Wang Haoran walked to a spot not far from the thin man. The driver quickly came over, positioning himself protectively in front of Wang Haoran. As Wang Xiang had mentioned, this driver was indeed very loyal. His stance clearly indicated that he was ready to take a bullet for Wang Haoran.

“Tell me what you need, but please, do not harm the hostage,” Wang Haoran said to the thin man.

“I need a car and 5 million in cash. I want it within ten minutes. Hurry up and prepare it, and don’t call the police, or I’ll kill this woman!” The thin man, seeing a turn in events, made an exorbitant demand.

Wang Haoran reached out to the driver for the car keys. “There’s no bank nearby, and it’s impossible to gather such an amount in such a short time. I just acquired a piece of Imperial Green jadeite, worth over 60 million.”

He gestured to the driver, who quickly brought over the piece of jadeite. The thin man’s eyes gleamed with greed at the sight.

“Car keys and over 60 million, all here,” Wang Haoran said, holding the keys in one hand and the jadeite in the other.

“You take the items and walk in front of me. I’ll follow with the woman,” the thin man instructed, planning to have Wang Haoran escort him out.

“Alright, but I have one request. I want to switch places with the woman and become the hostage myself,” Wang Haoran calmly proposed.

Tang Bingyun, who was in a state of panic and fear, trembled and looked at Wang Haoran in disbelief.

“I… I can be the hostage… it’s fine,” Tang Bingyun stammered.

“You’re so nervous you can barely speak, and your legs are shaking. Let me replace you,” Wang Haoran insisted.

Tang Bingyun stared blankly at the figure before her. If she had always seen Wang Haoran as a young boy before, now she regarded him as a man. And not just any man, but one with great masculinity and courage!

[Ding! The heroine Tang Bingyun’s favorability towards the host has increased by 20, making the total favorability 40 (very close).]

[Ding! The host has influenced the plot direction, gaining 300 villain points.]

“Hmph, controlling a woman is much easier than controlling a man. Do you think I’m that foolish?” the thin man said, eyeing Wang Haoran.

Wang Haoran didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he picked up a piece of cloth from the ground and had the driver tie his hands.

“Let me introduce myself. I’m the heir of the Wang Group, with a future inheritance of billions. I wouldn’t gamble with my life. Plus, with this…” Wang Haoran lifted his tightly bound hands, “you should trust my sincerity now.”

“If you still refuse, then I’m sorry, but we might be at a stalemate here.”

Wang Haoran’s tone grew slightly firm towards the end. He knew that the thin man actually had no other choice. The gun in the man’s hand was just a toy and posed no real threat.

By revealing his identity as a wealthy heir and showing that he valued his life, Wang Haoran conveyed that he wouldn’t resist. The thin man hesitated, not responding immediately.

Wang Haoran wasn’t in a hurry, patiently waiting for the thin man. After all, he had plenty of time. If the man didn’t agree, they could just wait it out. Let’s see who could outlast whom.

Of course, Wang Haoran’s patience had its limits. If pushed too far, he would definitely rush forward and use Wing Chun on the thin man.

After a minute of silence, the thin man finally nodded. “Fine, I agree.”

He threatened, “But don’t try any tricks, or you might not get the chance to inherit your family’s billions.”

Hearing this, Wang Haoran chuckled inwardly. This guy was quite the pretender. Holding a toy gun, yet acting like he was the toughest.

If it weren’t for wanting to gain more favorability points from Tang Bingyun by creating a dangerous atmosphere, the thin man would already be on the ground, unable to get up.

“Don’t worry, I won’t do anything rash. Now, I’ll slowly walk over with the items. Once you have control over me, release the lady beside you.”

Wang Haoran’s hands were tied at the wrists, but his palms were still free. He had the driver wrap the Imperial Green jadeite in a cloth, making it easy to hold.

Then, carrying the jadeite, Wang Haoran approached the thin man.

“Haoran, don’t…”

“Shut up!”

Tang Bingyun wanted Wang Haoran to give up on replacing the hostage, but before she could finish her sentence, Wang Haoran sternly interrupted her.

As a president, Tang Bingyun was used to people around her being respectful and had never been spoken to so harshly. She had developed a habit of giving orders to others.

If someone had spoken to her like this under normal circumstances, Tang Bingyun would have been furious. But at this moment, she was as obedient as a little girl.

While Tang Bingyun was lost in thought, Wang Haoran had already reached the thin man. The thin man pointed the gun at Wang Haoran’s head before releasing Tang Bingyun.

Tang Bingyun was freed, but instead of feeling relieved, she was even more worried.

“Everyone else, don’t move,” the thin man warned the others in the shed, then turned to Wang Haoran. “You walk in front with the items. If you make any sudden moves, I’ll shoot you.”

Tang Bingyun’s friends huddled in the corner, trembling and not daring to breathe loudly. The old principal, though not trembling, stood still, not daring to move. The security guards maintained their hold on Chu Bai.

At this point, Chu Bai’s movements were restricted, but he had managed to spit out the cloth from his mouth. In reality, the idea that a cloth in the mouth couldn’t be removed, as often depicted in TV dramas, was nonsense.

Although Chu Bai could speak now, he didn’t reveal that the thin man’s gun was a toy. If Tang Bingyun were still the hostage, Chu Bai would have spoken up. But now that Wang Haoran was the hostage, revealing the truth would only help Wang Haoran, which Chu Bai was unwilling to do.

He hoped Wang Haoran would be scared enough to embarrass himself by wetting his pants in public.

While Chu Bai was thinking this, a sudden “thud” echoed in the scene.

“Hey!” The thin man exclaimed in surprise.