Ghost Exorciser: Is Loved By All-Chapter 836: Kidnapping

Before turning away, he gave her one last cold glance.

"I’ll deal with you later," he said sharply. "I don’t have time right now."

He took a step toward the door, but paused again.

"I’ll be sending someone to keep a close eye on your parents’ business. If you even think about telling that mastermind what happened here today..."

He leaned in slightly, his voice turning into a soft threat.

"I will personally make sure your family goes completely bankrupt. Understand?"

The girl’s eyes widened in horror. Her hands trembled as she nodded quickly.

"I... I won’t say anything! I swear! Please..."

Ou Lin nodded, satisfied for now. He turned to walk out—but not before grabbing the girl’s phone.

As soon as she saw him taking it, she jumped from the chair. "Wait! My phone! Please, at least give me that back!"

Ou Lin looked over his shoulder and gave her a smirk.

"I don’t trust you. This phone is now a piece of evidence. A backup plan. It stays with me."

And just like that, he left the classroom without another word, leaving the girl behind, shocked, angry, and terrified.

She clenched her fists.

"Why does that Qiao Li get everything..." she muttered bitterly. "Looks, brains... and even Ou Lin protecting her like some knight..."

For a second, she thought about going to a public phone to contact the mastermind. But then she froze.

She didn’t have the number.

And worse, she remembered Ou Lin’s threat. Just one call... and her whole family could end up homeless.

Gritting her teeth, she sat back down and said nothing.

.............

Meanwhile, Ou Lin arrived at the luxurious Qiao Mansion. He entered quietly and found Qiao Li—still safe and sound—sitting on the couch in the living room.

She was watching a drama on TV and laughing like nothing in the world was wrong.

Just seeing her smile made something strange stir inside his chest.

He cleared his throat.

Qiao Li turned and looked up. "Oh, hey. You’re back."

Ou Lin sat beside her. His face looked serious.

"We need to talk," he said.

Qiao Li paused the TV and turned to him. "What happened?"

He told her everything about the girl, the phone call, the plan to ruin her, and even the part about the fake kidnapping.

Qiao Li’s face slowly turned from curious to cold.

"Who is the person behind all of this?" she asked quietly.

"I’m not a hundred percent sure," Ou Lin replied. "But I have a guess. A strong one."

He leaned in and whispered the name, but it was too low for Qiao Li to hear clearly.

Still, she seemed to understand.

"I had a feeling," she said.

Then, her eyes sparkled with a bold idea.

"I’m going to go along with the kidnapping," she said confidently. "Let’s catch the mastermind all at once."

Ou Lin’s jaw dropped.

"No," he said, shaking his head quickly. "That’s too dangerous. Are you crazy?"

"I don’t need your permission, Ou Lin," Qiao Li said, standing up. "This is my fight. I already have a plan of my own. Whether you agree or not doesn’t really matter to me."

Ou Lin stood up too, clearly frustrated. "You—!"

He stopped himself. He had no right to control her.

Still, he couldn’t hide his anger.

"You’re so stubborn..." he muttered, rubbing his temples.

"But I’m also smart," Qiao Li said with a grin.

Ou Lin sighed heavily, then finally spoke.

"Fine. If you’re going to do this anyway... let’s at least make it safer. I have an idea."

He leaned forward and whispered in her ear.

Qiao Li’s eyes lit up with excitement.

She grinned and gave him a thumbs-up. "That’s actually genius."

Later that night...

Qiao Li’s phone rang. It was the same girl—the one who had helped the mastermind.

"Come alone," the girl said in a quiet voice. "I need to talk to you. There’s something I have to explain. Meet me at the old warehouse near the river."

Qiao Li agreed.

Soon, her black car pulled up to the abandoned location. The sky was dark, and the wind blew softly.

Qiao Li stepped out of the car in simple clothes. She looked around—no one.

She called the girl’s number.

"I’m here," she said.

"Go inside," the girl replied. "There’s something waiting for you."

Qiao Li narrowed her eyes but walked toward the warehouse. It was dusty and dark inside, lit only by a few weak bulbs.

As she stepped further in—

THUD!

A heavy sack dropped from above and slammed down on her head.

Everything went black.

...............

When she opened her eyes again, the air felt cold, and the place smelled like damp cement.

Qiao Li blinked.

Her wrists were tied. Her head ached.

She was lying on a hard floor in a strange room with concrete walls.

The kidnapping had begun.

Qiao Li’s head throbbed, but she forced herself to stay alert.

The cold cement floor was rough beneath her, and her hands were tied tightly behind her back. The room smelled like mold and wet stone. A dim light flickered above her.

Suddenly, the door creaked open.

Four men walked in, grinning like wolves. Their eyes were full of bad intentions.

"Well, well... looks like our guest finally woke up," one of them said, licking his lips.

Another whistled and added, "Damn, she’s even prettier in real life. Today must be our lucky day."

"Let’s have some fun first," said the third, cracking his knuckles. "Since I am the leader, I will go first. Let me have the taste."

Midway through his action, he paused and asked his subordinate,

"Is the camera ready? We have to record everything. Otherwise, our payment will be docked."

Qiao Li’s eyes widened. She began to crawl back, dragging herself against the cold floor.

"Please... don’t come near me," she whispered, panic in her voice. "What do you want from me?"

The four men laughed. One stepped forward and crouched in front of her.

"You messed with someone you shouldn’t have," he said smugly. "We’re just following orders."

"Whose orders?" Qiao Li asked, her voice trembling.

They shrugged.

"No idea. We’ve never seen their face. They always use a voice changer. Sounded like a man... or maybe a woman. Can’t tell."

"Even the money came from a fake account," added another.

Qiao Li’s gaze dropped to the floor. Her panic faded.

"I see," she said quietly. "That’s enough information. The rest, we can find through your phones."

The men blinked, confused.

"Huh?"

One tilted his head. "Why are you suddenly so calm?"

Qiao Li slowly raised her head and smiled.

"I guess it’s time you knew something."

Her voice deepened. Her body shimmered slightly... then shifted.

Before their very eyes, her face and figure began to change.

Long hair shortened.

Her soft features turned sharp.

In seconds, a completely different person stood in her place—a tall, lean man with a confident grin.

The kidnappers’ mouths dropped open in horror.

"WHAT THE—?!"

"GHOST!!!"

They stumbled back, one tripping over the other.

"RUN!!!" one screamed.

But before they could reach the door—

BAM!

The door burst open.

Several men in black uniforms rushed in and tackled the kidnappers to the ground. Punches flew. The sound of fists hitting flesh echoed in the room.

The fake "Qiao Li" calmly stepped aside.

From another nearby room, the real Qiao Li walked out.

She was unharmed, arms crossed, watching the chaos with a blank look.

The man with the shapeshifting ability smiled at her. "If I hadn’t stepped in, you would’ve had to go through that whole act alone."

Qiao Li gave a small laugh and nodded. "Thank you. That trick really helped."

He raised an eyebrow. "Now, will you please untie me?"

Qiao Li walked over and gently undid the ropes around his wrists.

Just then, a familiar voice cut through the room.

"Let me handle that."

Ou Lin stepped inside, his eyes dark and serious. He took the ropes from Qiao Li’s hands and removed them carefully from the man’s arms.

"Good job," he muttered.

Qiao Li didn’t respond. She was already walking toward the kidnappers, who were now beaten black and blue, groaning on the floor.

She knelt down and grabbed one of their phones.

Quickly, she scrolled through the recent call logs and found the number.

She copied it, then texted it to her second brother.

"Track this number. Tell me who it belongs to."

A few minutes passed.

Then her phone buzzed with the result.

She looked at the name on the screen.

Her hands tightened around the phone.

Her eyes darkened.

"So it was you..." she whispered.

She stood up slowly, her face full of cold anger.

"I gave you a chance," she muttered under her breath. "I looked the other way. I didn’t go after you. But still..."

Her voice grew sharper.

"You just had to keep pushing."

She stared at the phone like it was the person she wanted to destroy.

"Fine. You want war?"

Her voice turned icy.