Kidnappers, Please Bill My Girlfriend Separately

The livestream footage was grainy and unstable, capturing the raw, concrete walls of an abandoned factory in the background.

My girlfriend, Selena Jenkins, was tied to a chair with her hands bound behind her back. Her hair was a mess, yet she was fearless.

She was looking down at a mobile phone, her face bathed in the stark glow of its screen. Then, a smile crept onto her face.

The livestream chat exploded in an instant.

"Are my eyes playing tricks on me? Did she just smile? How can she smile at a time like this?"

"To the person who just commented, haven't you seen the news? Her boyfriend just split the ransom 50-50 with the kidnappers! He's making her pay her own share of 35,550 dollars!"

"??? The award for the most baffling behavior of the year goes to... What kind of world-class trash is this guy?"

"Girl, run! Why are you still with him? He'd probably ask you to split the bill for his own funeral!"

My phone vibrated nonstop, with messages from friends demanding answers, along with links to the livestream. However, I paid them no mind.

I opened the chat window with the kidnappers and sent another message. "I've prepared my share of 75,000 dollars. Please provide me with your account details. Selena's share—35,550 dollars—is her personal debt; it has nothing to do with me. I suggest you contact her or her family directly."

The kidnappers on the other end of the line must have been driven mad. A voice message came through almost instantaneously.

"What the hell is wrong with you? This is a kidnapping, not a dinner party! Who the hell splits a ransom? Believe it or not, I will kill the hostage right now! I swear, I have never seen a freak like you in my entire life!"

I turned down the volume before replying. "Killing the hostage benefits you in no way. It'll only infinitely increase your risk and leave you with zero profit. Calm down and think about it. My proposal is your best solution right now."

Just then, my other phone rang. It was Vivian Murray.

The moment I picked up, her frantic voice came through against a backdrop of noisy background static. "I just saw the news, Ollie! Are you okay? H-how could something so horrible happen to Selena? Whatever you do, don't make rash decisions!"

I massaged my temples. "I'm fine. I'm perfectly calm."

"I knew you'd keep a level head!" Vivian's voice instantly softened with admiration.

"Unlike those netizens who are judging you without knowing the full story. They don't understand that this has always been how you and Selena handled your finances. That was the agreement between the two of you. You didn't do anything wrong!"

She paused before adding in a tone that was equally sympathetic and provocative, "It's just… I wonder if Selena will understand where you're coming from. Girls usually want their boyfriends to save the day at times like this and take care of everything."

She sighed before continuing, "I'm to blame. If I hadn't asked you to help fix my computer a few days ago and taken up your time, perhaps you would've been with her. Then, none of this would've happened… This is all my fault—"

I cut her off. "This has nothing to do with you."

After hanging up on Vivian, I shifted my attention back to the livestream. The number of viewers online had already crossed ten million.

Selena seemed to have grown accustomed to the camera. Despite having her hands bound behind her back, she even shifted her posture to find a better angle for the camera.

One of the kidnappers, who had most likely received my message, stormed up to her and shoved his phone in her face. "Look at the crap your boyfriend's spewing! He wants you to pay your own share! Selena Jenkins, I swear, I have seen it all today!"

Looking at the screen, a smile spread across Selena's face. She lifted her head, her gaze unerringly finding the camera's lens, as if she were staring right at me through the screen.

When she parted her lips, her voice wasn't loud, yet it echoed with crystal clarity across the entire stream. "Alright, chat, stop flaming him. He's so stingy that it's almost like he's treating it like an art form."

Selena tilted her head, giving them a cheeky wink. "Let's just call it… tuition for life lessons. After all, where else can one attend such a vivid lesson on financial risk management?"

Her tone was so nonchalant that she might as well have been telling someone else's story. My heart suddenly thudded against my ribs as a sliver of unease rose within me.