Chapter 54: Chu Qianqian Is Kidnapped
"Darling, don't look at me like that, or I can't guarantee I won't eat you up!" Zhou Fan tweaked Chu Yan's little nose. "Just say what's on your mind. I'll do my best to give you what you want!"
"Hubby, you must be very rich, right?" Chu Yan wrapped her arms around Zhou Fan's neck, a mischievous glint in her beautiful eyes.
"How much do you need?" Zhou Fan instantly understood what she was getting at.
"Even before you came back, I was already thinking about setting up an R&D department. Factoring in the venue, equipment, and personnel, I'll need at least two hundred million. My grandpa promised me one hundred million, which will be in the account tomorrow, and the company has some funds on hand... so now I'm just a little short!"
"And how much is 'a little'?"
"Ninety million!"
Pfft!
Zhou Fan almost coughed up blood. 'A little bit, my ass!'
'So after Grandpa's contribution, she's still short a hundred million. And she's asking me for ninety... which must mean the company only has ten million left!'
"So, I'll make a call?" Zhou Fan looked at Chu Yan, speechless. He knew exactly what would happen after he made this call, and what he would have to face in the future. 'But what can I do?' he thought. 'She's my wife.'
"Mhm! I'll go take a shower, then wait for you in bed!" Chu Yan jumped up happily and trotted into the bathroom.
Zhou Fan rubbed his temples and dialed a number.
"Zhou, it's wonderful that you're alive, but why aren't you calling me from an encrypted number?" The call connected, and an old man's voice came from the other side, laced with a mixture of joy and confusion.
"It's not important. I need money. Transfer a sum to the card I'm calling from, and then find a new place to live, quickly." Zhou Fan didn't offer any more explanation, keeping his instructions brief.
Although Zhou Fan was certain the man on the other end wouldn't betray him, the moment this call was made, it was only a matter of days before his enemies would learn that he was still alive and located in Nanjiang City.
There was no doubt about it; the man's phone was definitely being monitored.
This meant that within a week at most, numerous rivals would send assassins—or even come themselves—to kill him.
'Looks like restoring my strength to its peak is now an urgent necessity.'
When he returned to the room, Chu Yan was already waiting.
"Hubby, I'll really try to hold back tonight!"
"Don't force it. We can take it slow, it's alright." Zhou Fan didn't mind. He told her the money would be in the account tomorrow, and after cuddling for a bit, he held her as they fell asleep.
Meanwhile, numerous international organizations were thrown into chaos. It was all because the man they had been monitoring for over a year had suddenly received a phone call. The call came from Huaxia, and with it, a voice they had hoped was buried forever in their memories—a voice they never wanted to hear again.
In the hazy state between sleep and wakefulness, both Zhou Fan and Chu Yan were jolted awake by a ringing phone.
"Hubby, I think that's my phone... can you grab it for me?" Chu Yan murmured weakly, giving Zhou Fan a light push without even opening her eyes.
"It's your grandfather!" Zhou Fan grabbed the phone, saw the caller ID, and was instantly alarmed. He hurriedly shook Chu Yan fully awake.
An old man calling in the middle of the night almost certainly meant there was an emergency.
And things were just as Zhou Fan had suspected. After Chu Yan hung up, she stared blankly at him for a moment, her voice trembling. "My aunt... she's been kidnapped. Based on the surveillance footage, they think it was that bastard, Chu Yifeng!"
"Don't worry. Have them send me Chu Yifeng's escape route. I'll go check it out. You wait for me here at home."
Zhou Fan hugged Chu Yan to comfort her, then was fully dressed in an instant.
"Hubby, please be careful. I don't want anything to happen to you!" Chu Yan said, looking at Zhou Fan with worry.
"Don't worry. The person who can hurt me hasn't been born yet. Just be good and wait for me here." Zhou Fan gave her a reassuring smile, then turned, closed the door, and left the villa.
A short while later, a video file arrived on Zhou Fan's phone. It was from Chu Wen. "Brother-in-law, this is the direction the bastard fled. Our initial assessment is he's heading for the North City Suburb, probably trying to get into the mountains. I'm already on my way there with some men!"
Zhou Fan didn't text back. Instead, he called Fan. "What's your report?"
"Information is limited. We can only confirm Chu Yifeng has three masters with him. We're not sure if there are others we haven't seen yet. Their exact strength is unknown, but I can tell you this: they're no weaker than I am, even with my current injuries."
Fan seemed to have anticipated Zhou Fan's call, relaying all of this the moment the line connected.
"So what you're saying is, with Wolf Fang's current strength in Nanjiang City, even if you manage to catch them, you won't be able to win the fight and rescue her. Is that it?"
"Yes. That's why I had the other members stay put. I'm worried the enemy has other plans in motion. I'll go alone; it's enough. Besides, you're here, aren't you?"
Fan didn't bother hiding it; he was completely direct.
After hanging up, Zhou Fan floored the accelerator, pushing the car to its absolute limit. Yet, he frowned slightly. His intuition told him this situation with Chu Yifeng wasn't as simple as a mere kidnapping of Chu Qianqian.