Huo Jingchuan gave a bitter smile and shook his head gently. "It wasn't just for you; it was for all of you."
"You guessed correctly. They had no intention of releasing us after receiving the money. They didn't even bother to cover their faces. Nan Yang and Gu Yan kept crying incessantly, which annoyed them to the point that they threatened to lash them with a whip. I shielded the girls and told them, 'If you want to hit someone, hit me. Don't bully the little ones.' So, they beat me severely."
"Since the ransom hadn't arrived, they needed to keep me alive, so they didn't kill me outright. They dragged me over and dumped me in that corner."
Chapter 84