Chapter 123 – Conclusion 2
Fei Xiangnan only froze for a moment upon seeing the message. His brain spun rapidly, and he came to two conclusions.
Xiao Fang was in trouble.
Xiao Fang was willing to rely on him completely.
The stay-at-home husband, who had been diligently trying to slice potatoes into shreds, immediately stopped what he was doing, went into the study, and made a call to his subordinate.
“Come to my house,” Fei Xiangnan said, then remembered the two hungry children. “Bring Ma Rui with you.”
Fei Xiangnan rarely called him to his home personally, which showed the severity of the situation. Que Jiang stopped the trainees’ practice for the day, changed his clothes, and drove off. For the novices, getting a few hours off from training was like a pie falling from the sky. Although their training ground was secret, it didn’t stop them from opening a few cases of soda and instant noodles to have some fun. A group of them cheered and went to embrace their big beds.
Once in the car, Que Jiang contacted Ma Rui, who was still at work. The phone rang for a full 57 seconds with no answer. This was almost impossible, as working with Xiao Fang wasn’t particularly difficult, and he was a phone addict who was basically inseparable from his device.
Very good. Ma Rui was in trouble. Que Jiang sped up by several dozen kilometers per hour, nearly running a few red lights along the way. He reached Fei Xiangnan’s residence in the shortest time possible. As he went upstairs, a strong premonition led him to open his phone. Seeing the headline news, he finally understood what was going on.
He knocked on the door, and Xiao Xu opened it. He was holding a baby bottle, apparently preparing milk for his younger nephew.
“Brother Que Jiang, my brother is waiting for you inside.” Xiao Xu politely bowed and handed Que Jiang a pair of slippers. Normally, Que Jiang’s heart would be filled with praise for Xiao Xu, but today’s matter was too serious, so he could only go into the study first.
In the study, Fei Xiangnan’s face was grim. Three computers were running simultaneously, and several phones were laid out for contact. He was mobilizing all of the Fei family’s domestic forces.
“Ma Rui is temporarily unreachable.” As Que Jiang said this, his brow furrowed even tighter, but he knew that getting anxious wouldn’t solve anything.
Fei Xiangnan’s face remained somber as he answered another call.
“Yes, I know. How’s the situation?… Alright.”
With a dark expression, Fei Xiangnan tapped his fingers on the desk, suppressing his anger several times before it could erupt. Very good. They dared to oppose him like this. Did they think he was a rabbit just because he had been a bit more amiable lately?
“The entire bodyguard team has been taken out. They’re at the hospital now. I’ve already sent people to look for Ma Rui. I suspect the other party wouldn’t have taken two people; an extra person means an extra risk of exposure. For now, take some men to the scene and check the surveillance footage. Find out the origin of the car that took Xiao Fang. It’s highly likely they rented it. See if you can find any clues from the person who registered the rental.” It was a wonder Fei Xiangnan could still analyze the situation so calmly.
However, the calmer Fei Xiangnan appeared, the more terrifying his eruption would be. Upon hearing this, Que Jiang immediately contacted his subordinates to set off. Before leaving, Que Jiang turned back.
“Does the boss have a suspect in mind?”
Fei Xiangnan looked up and stated the person’s name with certainty. “Xiao Qi. But he definitely wouldn’t have the ability to do this without help.”
Que Jiang’s gaze sharpened. At this point, both of them had a good idea of who that person was. “Should I contact our forces abroad?”
“No, the net has already closed in. If we startle them now, Xiao Fang will be in more danger. I’ve already contacted the branch families abroad to investigate. If that person really has returned to the country, he can forget about keeping his businesses.” Fei Xiangnan felt a pang of self-blame. This was merely a struggle between him and the branch family, yet his own carelessness had put Xiao Fang in danger. Moreover, he had never told Xiao Fang the detailed plans for this matter, precisely to prevent him from knowing too much, which had now increased the danger.
Que Jiang understood the situation and didn’t delay any further, immediately leaving to arrange the investigation.
Just then, Fei Xiangnan received two overseas emails. One was from Fei Heyi, and the other was from Fei Jin.
Fei Heyi: The cleanup here in M Country is almost done. The third branch is well hidden. He even attended a meeting with the old man two days ago, but there’s been no movement these past two days. He’s a very cunning person and doesn’t let people catch on to his habits, like his favorite places to go, so we can’t start from there. The old man has started to notice our actions, but he’s been gradually relinquishing power over the years. Before he could inform Fei Li, we took action and tied him up. It’s been a day and there’s still no move. It seems he’s not in M Country.
Directly tying someone up was indeed Fei Heyi’s brutish style. Fei Xiangnan then opened the other email. Compared to Fei Heyi, Fei Jin’s message was much simpler.
He’s not in Italy. Cleanup is almost complete.
Fei Xiangnan took a deep breath and replied to both emails simultaneously: Speed it up.
Mobilizing the branch families abroad was somewhat unrealistic right now, so he could only handle the matter quietly within the country. Before new information arrived, Fei Xiangnan first set about cleaning up the mess online.
The internet was already in an uproar. Tearing off the mask wouldn’t have been a big deal, but with Xiao Qi’s demands and the marketing accounts fanning the flames, the situation had spiraled out of control. Without any intervention, the online community had split into several factions.
A small minority supported the two of them, stating that Xiao Fang’s words sounded more like he was being coquettish. This was a very rational take. But the vast majority couldn’t withstand the slander from the marketing accounts. All sorts of fabricated scandals portrayed the hardworking and slightly cowardly Xiao Fang as someone who relied on a man to get ahead, was ungrateful, appeared pure on the surface but was actually a promiscuous third gender who had countless abortions, and that President Fei was being cheated on left and right. It was as malicious as it could get. In just two short hours, the ignorant masses online had organized into a disciplined and principled force, collectively demanding that Xiao Fang quit the entertainment industry.
Fei Xiangnan pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a little helpless. Why was it that when other friends in his circle sponsored young starlets, not a single negative word could be said without the speaker being mysteriously silenced, yet he, the financial backer, had let his beloved fall into the mud several times?
He really had been too merciful. If he didn’t properly clean up this mess this time, it would be a great disservice to the money he had earned over the years.
Just as Fei Xiangnan was about to throw money at the problem, his phone rang. It was the big boss of Xiao Fang’s company, Wen Qianshi.
“Is something wrong with Xiao Fang? There’s no way he would have posted that Weibo.” He wasn’t calling to question, but to confirm. Fei Xiangnan didn’t hide much; some things could be said.
“Yes, it’s a family matter. It’s affecting him now that it’s been dug up. I’m trying to figure out a solution.”
It wasn’t often that Fei Xiangnan had to “figure out a solution.” Every time he did, it was a major issue. Hearing Fei Xiangnan’s words, this was definitely no ordinary major issue.
Wen Qianshi paused. He didn’t dare confirm the thought that had suddenly flashed through his mind with Fei Xiangnan. As a friend had once said, he was smart, but being too smart would be his downfall sooner or later.
“You’re his family. The team we find will definitely be the most professional in the industry. A little money isn’t a problem for you, is it?” He didn’t ask about the process, just went straight to solving the problem.
Fei Xiangnan liked talking to smart people.
“Money isn’t the problem. Don’t just find one team, find all of the top twenty teams in the industry. Investigate what needs to be investigated, block what needs to be blocked. Give them three days. Tell them there’s a bonus when they’re done.”
Three days was not a short time. This time, Fei Xiangnan was going to teach those people a lesson. Since his identity was already revealed, what was there to be concerned about? This time, he would go down with Xiao Fang and see what those monsters could do to him!
Wen Qianshi smiled. “Alright, hearing those words from the financial backer puts my mind at ease.”
All actions were proceeding meticulously and swiftly. While Fei Xiangnan was arranging things online, Que Jiang had already arrived at Xiao Fang’s workplace.
“Three of you, check the surveillance. Six of you, check the vicinity for any clues. The five of you, come with me to find this person. He should be nearby.” Que Jiang sent his subordinates a photo of Ma Rui holding a cat. They were a renowned search team and were more methodical than ordinary people. Que Jiang first checked the surveillance, and within half an hour, he had news of Ma Rui.
The location was a remote restroom at the film set. Que Jiang rushed over at top speed, arriving before his subordinates had even had a chance to untie the ropes.
Ma Rui was tied up and sitting on the toilet. Half of his face was swollen, with a clear shoe print on it, and there were two dried streaks of blood under his nose. There had been a gag in his mouth, which a bodyguard had just removed. Now, seeing Que Jiang, he couldn’t help but howl.
“Damn it, those bastards! They put a sack over my head while I was in the bathroom, then stole my phone to send that message. If I had known, I wouldn’t have set my password to 222. Brother Xiao, have you found Brother Xiao yet?!” Ma Rui howled, not caring at all about his swollen face, his speech somewhat slurred, yet he still dared to curse like that.
Que Jiang’s tension, anxiety, and so-called composure from the past hour all crumbled. He had been trained since childhood to be calm and self-disciplined, to be able to accurately calculate the probability of success for anything he did. He had calculated with certainty that Ma Rui would not be taken, but this fear of loss was stronger than ever before. Thankfully, thankfully, his calculation was correct this time.
This person had made him anxious and insecure. This person had made him more human.
Que Jiang stepped forward and hugged him, even forgetting to untie Ma Rui’s ropes first. His voice, in a way he didn’t realize, was trembling. “Thankfully, thankfully, thankfully you have no use value, and you’re not appetizing to look at, otherwise—” The words “thankfully you’re okay” were forcefully swallowed by Que Jiang, and what came out was this insulting remark.
Ma Rui was stunned for a moment, forgetting the pain in his face. A breath that had been rapidly condensing in his chest roared out of his throat: “Que Jiang, screw your grandpa!”