A middle-aged woman was following Chen Jinzhao.
This struck Chen Jinzhao as odd, as her panicked expression when he called her out was impossible to hide.
It indicated she was not a professional.
The middle-aged woman stammered, unable to utter a complete sentence. Chen Jinzhao said expressionlessly, "What is your intention in following me? Either you've been instructed, or you have your own agenda."
"Tell me yourself, or do you want me to force you?"
Upon hearing Chen Jinzhao's words, the middle-aged woman was so terrified that she fell to her knees and begged for mercy.
Chen Jinzhao frowned, his confusion deepening.
What was going on?
Before Chen Jinzhao could ask again, the middle-aged woman choked out, "Mr. Chen, I beg you to save my husband. My husband was harmed by a villain, and his whereabouts are currently unknown."
"Get up first."
"We don't know each other, do we?" Chen Jinzhao asked, puzzled.
As far as he recalled, this was the first time he had met the middle-aged woman; they were not acquainted at all.
The middle-aged woman stood up from the floor, tears streaming down her face as she sobbed, "My name is Qiu Fang. Mr. Chen might not know me, but you surely know my husband, Liu Wenyao."
Chen Jinzhao understood.
No wonder he hadn't seen Liu Wenyao around these past few days; it seemed he had already been dealt with.
He couldn't help but chuckle, "Since you know me, you should understand that your husband and I are enemies. He has tried to frame me multiple times. What does his disappearance have to do with me?"
Chen Jinzhao was a good person, but he wasn't one to be overly compassionate.
Qiu Fang seemed to have anticipated Chen Jinzhao's response. She knelt before him again, choked with sobs, "I know Liu Wenyao has done many despicable things, but he was framed this time by his immediate superior, Su Jinghui. I implore you, Mr. Chen, to help our family. Our child is only seven years old; we can't let him grow up without a father."
Chen Jinzhao grew impatient.
Liu Wenyao was reaping what he sowed; Chen Jinzhao had no obligation to help.
Moreover,
even if he wanted to help, how would he go about it?
He turned to leave. Qiu Fang knew she had no chance of meeting Ms. Yu Mengzhi, so she pinned her hopes on Chen Jinzhao. Seeing him about to depart, she called out from behind him, "Mr. Chen, I know you and President Yu are busy trying to bring down Su Jinghui. I can provide you with a clue, but only if you rescue my husband first."
Chen Jinzhao turned and stared at Qiu Fang.
The sharp gaze of Chen Jinzhao pierced Qiu Fang's eyes, causing her to flinch and quickly avert her gaze, unable to meet his eyes.
She said timidly, "I can guarantee that the clue is absolutely explosive!"
"Why don't you call the police?" Chen Jinzhao countered.
Qiu Fang stammered, "I... Liu Wenyao told me never to call the police, otherwise, his life could be in danger, so I wouldn't dare."
Chen Jinzhao began to grasp Qiu Fang's predicament.
He shook his head, "Actually, you shouldn't have come to me. If I'm not mistaken, your entire family of three is likely being closely watched by Su Jinghui's men. Where is your child?"
Qiu Fang's face paled. She then said, "My daughter is at a boarding school. They shouldn't..."
As soon as she finished speaking,
a series of urgent phone rings erupted. Qiu Fang looked at her daughter's class teacher's name on the caller ID, and her heart sank. Chen Jinzhao's guess was correct; those people were preparing to target Qiu Fang's daughter.
"Hello, Ms. Qiu. Someone claiming to be the child's uncle wants to pick her up, so I'm calling you to confirm the situation."
Before Qiu Fang could refuse, the person claiming to be the child's uncle took the phone and said, "Sister-in-law, Brother Liu says he misses his daughter very much and wants to see her. You wouldn't mind, would you?"
Qiu Fang instantly despaired.
This statement held a hidden threat: if Qiu Fang refused to let them take her daughter, Liu Wenyao would be in mortal danger.
But if she agreed to their unreasonable request, her daughter would also be in peril.
It was a dilemma.
"I, I..."
Qiu Fang's body trembled, unable to make a decision.
At this moment,
Chen Jinzhao directly took the phone and said to the person on the other end, "I'm sorry, we don't know these people. Please ask the teacher to drive them away and not let them take the child."
The class teacher clearly paused for a moment, then quickly agreed.
Before the call ended, Chen Jinzhao could hear the sound of an argument from the other end.
Qiu Fang was stunned.
How could Chen Jinzhao make a decision for her?
If something happened to Liu Wenyao, could Chen Jinzhao bear the responsibility?
Before Qiu Fang could speak, Chen Jinzhao calmly said, "You, as the person closest to him, should know better than anyone what kind of person Liu Wenyao is and what he has done. If you agree to let those people take your child, your situation will become even more difficult."
"But Liu Wenyao is my husband..." Qiu Fang was still angry.
"What you should do now is call the police, so that Su Jinghui's people will not dare to act against you and your daughter. As for Liu Wenyao, let him leave his fate to chance." Chen Jinzhao was indifferent to Liu Wenyao's life or death.
Qiu Fang felt powerless.
After calming down, it seemed this was the only way.
"I, I don't dare to call the police. Their people might be nearby. If I call the police, they will attack me," Qiu Fang said fearfully. Chen Jinzhao shook his head helplessly, "You make the call right here. I'll see who dares to touch you."
Qiu Fang looked around. After calming her nerves, she decided to call the police.
Sure enough,
before she could dial, a group of people emerged from the alley, clearly having been watching Qiu Fang all along.
Five burly men appeared, their imposing presence creating a sense of dread.
"Qiu, are you f***ing suicidal? Our boss just said he's taking Liu Wenyao out for a few days. If you b**** dare to call the police, your husband's life will be forfeit!"
"Hand over your phone!"
Qiu Fang quickly looked at Chen Jinzhao.
Chen Jinzhao stretched his muscles and stepped forward, "In broad daylight, you dare to defy authority and trample on the law. Is it Su Jinghui who gave you such courage?"
The leader of the thugs let out a scoff, thinking Chen Jinzhao was overestimating himself.
"Brat!"
"Don't think we won't dare to touch you just because you're Yu Mengzhi's boyfriend."
"There are no surveillance cameras in this alley."
Their boss had previously ordered them to teach Chen Jinzhao a lesson if the opportunity arose, and to be ruthless.
For example, to render Chen Jinzhao infertile...
Chen Jinzhao caught the ferocity in their eyes, and his expression gradually turned stern, "Does Su Jinghui, a maggot fit only for dark corners, dare to bluster before me?"
"Go back and tell Su Jinghui to bring something fiercer."
"I can suppress all of you brutes with one hand."