shield Yun Ran, while others tackled Zheng Qiang to the ground.
“Miss, are you alright?”
“My legs are weak...”
The spirit fruit, watching Yun Ran’s act, felt utterly embarrassed. It didn’t want to admit that after all its glory, it had ended up with such a host.
[Not even a hundred like this stand a chance against you!]
“This is called risk management!”
The little paper figure, having delivered its punch, quietly hid behind a nearby tree, keeping itself out of sight.
Zheng Qiang’s screams continued, but no one cared about his rights anymore.
Fortunately, they were now on a small path; otherwise, this situation would surely have caused unnecessary trouble.