Chapter 232 Haunting Them Like Ghosts
Lu Rang's voice was deep and cold.
“Mr. Qi, the accident has already happened. Blaming and threatening won’t solve the problem. We sincerely apologize and are seeking a solution. Remaking is the most feasible solution. As for the timing, we can discuss it…”
"Lu Rang?"
Qi Yan seemed to be stunned for a moment, then sneered, his tone becoming extremely sarcastic.
"Heh, who do we have here? So it's Attorney Lu here too. What, are you making decisions for Miss Freya now?"
"She is my fiancée, and I naturally have the right to inquire about her affairs."
Lu Rang remained unyielding, his tone firm, "Mr. Qi, state your actual demands besides a remake. You can name your compensation amount."
"Actual requirements?" Qi Yan chuckled softly on the other end of the phone.
"Alright. Since Attorney Lu is so straightforward, I won't beat around the bush either."
He paused, then said, word by word, "I want the Zhou family's underground winery. As long as Shang Wu transfers the winery to my name, I'll pretend this never happened. I don't want the brooch, and I don't need any compensation."
These words left not only Lu Rang but also Shang Wu, who was standing next to him, completely stunned.
The Zhou family's underground winery?
What was that? She had never heard of it before.
"What underground winery?" Lu Rang retorted coldly.
"Didn't Shang Wu tell you?" Qi Yan's tone was tinged with surprise. "It seems she wasn't entirely honest with you either. The Zhou family has a private, closed-off underground winery that houses the world-famous wines collected by Zhou Yanci's father throughout his life, which are priceless."
"More importantly, many of the wines there contain memories and traditions that money can't buy."
He continued slowly and deliberately, "When the Zhou family fell from power and their assets were liquidated, didn't Shang Wu, who was once Zhou Yanci's closest confidant, take that winery with him? I don't want much, just that winery."
"I don't know what you're talking about." Shang Wu took the phone. "I have no idea about any underground wineries. Zhou Yanci has never mentioned them to me. There is absolutely no such thing among all the Zhou family assets that I have taken over."
"You say there's no such thing as no such thing?" Qi Yan's voice was full of distrust and sarcasm. "Shang Wu, we're all sensible people. Zhou Yanci trusted you so much back then, he even handed you the knife he used to deal with me. Would he not tell you about his family's treasure vault?"
"Three days. I'll give you three days. Prepare the winery's ownership documents and related paperwork, and transfer it to my name. Otherwise..."
His voice suddenly turned cold, filled with undisguised threat.
"Otherwise, I wouldn't mind letting the whole of Ye City know how Freya Studio bullies its customers, damaging a customer's family heirloom and then denying it."
"By the way, I'm also curious, if Mr. Zhou's old friends knew that his life's treasures had fallen into your hands, do you think anyone would want to take a look at them?"
"Qi Yan! You're being completely unreasonable!" Shang Wu gripped her phone tightly.
"Whether it's unreasonable or not, we'll know in three days." After saying that, Qi Yan hung up the phone without giving them any chance to refute.
All that could be heard through the receiver was a busy tone.
The studio was deathly silent.
Ah Ying was so frightened that she dared not breathe.
Shang's fingers, gripping the phone, turned white.
Her mind was in complete chaos.
An underground winery?
She had never heard Zhou Yanci mention it.
How could Qi Yan know? And why was he so certain that she was with him?
Lu Rang's face was terribly gloomy.
He put his arm around Shang Wu's shoulder and looked at A Ying.
"Aying, go and carefully check all the asset details that were taken over from the Zhou family. Not a single detail can be missed."
"Yes, yes! I'll check right away!" Ah Ying felt like she had been granted a pardon and hurriedly ran to the filing cabinet and computer.
Lu Rang looked down at Shang Wu, who was filled with fear and uncertainty in his arms, and softened his voice: "Don't be afraid, Qi Yan is just trying to extort money. No matter what he wants to do, I'm here."
Shang Wu leaned against him, her mind in turmoil.
Three days...
Qi Yan only gave him three days.
Two hours later,
Aying searched through almost all of Shang Wu's asset documents, her eyes practically red with envy, but ultimately found nothing.
Exhausted and frustrated, she reported to Shang Wu and Lu Rang.
“I have checked all the property certificates and notarized documents, and even some handwritten memos. There is absolutely no mention of an underground winery or anything like that.”
This result was within Shangwu's expectations.
But it also made her heart sink even more.
Qi Yan's intention to extort money is already very clear.
Does that winery really exist? If so, where is it located?
Zhou Yanci had never mentioned her before.
Countless questions swirled in Shang Wu's mind.
"It seems we have no choice but to go back to Lincheng."
Shang Wu took a deep breath and made a decision.
Lincheng is the Zhou family's stronghold, the place where Zhou Yanci grew up.
Perhaps some overlooked clues can be found there.
Even the slightest clue is better than passively waiting here for Qi Yan to make a move.
Lu Rang immediately frowned: "I'll go with you."
He was absolutely unwilling to let Shang Wu return alone to that place filled with unpleasant memories, facing unknown risks that might be related to the Zhou family.
"Mm." Shang Wu did not refuse. With him by her side, she did feel more confident.
The two immediately booked the earliest flight to Lincheng.
However, the weather turned bad. On the day of departure, both Yecheng and Lincheng were suddenly hit by dense fog, with extremely low visibility.
The airport has issued a notice that all flights are delayed, with the specific departure times to be determined.
Standing in front of the airport's huge information screen, looking at the sea of red "delayed" or "cancelled" messages, Shang Wu's anxiety grew.
"Drive there."
Without the slightest hesitation, Lu Rang decisively took her hand.
"If we take the highway, it should take about one night to get there. We should be able to get there before the weather gets worse."
"good."
Shang Wu nodded; this was the only option now.
Lu Rangrang's assistant immediately drove the car to the airport.
The two quickly changed course and drove onto the highway.
Lu Rang drove, and Shang Wu sat in the passenger seat, looking out at the thick fog that seemed impossible to dispel. Her mood was as gloomy and depressed as the weather.
She tried hard to recall every moment she spent with Zhou Yanci, attempting to find any fragments that might be related to the winery, but to no avail.
Just as the car left the city, Lu Rang's phone rang.
It was Aying calling.
"Mr. Lu, have you left?"
Aying's voice sounded anxious and helpless.
"It's already on its way, what's wrong?"
"Miss Cheng Keke came to the studio just now, saying she wanted to see President Shang or you. I told her you had an urgent matter and went out, but she didn't believe me and insisted on barging in. She even asked me if you two went on vacation together..."
Aying's tone was full of annoyance, "I really couldn't hold back anymore, so I told her to stop bothering you. You and President Shang have a very good relationship. This trip back to President Shang's hometown is for important business, not for playing around..."
Lu Rang's brows furrowed instantly: "You told her to go back to Lincheng?"
"I just blurted it out, hoping to make her give up..." Ah Ying realized that she might have said too much.
Just then, Shang Wu, who was behind the car, seemed to see something.
She asked hesitantly, "Lu Rang, was that blue sports car following us from the city center the whole time?"
Lu Rang glanced at the rearview mirror and, sure enough, saw a very eye-catching bright blue sports car following behind at a distance that was neither too close nor too far.
Driving a convertible in this weather?
A flicker of doubt crossed his mind.
Ah Ying on the other end of the phone had obviously heard Shang Wu's words and immediately exclaimed in surprise.
"A blue sports car? Oh no! Mr. Lu, that could be Cheng Keke! She came to the studio in a brand new blue sports car before!"
Almost simultaneously, the blue sports car suddenly accelerated, attempting to overtake them and drive alongside them.
The car window rolled down, and Cheng Keke, wearing exaggerated sunglasses and with her hair disheveled by the wind, excitedly waved to them.
"What a coincidence! You're going out too? Where are you headed?"
Lu Rang's face instantly turned ashen.
Shang Wu also felt a headache coming on. This Cheng Keke is really a persistent ghost!
Lu Rang slowed down and rolled down the window, and a cold wind mixed with moisture rushed into the car.
His voice was colder than the weather outside.
"Cheng Keke, turn back immediately and don't follow us."
"Why? Lincheng isn't yours! I've been wanting to go visit Lincheng anyway! It'll be nice if we go together, we can keep each other company!"
Cheng Keke completely ignored Lu Rang's cold face, talking to herself and even smiling smugly.
"That little assistant of mine, Aying, tried to lie to me. Humph, she let it slip as soon as I asked her a few questions! Trying to get rid of me? No way!"
“We’re not going out to play. We have serious business to attend to and it’s dangerous. You should go back immediately,” Shang Wu tried to persuade her, even though she knew the chances were slim.
"I'd be even more eager to go if there's danger! I can help! I promise I won't cause any trouble!"
Cheng Keke made a firm promise, treating this trip as a thrilling adventure game.
Lu Rang completely lost his patience, slammed the car window shut, and stepped on the gas to accelerate, trying to shake her off.
However, in such foggy weather, it is not advisable to drive too fast on the highway.
Moreover, Cheng Keke's sports car had excellent performance, and her driving skills were also quite good; she relentlessly pursued them.
Lu Rang was on edge, trying to balance safety with getting rid of this clingy person, and his mood was at its worst.
As Shang Wu watched the blue sports car relentlessly pursuing them from behind, her uneasy premonition grew stronger.
The threat from Qi Yan has not yet been resolved, and now there's another troublesome character, Cheng Keke.
This trip to Lincheng is unlikely to go smoothly.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com