Chapter 22: The Rescue Concludes

"Nothing good ever happens when I run into you. Anyway, fku! As for your one million plus, whether you take it or not is up to you, but I won’t consider it. For now, I’ll trust you this once, but if you dare play me, it won’t just be a simple blacklist—I’ll find someone to deal with you." Ni Feihong’s words erupted into curses once again.

This time, seven black lines practically appeared across Xiaoma’s forehead. He wanted to "fku" her right back, but he hesitated; if she threw in the towel, Xiaoxiao would be done for.

Ni Feihong frowned and asked, "Did you see them clearly? At least, did you get a good look at the license plate?"

"I took a picture," said Xiaoma, pulling out his phone and bringing up the photo for her.

But as soon as Ni Feihong glanced at it, her expression froze. After a moment’s hesitation, she asked, "Are you sure this is the car?"

"I’m sure," Xiaoma replied.

Ni Feihong murmured, "That’s one of our company’s cars. But I don’t recognize those people."

"What—" Xiaoma hastily protested, "President Hong, you’re not suggesting I’m making things up about your company, are you?"

But Ni Feihong wasn’t thinking that at all. She continued, "So it seems your story has some connections. At first, I thought maybe the property manager was dead too, but now I understand. The property management in that area is also handled by our company—the buildings were developed by us."

Xiaoma wanted to say something, but Ni Feihong waved him silent. She picked up the phone and dialed directly. "Zhan Yunfei, what on earth have you done?"

Her tone was far from friendly.

On the other end, Zhan Yunfei sounded bewildered. "Honghong, what’s wrong this time?"

Ni Feihong snapped, "Are you having me tailed?"

Zhan Yunfei was shocked. "Why would you even think something so bizarre?"

"Cut the crap, I just do. My last boyfriend was that perverse. Zhan Yunfei, be honest—have any of my actions lately made you jealous or unhappy? Like my car parked outside someone’s place last night, or me insisting someone make the cover? Did you misread things and start playing tricks?"

Sweat poured off him like a waterfall.

Now Xiaoma’s mind cleared: this Ni Feihong really was a wild one—so she spoke to her boyfriend like this too?

Zhan Yunfei panicked. "Honghong, calm down. Did you take your meds today?"

"Fku! Just answer—have you been tailing me? Causing trouble? Did you get some filthy traffic cops to stop my car?"

Ni Feihong was blazing. Whatever the man on the other end felt, even Xiaoma, just watching, felt a chill in his chest.

Zhan Yunfei nearly blacked out, trying to defend himself. "Honghong, just calm down—"

"Stop dodging and answer. Don’t think I don’t know people. If I find out it’s you, you’re done for."

Zhan Yunfei, sweating buckets, had no choice but to admit, "Fine, I admit it. Honghong, let me explain. I wasn’t tailing you. Someone sent me a photo, stirring up trouble. I saw your car parked outside someone’s place in the middle of the night, and naturally, I overthought it. I did call a couple of traffic cops, but only to remind you to drive safely. That’s not a crime, right? You never wear your seatbelt, isn’t that true?"

Ni Feihong considered this. "About the traffic cops, I won’t even talk about your twisted motives. You just wanted to catch me making a mistake, get me in trouble, and then swoop in pretending to care and fix things for me, right?"

"I—"

"Fine, that’s creepy, but I won’t dwell on it." Ni Feihong cut him off. "I just want to know if you’ve lost your mind. Did you get some random thugs to kidnap two girls? You’re playing with fire!"

Zhan Yunfei protested, "What? Honghong, you’re all over the place! What are you talking about?"

"Did you kidnap anyone?" she demanded.

"I was jealous, not brain-damaged! At least give me some evidence before you accuse me," Zhan Yunfei burst out.

Ni Feihong hesitated, then decisively sent him the photo. "What’s with this seven-seater? Give me an explanation, now."

On the other end, Zhan Yunfei moved the phone away to look at the photo. When he recognized the car, his expression changed. He quickly picked up the call again. "That’s one of our company’s cars, but… Honghong, stay out of this."

"How can I stay out? Two girls have been snatched up like they don’t exist?"

"Just stay out of it," Zhan Yunfei said irritably.

"Too bad for you, I’m getting involved. This is lawless—those are my employees. And judging by your tone, this is all but confirmed," Ni Feihong replied coldly.

"Alright, fine. I’ll admit this has nothing to do with my jealousy, but I have a hunch someone’s up to something. Honghong, listen to me—pretend you know nothing. If you must get involved, I’ll make some calls. If it’s not some deep-seated grudge, getting them back shouldn’t be a problem. But listen: do not call the police!"

Ni Feihong glanced at Xiaoma and added, "Besides the people, over a million in cash was taken."

On the other end, Zhan Yunfei paused, unable to figure out why this involved a million-plus in cash.

But he was in a hurry, brushed it aside, and snapped, "Forget the small details. It’s complicated, just don’t call the police. Even if you do, no one will handle it, and no one will admit to anything. Getting them back is already the best case. I can’t promise anything—let me make a few calls first."

With that, the conversation ended.

Ni Feihong said nothing, just furrowed her brow in thought.

There were too many things she didn’t want to consider, but at this point, she was convinced a massive conspiracy was afoot—some people had become truly reckless and depraved.

Judging by Zhan Yunfei’s tone and recalling his character, Ni Feihong knew after calling him that there was no hope—he was the type to smooth things over, never confront them. All she’d done was confirm Xiaoma’s story.

This time, Ni Feihong decided to handle it herself.

She glanced toward the door, where Ye Gongmin was hovering thick-skinned outside, and beckoned him in with a sly look.

Ye Gongmin pointed at himself in surprise. "You mean me?"

Ni Feihong nodded.

Ye Gongmin rushed in, excited. "Is there something I can help with?"

From their last encounter, Ni Feihong knew he was the type of playboy who loved showing off and playing the gallant hero. She smiled wickedly. "Actually, I do need your help. Two of my girls have run into trouble. It’s not convenient to call the police for now, and it seems to involve some underworld types. Any ideas?"

Ye Gongmin’s grin nearly split his face. He figured, at worst, it was some out-of-town upstart or a local gang—easy enough to handle. Otherwise, if it wasn’t some coal baron from Shanxi or a local gang boss, people like Ni Feihong wouldn’t be bothered.

He said immediately, "If it’s your problem, it’s my problem. Leave it to me—who do you need taken care of? I might not know everyone, but in Haizhou, I have contacts everywhere."

Ni Feihong gave a thumbs-up. "Young Master Ye, well done. I believe you can handle this. Call a few people over. I know where they are—it’s one of our old company warehouses. Let’s get the girls out first; the rest we can figure out later. You know how it is—if two girls are missing for too long, who knows what they’ll suffer."

"I get it, I get it. Rest assured, anything involving girls is my business… I mean, anything of yours is mine," Ye corrected himself, pulling out his phone and stepping aside to make a call. After a quick exchange, he said, "Alright, bring people over to Haihao Tower. I’ll wait for you there."

The call ended, and he began waiting in Ni Feihong’s office.

Xiaoma, a little uneasy, sidled up. "Sister Nai Feihong—"

"Oh? Calling me Sister Nai Feihong now? Since when were we so close?" Ni Feihong interrupted.

Ye Gongmin laughed from the side, "Yeah, Da Min, you’re so cocky. We just met—who else knows about this?"

Xiaoma ignored the banter. "Are you sure you know where they are?"

Ni Feihong nodded. "I do. It’s one of our company’s old warehouses. I’ve seen that car going in and out a few times—so I recognized it."