CHAPTER 300: CHAPTER 300: CLEAR GRUDGES AND FAVORS!

Du Jiahao sped towards the West Suburb, his car flying down the road. However, he was unaware that nearby were Li Wanshan’s Wuyou Pavilion and Leng Lingxiao’s Jinshan Villa.

As Lei Ziyi had predicted, Bai Long quickly received the retreat order from Li Zishen.

At the same time, Leng Lingxiao also shortened the three-hour full crew rest period to two hours—he didn’t dare to risk Tang Xiaowan’s safety.

...

Jinshan Villa, study.

"Master, the helicopter is ready and can take off at any time," Zhao Renjie reported respectfully, his voice so soft that only the two of them could hear.

Leng Lingxiao, while signing documents, nodded and responded, "Mm, good."

"Also, there’s another piece of news. We’ve just received word that Madam Lai is missing, and Li Zihan is secretly searching for a cleaner’s whereabouts."

"Yuan Min? Kidnapped?"

"For now, it’s being claimed she needs rest, even Li Wanshan has been kept out."

"It looks like it’s the same group of people. Next... they’re likely to demand a ransom while doing everything to protect Du Jiahao. Li Zishen must be in a difficult position by now, and it’s possible Bai Long has already withdrawn."

"Should we take action now, to avoid more complications?"

"Let’s not tell Tangtang about Yuan Min’s disappearance for now... She’s just gotten out of danger, no need to scare her again. As for Du Jiahao..."

He paused mid-sentence, sinking into thought.

For Du Jiahao, he yearned to personally end things to settle his grudge, but the situation didn’t allow for it.

In this operation to rescue Tang Xiaowan, Li Zishen had expended a lot of effort. Leng Lingxiao was acutely aware of this—rivals in love were still rivals, but debts of gratitude were debts of gratitude.

He didn’t want to owe anyone anything.

"Pull everyone back. Let Du Jiahao off as a way to repay Li Zishen’s debt of gratitude."

"You’re not worried that Du Jiahao will take advantage of the situation..."

"For the time being... he shouldn’t. But just to be safe, send some more people around. If he dares to come in, then he can’t blame us."

"Yes, I’ll go arrange it."

Zhao Renjie left the visitor’s area with a furrowed brow. Little did he know, as soon as he closed the study door and turned around, he saw a beaming Tang Xiaowan.

The girl was holding a large bowl of clear noodle soup, topped with two poached eggs and a few slices of greens.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense.

"Lady Tang."

"Is Huahua inside?" Tang Xiaowan asked cheerfully.

"Yes, please come in, Lady Tang."

Perhaps it was the girl’s light footsteps that had kept him from noticing her approach earlier.

Zhao Renjie speculated as such, said no more, just respectfully opened the door, and then watched as Tang Xiaowan entered the study.

Immediately, as Zhao Renjie closed the door, Leng Lingxiao’s hearty laughter could be heard from inside.

He finally let out a sigh of relief, a satisfied smile on his face, and then, pulling out his phone, he strode towards the elevator.

Inside the study, Leng Lingxiao held a big bowl, a mischievous smile on his face as he looked at Tang Xiaowan.

"Miss me?"

He even threw a flirtatious wink as he spoke.

Tang Xiaowan pouted in mock disgust, "Ew, gross. Hurry up and eat."

"Then don’t go, stay here with me."

"Cut it out, no way, bye."

Leng Lingxiao took her seriously, and holding the big bowl, he quickly stepped in front of Tang Xiaowan, blocking her path.

"I was just joking. Don’t leave. Come on, eat," Tang Xiaowan said with a bubbly laugh as she returned to the sofa, beginning to fiddle with the brass lighter.

Clicking it open and closed, the sound was particularly crisp.

Leng Lingxiao finally followed her back and sat down on the sofa, wolfing down the food.

He ate with relish, his face full of satisfaction.

After arriving at Jinshan Villa, Leng Lingxiao had been busy in the study without even a moment to drink water, let alone eat.

Now, he was indeed hungry.

Despite being just a bowl of plain noodle soup with a couple of poached eggs, not everyone was fortunate enough to enjoy such a meal.

Tang Xiaowan rarely cooked herself, but when she did, it was certainly for her Leng Lingxiao.

...

In the Western Suburb, within the mansion district.

In an excellently soundproofed basement, Madam Lai had just regained consciousness after being knocked out.

Her hands were tied behind the chair, her mouth sealed with tape, unable to call for help—her pale face filled with fear and helplessness, her eyes brimming with tears and suffused with bloodshot.

Three masked men slowly entered the basement, their eyes gleaming with cruelty and malice.

The leader of the masked men walked up to Madam Lai and viciously slapped her across the face, then laughed indulgently.

"Yuan Min, what do you have to be proud of now? When you bullied others before, did you ever imagine that you’d end up like this?"

Madam Lai shook her head vigorously, her eyes full of terror and anger.

One of the masked men grabbed her hair, jerked her head back, and said viciously, "Don’t think you’re still the high and mighty Madam Lai. You’re just an old hag that nobody cares about. I can take your life any time I want."

Another masked man, with a sneer, leaned in close to Madam Lai’s ear and whispered, "Hey, old hag, we’ve prepared two very special games for you. How about giving them a try?"

With those words, he pulled out a sharp knife.

Tears immediately fell from Madam Lai’s eyes, her heart filled with despair and terror. She had never imagined that she would one day be captured, humiliated, and tortured by three masked men.

"Scared, aren’t you? If you’re scared, just tell me, haha."

"Oh, right, you can’t talk."

As the laughter echoed, one of the masked men ripped off the black tape that sealed her mouth.

Finally able to speak, Madam Lai looked left and right before shouting angrily, "What do you want? What exactly do you want?"

"Don’t worry, we’re not here to defile you, we’re just here to give you a nice makeover."

"Don’t come any closer, my son..."

"Oh, you mean Li Zishen? He probably doesn’t want to deal with you anymore!"

The three masked men laughed unrestrainedly. Despite all wearing voice changers that concealed their true voices, they still managed to send shivers down one’s spine.

Madam Lai struggled desperately, to no avail.

And so, her long hair was slashed haphazardly, here and there, without any pattern. Then someone grabbed a box of paints and began scrawling indecent words all over her face and arms.

Though it drew no blood, the damage was devastating.

...

Meanwhile, Lei Ziyi, far away in Huang City, was intently staring at his laptop, smiling smugly.

The sound of typing rattled on.

He had seen everything Madam Lai had been through on his surveillance system, clear as day, and even made backups.

If Li Zishen failed to deliver the two hundred million ransom to the designated location within the set time, then Lei Ziyi would release the video onto the dark web for everyone to watch and share.

For the Leng Family, who always valued their reputation, the consequences were unimaginable.

Suddenly, with a beep, a tall girl entered, carrying two big bags of snacks, drinks, and some fruit.

"What are you doing? Come and help me?"

The typing stopped abruptly.

Lei Ziyi looked at the girl in astonishment.