Chapter 390 - Bad Idea

While still on the phone with Lu Fang, Gabriel hurriedly ran back to the hotel to get a car. 

"Who does the kidnapping and leave their plates on the vehicle? Such amateurs!" Lu Fang remarked on the other line.

"Just get working, will you?! Did Andy teach you how to make the trace or not?" Asked Gabriel after getting on the car and turning the engine. 

"Better, the master of all, Li Wen taught me, but I am feeling lazy," said Lu Fang. He was in his new room, using his laptop to do the search. 

"Lu Fang, Lanying is still young. She can still change," said Gabriel. He was already out in the street, following the direction where the van had left off. 

"I tracked her company phone. It is still on the move towards the east of Paris -  A4 route. Just stay in the same direction until I figure out the license plate - if I ever figure it out," answered Lu Fang. 

"Send me back-up will you," said Gabríel while shaking his head to the man's response. He remained connected with Lu Fang, while putting his device on speaker. 

While the man was busy on his laptop, Hanxi knocked on the door of his hotel room. Lu Fang quickly let him in. After showing Hanxi what occupied him, he asked, "Can you take over what I'm doing?"

"Bro, why are we helping that girl?" Hanxi asked, bothered that it disrupted his sleep.

"It's possible that Lanying is connected to Anges, Hanxi. Let us just see where this will lead us," Lu Fang explained, further telling him about the phone conversation between Lanying and her father.

Hanxi frowned, and all the more Lanying angered him. Still, he did what Lu Fang asked and resume the pursuit of the van. 

Back in Beijing, Chi Zhong was still fast asleep when he received a call from an unknown number. He complained as he got up from the bed, "Who would call me at this hour?" 

"Hello! Do you know what time - "

"Uncle Chi, you better be thankful that I am still addressing you politely considering the scheme you had been planning against me and my wife! This - is Lu Fang." 

Stunned to hear the man speak to him harshly, Chi Zhong wondered, 'H-how did he know?'

LF: "Lanying was kidnapped - "

CZ: "What? What happened to my daughter?! How - "

LF: "We are tracing the van that took her and her mobile, but - I - need - to know what is the deal between you and Clifford Adams! I need to know now!"

Chi Zhong's hands were shivering. He wasn't sure if the call was real that he said, "You - you are joking - "

"Fine! Let your daughter die in the hands of the kidnapp - "

"No! No… No please, Lu Fang, please help - help Lanying," he pleaded, sensing that Lu Fang was being serious. He then narrated the contract he made with Clifford Adams and how they thought Lanying would take Andrea's place to get the payment. 

"Uncle Chi, you have no idea what you have gotten Lanying into. Clifford Adams is associated with an enemy of mine, one who I think intends to harm to me and my family. Your daughter may have been kidnapped because she pretended to my wife!"

"On the bright side though, they did not have to seek my real wife, so I have you to thank for that."

Lu Fang recognized that their ultimate objective was to take Andrea. It was mostly a plan for revenge. Knowing how much he had brought the Duvals and Anges' family into bankruptcy, he was most certain Anges did not have much to implement their scheme. Even the kidnappers were reckless. He assumed tracking them down would be easy. 

While Gabriel was driving to the same direction as Lanying, Hanxi also checked on the earlier data Li Wen had provided. It was about the alias Clifford was using. The bank account of Arthur Caron was made in Provins, a town just outside of France, where a billing address was available. 

"Is it still moving?" asked Gabriel, referring to the trace on Lanying's company phone. 

"Yes, it is still moving. Take exit 17B towards N4," Hanxi briefly replied. 

After ending the call with Chi Zhong, Lu Fang updated Gabriel with the possible reason for Lanying's seizing. 

"You mean to say, all of this was Anges Duval's doing?" Asked Gabriel. 

"We aren't sure yet, but you will find out before we do… Just maintain the same direction. We will send you an address where they may be headed. It's in Province," Lu Fang answered. 

Assuming they were going to the same address, Hanxi tried his best to access the cameras on the upcoming exits. Just as he got in, the van went past the cameras, further confirming the trace to Lanying's phone was accurate. 

"I guess, we should be happy the kidnappers are not that smart," commented Hanxi. 

"Gabriel, we found the van. I suggest you speed up. You are not too far from them," Lu Fang suggested. 

"Right… I'm gassing up," said Gabriel with his eyes fixed on the road. 

Nearly two hours on the road, the kidnappers finally arrived at the private home of Clifford Adams. The house was perfectly isolated, far from other residents and far from the main road. When they pulled over, they saw two men on guard who approached them. 

"Is that the wife of Lu Fang?" asked one guard. 

"Yes, it is her," said one kidnapper while pulling down the crying Lanying out of the van. 

"No! I - I am  - not Andrea Lu! I  - I promise!"

They hurriedly brought her to the garage where Anges and Clifford were waiting anxiously, utterly ignoring Lanying's cry. She kept repeating herself, but they would not listen. After all, one of their colleagues has heard her being called Mrs. Lu several times during the event and even days before the celebration party.

They had long been following her to confirm her identity while hoping to find the opportunity to take her.

"Here she is!" Lanying was thrown on an empty space where in front of her was a woman in a wheelchair, whose face clearly showed a droop on her left side. 

"Mrs. Lu," Clifford spoke. He stood behind Ange, serving as her voice during the entire process of revenge. "I'm sorry to take you, but we are simply paying back what your husband did to Anges here."

Lanying was still gasping for air from all her crying, but soon, she managed to say, "No! No! I - I am not Andrea Lu! Mr. Adams… I am Chi Zhong's daughter. We - we are sorry - I'll ask my dad to return the money. Please - Please let me go."

"Please… Please call my dad and confirm."

"What? No. No!" It was no wonder Chi Zhong has been calling him the past hour, and he chose to ignore it. His heart raced, and his mind went blank for seconds. 

His phone rang again and slowly he answered, "Chi Zhong."

"Mr. Adams, please. Please. You have my daughter instead. Please. I will return your money. Please don't hurt her - "

He threw his phone on the floor, breaking it completely. 

Clifford had been calm the entire time while planning the taking of Mrs. Lu, but seeing now how they failed, he frantically looked at the kidnappers and Anges before letting out his frustration, "Anges! I - I told you! I told you this was a bad idea!" 

"Mr. Adams!" Called the leader of the kidnappers. "We just followed the intel you gave us and this lady right here. We swear she acted like that man's wife!"

"N- No!!!!" Anges screamed as loud as she could, equally frustrated. "Y - you - you are - not getting p-paid!" 

It did not take long for an argument to build up between two parties that the leader of the group finally took out a pistol saying, "We want our money now! This is not our fault! Your information was wrong!"

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

It was because Anges refused to give the payment that they resorted to taking down Clifford, Anges and the two guards that stood in their way. 

After finding the money that the kidnappers deemed was rightfully theirs, they prepared to leave the house. 

"Boss, what do we do with the woman?"

"Let's take her and have fun with her first."