"Didn't you hear what I just said?" Pei Gong spoke up, startled and helpless, forced to patiently repeat himself. "Don't you want Jing Meng to leave the Pei Corporation? I have a way, but you must help me. Well? Do you need to refuse me again?"
This wasn't the first time he had proposed a partnership, but every previous attempt had met with rejection. He wasn't sure how this one would turn out. Normally, Jing Hong would have refused outright, but since he was in a good mood today, he actually found it to be a viable option. He stopped being stubborn and nodded. "Fine, I agree to work with you."
The weight finally lifted from Pei Gong's heart. He decided to put his plan into motion immediately. "Working at a company hostile to the Pei Corporation won't give you any leverage to get rid of Jing Meng. So, the first step is to resign. After that, I'll arrange for you to work at a more suitable company."
After weighing his options, he decided to place the man in Jennifer's company. This way, they wouldn't be enemies, and it would be easier to plan the next steps.
The next day, he brought Jing Hong to Jennifer's office. Pei Gong said with a beaming smile, "I heard your company is looking for talent, so I picked someone for you. What do you think?"
Jennifer didn't even look at Jing Hong. Treating it as a personal favor, she agreed immediately. "If President Pei brought him personally, he certainly can't be bad. HR will take him down to familiarize him with the company's affairs."
Under her instructions, the HR representative immediately led away the staring Jing Hong. "Come this way with me."
Leaving Jennifer's office, the image of her perfect expression lingered in Jing Hong's mind, and a faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"You'll be working here from now on. If there's anything you need, feel free to ask your colleagues. If that's all, I'll be going," the HR rep said with a slight smile. Her tone carried a hint of flattery, as if the person in front of her weren't just a new hire.
Before Jing Hong arrived, Jennifer had already warned her that this newcomer had a significant background. A mere employee like her couldn't afford to offend him.
Meanwhile, Jennifer stood by the window with her arms crossed. Her eyes were dull and hollow. She rarely used the back door for anyone, but this time it was a necessity. Since Pei Gong had brought him personally, he was likely a young master from a branch of the Pei family who rarely showed his face. She would look after him as much as she could, considering it a favor for Pei Shiyi.
Jennifer's favoritism was one thing, but Jing Hong's eagerness to prove himself was another. Driven by a rash nature, he managed to cause quite a bit of trouble in just a single day. Even simple assistant work ended up needing to be redone. Over time, everyone began to avoid him, fearing their own projects would be jinxed.
News of his blunders eventually reached Jennifer's ears, but she was in a difficult position. He was from the Pei family; she couldn't risk damaging the relationship between the two families by firing him. She could only reassign him. She thought a quiet post would keep him in line, but things never went as planned. He remained a trouble-magnet.
Jing Meng, however, knew nothing of Jing Hong's job change. Her thoughts were occupied by Pei Cheng. She kept picking up her phone, wondering why he hadn't messaged her for so long.
Usually, Pei Cheng sent messages every day sometimes sharing his life, other times vividly recounting funny anecdotes. Although his messages were scattered, they filled her life with joy.
What had started as small daily shares had become a deeply ingrained habit. Jing Meng found herself flipping through her phone repeatedly, waiting for even the smallest triviality.
The next day, her silent phone suddenly rang. Her dim eyes sparked with hope, but it turned to disappointment when she saw the message. It was the same number, but this time it was a photo—a picture of an abandoned building. Irritation filled her again. Just as she was about to block the number, another message arrived.
It was the same abandoned building, but with a piece of children's clothing added to the scene. The clothes looked familiar. Jing Meng quickly zoomed in. After carefully confirming the pattern, her heart skipped a beat.
She remembered clearly: those clothes belonged to Pei Cheng.
An ominous feeling rose within her. She typed a sentence, then carefully checked every word to ensure the meaning was correct and couldn't be misinterpreted. After double-checking, she took a deep breath and hit send.
The content was simple and concise: "Who are you? What do you want?"
As the status changed from "Sending" to "Sent," she gripped her phone nervously. Only yesterday, Pei Shiyi had said Pei Cheng was safe at home, but the clothes in the photo were clearly his. Was it possible someone was actually bold enough to kidnap the Pei family's little treasure?
It seemed unlikely. If it were a real kidnapping, shouldn't the kidnappers call the Pei family directly for ransom? Or was there more to this than a simple kidnapping?
While she was lost in thought, the phone buzzed again with an even shorter message: "Come to this address."
The address?
Jing Meng frowned for a moment, then realized. The message she had deleted as spam at the very beginning must have been the meeting place. An entire day had already passed. She didn't dare delay any longer and rushed to the agreed-upon location.
However, when Jing Meng arrived at the desolate building, it was terrifyingly quiet. She called out tentatively, "I'm here. Where are you?"
Her voice echoed through the empty structure. Once the sound faded, it returned to a deathly silence.
Jing Meng gripped the pepper spray hidden in her bag, searching through rooms that reeked of danger. But even after looking through the entire building, she didn't see a single soul. She frowned.
Had she been played?
While she was doubting the text's authenticity, Pei Qing, who had lured her away, was already leading Pei Cheng into the Pei Corporation.
"Aren't we going to play with Mengmeng? She's going to the abandoned building we agreed on. Why are we at the company?" Pei Cheng asked, confused as they hid in the stairwell.
Shushing him, Pei Qing whispered, "We are playing with Mengmeng. Hide and seek is a lot of fun."
After a moment's thought, Pei Cheng nodded in agreement. Following his lead, they slipped into the laboratory while it was empty.
When the phone rang again, Jing Meng thought the kidnapper was going to change the location. She answered hurriedly. A voice with a modulated tone came through. "Miss Jing, I assume you've reached the abandoned building by now?"
"Is Chengcheng okay? What exactly do you want?" Jing Meng pressed her fingers against her brow, trying to force herself to stay calm.
"Whether Young Master Pei Cheng is safe or not depends on your cooperation, Miss Jing." The person's tone sounded chilling in her ears.
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