Xing Zheng walked away quickly, not even paying attention to Jiang Chubbi. It was Jiang Chubbi who voluntarily followed, hooking her arm around Xing Zheng’s once more. Xing Zheng did not push her away, and they walked out of the office area together. Lu Qi muttered, “What’s going on with them? It’s quite scary.”
Lin Mei forced a laugh, while Xiao Fang looked at Lin Mei with concern, assuming she was stimulated by Xing Zheng and Jiang Chubbi’s situation.
Xing Zheng drove at full speed back to the Xing family villa. As soon as he parked, he saw many bodyguards moving around in the villa courtyard, and the butler and maids also had solemn expressions. Jiang Chubbi did not follow Xing Zheng inside to meet Xing Sha. After Xing Zheng and Xing Sha, father and son, met, Xing Zheng asked him, “When did this happen?”
With so many people in the villa, and Xing Sha having arranged for bodyguards, even if Xie Qin Jia possessed heaven-defying abilities, she could not have run away under so many watchful eyes.
“On New Year’s Day, I took her out for some fresh air. She returned last night. The bodyguards weren’t on duty, and she left when I wasn’t paying attention. She also smashed the home surveillance system,” Xing Sha explained to Xing Zheng. He finally revealed what he had kept from Xing Zheng. “She’s been arguing with me about divorce for the past few days.”
There was no need to elaborate on the reason; Xing Zheng already knew, “Because you gave Rong Shi to me?”
“You don’t need to feel burdened. Giving Rong Shi to you was bound to happen sooner or later. I spoiled her too much before, which is why this happened,” Xing Sha said, fearing Xing Zheng would feel burdened, which was why he hadn’t mentioned it. “Finding her is the priority. She won’t really divorce me; she’s just throwing a tantrum.”
“Have you checked the cemetery?” Xing Zheng asked.
“We’ve already sent people to look, but she wasn’t found.”
The father and son sat down and discussed countermeasures. Xie Qin Jia’s social circle was not narrow. In her youth, she managed the company with Xing Sha. Although she gradually withdrew later, her accumulated connections remained. It would be easy for her to find someone to help her conceal her whereabouts, and finding her would undoubtedly take a lot of time.
In an inconspicuous villa in the northern part of the city, Xie Qin Jia sat at the dining table, holding a cup of milk. She thanked Zhao Jiang He, who sat opposite her, “Thank you for helping me escape this time. No one outside discovered anything, right?”
Zhao Jiang He smiled elegantly, his eyes filled with concern. He said to her, “Auntie Xie, please don’t worry. I’ve made all the arrangements. You should stay here for a while. I’ll find someone to take good care of you. When you decide to return, I’ll arrange for someone to escort you back.”
“I will not go back unless Xing Sha takes the company back from him!” Xie Qin Jia’s attitude was extremely resolute. Since she had decided to leave, she would not compromise easily. After the recent turmoil, she understood that Xing Sha had now chosen to side with Xing Zheng. If she didn’t force him once with strong measures, he wouldn’t wake up. Therefore, she had devised the plan to “run away from home.”
Zhao Jiang He advised Xie Qin Jia, “Auntie Xie, Uncle Xing is also having a difficult time. Ah Zheng wants him to comply, and he has to. He’s not young anymore, and the company will eventually need someone to take over.”
How could Xie Qin Jia listen to this? “No! He’s deliberately going against me. Back then, he said if I didn’t call the police, he would leave the Xing family completely. He was just fooling me, thinking I couldn’t live without him!”
Zhao Jiang He said, “Auntie Xie, please calm down. I believe Uncle Xing definitely didn’t mean that.”
“He didn’t mean that? The entire Xing family means that!” Xie Qin Jia recalled the past. When she and Xing Sha were discussing marriage, the Xing family members had already shown their displeasure towards her. The grandfather, grandmother, and sister-in-law had all openly and implicitly accused her of not being worthy of Xing Sha, as if she had done something heinous.
However, at that time, she was not in good health and had been in an accident, forgetting some past events. Just for this, she was looked down upon by the Xing family. Back then, Xing Sha married her against everyone’s objections, and after marriage, he was completely obedient to her. Only then did Xie Qin Jia feel slightly relieved.
Now that Xing Sha was not listening to her, the wronged memories surged back, and she blurted them out.
“He thinks I can’t live without him. Heh, I want to divorce him and show him who can’t live without whom!”
Zhao Jiang He’s eyes held a meaningful glint, but his tone remained as gentle as ever, “Uncle Xing loves you so much, how could he bear to divorce you? Auntie Xie, please eat something and go upstairs to rest!”
After eating, Xie Qin Jia was taken upstairs to rest by the maid. Zhao Jiang He sat alone in the dining room. He picked up his phone. On the screen was an old group photo. A young woman and a gentle, refined man stood side by side. The two looked very well-matched, even in the present day, they would be the focus of attention in any crowd.
A sinister light flickered in Zhao Jiang He’s eyes. His usually refined face showed a trace of gloom. What he had lost, he would reclaim bit by bit. What he had endured, he would make those people experience as well.
Hell is vast; why should only he be condemned to fall alone?
Xing Zheng and Xing Sha mobilized almost all their connections to find Xie Qin Jia. The police were involved, and some underground networks were also activated. However, after two days, Xie Qin Jia’s whereabouts were still unknown.
In the vast Nanjiang City, searching for a person, just the task of reviewing surveillance footage was a huge undertaking. In the two days since Xie Qin Jia’s disappearance, Xing Sha looked like he had aged five years, his face etched with exhaustion.
Xing Zheng was not faring any better. Besides searching for Xie Qin Jia, he also had the affairs of two companies to manage, leaving him with almost no sleep. He had to attend social engagements and could not avoid them. Jiang Chubbi was with him almost every day, and seeing him like this, she could only worry that his body would collapse.
One evening, Xing Zheng developed a high fever, with his temperature soaring to forty degrees Celsius. Jiang Chubbi immediately called Shen Su and Gu Song. The three of them took Xing Zheng to the hospital. After examination, it was found that Xing Zheng’s high fever was caused by pneumonia, and he needed to be hospitalized for an IV drip.
Xing Zheng fainted. Shen Su asked Jiang Chubbi, “Any news from Auntie Xie yet?”
“No,” Jiang Chubbi said with a serious expression. “She’s probably being hidden by someone.”
Shen Su understood, “Are you referring to Zhao Jiang He?”
“But there’s no evidence yet. He’s been unwilling to see me recently,” Jiang Chubbi said. “He might suspect me now.”
Zhao Jiang He had been frequently contacting Lin Mei recently. On the weekend, Zhao Jiang He invited Lin Mei to his home for lunch, and Lin Mei went. Zhao Jiang He was wearing sportswear at home, which made him look much younger than usual.
He had a Golden Retriever at home. When Lin Mei saw it, she went to play with it. The dog was not shy and started playing with Lin Mei. While the person and the dog were playing, Zhao Jiang He went to the balcony to take a phone call. Lin Mei didn’t pay much attention and sat in front of the sofa, petting the Golden Retriever’s fur.
The dog’s fur was very smooth and even seemed to glow, indicating it was well-cared for. Unfortunately, it couldn’t resist showing off. It somehow managed to retrieve a passport! m..oΓg
Lin Mei quickly took the passport and opened it. It had Zhao Jiang He’s name on it. It would be troublesome if such an important document were damaged by the dog.
She was about to close it and put it aside when she suddenly noticed something was wrong.