Fated Love With the Billionaire
Chapter 315: Unfamiliar Faces

Chapter 315: Chapter 315: Unfamiliar Faces

After listening to what Chen Ningxi said, Cheng Qiaobei fell into deep thought, recalling the Zhoushan project. At that time, Cheng Xiangheng had wanted to bribe Chen Weichuan to acquire the land at the lowest cost and save expenses.

But given the current situation between the two families, it doesn’t make much sense.

Why would my father suddenly drag his in-laws into this? It’s illogical.

Chen Ningxi also noticed Cheng Qiaobei’s unusual demeanor, "What are you thinking about?"

Cheng Qiaobei looked troubled, grabbed Chen Ningxi’s hand and held it tightly, saying, "Wife, this matter might be connected to my dad."

Chen Ningxi furrowed her brows, "What do you know?"

"The land for the Zhoushan project was negotiated by my dad. I took over later. He mentioned to me at the time that he wanted to use your dad as a means to get the lowest price and reduce project costs," Cheng Qiaobei said, never knowing that the boomerang would someday strike him. "I can imagine his methods... but there’s no reason for him to do this otherwise."

If the truth behind all this is what it appears to be, it’s far too unbelievable.

"What’s the purpose of filing a report?" Chen Ningxi remained calm and analyzed, "I think this doesn’t add up. Even if such things happened back then, my dad didn’t accept them and rejected them outright. Both of them are clear on what went on. Reporting my dad now wouldn’t benefit your dad. Bribery is illegal to begin with—it’s not advantageous from any angle. What’s the point?"

Cheng Qiaobei was clearly considering this as well and agreed with Chen Ningxi’s perspective. "Exactly, what’s the point?"

Their eyes met, and the problem zeroed in on a single point.

Cheng Qiaobei muttered to himself, "Things have gotten messy, like someone stirred up clear water into muddiness."

Suddenly, clarity dawned on Chen Ningxi, "Look past the surface to grasp the essence. Who benefits the most from muddy waters?"

A figure gradually emerged in Cheng Qiaobei’s mind. Chen Ningxi asked, "Do you know who it is?"

"It’s just a guess; I can’t be certain."

Chen Ningxi pressed, "Who is it?"

Cheng Qiaobei lifted her hand and smoothed her palm. Under her surprised gaze, he wrote a word in her hand.

...

Early in the morning, the doorbell rang.

Chen Weichuan seemed to have a premonition and went to open the door first.

He saw two people outside. One of them introduced himself as part of an investigation team sent by the province.

It was sudden. Not wanting to alarm Ye Yujun, Chen Weichuan lowered his voice and said, "Let me notify my family."

The other person was concerned about potential issues and interrupted, "That won’t be necessary. Just a few questions, and it’ll be done."

Chen Weichuan knew their process well enough; a situation like this was never as simple as just a few questions.

Right then, Ye Yujun stepped out of the kitchen holding breakfast. She saw the people at the door and walked over, asking:

"Old Chen, what are you doing? Come over and eat breakfast."

Seeing the strangers at the door, the two men wore solemn expressions and authoritative airs, causing Ye Yujun’s heart to sink. But being someone seasoned with life’s storms, in the next second, she smiled and said, "You must be my husband’s colleagues, right?"

The men nodded, their gaze falling on Chen Weichuan. The latter turned and replied casually:

"Yujun, the municipal bureau is organizing some training. They’re here to pick me up. The training venue has strict rules—no cellphones allowed. Don’t call me during the next few days; I’ll be back as soon as I’m done."

Ye Yujun, keen and intuitive, pushed down her mounting anxiety and smiled back, saying, "You should’ve mentioned you were going out of town sooner. I haven’t even packed your change of clothes yet. Hold on, let me do it now."

She turned and went back inside. Chen Weichuan said to the two men, "Please wait a moment."

Ye Yujun returned hurriedly with a travel bag in hand and stared at Chen Weichuan’s face, her urgency hard to conceal, "Come back early."

Chen Weichuan accepted the travel bag, "Got it."

One of the men took the bag from Chen Weichuan’s hand. The three of them walked side by side into the elevator.

As soon as they left, Ye Yujun ran to the living room, grabbed her phone, and dialed Chen Ningxi’s number.

At that moment, Chen Ningxi had just left the house and was waiting with Cheng Qiaobei in front of the elevator.

"Mom, what’s going on?"

Ye Yujun said, "Ning Xi, your father might be in trouble."

"!" Chen Ningxi paused for two seconds. "Mom, calm down and explain what happened?"

Cheng Qiaobei inclined his head slightly toward her phone, listening as the speaker on the other end replied: "Two people showed up at our door moments ago and took your dad away. He said they were taking him for training. Do they think I’m stupid? Can’t I tell? I packed a few clothes for him, but now I have no idea where they’ve taken him."

Chen Ningxi was worried too, but she knew this was the moment she couldn’t afford to panic. "Mom, it’s alright. You know what kind of person Dad is. They’ll just ask him a few questions, and he’ll be back."

Ye Yujun shook her head, "Those two looked unfamiliar. I know almost everyone from the city. They’re probably from higher up."

Chen Ningxi tightened her grip on her phone, "I’ll start asking around, see if I can figure it out."

Ye Yujun said, "Go ahead and ask. At least figure out where they’ve taken him, so we can have some idea."

She hung up the phone as the elevator arrived.

The elevator’s screen displayed shifting numbers as Chen Ningxi opened her contact list to search for someone who might know something.

This kind of matter couldn’t be discussed openly. She would have to indirectly probe, but after making several calls, she had no success.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Cheng Qiaobei drove her to her workplace.

Before she got out of the car, Cheng Qiaobei said, "Don’t worry. This will be resolved."

Despite his reassurance, Chen Ningxi’s mind remained in chaos.

"I know. In situations like this, no words can ease your anxiety. I’ll meet with Mr. Cheng shortly to talk about the events from back then. We’ll find a solution."

Chen Ningxi worried aloud, "Dad knows bribery is illegal, doesn’t he? If he doesn’t want trouble to come to him, what if he denies offering bribes?"

That wasn’t impossible.

To protect himself, Cheng Xiangheng would absolutely resort to such measures.

Cheng Qiaobei fell silent for two seconds, then firmly stated, "I have my own plan."

Watching the sedan merge into traffic, Chen Ningxi turned and walked into her office building.

Along the way, greetings from her colleagues seemed normal. Apparently, news hadn’t spread yet.

Urgently preoccupied, Cheng Qiaobei rushed to his company and headed straight to Cheng Xiangheng’s office.

Deng Yan was currently on leave, and the final decision on how to handle him hadn’t been made.

Knocking on Cheng Xiangheng’s office door, he found it empty. Cheng Qiaobei strode into the secretary’s office, where Deng Yan’s spot was now occupied by a stranger.

Seeing him appear, the person at the desk stood up and introduced himself:

"Hello, Mr. Cheng. I’m the new secretary, Yu Jinhao. You can call me Xiao Yu."

Given his bad mood, everyone seemed to rub Cheng Qiaobei the wrong way, yet he maintained basic courtesy and asked:

"Where’s Mr. Cheng?"

Yu Jinhao replied, "Mr. Cheng stepped out."

Cheng Qiaobei: "Where did he go?"

Yu Jinhao: "He didn’t say. Do you need me to pass a message along?"

Cheng Qiaobei closed his eyes briefly, took a deep breath, and suppressed his rising anger. "No."

He turned to leave, while Yu Jinhao, startled, sat back down at his workstation, thinking to himself, This Mr. Cheng is kind of intimidating.

Returning to his office, Cheng Qiaobei was met by Wei Lai, who brought in documents that required his signature. "Mr. Cheng, these are the papers you need to sign today."