The office, decorated with opulence, was littered with cigarette butts on the floor.
Gong Chengbin paced back and forth, his expression one of extreme agitation.
Suddenly, he stopped, pulled out his phone, and dialed a series of numbers.
However, just as he was about to press the call button, he put his hand back.
*Knock, knock, knock.*
Just then, the office door was knocked.
"Come in!"
Gong Chengbin's voice was tinged with annoyance.
Following the command, Gong Chengbin's assistant entered the room.
"Boss, people from the Bureau of Commerce want to schedule a meeting with you..."
"I'm busy! From now on, tell anyone who contacts me that I'm unavailable!"
"Without my notification, do not disturb me!"
Before his assistant could finish, Gong Chengbin impatiently cut him off.
The assistant blinked and instinctively nodded.
Judging by Gong Chengbin's demeanor, something major must have happened for him to be so agitated.
However, the assistant knew he was just an employee. Despite having a good relationship with his boss, he would never pry into matters that were not his concern.
Seeing that his boss had no further instructions, the assistant quietly exited the office and closed the door.
*Knock, knock, knock.*
A few minutes later, the office door was knocked again.
"Didn't I tell you not to bother me!! Get out!"
Disturbed by the repeated knocking, Gong Chengbin's prior rage erupted.
However, the person outside did not leave but instead pushed the door open and walked in.
"I told you to..."
Before the word "get" could be uttered, Gong Chengbin's gaze fell upon the person entering, and he paused.
"What's wrong, Ah Bin? You're in quite a temper."
The person who entered was Du Fei.
He saw Gong Chengbin's furious expression and asked with a slight frown.
Having known Gong Chengbin for so long, this was the first time he had ever seen him so angry, and he had even heard his loud outburst just moments before.
"No, nothing. Why are you here? Come, sit."
Seeing that it was Du Fei, Gong Chengbin's mood improved slightly. He then gestured for Du Fei to sit on the guest sofa.
After they were seated, Gong Chengbin offered Du Fei a drink, which Du Fei declined, saying it was unnecessary.
"Ah Bin, what's going on? I've known you for a while, and this seems to be the first time I've seen you so agitated."
Du Fei observed Gong Chengbin, who kept glancing at his phone, and couldn't help but ask.
In all the time he had known Gong Chengbin, aside from a past conflict with his elder brother, he had never seen him like this.
He wondered what could be troubling him so deeply.
"I actually..."
Just as Gong Chengbin was about to speak, his phone rang.
His expression changed drastically, and he answered immediately.
"What do you want?"
"What? Ten billion??"
"Are you kidding me? Where am I supposed to get ten billion in cash in just one day?"
"Hello, hello, hello, hello? Damn it!"
The person on the other end hung up. In a fit of rage, Gong Chengbin cursed and hurled his phone.
With a crack, the phone hit the wall, shattering into pieces on the floor.
"Someone's extorting you? Ah Bin, what's going on?"
Du Fei, having overheard Gong Chengbin's conversation, immediately suspected extortion.
And the demand of ten billion was an astonishingly high sum.
"It's not extortion. They've kidnapped my father and are demanding ten billion in ransom!"
Gong Chengbin hesitated for a moment before deciding to tell Du Fei what had happened.
It turned out that Gong Chengbin's agitated state was due to his father, Gong Weimin, being kidnapped.
This morning, as Gong Chengbin arrived at his office building, he received a call from an unknown number. The caller claimed to have Gong Weimin and demanded a large sum of money.
Gong Chengbin's initial reaction was that it was a scam, and he hung up immediately.
Soon after, the unknown number rang again. This time, the person on the other end made Gong Weimin speak.
Only then did Gong Chengbin believe that his father had indeed been kidnapped.
However, before he could say more, the caller hung up.
It was because of his father's kidnapping that Gong Chengbin's temper had become so volatile.
"I understand you're upset about this, but you need to calm down. Otherwise, things will only get worse."
Du Fei's first reaction upon hearing Gong Chengbin's story was to offer comfort.
"By the way, have you reported this to the police?"
"Phew, not yet. In my opinion, these people dared to kidnap my father, so they must have planned this thoroughly. I want to handle it discreetly for now."
Gong Chengbin shook his head.
Perhaps for an ordinary person, reporting to the police would be the immediate response.
But the Gong family was not ordinary. They were one of the top ten wealthiest families in Rongcheng, with assets worth billions.
If the kidnappers dared to target Gong Weimin, it was clearly a premeditated act. If his actions inadvertently harmed his father, he would regret it for the rest of his life.
"By the way, have you called your elder brother?"
Du Fei suddenly thought of Gong Chengbin's elder brother, Gong Chengjun.
Gong Chengbin looked up at Du Fei. "Call him? That guy had a falling out with my dad long ago. He's currently plotting how to seize the company for himself. Besides, he actually bribed my dad's assistant to poison him. Do you think I need to call a son who would try to kill his own father?"
Du Fei was rendered speechless by Gong Chengbin's words.
He had only asked if Gong Chengbin had contacted Gong Chengjun because he felt that as Gong Weimin's son, he should be informed about his father's kidnapping.
However, Gong Chengbin was right. Previously, Gong Chengjun had bribed someone close to Gong Weimin to poison him, an attempt that Du Fei had foiled. Such a ruthless individual, capable of harming his own father, might not even be concerned about Gong Weimin's kidnapping, and might even be pleased.
Because even though Gong Chengjun had quarreled with Gong Weimin, if Gong Weimin were to be killed by the kidnappers without leaving a will, his assets would be divided equally between Gong Chengjun and Gong Chengbin.
At that point, Gong Chengjun would become the largest shareholder of Wanhe Group, and could directly assume the position of Chairman and CEO.
Considering this, Gong Chengbin's decision not to call his elder brother, Gong Chengjun, seemed justified.
"Phew."
Gong Chengbin rubbed his face vigorously. "Actually, as long as my father can be rescued, I don't care about the money. But first, ten billion in cash is too much to gather quickly. Second, only my father has authority at Wanhe Group; I have no say there. If I need to use a large sum of money, it requires a board meeting, and my elder brother will definitely obstruct it!"
"Damn it! I can't think of any way to raise this money!"
In his desperation, Gong Chengbin punched the coffee table.