Chapter 655 - 685: It Must Be the Female Protagonist’s Halo

However, Lu Jiuan frowned slightly when he saw Xiao Shi next to Qin Jiao.

The man who’d grabbed them said, "They were together. We didn’t want any trouble, so we brought them both. How you handle them is up to you. Just give us the money first."

"No problem." Lu Jiuan handed him a bag full of money.

The three men quickly counted the money. Qin Jiao, watching from the side, narrowed her eyes and scoffed.

’They’d kidnap us for a measly ten thousand!’

The leader of the group spoke to Lu Jiuan again. "This settles our previous business. It’s all wiped clean. You don’t know us, and we don’t know you."

Lu Jiuan smiled. "We’ll see. If another opportunity to make a quick buck comes up, I’ll be in touch."

"Don’t bother!"

The man refused, turning to leave.

’She had a feeling there were other dealings between them, or that they’d partnered up on other dirty deeds before!’

Suddenly, something occurred to Qin Jiao. She turned to look at the departing man’s back, but Lu Jiuan took a step forward, blocking her view.

He reached out and gripped Qin Jiao’s chin.

"Qin Jiao, we meet again."

With her hands tied, Qin Jiao turned her face away in disgust. "Lu Jiuan, I’ve never done anything to offend you, have I? There’s no bad blood between us, so why did you kidnap us?"

"True. Technically, we don’t have a grudge. In fact, I quite admire you."

"Jiuan!" Lin Nian stormed in from outside, looking thoroughly displeased. She glared at Lu Jiuan. "Don’t tell me you’ve been bewitched by Qin Jiao, just like Shen Feng!"

Lu Jiuan lowered his hand, rubbing his thumb and forefinger together as if savoring the touch. He walked over to Lin Nian with a smile and put his arm around her. "What are you talking about? You think I’m like your Shen Feng? The man is hopelessly indecisive."

If they hadn’t needed a scapegoat in case things went wrong, Lu Jiuan and Lin Nian would have handled this themselves.

But when Lin Nian appeared, Qin Jiao actually breathed a sigh of relief. Piecing everything together, it all clicked into place in an instant.

"You kidnapped me just to force Shen Yi to help you, right?"

Lin Nian sneered. "Fine. Since you’re so clever, Qin Jiao, I won’t bother beating around the bush. But rest assured, if Shen Yi does us this favor, we definitely won’t hurt you or your sister."

"And if he doesn’t?"

"Then I can’t say what will happen."

The two women locked eyes, neither backing down. Then, Qin Jiao suddenly burst out laughing, which made Lin Nian inexplicably uneasy.

Lin Nian frowned. "What are you laughing at?"

"Lin Nian, haven’t you noticed one thing? Every time you try to hurt me, it never ends well for you, does it?"

Lin Nian froze, her expression slowly darkening.

’The protagonist’s halo!’

’It has to be the protagonist’s halo!’

This was exactly why Lin Nian had always been wary of Qin Jiao, and why she envied her!

As Lin Nian’s expression grew uglier, Qin Jiao caught sight of a person’s shadow around the corner out of the corner of her eye.

’If I’m not mistaken, that’s Shen Feng, who hasn’t shown his face.’

’Of course. Shen Feng must have a hand in this too. The question is, do Lin Nian and Lu Jiuan know he’s here?’

Just then, Qin Jiao felt a faint, dragging sensation in her lower abdomen that was starting to become a dull ache.

She decided to take a gamble.

Qin Jiao continued, "Lin Nian, I never expected you’d actually hook up with Lu Jiuan. How can you two face Meng Lanlan after this?"

At the mention of Meng Lanlan, Lu Jiuan’s expression flickered.

But Lin Nian just scoffed. "What is there to feel bad about? Meng Lanlan could never compare to me in the first place. We were just classmates, nothing more. If she wasn’t capable enough to capture Jiuan’s heart, she only has herself to blame!"