Other bosses from several clubs and hot spring resorts arrived at the office one after another.
The female demon entered last. She greeted Brother Bao and Lan Ya, then cast a meaningful glance at me. I remained expressionless. She and I were inherently incompatible, so her betrayal was not unexpected.
If we had ever worked together or collaborated for a common goal, it was merely for temporary gain. Deep down, our hatred was irreconcilable.
Who could forgive someone who had harmed their own father? If one could, how magnanimous would that person have to be?
Therefore, she had no reason to feel guilty towards me. She was simply doing what she had always done; how I responded was my own concern.
Seeing that everyone had arrived, Lan Ya asked them to find seats. Brother Bao was about to give a speech.
This was my first time attending a high-level meeting. Apart from the female demon, I was not very familiar with the other bosses. Knowing my identity, they greeted me first.
Lan Ya and the female demon were the only women present. The other bosses were young men in their twenties and thirties, with buzz cuts, exuding a tough, street-smart demeanor.
Brother Bao reported on the previous day's operations and discussed matters requiring vigilance.
The main focus of today's meeting was not yesterday's events but the work plan for the second half of the year. As usual, the latter half of the year was the peak season, and each department's income relied heavily on business during this period.
Due to Brother Bao's new venture into the raw stone market, some personnel would be transferred from the five clubs, followed by recruitment and training for the clubs.
Twenty people would be seconded from each club to form a new company of one hundred people, which I would temporarily manage for the raw stone market.
My position at the main company would remain unchanged; I would continue to serve as the vice president there.
As the main company oversaw all other companies, the vice president's position was equivalent to that of the bosses of the other clubs.
Administratively, I held a higher rank than them.
At this moment, I felt my pager vibrate. I took it out and saw it was the number from our school's entrance. It was likely Wang Xin or Xiao Pang calling.
I signaled to Brother Bao with my phone, and he waved for me to go out.
I went outside and dialed the number. Wang Xin's voice on the other end was tinged with tears. She said that many people had gone upstairs to my home and trashed it. Wang Xin, passing by my house on her way to school, saw many people standing in the corridor. Sensing something was wrong, she went upstairs to find them smashing things and had also taken away my father.
She didn't know why my father was home at that time, but they had still taken him away.
I asked her about the characteristics of the people. She said they were all dressed in black clothes and looked like trouble.
She didn't dare to question them and had to run all the way to page me.
It had to be Crown Prince. Not only had he found my number, but he had also found my home! What was more infuriating was that he had taken my father.
Crown Prince had indeed kept his word; he had made his move without waiting for us to be prepared.
I returned to the room. Brother Bao had already concluded the meeting, and everyone was getting up to leave. Seeing me enter, they asked what had happened.
He probably noticed my extremely grim expression.
I said, "Zhou Yingying, stay behind. I have something to ask you."
The female demon must have also noticed my distressed expression and hesitated. Hearing me ask her to stay, she sat back down.
Only a few of us were in the room, with Da Kui standing by the door.
I told Brother Bao, "My home was trashed by Crown Prince, and he kidnapped my father."
Brother Bao was furious. He slammed his fist on the coffee table and roared, "I didn't want to deal with him anymore, but he's come looking for trouble. Fine, I'll gather my men immediately and teach him a lesson!"
I said, "Brother Bao, calm down first. I want to sort out the sequence of events before dealing with him."
Brother Bao and Lan Ya looked at me, somewhat puzzled. Since Crown Prince had taken the person, why not just fight?
I asked, "Zhou Yingying, did you have any contact with Crown Prince today?"
Zhou Yingying looked bewildered and said, "Do you think I sold you and your family out?"
I said, "Could it be someone else? You know my phone number, and coincidentally, you know my father!"
Her face suddenly turned pale. My mentioning that she knew my father seemed to have struck a nerve.
She said, "It really wasn't me. We were busy until late last night, and I've been sleeping since I got back. However, however..."
She suddenly stopped, her expression flustered.
I quickly asked, "However what?"
She stammered and refused to speak. I grabbed her by the collar and raised my hand to slap her!
I said, "You'd better tell me everything you know, and I promise to leave you a whole corpse!"
Zhou Yingying looked at Brother Bao and Lan Ya. They were both furious. Her hesitant expression indicated that she at least knew something.
Lan Ya: "You slut, aren't you going to confess?" She stepped forward as if to attack.
Brother Bao stopped her, signaling for her to speak quickly.
Zhou Yingying meekly said, "It might have been Teacher Sun. I saw him hiding in the bathroom making a phone call."
The Teacher Sun she mentioned was the vice principal who had caused trouble for my father. It was clear that they had been together last night.
She said, "Last night he asked me why I came back so late. I told him we raided Master Kang's house and captured him. He didn't say anything when he heard that. After a while, he probably thought I was asleep and went to the bathroom to make a call."
I asked, "How did he know my phone number?"
Zhou Yingying: "It was last time you looked for me about Xiao Hong's matter. He was nearby and asked who I was. I told him, and he probably noted down the number then."
Lan Ya came over, scolding me from both sides, "You slut! Do you know the trouble you've caused? Do you think they kidnapped Li Hua's father just for themselves? He's declaring war on us, you know? War on everyone! Can you escape this? After this is over, I'll peel you alive, you traitor!"
Zhou Yingying: "I truly have my reasons. Even regarding Li Hua's father's matter, it was Teacher Sun who forced me to do it. He has many photos of me without clothes, and if I betray him, he'll make them public. For years, he has had me under his complete control."
So that was how it was. That scoundrel, to control the female demon, had resorted to such despicable means.
How could my father fight an opponent like this?
Brother Bao: "Let's set aside the matter with Teacher Sun for now. We need to resolve the immediate issue. Saving the person is paramount!"
Just then, my phone rang again. It was Crown Prince calling. He laughed maniacally, "Li Hua, if you don't come and save your old man soon, you might not see him again! This old man really can't take much. After a couple of hits, he lost consciousness. If I hadn't splashed cold water on him in time, his corpse would be stiff by now, hahaha!"
I said, "You wait, I'm coming right away!"
Crown Prince: "Only you are allowed to come alone. If I see a second person, you can prepare to collect a corpse!"
He told me the address, a place on the border near the river. If someone were killed there, they could just be thrown in, and within half an hour, the body would drift to the other side.