Chapter 352: Chapter 352: The Escalation of Conflicts (4) Kidnapped

Translator: 549690339

Chairman’s Office.

Yan Quan was deliberately reminding her.

Xin Zaozao also pondered for a moment.

She indeed felt tired in this past year, and she had just experienced fatigue. Now Yan Quan was saying the same thing, making her really question whether she had been too extreme. She wondered whether she should learn to let go and allow her subordinates to help her shoulder some burden.

Her mouth corners raised in a light smile, “You’re right, I can’t shoulder this alone all my life. No matter how dedicated I am, in the long run, I won’t have the ability to manage such a large corporation on my own.”

Yan Quan nodded.

“Still, now, I can’t completely trust the people of Xin Group. Even though Wan Quan hasn’t managed to stir up any major waves within the corporation, there’s no denying that she’s been scheming with the directors behind the scenes, wanting to drive me out of Xin Group. If I let go of my work now, it’s very likely that Wan Quan would make some move.”

Yan Quan sighed.

So, after all, the Chairman Xin was still wary of Wan Quan and Mu Cidian.

He didn’t say more.

Xin Zaozao gratefully said, “Uncle Yan, I know you’re saying this for my sake, but I’d rather tire myself out than just give up what I’ve worked so hard to gain.”

“Mm, I understand.” Yan Quan replied respectfully.

“Regardless, I’m truly grateful. If you hadn’t stood by me, supporting me regardless of how the directors ostracized and mocked you, I might not have made it this far,” Xin Zaozao said sincerely.

“Chairman, it’s my duty,” Yan Quan replied.

Xin Zaozao let out a small smile.

She always appreciated the kindness received and remembered those who treated her well.

Xin Zaozao put her head down and continued her work.

Yan Quan silently exited her office.

Outside her office, his elder daughter, Yan Zihuan, was sitting at the secretary’s desk. She was currently looking at her phone, probably because she didn’t have any pressing work.

Yan Quan scowled, “Yan Zihuan.”

Surprised, Yan Zihuan quickly put her phone down.

“Are you here to play?” he rebuked.

“Dad, I just picked it up for a moment and you caught me. Can’t you cut me some slack? Don’t worry, I am really trying hard.”

Doubting his daughter’s words, Yan Quan admonished, “Be careful in the future. If I catch you again, I’ll dock your pay.”

“If you dock my pay, I can always live off you.”

Yan Quan glared at his daughter.

Yan Zihuan gave a naughty grin and said in a coddling voice, “Dad, I understand. Don’t worry, I’ll work properly. But I want to ask something.”

“What is it?” Yan Quan tried to keep a serious face at work.

“What’s the relationship between Chairman Xin and General Manager Mu? It was rumored that they can’t stand each other. But the other day when General Manager Mu was sick and hospitalized, Chairman Xin personally visited him. I’m really confused.”

“None of your business!” Yan Quan lightly smacked his daughter’s head.

Yan Zihuan clutched her head in mock pain, “I was just asking. As a secretary, isn’t it part of my job to understand the boss’s personal feelings? That’s how I can better assist them.”

“That sounds nice, but really, you just can’t control your curiosity. You’re as gossipy as your mother.”

“Dad, what does this have to do with my mom? Just tell me, does Chairman Xin have feelings for General Manager Mu?” Yan Zihuan asked excitedly.

Seeing his daughter in this state, Yan Quan gave a small nod, “From my perspective, neither of them has moved on. However, various reasons have driven them apart.”

“So Chairman Xin still likes General Manager Mu? I thought she hated him to death!”

“Deep love breeds deep hatred.”

“I get it now.” Yan Zihuan looks enlightened.

“Okay, that’s enough. Don’t delve too much into the chairman’s affairs. Just have a general understanding and don’t go spreading rumors. That’s a grave taboo in the workplace. Never discuss about the boss’s affairs with anyone!”

“I know all that. Don’t worry about me. You should take better care of your health so that you can have a good retirement and travel with mom. Otherwise, mom might go travelling with some other old men!”

“You impudent girl.” Even though Yan Quan scolded her, his face was fond.

Yan Zihuan coddled her father for a while longer, then watched as he left before returning to her seat.

Her curiosity about Chairman Xin and General Manager Mu wasn’t due to mere curiosity or gossip. What was more important was that she liked Song Lifei. She always felt that Song Lifei had feelings for Chairman Xin. If Chairman Xin didn’t return his feelings, then there was still a chance for her. She could then actively pursue him.

Her dad also liked Song Lifei.

“Secretary Yan.” Chairman Xin’s voice suddenly sounded from inside the room.

Yan Zihuan was startled out of her thoughts. She quickly replied respectfully, “Chairman.”

“Please prepare a cup of coffee for me. Thank you.”

“Yes.”

Yan Zihuan hurriedly prepared coffee.

She couldn’t understand why the Chairman insisted on pushing herself so hard.

Shouldn’t girls find a good husband, get married beautifully, secure a stable job that does not require too many efforts, and spend her days looking beautiful and radiant? Even thinking about it excited her.

She truly thought Manager Mu was quite a good catch.

He was handsome and was kind to the Chairman.

It was a kindness that most people could see at a glance, yet the Chairman seemed oblivious.

Whatever.

Yan Zihuan sighed as she brewed the coffee.

She didn’t even have her own love life figured out, so why the need to worry about others?

Xin Zaozao worked overtime again that night.

By the time she and Nie Feng returned to the villa, it was already past 11 p.m.

In order to manage the project well and consider all the details, she had worked till this hour.

By the time she came to, her entire body felt stiff.

She truly experienced the phrase ‘aching all over’.

She was afraid that one day she would wear out before old age, or perhaps even die suddenly.

She walked along the corridor on the second floor.

The villa was extremely quiet at that moment.

Xin Zaozao looked at a bedroom door.

The door was tightly closed.

She hesitated for a moment.

Nie Feng stood behind Xin Zaozao, watching her.

He wasn’t quite sure why Xin Zaozao would stop in front of Mu Cidian’s bedroom door, but he had a hunch that Xin Zaozao’s hostility towards Mu Cidian seemed to be slowly diminishing.

In fact… anyone could see that Mu Cidian was truly very good to Xin Zaozao. He did not harbor any ill will towards her as Xin Zaozao suspected.

Of course, he was just a bodyguard after all. He wouldn’t involve himself in his employer’s affairs.

His duty was to follow orders.

In the end,

Xin Zaozao neither knocked nor showed any emotional reactions,

She continued to walk past Mu Cidian’s room indifferently.

The next morning,

Xin Zaozao did not go to work early.

She didn’t understand why she had overslept.

She admitted that she habitually turned off the alarm clock and dozed off again, but this time she truly overslept. By the time she woke up, it was already 8:30 in the morning. Although work started at 9:00, she could still make it if she hurried. However, she usually left home by 7.

She sat up from the bed, calling Nie Feng, who was sleeping on the floor.

Nie Feng too, had slept in.

He opened his eyes groggily, “Is it time to get up?”

“We’ve overslept,” Xin Zaozao replied, immediately heading to the bathroom to wash up.

Nie Feng pulled himself up from the floor.

He still felt quite sleepy.

It was as if he hadn’t rested well the previous night. He was just too sleepy.

He tried to wake himself up.

Xin Zaozao had already finished washing up swiftly. It was Nie Feng’s turn to go to the bathroom and freshen up with cold water.

The two of them quickly got ready and left the room.

As they reached the stairs on the second floor, they saw Mu Cidian emerging from his bedroom.

Seeing Xin Zaozao and Nie Feng, he seemed slightly surprised, but soon regained his composure.

They must have worked late into the night.

Maintaining a certain distance from Xin Zaozao, he headed towards the dining room.

Wan Quan was not there.

She usually gets up a bit later.

Xin Zaozao and Nie Feng left directly.

After they left, Mu Cidian asked the servant, “Did you deliver it?”

“Young Master, it’s delivered to Mr. Yan every day on time.” The servant replied with utmost respect.

“Hmm.” Mu Cidian nodded, instructing, “Don’t let anyone know.”

“Yes,” the servant responded.

The servant’s eyes seemed to flicker at that moment.

But Mu Cidian didn’t notice it.

Nie Feng drove Xin Zaozao to the Xin Group.

The two of them were yawning all the time.

Seeing Nie Feng in a similar state of sleep deprivation, Xin Zaozao felt a tad guilty, “I’m sorry for keeping you up late with me these past few days. I’ll try to control the overtime hours in the future.”

Nie Feng, yawning, shook his head and said, “It’s alright. I might not be feeling well these past few days. Actually, I used to sleep very little.”

She was the same way, actually.

But for some reason, she was extremely sleepy today?!

Xin Zaozao didn’t think much of it.

She simply thought she might have been really tired lately.

Early in the morning.

Xin Zaozao held a senior management meeting and assigned all the tasks related to this project.

Returning to her office, she yawned again.

Usually, she would never feel tired during meetings, no matter how tired she was, that would always come afterwards. But today, she found herself feeling tired and somewhat distracted several times during the meeting.

Was she truly exhausted?!

She leaned back in her office chair, watching Nie Feng playing games on her office couch.

While playing the game, he was also yawning.

He didn’t seem to be in the best of spirits either.

Xin Zaozao took a deep breath, trying to gather her energy.

She planned to work hard today and get off work early to rest.

Yet, the more anxious she was to finish her work, the less she seemed able to achieve this.

She didn’t know if it was due to lack of sleep, but her work efficiency was at least halved.

By the time she finally finished her work, it was already 10 p.m.

She couldn’t stand leaving work for the next day. Clearing each day’s work was her strict demand to herself, and she didn’t want to break her own rule.

She sat in Nie Feng’s car, swaying back home.

She rarely fell asleep in the car, but at that moment, she fell asleep in the car.

Nie Feng kept biting his lip.

He didn’t know why he was so sleepy?

Was it really because he hadn’t rested well in the last few days?

Even in the past when he didn’t rest well, he wasn’t this sluggish.

Nie Feng shook his head and tried hard to keep himself awake.

And in that moment.

A sedan suddenly approached from the opposite direction with its high beams on.

Nie Feng was already in a daze. The high beams immediately blinded him, disrupting his view. The car swerved sharply to the right and crashed into the side guardrail.

Xin Zaozao, who had been sleeping in the sedan, was abruptly awakened by the sudden braking and impact. Thankfully, she was buckled up; otherwise, she would have been thrown out of the car.

She looked at Nie Feng in shock.

Nie Feng was also deeply shocked.

Thankfully, there wasn’t a collision.

He would have easily dodged this situation in the past, yet a minor accident occurred today.

That moment seemed to wake him up a little.

“Miss Xin, are you alright?” asked Nie Feng.

“I’m fine, but why did you suddenly hit the guardrail?” Xin Zaozao asked in surprise.

Nie Feng was an excellent driver, and in all this time, aside from the deliberate incident involving Mu Cidian, he had never been in a car accident before.

“I just wasn’t careful enough,” Nie Feng explained, not wanting to dwell on it.

Xin Zaozao didn’t enjoy prying either.

She generally doesn’t like to make things difficult for others.

Nie Feng climbed out of the car, preparing to assess just how serious the damage was.

Seeing Nie Feng step out of the car, Xin Zaozao knew that he could handle things on his own. Besides, there were no injuries, so there wasn’t much that needed to be done – worst case scenario, they’d have to pay to repair some damaged public property. So, Xin Zaozao closed her eyes again, intending to fall back asleep.

She had just drifted off, or perhaps not.

Suddenly, Xin Zaozao felt someone nearby, she was startled, and before she could scream, her mouth was abruptly covered with a cloth.

Xin Zaozao found herself staring at the unfamiliar man in front of her.

He wrenched at her seatbelt and kept his hand over her mouth, making her struggle to breathe.

Xin Zaozao writhed in her seat.

She searched for Nie Feng, but he wasn’t in the car. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Nie Feng collapsed on the ground, too caught off guard to react, just like her.

Obviously, this had all been planned out.

Just like that, Xin Zaozao was dragged out of her car.

Her desperate struggles were all in vain.

Fear started to set in.

At that hour, the streets were fairly quiet, with few cars passing by. Even if a car did happen to go past, they sped right on by, not wanting to get involved in any trouble.

Xin Zaozao was forced into another car, a black sedan.

In that moment, she could feel herself about to pass out.

She forced herself to stay on her feet, to stay awake. If she were to collapse, she’d have no chance at survival. But no matter how hard she tried to stay conscious, the world inevitably went dark.

In the moment when she closed her eyes, Xin Zaozao thought she might never open them again.

Back at the mansion…

Wan Quan lounged in her bed, glancing at the clock and deeming that it should have been about time now.

A cruel smile tugged at her lips.

So Xin Zaozao really thought she could challenge her.

Thought that finding a skilled bodyguard could ensure her safety.

What a joke!

There was nothing Wan Quan wanted to do that she hadn’t been able to do.

In high spirits, Wan Quan slipped out of bed, still in her silky nightgown. She poured herself a glass of wine and savored it slowly.

She was celebrating!

Her lips curled into a wicked smile again.

And tomorrow, she would enjoy the show.

Mu Cidian had been sleeping early these days.

With nothing going on, his only choice was to rest up.

So when the call from the police came in, he was abruptly jerked awake from his sleep.

He answered the phone, “Hello?”

“Mu Cidian, this is the Jin City Police department from West Street. Can you confirm if you know a person named Nie Feng?”

Mu Cidian’s brows furrowed, a bad premonition forming instantly.

He sat up rapidly, responding hastily, “I do.”

“We just received a report that Nie Feng was found unconscious on the street after an attack. He took a blow to the head and hasn’t woken up yet, so we haven’t been able to take his statement. We found you through his contacts in Jin City…we found Xin Zaozao’s purse and phone in the car where Nie Feng was found. We suspect this was a premeditated kidnapping. If you have time, we’d like you to come to the station to assist with the investigation,” the police stated the facts plainly.

As Mu Cidian held the phone, his hand started to tremble.

Trembling persistently.

He told himself not to panic.

First and foremost, he absolutely couldn’t panic!