In this town, he, Zhao Jinghai, was a man of some influence. Everyone would show him a little respect, which meant Zhao Nuanyue and Zhao Nuanyang could be released. Even if they couldn’t be freed immediately, Xia Yingyu would at least think she’d be able to see them.

That’s why he decided to just say they were in Jincheng City.

A minor official like him had no sway there!

"What?" Xia Yingyu’s face went pale. "Then what do we do? Please, think of something! We need to get the children back soon. Those young people... they’re like a pack of wolves, acting so recklessly. What if they hurt Nuanyang and Nuanyue?"

Zhao Jinghai continued to weave his lies, comforting Xia Yingyu. "The reason I only got home now is that I spent the whole morning in Jincheng City calling in favors, pulling strings everywhere, and making arrangements to ensure Nuanyang’s and Nuanyue’s safety. It took a long time. Don’t worry. Even if I don’t like them, for your sake, I’ll look after them."

Hearing Zhao Jinghai’s words, Xia Yingyu found herself starting to believe him.

Wang Lianhua was inwardly overjoyed. ’Aha, if my son is saying this, it must mean they’ve already captured Zhao Nuanyue and Zhao Nuanyang.’

’So the plan... worked...’

’Wonderful, just wonderful!’

"Okay... thank you for going through this trouble," Xia Yingyu said, her voice choked with emotion. "As long as the children are generally okay, that’s what matters. Even though Nuanyang and Nuanyue aren’t your children, they both came from me. They’re my kids, and I can’t just stand by and watch something happen to them."

"I know, I understand," Zhao Jinghai said with a smile, feeling a wave of relief. ’Good, as long as my wife believes me.’ "You’re pregnant, and you probably haven’t eaten, have you? I’ll go make you something. Eat a lot. Otherwise, when Nuanyang and Nuanyue get back and see you looking so haggard, they’ll think I’ve been bullying you again. Then they’ll probably be pointing fingers in my face and yelling at me. So you’d better listen, and don’t make things hard for me."

His words warmed her heart, but Xia Yingyu still defended her daughter. "Nuanyue is just worried about me. As long as you treat her well and don’t deliberately antagonize her, she won’t say such rude things."

Hearing this, Wang Lianhua was displeased. She sneered, "Right, so your son and your daughter are the good ones, and I’m the only villain in this house!"

With that, Wang Lianhua’s face turned stony, and she went to her room.

It wasn’t that she was upset by Xia Yingyu’s words; on the contrary, she was so overjoyed that if she didn’t leave, she might burst out laughing in the middle of the living room.

That would look strange and would certainly make Xia Yingyu suspicious.

So, she used the exchange as an excuse to go to her room, bolt the door, and chuckle in private.

Xia Yingyu, seeing this, felt a little bad. After all, her husband was also trying to do what was best for the family.

"Sigh, I’ll apologize to Mom later," Xia Yingyu said softly. "I didn’t notice until you mentioned it, but I really am hungry. Hurry and make me something to eat. If I don’t eat soon, the little one in here is going to start a rebellion."

Zhao Jinghai inwardly gloated. ’Lying really is an art.’

’Xia Yingyu is being so compliant now. Looks like I’ll have to lie more often in the future. Letting her live in a world of beautiful lies is a form of happiness too, isn’t it?’

Zhao Jinghai made egg noodles for Xia Yingyu, who ate a whole large bowl before she finally felt full.

They had plenty of food at home, but Xia Yingyu usually didn’t dare to eat much, wanting to maintain her figure. The portion she ate today was the largest she’d had in a single sitting.

Zhao Huilan came home for lunch and saw that her father and grandmother were both there. When she saw her grandmother actually humming a song while she cooked, she knew her father had succeeded in getting ahold of Zhao Nuanyue and Zhao Nuanyang.

’This is wonderful!’

’She could hardly wait to see Zhao Nuanyue’s miserable life!’

After lunch, Zhao Jinghai went out. Xia Yingyu hadn’t slept well the previous night and was exhausted, so she went back to her room to take a nap.

She had fallen for Zhao Jinghai’s lies so easily! Just like that, she was resting easy, trusting that he was genuinely working on behalf of her children.

And indeed, he was busy because of her children—busy selling them off for a massive profit.

As Zhao Huilan was leaving for work, she walked out with her grandmother, Wang Lianhua, who was heading out to buy groceries. She whispered, "Grandma, are those two little wretches..."

"Shh!" Wang Lianhua gestured for Zhao Huilan to be quiet. "Your father got what he wanted. You just wait and enjoy life as the young lady of the house! Now, hurry off to work. Grandma will make you a delicious fish for dinner tonight."

"That’s wonderful! Thanks, Grandma," Zhao Huilan said with a grin. "Grandma, I can’t wait to see the drama unfold."

Seeing her granddaughter’s gloating expression, Wang Lianhua quickly cautioned her, "Now, don’t get carried away. Your stepmother is very sharp. If she notices anything, she’ll turn this house upside down again. I don’t care one way or the other about Xia Yingyu, but I don’t want your father caught in the middle, and I certainly don’t want anything to upset my unborn grandson."

"Okay, okay, I’ll be careful," Zhao Huilan chirped. "But Grandma, you have to promise you’ll still spoil me. You can’t stop loving me just because you’re getting a new grandson."

Wang Lianhua pinched her granddaughter’s cheek. "You’re so sweet. If I’m not going to dote on you, who would I dote on? Those two little wretches? As for your little brother, he’ll be someone for you to rely on in the future. Without a son, there’s no one to inherit your father’s legacy, and no one to have your back. We’ll all get old eventually, and then it will just be you and your brother, depending on each other."

"I don’t want that! I want Grandma and Papa to live to be a hundred," Zhao Huilan said, pouting. "I want you to stay with me forever!"

"Silly girl," Wang Lianhua said with a laugh. "Alright then, Grandma will try her best to live to a hundred! Now go, hurry to work. If you don’t leave now, you might be late."

Wang Lianhua and Zhao Huilan were jubilant, their moods joyous. However, at this very moment, Zhao Nuanyang was locked in a dark room, his hands and feet bound, his mouth gagged. He couldn’t escape, couldn’t call for help. Zhao Nuanyang was going frantic with anxiety.

’Sister?’

’Where’s my sister?’

’What happened to my sister?’

’That villain! Zhao Jinghai is a villain!’

’Sister said there were a lot of bad people here, but I didn’t believe her. I insisted on coming back to see Mom, and now my sister has been captured by them. What do I do?’

’How can I save her?’

He couldn’t think of anything. Zhao Nuanyang grew even more frantic, repeatedly smashing his head against the wall. The guard, afraid Zhao Nuanyang would bash himself to death, had no choice but to knock him out again and let him sleep.

As for Zhao Nuanyue, her situation was even more grim.

When Zhao Nuanyue woke up, she could tell from the sunlight streaming through the window that the sun was setting. It must have been four or five in the afternoon.

’I’ve been asleep for that long.’

Zhao Nuanyue sat up in bed. Seeing that her clothes were intact and she felt no physical discomfort, she let out a silent sigh of relief.

Zhao Nuanyue rushed to the window and tried to open it, intending to climb down. However, the window had been nailed shut. She picked up a chair from the floor and began slamming it against the window, hoping she could break it open and escape.