Chapter 147: Chapter 147: Unwilling to Give Up

The moment she spoke, the man’s expression changed drastically. He lunged forward and clamped his hand tightly over her mouth.

His palm was rough and sweaty, suffocating Cao Jiajia until she could barely breathe.

"You saw someone else come in?"

"MMPH MMPH—"

Cao Jiajia’s eyes widened, and tears instantly welled up.

Her legs kicked out wildly, the tips of her feet grazing his calf.

Cao Jiajia struggled with all her might.

The man simply slapped her twice, and her cheeks instantly turned red and swollen.

The second slap was harder, and a trickle of blood even appeared at the corner of her mouth.

"Shut up! Stop your damn shouting!"

He scanned his surroundings with his peripheral vision, his ears catching every slight, unusual sound.

He knew he couldn’t stay here long and had to leave as soon as possible, but now he had a new problem.

If there really was an ambush, he had likely already been discovered.

The soldiers in the shadows exchanged a look.

They were all aware of the risks of attacking rashly.

But they also understood that if they didn’t act now, the hostage could be harmed.

Just as they were hesitating about whether to rush out, the man unexpectedly grabbed Cao Jiajia and prepared to make a forceful retreat.

He roughly hoisted her into his arms, his knee digging into her abdomen.

Cao Jiajia was held so tightly she could barely breathe.

He moved quickly along his planned route.

They couldn’t wait any longer. The soldiers had no choice but to act ahead of schedule and move in quickly to save her.

Three of them appeared simultaneously from three different directions, closing in on the target to encircle him.

Their muzzles were locked on the man’s torso. The command was clear and loud.

"Release the hostage! Surrender immediately!"

The beam of a flashlight hit his face, forcing him to close his eyes and take a step back.

Ling Anxun received the news and immediately turned back.

He had just reached the vicinity of the extraction point.

Upon hearing the urgent report in his earpiece, he immediately changed direction.

On the way, he called the command center and requested reinforcements to block the surrounding intersections.

In ten minutes, the entire area would be completely sealed off, with no one allowed in or out.

"Sir, the kid was taken. We had to move."

A soldier stood at attention and reported. He had a scrape on his temple, and his uniform was torn.

Although they had successfully rescued Cao Jiajia, the suspect put up a desperate fight. He was injured during the struggle and then escaped by jumping off a cliff.

A search party was now conducting a thorough sweep of the area.

"Mm, you made the right call. Bring her back to the station for a thorough interrogation. We won’t stop until we’ve dug up the mastermind behind this."

Ling Anxun’s voice was steady as his gaze swept over the items left at the scene.

This was all important physical evidence and had to be sent to the technical department for analysis immediately.

Cao Jiajia had been trembling, but the moment she saw Ling Anxun, she felt a wave of relief and her tears almost fell.

She had bruises on her arms and her lip was still bleeding, but she was visibly calmer.

"Uncle Ling, I really don’t know anything! Please don’t take me in. I don’t want to go to a place like that, I’m scared..."

She shook her head as she spoke, tears and snot running down her face.

Her psychological defenses had all but collapsed, and she was only staying conscious through sheer willpower.

Sobbing, she tried to throw herself into Ling Anxun’s arms, but Shanshan stepped in front of her to block the way.

Shanshan stood ramrod straight, her back and shoulders squared.

One hand rested lightly on Ling Anxun’s arm, signaling for him to stay back.

Her other hand was held up in front of her, forming a clear barrier.

"My dad wasn’t talking about you."

She stood in the light, casting a long shadow.

Cao Jiajia froze, her crying coming to an abrupt halt.

It took her a few seconds to understand, then she hastily wiped away her tears.

Her fingers brushed against her cheek, leaving a faint smear of blood.

She looked down and saw the grime on her palm, and her heart gave another jolt.

Her throat tightened, and for a moment, she couldn’t speak.

Her face was swollen, and she looked a bit frightening.

But she still managed to force an awkward smile.

The movement sent a sharp pain through the corner of her mouth.

"S-Sorry... I misunderstood. Uncle Ling, thank you for saving me, really..."

She lowered her head, staring at the tips of her shoes.

"Why thank me? The soldiers over there are the ones who saved you. The credit isn’t mine."

Ling Anxun replied coolly, his gaze fixed on the searchlights in the distance.

Her apology did nothing to soften his attitude.

Shanshan remained standing between them, ramrod straight, not yielding an inch and giving Cao Jiajia no chance to get closer.

Even though the other girl had admitted her mistake and apologized, Shanshan showed no sign of sympathy or forgiveness.

Ling Anxun completely ignored Cao Jiajia, not even bothering to spare her a glance.

He turned and walked toward the temporary command post.

No one dared to disturb him along the way. The atmosphere was solemn.

Cao Jiajia didn’t give up. She actually spoke up right then and there, saying she also wanted to be Uncle Ling’s adopted daughter, just like Shanshan.

"Is there something wrong with your head?"

Ling Anxun finally spoke.

"Which adopted child isn’t an orphan, all alone in the world? Your parents are both alive and well. What are you doing trying to get in on this?"

"But they don’t care about me at all!"

Cao Jiajia yelled, her neck stiff with defiance.

"What’s the difference between me being at home and not? They treat me like I’m invisible!"

Her hands were clenched tightly around the hem of her school uniform skirt, her knuckles turning white.

People around them started to look over, but she didn’t care.

Hearing this, Shanshan, who was standing nearby, laughed out of sheer anger.

"I think your life has been too easy. You’ve had everything handed to you on a silver platter, and that’s why you dare to spout such nonsense here."

She stood at Ling Anxun’s side, her hand resting naturally on her father’s wrist.

Her brow was knitted into a knot, her tone laced with suppressed anger.

"I don’t care about that stuff!"

Cao Jiajia grew frantic, looking at Ling Anxun with tear-filled eyes.

"Uncle Ling, please, have a heart and take me in! I’ll be obedient, you won’t have to worry about my studies, I can even skip a grade!"

She stared intently into Ling Anxun’s eyes.

Ling Anxun looked down at the little girl putting on a pitiful act. His expression was unmoving, and his eyes were filled with cold indifference.

He turned to the person beside him and said, "Find out who her father is and have him come pick her up. Cao Daqiang. He’s at the downtown office right now. Notify him to come over immediately."

With that, he didn’t spare Cao Jiajia another glance and raised a hand to adjust his cuff.

Behind him, a subordinate immediately took out a walkie-talkie and reported in a low voice.

"No, don’t!"

Cao Jiajia completely lost it and scrambled backward.

"Don’t call him! He’ll beat me to death! Please, I won’t cost you a single penny, I barely eat a few bites at a meal..."

She tried to rush forward and stop them, but she was restrained by security before she could even move.

Two men in black uniforms quickly stepped forward, each grabbing one of her arms.

But no one paid her any attention.

In less than forty minutes, Cao Daqiang arrived in a frantic hurry.

He was wearing a faded gray jacket, its collar frayed.

He was panting heavily, his eyes sweeping across the crowd before finally landing on his daughter.

The moment he saw his daughter desperately clinging to the hem of Ling Anxun’s jacket, his face turned thunderous.

He took a few heavy steps forward.

It was bad enough that his own status was lower than others, but to see his own daughter acting as if she despised the poor and worshipped the rich was too much.

How could he show his face?

"Cao Jiajia, get over here!"

The air around them seemed to freeze.

"I’m not going!"

Her body trembled violently as her fingers dug into Ling Anxun’s sleeve.

The moment she said that, Cao Daqiang’s face fell.

People were coming and going all around them, and they were all watching.

He had completely lost face. He raised his hand and swung a slap across hers.

Cao Jiajia’s head snapped to the side, her ears ringing.

With a sharp SMACK, tears instantly streamed from Cao Jiajia’s eyes.