I handed him the address in my hand. He glanced at it, then scrolled through his phone for a moment before dialing a number.
"Squad leader Song, what's up?" the other person answered.
Mr. Song: "Yes, there's something. There's a den of iniquity in your jurisdiction, with abducted individuals inside. I'll give you the address and name. Help me take care of this. I'll await your reply."
The other person grunted in acknowledgment and hung up.
He must be Mr. Song's comrade-in-arms, perhaps even his subordinate.
The anxiety in my heart finally subsided. I hadn't expected it to be resolved with just one phone call. If I had handled it myself, I wouldn't know how much trouble it would have caused.
Mr. Song: "I'll let you know when there's a result. I'm heading back to the bureau. Someone will be sent to set up the scene shortly."
After seeing Mr. Song off, he and Jing Lei went to bid farewell to Mr. Wen.
I told Mr. Wen that Mr. Song might bring people to set up the venue, and asked for his understanding if it caused any inconvenience.
Mr. Wen stood up and said, "Jing Lei's father and I have a life-and-death friendship. Saying such things makes us strangers. While I don't know your relationship with Jing Lei, her bringing you here means you're not an outsider. If you ever need to use this place again, feel free to come, consider it your own home. Don't ever say such things."
I cupped my fists and said, "Thank you, Mr. Wen. I will definitely treat this as my own home from now on, as long as you don't find me bothersome."
Mr. Wen: "It's rare to meet such a gentle and cultured young man. How could I possibly be bothered by you? Just come whenever you need."
We exchanged pleasantries and took our leave. Getting into the car, Jing Lei asked where I was going. I said with so many things happening today, I still needed to return to the hotel, as my part of the storyline hadn't finished yet.
Jing Lei hummed in response, a hint of reluctance in her voice.
I said, "It'll be over soon. What's left is our own time."
She nodded obediently and squeezed my hand tightly.
I said, "Drive carefully, there's a lot of traffic."
Jing Lei reluctantly released my hand and focused on driving.
The car pulled up to where I had gotten in earlier. Jing Lei let me out, and I stood there, watching her drive away.
I turned back and started walking towards the hotel.
My phone rang again. This time it was Xie Nana.
She said, "I'm at the hotel. Where are you?"
My head buzzed. It was the exact person I dreaded seeing most right now.
The closer we got to the confrontation, the more I feared meeting her.
But what had to come would come; it couldn't be avoided.
I said, "I'm out for a walk. I'll be there soon."
Xie Nana: "I'm in the lobby. You'll see me when you come in."
I said, "Find a place to sit, and I'll come find you."
I quickened my pace, passed through an alley, and arrived at the lobby. Xie Nana hadn't listened to me and found a seat; she was still standing by the entrance, waiting for me expectantly.
I walked over, took her hand. I hadn't seen her for over two days, and she looked like she hadn't slept well, with dark circles under her eyes.
She immediately hugged me and, without regard for the many people coming and going in the lobby, kissed me passionately.
She was truly from abroad. Back in the nineties, we were still quite traditional. Her actions in such a public place were undoubtedly like performing a Hollywood blockbuster for everyone.
I felt embarrassed by her actions. I stole glances around. A few people were watching us, while more pretended not to see, hurrying past.
Perhaps I had made her feel uncomfortable.
I quickly pulled her towards the elevators.
As we walked, I said, "Can't you wait a moment? We'll go back to the room."
Xie Nana: "No, I want them to see that you're my man!"
I said, "I am your man. Why do they need to know?"
Xie Nana: "I want the whole world to know that I am your woman, and always will be!"
I said, "Of course, you are, of course, you are."
I had a premonition that this Xie Nana was going to cling to me to death.
It seemed that after the confrontation, I would have to handle my relationship with Xie Nana very carefully. If it wasn't handled properly, I didn't know how severe the consequences would be.
Finally managing to get her into the elevator, I breathed a sigh of relief and kissed her.
She wouldn't let go. Even when the elevator stopped and the doors opened, she still refused to move. I pulled her out.
Upon arriving at the room, I asked her to wait there for a while, as I needed to report to my senior.
She reluctantly tugged at me, not wanting me to leave.
I said, "You're already here, aren't you afraid I'll run off? I'll be back soon."
She finally let go obediently, allowing me to leave.
Now was not the time for romance. There were still many things to arrange. We were racing against time with Brother Hui and the others. We couldn't let them realize what was happening, or if they sensed anything amiss, we would lose everything, and all our previous groundwork would be in vain.
I went to my senior's room and told him about the site selection. He said it was time to arrange meetings with the Xie brothers and Principal Sun.
I nodded, picked up the phone, and called Brother Hui, informing him of the channel platform launch meeting tomorrow, and that all shareholders must attend.
He grunted and asked for the time and place. I said tomorrow afternoon at two o'clock, at the East Suburb Clubhouse.
He was silent for a moment. This man was naturally suspicious; he was undoubtedly investigating this location.
After a pause, he finally said, "Have you notified others?"
I said, "I definitely had to inform you first. I'll notify others after you confirm."
Brother Hui: "Don't tell them the location yet. Have them wait at their current positions and inform them of the specific address closer to the time."
I said, "Alright, I understand."
No wonder they said he was suspicious. I thought it wasn't just suspiciousness, but also overthinking.
I then called the Crown Prince, telling him to prepare around one o'clock tomorrow and that he would be informed of the meeting location later.
The Crown Prince responded, asking about the general location and if it was far. I said Brother Hui decided it, and he hadn't mentioned the location, so we'd wait for notification.
Upon hearing it was Brother Hui's decision, he said nothing further.
It seemed Brother Hui's reputation carried weight, and he couldn't afford to offend him.
I then called Xie Jiabao, also without telling him the address. Since Brother Hui didn't want it disclosed, it was better not to tell anyone.
Xie Jiabao didn't ask any questions. He acknowledged it and told me to come to the hotel at noon for lunch.
He then said, "Nana is with you, right? Treat her well."
It seemed he already knew about our relationship but hadn't revealed it. His saying so now was a tacit acknowledgment.
Things were becoming increasingly complicated. Tomorrow, we would become adversaries. Even if I wasn't exposed, I would still be Sheng Hao. If I entered with them, then Li Hua would appear. How would Xie Nana find Sheng Hao?
It was truly a headache.
I decided not to dwell on it. Tomorrow's problems would be solved tomorrow. Today, I wouldn't think about anything and would prepare for tomorrow's tough battle.
Senior: "It would be best if we could invite Chen Liben. He plays a significant role in this battle."
I said, "Yes, but we don't speak freely. How can we tell him? We can't mention it to Brother Hui directly, and it might backfire if we do."