Chapter Fifty-Seven: Xia Zhi's "Grand Gift"
"Mr. Xu, are you... going to stand up for Su Xiao?"
Someone gasped, their gaze shifting back and forth between Xu Bozhou and Su Xiao.
"These two are quite interesting. The man keeps a mistress outside, and the woman turns around and gets involved with the Xu family."
"Sigh, I'm too lazy to even mention the shameful things that old geezer from the Xia family did, but I never expected the younger generation to be even more unreliable."
Su Xiao sat up straight, her hand gripping the number plate loosening and tightening repeatedly until her knuckles turned white.
She looked up in Xu Bozhou's direction, and the man happened to turn his head to look at her as well. Through the crowd, his eyes held a hint of playful indulgence.
Su Xiao's heart suddenly skipped a beat. This was the first time he had stood by her side so openly in front of so many people...
Yan Mingshen's face darkened instantly, his jawline tightened, and the veins on his hand holding the number plate bulged.
Xu Bozhou did it on purpose, interfering when Su Xiao was arguing with him.
He felt a sense of frustration, but there was nothing he could do. The Yan family was not doing well, and the Tang family had invested a lot of money in their project.
At this critical juncture, he didn't want to confront Xu Bozhou head-on.
“Ming Shen…”
Xia Zhi grabbed his arm, her voice trembling with tears, but in her heart she had already cursed Su Xiao to the core.
What's so great about this vixen? She's keeping Yan Mingshen hooked on one hand, and at the same time, she's hooked up with Xu Bozhou.
She was the one who should be standing by Yan Mingshen's side; Su Xiao was just a despicable woman who usurped his place!
Xu Bozhou publicly supported Su Xiao, which was also a slap in her face. What Su Xiao wanted but could not have, why should countless people rush to offer it to her just because Su Xiao was standing there?
Xia Zhi's nails dug fiercely into her palms, causing her eyes to redden with pain, but she still had to wear a weak smile on her face.
"Ming Shen, Mr. Xu doesn't want Miss Su to lose, does he? Well, Miss Su is really lucky; she has people helping her wherever she goes."
Her words were pointed, deliberately making the phrase "someone is helping out" sound ambiguous.
Yan Mingshen ignored her, staring intently at Xu Bozhou. His Adam's apple bobbed twice, and the fingers on the armrest slowly tightened. The anger in his chest made his lungs ache.
Finally, Yan Mingshen put down the number plate and turned his face away, the seat making a screeching sound.
"Fifty million for the second time..." The auctioneer glanced at Yan Mingshen, and seeing that he did not make any further moves, the gavel fell heavily.
"Fifty million for the third time! Sold! This pigeon blood ruby belongs to Mr. Xu!"
Sparse applause broke out, and Yan Mingshen stood up: "I'm going out for a smoke."
"I'll go with you..." Xia Zhi quickly grabbed him, feeling both angry and anxious.
Yan Mingshen's behavior clearly shows that he cares about Su Xiao, how could she tolerate it?
"No need." Yan Mingshen shook off her hand, his voice as cold as ice.
Xia Zhi was thrown off balance by him and almost fell. Her delicate demeanor could no longer be concealed.
She stared at the gem box in front of Su Xiao, her eyes brimming with resentment.
Su Xiao, you just wait. Tonight's "big gift" is just the beginning. I will make sure you are utterly disgraced and never be able to appear in front of Ming Shen again!
As the auction proceeded, one item after another was brought to the stage, but Su Xiao didn't raise her paddle even once more.
Her fingertips unconsciously traced the texture of the mineral water bottle. Xu Bozhou's indulgent gaze was still etched in her mind, making her uneasy.
She had only come for the gems, and there was no point in staying any longer, so she got up, straightened her skirt, and walked toward the restroom in the corner of the venue.
The lights in the corridor were dimmer than in the meeting room, and the thick carpet absorbed the sound of footsteps.
As Su Xiaogang turned the corner at the bathroom door, a strange, sweet perfume scent suddenly wafted into her nostrils. Her heart tightened, and just as she was about to turn around, a dull pain shot through the back of her neck.
Immediately afterwards, everything went black and he fainted.
Xu Bozhou glanced down at his watch, his gaze fixed on Su Xiao's empty seat.
Twenty minutes had passed, and the seat was still empty. His fox-like eyes narrowed slightly, and the unease in his heart grew wildly like vines.
He got up and walked quickly toward the bathroom. The corridor was empty; there wasn't a soul in sight.
Is anyone inside?
Seeing that no one answered, Xu Bozhou casually picked up a construction sign and placed it at the door on the women's side, then went in and searched through each of the cubicles.
No.
None.
He immediately pulled out his phone and dialed Chen Huai's number, his tone more urgent than ever before:
"Contact the venue owner immediately and seal off the venue! No one is allowed to leave! Su Xiao is missing!"
Chen Huai on the other end of the phone panicked.
Having just discovered that the car that intercepted Xu Lin belonged to the Yan family, and with Su Xiao now in trouble, he dared not delay. He immediately led the people who had been waiting outside the venue and rushed into the boss's office:
"Excuse me, but someone has gone missing. Please seal off the area immediately! Close all exits and check every vehicle!"
Security arrived quickly, and the venue instantly descended into chaos. The guests, who had been talking in hushed tones, erupted into a frenzy as several special police officers in bulletproof vests moved about at the various exits with walkie-talkies.
Yan Mingshen had just returned from smoking when he saw Xu Bozhou with his arm around his boss's shoulder, his expression serious that Yan Mingshen had never seen before.
"I need to go to the monitoring room. Could you please show me the way?"
"Yes, yes."
The boss dared not utter a word of dissent. If someone whom President Xu held dear was lost on his turf, he would be ready to pay with his life.
The surveillance footage was quickly retrieved, but the camera at the corner of the bathroom had already been tampered with, showing only static.
Chen Huai and his men searched the entire venue, checking the storage rooms, fire exits, and even every private room, but they couldn't find Su Xiao anywhere.
He led his men back to Xu Bozhou, his head bowed low: "Sir, we've searched everywhere, but it's not there. However, according to security, a black van with a fake license plate left from the underground parking lot fifteen minutes ago."
Xu Bozhou released his grip, letting the venue owner slump to the ground.
The security at the venue was quite high. Only the Xu and Yan families in Beijing could afford such a large-scale operation. He'd been keeping an eye on the Xu family for a while, so that left only…
He took a breath, turned to look at Yan Mingshen, his fox-like eyes gleaming with icy coldness: "You did this?"
“Xu Bozhou, that’s my wife. I’m even more worried about her disappearance than you are.”
"I didn't realize that."
Xu Bozhou chuckled and led his men out of the monitoring room.
Xia Zhi hid behind the crowd, a hint of secret joy in her eyes, wondering if Su Xiao liked the "big gift" she had arranged.
At this rate, by the time Xu Bozhou rescues Su Xiao, it will be too late.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com