This matter was perhaps the gravest mistake Xiao Cheng had ever made.
Meng Jingwei ignored Xiao Cheng and, supporting him, they went downstairs.
His legs were not convenient, so he walked very slowly.
For a moment, Meng Jingwei truly wanted to take revenge on Xiao Cheng. But she knew that Xiao Cheng was at the end of his rope. If she were to hold him hostage now to threaten his subordinates into releasing Lin Meng and Shi Ran, Xiao Cheng might choose mutual destruction.
Because, without the five hundred million in working capital, the Xiao family would naturally face total annihilation.
With everything lost, Xiao Qitian would not spare him.
Therefore, Meng Jingwei dared not be reckless.
After a long while, they finally reached the bottom of the building, where a car was waiting.
Xiao Cheng pointed at the car, and they both got in.
The bodyguards inside the car saw them approach, immediately opened the doors, and let them in. Then, one of them got into the driver's seat, and they drove away.
As the sedan slowly moved, Meng Jingwei was on edge the entire way.
“Xiao Wei Wei, where do you think… is the best place for us to go now?”
“Wherever you wish.”
She said coldly. Xiao Cheng, however, stated, “Let’s head to Xuancheng.”
Xuancheng?
Xuancheng was her hometown. Meng Jingwei didn’t know why Xiao Cheng wanted to go to her hometown. Perhaps it was just a transit point.
She didn’t ask further.
Ten minutes later, Meng Jingwei’s phone rang.
She tilted her head to look at the phone screen; it displayed Qing Muyue’s phone number.
But the phone was in Xiao Cheng’s hand, so she couldn’t answer it.
Meng Jingwei leaned against the car seat, conserving her energy.
She wanted to ensure Lin Meng and Shi Ran were safe before she left.
So, she could only wait, just keep waiting.
Originally, after Qing Muyue sent her that WeChat message, she had replied with a location.
After sending the message, she had deleted it from her end, rather than recalling it.
Then she sent that text message, saying she didn’t need Qing Muyue’s cake.
This was her way of responding to Qing Muyue, indicating her precarious situation.
After that, Qing Muyue had not replied to any messages.
Meng Jingwei silently prayed that Qing Muyue would arrive soon and be able to rescue Lin Meng and Shi Ran safely.
…
On the other side, Xiao Cheng, along with Song Ci and his group, arrived at the abandoned building.
Ten cars were parked outside the dilapidated structure. The bodyguards from the cars all alighted, numbering dozens.
Qing Muyue waved his hand and said, “Search, find out where the people are.”
“Yes, boss.”
Under Qing Muyue’s command, everyone began searching for the individuals. However, after a few minutes, the news came back: there was no sign of anyone.
Qing Muyue’s brow furrowed, and he felt a growing unease.
He stood in place and made a call to Song Jun, asking, “How is it? Have you caught them yet?”
“Boss, we’ve apprehended Xiao Meiyan and her family, but that old scoundrel Xiao Qitian managed to escape.”
“Good. Immediately order your men to block the highway exits.”
Qing Muyue gave the instruction and turned to get into his car.
Xiao Cheng dared to be so brazen as to kidnap Meng Jingwei today because he was making a desperate gamble, seeking the last sliver of hope for the Xiao family.
But ultimately, it was the struggle of a cornered beast, meaningless.
If there was any meaning to be found, perhaps it was that he managed to take Meng Jingwei hostage.
Qing Muyue surmised that at this moment, Xiao Cheng would definitely choose to flee Lancheng, taking Meng Jingwei with him.
“Boss, something’s happened.”
Sitting in the car, Qing Muyue closed his eyes, his expression unreadable. Although his face remained impassive, the taut lines of his features betrayed his inner anxiety.
“Speak.”
Besides the matter concerning Meng Jingwei, nothing else was important to him right now.
But as it turned out…
Song Ci handed his phone to Qing Muyue, saying somewhat awkwardly, “You… you should take a look.”
He didn’t know how to break the news to his boss.
The content was too embarrassing to describe.
Qing Muyue’s brows, dark as ink, furrowed. He opened his sharp eyes and saw the video in Song Ci’s hand.
The video playing was the scene from the hotel, the intimate moment between Meng Jingwei and Xiao Cheng.
Of course, Qing Muyue did not know that the person in the video was Li Yun’er.
In fact, besides Li Yun’er and Meng Jingwei, as well as Xiao Cheng and Xiao Meiyan, no one else knew the truth.
“The news has been exposed online and immediately hit the trending searches. Countless netizens are reposting and commenting. The buzz… is very high.”
Qing Muyue raised his hand and pinched his temples, saying in a deep voice, “Immediately arrange for people. Within half an hour, I don’t want to see another piece of news about this.”
“Yes, I’ll arrange it immediately.”
Song Ci knew the importance of Meng Jingwei in Qing Muyue’s heart, so he dared not delay. He immediately called his subordinates, asking them to handle the situation.
Five minutes later, Song Ci once again tilted his head to look at Qing Muyue beside him.
He had closed his eyes as if dozing, lost in thought.
Song Ci glanced at his boss, then at his phone. Finally, he mustered the courage and said, “Boss, someone is sabotaging us. Our people are constantly deleting the videos and clearing the web. But another group has hired internet trolls, and they are extensively reposting the videos through public accounts.”
At this critical juncture, it seemed everyone was converging to target Meng Jingwei.
No, if it was to target Meng Jingwei, it might as well be said that those people were targeting Qing Muyue.
“I’ll handle it.”
Qing Muyue appeared calm. His exceptionally handsome face showed no hint of emotional fluctuation, as serene as if nothing were amiss.
But Song Ci, who had been with Qing Muyue for a long time, knew this was the calm before the storm.
Once the person in front of him lost his temper, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Inside the car, the atmosphere plummeted to freezing point. Song Ci even felt the air thinning, making it difficult to breathe.
Qing Muyue made a phone call and spoke to the other party in fluent French. After less than five sentences, he hung up.
On the other side.
Meng Jingwei sat in the car. Xiao Cheng had specifically instructed the driver to turn on the radio.
Then, they heard a news report break out: “Breaking News: Hot topic today, the foster granddaughter recognized by the Qing family matriarch is having an affair with Young Master Xiao. Videos have been leaked online by malicious individuals, causing a huge uproar…”
In the news, the host reported on the day’s events.
Meng Jingwei, who had been quiet, became agitated at this moment. She suddenly turned to look at Xiao Cheng and questioned him like a madwoman, “Xiao Cheng, what exactly do you want?”
This scoundrel, did he truly want to kill her!
Meng Jingwei suddenly felt she had been blind.
Before coming, she had hated Xiao Cheng, but she hadn’t loathed him as much as she did now.
But now, it was truly different.
He kept refreshing her understanding of the world in front of her, making Meng Jingwei realize that an insurmountable chasm and deep enmity now existed between her and Xiao Cheng.
“Xiao Wei Wei, why are you so angry?”
Xiao Cheng smiled instead of getting angry. He reached out and cupped her cheek, saying, “I just like you too much. That scumbag Qing Muyue doesn’t deserve you. He’s surrounded by beautiful women; how could he ever cherish you? Just stay by my side obediently. I will treat you very, very well.”
These words were Xiao Cheng’s sincere feelings.
He truly liked Meng Jingwei.
No, to be precise, he deeply loved Meng Jingwei.