“Secretary Wang, sorry to keep you waiting.”
Su Ling stepped out of the elevator and greeted the secretary who had been waiting patiently.
“It’s nothing, Young Lady. It’s my duty,” Secretary Wang replied, her voice calm as usual but with an added tone of respect.
When she noticed there were no obvious marks on Su Ling’s body, Secretary Wang quickly realized that the Young Lady must have come out on top in last night’s confrontation.
She then handed over the lunch boxes even more respectfully and said:
“Here!”
“Young Lady, this is the breakfast for you and Miss Ruan. Would you like me to send Miss Ruan’s portion up to her?”
“Ah, no need. Secretary Wang, you can keep it and eat it yourself.”
Su Ling waved her hand casually, clearly unconcerned.
“Oh, Secretary Wang, you must be curious—this morning, Zhixian personally made breakfast for me! And it was her first time cooking!”
The dark-haired Young Lady cupped her face, her expression rosy and delicate, emphasizing the words “personally” and “first time” with extra weight.
“So, the reason you didn’t ask me to deliver the breakfast upstairs was because Miss Ruan cooked it herself?”
For some reason, Secretary Wang felt a little disappointed.
“Yeah, what else could it be?”
Su Ling looked puzzled.
“Never mind, Young Lady. More importantly, let’s head to the company first.”
***
C City Su Group, President’s Office.
“Young Lady, these past couple of days, we’ve been evenly matched with the Gu Family in capturing market share for our products. And the Ruan Family, which you’ve asked us to keep a close eye on…”
“Su Ling, come out here!”
A piercing, coquettish voice interrupted Secretary Wang’s report.
“Wait, Miss Tang, you can’t just barge in like that. The president’s office is right ahead—ow!”
“Shut up! I can go wherever I want. I’m here to see your Su Group President!”
“Bang!” The door to the president’s office was suddenly flung open.
A tall, stunning woman in a red dress stormed in, her long, slender legs stepping sharply in high heels. Her skin was as white as snow, her nose sharp and delicate, and her naturally petal-like lips were tightly pressed together.
Her almond-shaped eyes slanted slightly upward at the corners, giving her an aggressive look. Those eyes were now fixed intently on the two people inside the room.
No—more precisely, they were locked onto Su Ling, who was sitting in the office chair.
“Su Ling, you owe me an explanation today! What have you done to Zhixian and Ruan Madam? Where are they?”
“Tang Jin’er, before you answer me, you have to explain why you barged into my office.”
The dark-haired girl remained unmoved, took a sip of water, and spoke slowly.
“Hmph! Don’t you understand human language? I’ll say it again—Ruan Madam and Zhixian have both gone missing these past two days! No one can find them anywhere! You have to explain this to me!”
“Zhixian and Madam have gone missing? How do you know that? And why come to me?”
Su Ling’s face was filled with confusion.
“Hmph! Of course, I wanted to find Zhixian for a beauty session today, but when I asked their housekeeper, I found out that Zhixian and Madam haven’t been home for nearly two days!”
“No one can contact them! And why come to you? Everyone knows you came to this city with ill intent. Besides, don’t think I don’t know—you were the last one to see Zhixian at C University’s graduation banquet the other night, weren’t you?”
Tang Jin’er narrowed her almond eyes as she looked at Su Ling.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Su Ling met Tang Jin’er’s glare without backing down, replying coldly.
“Please, Miss Tang, this is a society governed by law. No matter how powerful my Su Group is, how could we have kidnapped both Ruan Madam and Zhixian at the same time?”
“Besides, although our Su Group’s arrival in the city has caused some business conflicts, most of our disputes are with the Gu Family. If we were to kidnap anyone, it would be Old Master Gu and Gu Tian first, not the Ruan Family.”
“Besides, yes, I did have a couple of drinks with Zhixian that night, but I went home on my own afterward. My secretary can vouch for that.”
Su Ling pointed to Secretary Wang at her side.
“Hah, everyone knows your secretary is in cahoots with you. No one believes you.”
Tang Jin’er scoffed and retorted with disdain.
“Then there’s no helping it. Fine. Since you’re worried about Zhixian and Madam’s disappearance, the Su Family will assist you with the investigation.”
Su Ling raised her delicate hand helplessly.
“Hmph, that’s for the best. But you have to agree to one condition.”
“What condition?”
“During the investigation, leave everything concerning them to me.”
Tang Jin’er pointed sharply at Secretary Wang standing nearby.
“Hmph, I’ve already done my homework. This Secretary Wang is your trusted aide from the Su Family. From Su Ling’s demeanor just now, if anything happened to Zhixian and Madam, it’s definitely connected to Secretary Wang.”
“During this period, let me properly probe her. Even if it’s not Su Ling’s doing, with Secretary Wang’s help, I can better coordinate the Su Family’s resources to uncover the truth!”
“Young Lady, this…”
The secretary looked slightly surprised, as if she hadn’t expected the topic to turn to herself.
Tang Jin’er was the Tang Family’s Young Miss, a formidable force in C City, and a longtime close friend of Zhixian.
At this thought, Su Ling sneered disdainfully.
“Hmph, just some mere ‘close friend.’ I intend to form an even closer bond with Zhixian.”
One thing was clear—this matter would not end quietly.
Moreover…
Su Ling made up her mind and said:
“Fine, I agree to your condition. During this time, Secretary Wang will follow your instructions and provide assistance from the Su Family.”
“But right now, my secretary and I still have some private work to handle. Please wait outside for a while, Miss Tang. Once we finish the handover, you can take Secretary Wang with you. How about that?”
“Hmph, it’s just your usual dog-eat-dog battles with the Gu Family. What’s there to hide?”
Tang Jin’er grumbled but stepped out, closing the door behind her.
***
“All right, Secretary Wang, time is tight. Let’s keep it brief. First, we need to find out where Ruan Madam went. Why haven’t we received any news?”
After confirming Tang Jin’er could no longer hear them, Su Ling quickly turned to Secretary Wang.
“Young Lady, this is actually what I intended to report before Miss Tang arrived.”
Secretary Wang lightly adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses and replied:
“Madam Ruan, the head of the Ruan Family, is suspected missing, but the Ruan Group itself remains surprisingly calm. Based on existing clues, we suspect Madam Ruan left some contingency measures before disappearing. How long this calm will last, no one knows.”
“Really? Ruan Madam is missing? And she anticipated this herself?”
Su Ling’s pale hand gently stroked her delicate chin as the image of the formidable businesswoman formed in her mind. She fell into thought.
“Forget it. Let’s set this aside for now. Let’s talk about your tasks.”
“First, you must keep Tang Jin’er in the dark. Don’t let her find out the truth about us kidnapping Zhixian. If possible, try to divert suspicion toward the Gu Family.”
Thinking of the Gu Family, Su Ling’s eyes narrowed, and her aura darkened.
“Second, Tang Jin’er has been Zhixian’s close friend for many years. She might know the details of the engagement between the Gu and Ruan Families. Your mission is to use any means necessary to uncover the full picture for me.”
“Yes, Young Lady.”
Secretary Wang’s response was as efficient and precise as ever.
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