Chapter 332: Chapter 330: Changes in Wind and Clouds (4) The most dangerous place is the safest place

Translator: 549690339

“Where did she go?” Song Shan was straightforward.

Wei Ziming’s fingers tightened.

After Song Zhizhi used her life to save him last time in Jinghe Village, there was a great change in Wei Ziming’s heart.

Previously, he had been working for Song Shan.

Even when he joined the team, it was actually Song Shan’s arrangement, with the aim of properly training him so that he could really help him in the future. His return from the team was also Song Shan’s decision. Even though he seldom returned to this house, he was extremely loyal to it.

The person he was most loyal to was naturally Song Shan, even if he liked Song Zhizhi, he would unconditionally follow Song Shan. Hence, he knew some things about Song Shan that others didn’t know, even things Song Zhizhi did not know herself.

But ever since he was saved by Song Zhizhi, he changed.

He began to put Song Zhizhi in the most important position and even began to hide a lot of things about Song Zhizhi from Song Shan.

Ji Baijian’s warning was correct.

Ji Baijian seemed to know a lot about Song Shan, and he seemed to know that, in the face of real interests, Song Shan might put his own interests first!

But Song Zhizhi didn’t.

In her mind, nothing was more important than family.

This inequality in their relationship could very likely result in Song Zhizhi being betrayed by her own father!

That’s why Ji Baijian had a private conversation with him and especially warned him, to make him understand clearly; Song Zhizhi risked her own life to save him, he should know where to stand and whom to be good to!

Ji Baijian was a lot stronger than he had thought!

He seemed to always know how to use people’s hearts to achieve certain purposes.

And he felt that Ji Baijian was more sincere to Song Zhizhi than her father was to her.

That’s why he was willing to follow Ji Baijian’s arrangement.

At this moment, of course, he would hide certain things from Song Shan, even though he really did not know where Song Zhizhi was. He said, “I really don’t know. She got off halfway and told me to mind my own business while she drove back to Jin City.”

“Where did she get off?” Song Shan’s tone was somewhat cold at that moment.

“At a marketplace at the crossroad in Quyang.” Of course, Wei Ziming was lying.

He could never tell Song Shan the exact location of Song Zhizhi’s whereabouts. He even felt that Song Shan wasn’t trying to look out for Song Zhizhi, but merely wanting to know her whereabouts, just like everyone else.

“So Song Zhizhi hasn’t been in contact with you since then?”

“No, I have also been pursued halfway and am currently trying to get back.”

“Alright.” Song Shan agreed, and then told Wei Ziming, “Take care of yourself too. If you hear about Zhizhi’s whereabouts, call me immediately. I am very worried about her.”

“Yes.”

Song Shan hung up the phone.

He replied to a message from Song Wen, “Song Zhizhi got off the vehicle in the Quyang area, and Wei Ziming also doesn’t know her current situation. I’ll keep my eyes open.”

“Received.”

Song Shan put down his phone.

He suddenly stood up and walked towards the floor-to-ceiling window in his room, picked up a cigarette, and started to smoke.

He has indeed been struggling for power all his life. He really wanted the position of Head of Commercial Management, and had always believed that Ye Taiting’s death would lead to his ascension, especially because he had someone backing him in secret. If it wasn’t for Ye Taiting all of a sudden having a son, he would have secured his position long ago due to his own strengths.

Song Shan took a harsh drag of his cigarette.

Ye Taiting was indeed cunning; not just him, but the entire world was deceived by Ye Taiting!

If they had known early that Ye Taiting had an heir, they wouldn’t have waited around for Ye Taiting’s death, they would have made secret plans when Ye Taiting took office, and would definitely not have waited for Ye Taiting to die, thinking that he would inevitably hand over the Commercial Management agency on his death. Over the years, how many paths had Ye Taiting paved secretly for Ye Wenhan?!

Now that he was dead, those who were behind him didn’t dare to provoke Ye Wenhan recklessly.

That cunning old fox!

Song Shan’s eyes were filled with intense fury.

What angered him even more was the realisation that Ye Taiting had planted Nie Wenzhi at his side, intending to end his life at any moment.

If it weren’t for Song Zhizhi uncovering Nie Wenzhi’s conspiracy, he would probably be dead by now.

He had never expected Nie Wenzhi to be a spy sent by Ye Taiting. All the years of loyalty that Nie Wenzhi had shown him had made him believe she was a woman who only wanted wealth and power. Because she had won his heart, he didn’t care whether she loved money or him. He wanted a woman who could help him with household matters, and make others believe he valued family over power!

But he never realized Nie Wenzhi had a hidden agenda!

He even wondered if Nie Wenzhi would have killed him the moment he posed a threat to Ye Taiting or Ye Wenhan after Ye Taiting’s death, leaving his inexplicable death a mystery.

That must be why Ye Taiting trusted him so much before Nie Wenzhi’s death, treating him even better than Chu Zhaotian or Qin Wenguo, because no matter how high he rose, he was never out of their grasp and could be killed off at any moment.

What a pity. Ye Taiting probably never thought that his perfect plan would have been revealed by his daughter.

Once Nie Wenzhi was removed, Ye Taiting started to move against him, trying to incite conflict between him and Qin Wenguo, reducing his power and making sure he wouldn’t become a threat!

The more Song Shan thought about it, the angrier he became.

Rage filled him to the core. Every time he thought about Nie Wenzhi being a ticking time bomb beside him all these years, he couldn’t resist fantasizing about killing Ye Taiting with his own hands. There were nights when the thought of Nie Wenzhi kept him awake, leaving him frightened and sleepless.

Song Shan stubbed out his cigarette.

Only by stepping into the role of the head of commercial management, only by attaining this position, could he truly be at peace!

Nanyun District had gotten very cold.

By the time Song Zhizhi arrived in Nanyun City Area, it was already late.

The temperature dropped sharply at night. Song Zhizhi bought some thick clothing from some small shops on the street. Luckily, she was smart enough to carry plenty of cash, so she didn’t need to use mobile payments.

She had also turned off her phone already.

She knew very well that the moment it was discovered she was not in Wei Ziming’s car, she would be in danger.

Ye Wenhan would definitely mobilize everyone to look for her.

Considering the power of the commercial management, finding her by tracking cellphone signals would be easy, so turning her phone off was the only way to ensure her safety.

Once she switched off her phone, she would lose contact with everyone and would have to rely on herself to get back to Jin City from Nanyun District.

She naturally didn’t dare to choose to take a plane back as there could be people lying in wait at the airport. If she appeared there, she would be discovered.

Taking a train was a better choice. There are always lots of people at the train station, making it relatively easier to go unnoticed.

However, if she could think of this, Ye Wenhan’s men could too. So the train station was definitely also manned with people waiting for her. Even though it might be more difficult for them to find her at the train station, she was alone and if discovered, would have no chance of escaping.

Therefore, the only option left was to take a long-distance bus?!

Before the long-distance bus entered the highway, she could board it halfway and avoid the bus station, which was a necessary passage for anyone going to the city. This way, Ye Wenhan’s men would not be focused on a single location, waiting for her. But, long-distance buses were no longer available at night, so she had to wait until the next morning.

She also couldn’t stay at a hotel that required an ID for check-in, so she had to make do with a shabby inn for the night.

The next morning.

She left the inn and inquired about the regular routes of the long-distance bus towards Jin City before hailing a taxi to one of the stops.

Just as she was about to get off, she saw a long-distance bus bound for Jin City parked by the roadside. Song Zhizhi excitingly paid the fare and was about to board the bus when she saw two traffic policemen walk up to the bus. She got back into the taxi and observed the situation.

The police spent quite a while on the bus before letting it go.

“Miss, are you getting off or not?” the taxi driver asked, sounding a bit annoyed.

Song Zhizhi glanced back and said, “Sir, could you please drive a little further? I will get off at the next intersection.”

The driver didn’t say a word as he restarted the car, looking quite impatient.

She was not overthinking it after all.

There were obviously twice as many traffic police on the streets. Moreover, any long-distance bus that passed by was stopped for inspection.

So, in order to find her, Ye Wenhan planned to mobilize the entire Nanyun District?!

But…

Does Ye Wenhan have such power that he can command the authorities to help him achieve his goals?!

Or maybe…

Song Zhizhi shuddered.

Or could it be that Ye Wenhan has already colluded with the authorities?

“Miss, where exactly do you want to get off?!” The driver spoke helplessly.

Song Zhizhi snapped back to reality.

She replied, “Take me back to where I first hopped on your car.”

“Are you messing with me?” retorted the driver, visibly upset.

“I’ll pay whatever your meter says.”

The driver grudgingly agreed.

Song Zhizhi found herself back at the small motel where she started.

It seemed escaping wasn’t going to be as easy as she had hoped.

She needed a plan, a strategy to elude everyone.

She found a small café and sat down to eat.

As she ate, her mind kept planning.

Right now, it seemed like people were looking for her everywhere, not just strangers hiding within the crowd, but the officials as well. With such a large movement, she couldn’t be careless. But she had to go back, the longer she stayed, the more dangerous it became.

She told herself to stay cool while continuously pondering potential escape routes.

Her eyes subtly shifted toward the small café’s television.

What caught her attention was a tourism commercial for Jinghe Village.

She felt a certain attachment to the place.

Seeing Jinghe Village’s growth and development under her efforts indeed stirred a sense of accomplishment.

She let out a small smile and continued eating.

As she bowed her head, a thought suddenly struck her.

Why… why hadn’t she considered that the most dangerous place could also be the safest?

Right now, Ye Wenhan was blocking all her routes back to Jin City, so why did she insist on going back at this critical moment? She could simply delay her return.

She quickly finished eating, paid the bill, and left.

She can’t stay in Nanyun City indefinitely; there were too many surveillance eyes, so the best place to hide is Jinghe Village, the last place Ye Wenhan or anyone else would expect her to be.

She hailed a taxi, and as soon as she got in, she turned on her phone and dialed Wei Ziming’s number.

Weibling answered, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, but I may not be able to contact you for quite some time after this call! Rest assured, I’m fine! Go back and tell Ji Baijian not to worry, I can get back safely.” Song Zhizhi spoke quickly and urgently, aware that her location could be traced through her phone call.

“Take care of yourself,” Wei Ziming advised.

“I will.”

Song Zhizhi hung up, then instructed the taxi driver to stop.

The taxi happened to stop near a long-distance bus station where she could get a bus back to Jin City.

She deliberately left her phone in the taxi. Only after it disappeared from sight did she hail another taxi heading in the opposite direction. She then took a long-distance bus that would take her to Jinghe Village.

Song Zhizhi guessed that Ye Wenhan would never imagine that she’d return to Jinghe Village.

And she was right. Ye Wenhan had no clue.

When he received the information from the base station, he could hardly contain his excitement.

His father said Song Zhizhi wouldn’t make a phone call?!

He knew Song Zhizhi couldn’t resist. She might abstain from calling for a while, but she would eventually give in.

Song Zhizhi was just an ordinary person. When she realized that people were looking for her everywhere, she was bound to panic.

Indeed.

Barely a day had passed before she made a phone call.

He quickly informed his father, “I’ve located Song Zhizhi. As we expected, she’s in Nanyun City. Based on her recent contact with a base station, she seems to be planning to leave by bus. You are so smart. You figured out that Song Zhizhi wouldn’t choose to board a plane or a train but a long-distance bus, which she deemed safer. Therefore, you assigned more people to investigate the buses. Now that we’ve confirmed Song Zhizhi’s movements, please deploy more resources. This time we must not let her escape.”

Qian Guanshu looked at his son.

His eyebrows raised, “Are you sure Song Zhizhi is leaving by bus right now?!”

“Yes.” Ye Wenhan confirmed firmly.

Qian Guanshu also figured Song Zhizhi would certainly choose a bus to leave, which was the only way to avoid boarding at a station. If she was smart, she would definitely choose this method. So without much thought, he agreed with his son’s viewpoint and immediately picked up the phone to inform his contact. “Song Zhizhi made a call in Nanyun City. From the base station information, it is inferred that she is now planning to leave by long-distance bus. I need you to further increase manpower to control all the buses. I believe Song Zhizhi is on one of the buses.”

“Qian Guanshu, you better not fail me again. You should be very clear that it’s not good if I am caught misusing my authority to break the rules! I am under the eyes of many. ”

“It won’t happen this time. I’m sure Song Zhizhi is on one of those long-distance buses.”

“I’ll trust you one more time!” The line went dead abruptly.

Ye Wenhan looked at his father, his excitement palpable. “Dad, this time Song Zhizhi won’t be able to escape.”

A cruel smile crossed Qian Guanshu’s face.

Once he caught Song Zhizhi, he wouldn’t only use her as a threat against Ji Baijian, forcing him to admit his pretense; he also planned to kill Song Zhizhi!

This woman, whom he originally hardly considered a threat, could no longer be left alive after this incident.

He and Ye Taiting previously thought that Nie Wenzhi was exposed due to Ji Baijian, but now, he suspected that Song Zhizhi might also be implicated!

And those who posed a significant threat to him, only by eliminating them would he feel at peace!

Song Zhizhi safely returned to Jinghe Village.

As she expected, getting back to Jinghe Village was far easier than returning to Jin City.

She cautiously returned to her former residence in the courtyard house.

Tomorrow would be Friday, the day of the celebration banquet. As soon as it ended, she could leave with Jun Mingyu.

No matter what, if Ji Baijian could let her cooperate with Jun Mingyu, at least it guaranteed that Jun Mingyu wouldn’t kill her.

With Jun Mingyu’s status, she could leave smoothly!

Now she only needed to figure out how to contact Jun Mingyu without the others, especially Li Sheng, finding out.

Song Zhizhi’s gaze shifted subtly.

She watched as the door to her bedroom was opened by someone else.

Since she had left, the house naturally was no longer hers. So was it the landlord coming to reclaim his property?

Her heartbeat quickened at that moment.

Because of the fear of the unknown!

She quickly hid behind the empty wardrobe in the room.