The next day, Xie Bingxia split up with Qin Feng and the others. Qin Feng and Li Duo went to question Yuan Yiyun, while Xie Bingxia came to the downstairs of the business building of the Xie Group.
She raised her chin and looked up at the towering building. The Xie Group started from real estate and later got involved in international trade. It also cooperated with many enterprises and jointly invested in the food and tourism industries, reaping rich rewards. Choosing the office location in such a high - class business district and making it the most prominent building among the surrounding ones, it was evident that the Xie Group had become the leader in the business circle.
Gu Bei's office was on the top floor. The elevator went straight up. Without making an advance call, she wondered if Gu Bei would see her. When Xie Bingxia stepped out of the elevator, everyone's eyes were suddenly fixed on her. She nervously touched her small nose.
The office area here was very spacious. Everyone was a busy worker. They were extremely nervous about the sudden visit of the eldest daughter of the Xie family, afraid of making a single mistake.
Fortunately, Secretary Zhang happened to be outside. Surprised, he asked, "Why are you here, Miss Xie?"
"I'm here to see Gu Bei," she didn't need to beat around the bush. "Is he in his office?"
Secretary Zhang looked embarrassed. "He is... but..."
"If he's busy, I can wait for him."
"Okay, follow me." Secretary Zhang led Xie Bingxia through a maze of turns and walked deep into this floor. Before they reached the office door, Gu Bei's angry roar could be clearly heard even through the thick door. "Find out for me within a week who is causing trouble on our turf. And figure out what the guy who's been buying a large number of our shares is up to!"
"They're very sneaky. Besides, it's in the North American market. It'll take time and effort for us to act."
"You figure it out. I need results." Gu Bei paused. "Start with Vincent. It's very likely he's involved."
Hearing this conversation, Secretary Zhang advised Xie Bingxia, "Maybe you should come another day, Miss. The boss is in a bad mood today. I'm afraid..."
"It's okay," Xie Bingxia waved her hand. "I just want to say a few words to him."
She had already made him angry enough yesterday. How much worse could it get? Was he going to turn into an atomic bomb and blow up the whole building?
After a while, several middle - aged men in suits walked out of the office with extremely ugly expressions. When they saw Secretary Zhang, they quickly shook their heads and then left the scene in a hurry.
Xie Bingxia pushed the door open. Immediately, the pungent smell of cigarettes made her cough. In the smoky air, Gu Bei was standing with his back to her in front of the floor - to - ceiling glass, holding a cigarette and puffing away.
"I'm tired of saying that smoking is harmful to health," Xie Bingxia waved her hands left and right, trying to get rid of the smell of cigarettes.
"What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in class?" There was a deep frown on Gu Bei's forehead, making his hawk - like eyes look even sharper.
"This is also my family's enterprise. Can't I come to inspect the work?"
Gu Bei chuckled. "Do you understand?"
"I can learn. It's not difficult," Xie Bingxia watched as Gu Bei walked from the window to his boss's chair. "I'm very smart."
"Really?" Gu Bei sat down on the boss's chair, spreading his arms. He deliberately teased her, "I'm looking forward to the day when you sit in this chair."
"I can sit in it now," Xie Bingxia replied quite naturally. Seeing his face turn twice as gloomy as before, she quickly added, "On your lap. It's comfortable and firm."
"..." Mr. Gu's handsome face immediately turned from black to red. There was no doubt that he had been flirted with by the little white rabbit again. He sighed. "Get to the point. I'm very busy."
Xie Bingxia didn't intend to beat around the bush. She made a request. "Can you help me find out Yan Xiaoyi's whereabouts? You have many connections. You must be able to find him."
"The son of the Yan Electric Machinery Company?" Gu Bei searched his mental database for Yan Xiaoyi's appearance. He had had contact with the Yan Electric Machinery Company, but he had only met their son a few times.
"I don't have a deep relationship with the Yan family, and I've never had any dealings with their son. Why should I help you find him?" Gu Bei seemed to be deliberately rejecting her, but in fact, he was trying to figure out what Xie Bingxia was up to. This little rabbit was not obedient at all. God knew what she was planning this time. He wasn't going to be easily tricked.
However, Xie Bingxia had already sensed his intention from his tone. She didn't intend to deceive him and answered honestly. "He's my friend. He's been missing for several days, and we can't find out where he's gone..."
"Of course, I won't let you help me for free. We'll do a one - for - one exchange. If you help me find him, I'll agree to one of your requests."
Gu Bei became interested. "Really?"
"Yes."
"Any request?"
"You're not going to ask for my life, are you?" Xie Bingxia forced a smile. "I'm a bit scared of that. After all, I still want to taste all the delicious food in the world, find a handsome and wealthy husband, and live a happy life."
"… handsome and wealthy…" Gu Bei savored these words carefully. Then he saw his own reflection in the glass window and felt a hint of joy. Suddenly, it was as if a heavy hammer had hit him on the head - no, the little white rabbit was trying to deceive him! He had almost been led astray!
Gu Bei came to his senses and said seriously, "Okay, I'll help you find out."
"What about your request?"
"I'll keep it for now. I'll tell you when I think of it."
Xie Bingxia was dissatisfied. "Mr. Gu, this is an on - the - spot deal. There's no such thing as a delayed delivery."
"If you don't agree, you can terminate the deal at any time." Gu Bei was sure he would win, so he didn't leave any room for negotiation. As expected, he saw the little white rabbit pout her lips and say weakly, "Okay. When can you find out?"
Gu Bei looked at his watch. "Tonight."
"I'll wait for your news." After the matter was settled, Xie Bingxia was about to leave. Suddenly, Gu Bei called out to her. "Wait. Is Yan Xiaoyi's disappearance related to Yuan Yiyun?"
Gu Bei's sixth sense was so accurate that it made people nervous. Although she already had a hunch that it was related to Yuan Yiyun, she couldn't reveal all her cards here. So she just calmly said, "I don't know."
Gu Bei lowered his voice and warned her, "Don't provoke Yuan Yiyun."
"Who would dare to provoke Mr. Gu's fiancée?" After saying that, Xie Bingxia turned around and slammed the door behind her. When she walked out of the Xie Group building, the anger in her chest still hadn't subsided. She stamped her foot at the entrance, wishing she could turn into Godzilla and swipe her tail to knock Gu Bei flying.
There was indeed a hidden agenda behind asking Gu Bei to investigate Yan Xiaoyi. She wanted to peel off Yuan Yiyun's false mask layer by layer and show it to Gu Bei, so that he could see how promiscuous his fiancée was.
Xie Bingxia didn't believe that Gu Bei could remain calm after having one green hat after another placed on his head! Xie Bingxia took out her phone and called Qin Feng. As expected, Qin Feng complained non - stop on the other end. "That Yuan girl is denying everything! She said she's had no contact with Yan Xiaoyi for a long time."
"I guessed it. She's very cautious. What does 'no contact' mean?"
"She dumped Xiaoyi!"
"When did that happen?"
"A week ago."
It matched the date when Yan Xiaoyi had acted strangely and disappeared! Xie Bingxia understood. But Qin Feng was very worried and said, "He... he wouldn't do something stupid, would he? That Yuan girl deserves to be punished! How hateful!"
"I've already asked Gu Bei to investigate. We'll wait for the news tonight."
"Really? That's great." Qin Feng saw a glimmer of hope and silently prayed - please don't let anything happen!
*
That night, Gu Bei's investigation results came as promised. He sent Xie Bingxia an address, which showed a small hotel in the east of the city. There were many industrial factories in that area, and the personnel situation was complex, which was indeed a suitable place to hide.
"Let's go right away!" Qin Feng didn't want to waste any time. "I'll persuade him when we find him."
Xie Bingxia nodded in agreement. Then Qin Feng went to drive his car. Li Duo also wanted to go, so the three of them set off for the east of the city.
Little did they know that a Mercedes - Benz G - Class had been parked in the parking lot outside the small hotel for several hours. After Gu Bei sent the message to Xie Bingxia, he said to several young men in black outside the car, "Solve the problem quickly and bring the person here."
It would take at least an hour for Xie Bingxia and the others to drive here, and with the evening rush hour, there was enough time.
"Yes, boss." The young men took the order and left. Ten minutes later, they came back out of breath, looking rather disheveled.
"Boss, that kid ran away!" one of them said. Another one beside him continued, "There were two other guys with him. They were covering for him."
"Who were those two guys?"
"It was too dark. We couldn't see their faces. But they were very smart. They were wearing flashy clothes and seemed to be very familiar with the terrain. They ran into the factory building behind and disappeared."
That little brat was quite capable. Gu Bei sneered and said, "Okay, you clean up the mess and tidy up the scene."
The men in black scattered. The Mercedes - Benz G - Class roared and quickly left the place, disappearing into the night.