87. Critical Moment
A month later, the morning light of April streamed through the blinds, casting shadows on Wen Xueyan's desk. She was wearing a light lilac knit suit with a delicate pearl brooch at the collar, a gift from Cheng Boyan who had brought it back from his business trip the previous week.
In another six months, the family of three will be reunited, and she hopes everything can proceed smoothly.
She was looking down at the documents when she suddenly heard an unusual noise outside the window.
Through the glass window, she saw several people in dark uniforms walk straight towards Xi Mingyuan's office. When the middle-aged man at the head of the group showed his identification, the metal badge gleamed coldly in the sunlight. The finance director hurriedly came out from next door, but before he could speak, he was asked to leave with them.
Wen Xueyan's heart sank. She quickly walked out of the office and happened to run into Jiang Zhide, the administrative director, in the corridor.
"What happened?" Wen Xueyan asked in a low voice.
Jiang Zhide's expression was grave: "People from the tax bureau and the public security bureau came, saying they received a formal complaint alleging serious tax evasion by the company." He paused, then added, "I heard the complaint is quite detailed, even digging up accounts from three years ago."
Just then, two men in police uniforms approached them. The older man looked sharply at Wen Xueyan: "Excuse me, are you Ms. Wen Xueyan?"
"It's me." She noticed the police rank on the other person's shoulder.
"Would it be convenient for us to meet in your office?"
Wen Xueyan and the others entered her technical director's office.
"I'm Officer Zhang from the Economic Crime Investigation Division." He showed his identification. "Please don't leave the country anytime soon; we may need your cooperation in our investigation."
Wen Xueyan steadied her breathing and calmly replied, "I understand."
After seeing the police off, Wen Xueyan hesitated for a moment on her phone screen before finally sending Cheng Boyan a message: "Xi Mingyuan has been taken away by the relevant authorities. It's said that he was reported for tax issues."
Meanwhile, in Jingzhou, Cheng Boyan was participating in an important business negotiation. The atmosphere in the meeting room was tense, with executives from both sides still negotiating the project price. When his phone screen lit up, his gaze lingered on the message for three seconds, his brow furrowing slightly before returning to calm.
His long, slender fingers quickly typed four words on the screen: "Come back as soon as possible."
"The meeting is adjourned for ten minutes." Cheng Boyan stood up, his voice still steady. At the end of the corridor, he dialed a number: "Director Li, I'd like to inquire about Xi Mingyuan's situation..."
Five minutes later, he returned to the conference room, where the other party's vice president whispered, "You're in charge of the follow-up negotiations; the bottom line remains unchanged." He then turned to the other party's representative and said, "I'm sorry, I have an urgent matter to attend to. My team will continue the consultations."
In just a few words, Cheng Boyan arranged everything.
On the way to the airport, Cheng Boyan made several phone calls, his voice consistently steady and firm: "Help me find out who's behind this...Prepare a copy of Shiming Group's latest tax returns, and contact Attorney Zhang to have him on standby."
*
On an April night, as the city lights began to twinkle, Wen Xueyan paced alone in the living room of the Xi family apartment, her heart filled with unease.
Xi Mingyuan was taken away by the tax bureau for investigation this afternoon, and there has been no news of him since 7 p.m. She walked to the playmat, looked at her baby playing with toys, and sighed softly.
"Baby, it's okay." She picked up the child, feeling the warmth and weight of the baby.
Just then, the doorbell rang. Wen Xueyan put the child back on the playmat, walked cautiously to the door, and saw a middle-aged man in a dark blue uniform holding a briefcase standing outside the door through the smart monitor.
The man was about forty years old, wore gold-rimmed glasses, and looked refined and cultured.
"Who is this?" Wen Xueyan asked through the access control system.
"I'm from the tax bureau," the man said, showing his identification. "We need to obtain some additional information about Mr. Xi."
Remembering that Xi Mingyuan had indeed been taken away that afternoon, she opened the door.
The moment the door opened, the man rushed in, locked the door behind him, and immediately pressed a cold dagger against her neck.
"Don't move!" The man's voice suddenly turned fierce.
Wen Xueyan was startled, but quickly regained her composure. She swiftly called out to the nanny, who was still in the kitchen, "Aunt Zhang, take the child into the bedroom!"
When Aunt Zhang came over and saw this, she was so frightened that her legs went weak and she fainted next to the playmat. The baby cried loudly on the mat, his little face turning red.
"Please, don't hurt me and the child." Wen Xueyan forced herself to remain calm. "Just name your price."
The blade in the man's hand traced a line across Wen Xueyan's neck, the icy touch sending chills down her spine. "Your husband, Xi Mingyuan," he said through gritted teeth, each word seemingly squeezed out from between clenched teeth, "used those shady methods to bankrupt my small factory in order to acquire it at a low price!"
His voice trembled with anger: "I'm just a boorish small factory owner, not very well-educated, but I know how to run a business with integrity! Our factory has over eighty workers, all long-time employees who have worked for me for over a decade! Now they're all unemployed!"
The blade pressed down slightly, leaving a thin line of blood on Wen Xueyan's pale neck. "My wife..." his voice suddenly choked, "ran away with the factory accountant... taking the last bit of payment..."
His fierce gaze swept towards the children: "You upper-class people who live in mansions and drive luxury cars have no idea what it's like to lose everything! Today I'll make you taste what it's like to lose everything!"
Wen Xueyan felt a sharp pain in her neck, but she tried her best to remain calm: "Killing us won't do you any good. Let's discuss a solution. What do you want? How much money do you want? I can give it to you when he gets out."
"I heard that President Xi was arrested this afternoon. I doubt we'll get much money from him," the man gritted his teeth. "When Xi Mingyuan was acquiring our factory, he deliberately delayed payments from our clients and released negative news about our company to drive down the acquisition price!"
Wen Xueyan was shocked. She did know that Xi Mingyuan was ruthless in the business world, but she didn't expect it to be to this extent.
Wen Xueyan tried to smooth things over, saying, "What you're describing might not be the work of President Xi. His grandfather has an illegitimate son; you should investigate that, as he frequently targets President Xi."
"I don't want to investigate! Others have already provided me with evidence!" The man suddenly stared at Wen Xueyan, his eyes turning dangerous. "Seeing how beautiful you are, I've actually developed feelings for you today."
After returning home, Wen Xueyan had already taken off her knitwear and was now wearing a soft, light blue silk shirt that accentuated her elegant curves under the light.
The man roughly grabbed her collar and unbuttoned the first button.
Wen Xueyan tried desperately to dodge backward, but the opponent's strength was astonishing.
"Let me go!" Wen Xueyan's voice trembled with fear.
The man ignored her and continued to unbutton her clothes. Soon, two more pearl buttons popped off and fell to the ground with a crisp sound, revealing her slender collarbone and a patch of snow-white skin.
"So beautiful..." A dangerous glint flashed in the man's murky eyes.
Wen Xueyan pushed him away with all her might, her hands pressing against his firm chest, but it was like a mayfly trying to shake a tree. In the struggle, another button was torn off, and her clothes came undone.
The man held her wrist with one hand and stroked her cheek with the other, forcing her to raise her head.
Just then, she caught sight of the crystal ashtray on the coffee table. Taking advantage of the man's momentary distraction, she suddenly broke free of one hand, grabbed the ashtray, and prepared to smash it over his head.
But the man noticed too quickly and swiftly grabbed Wen Xueyan's wrist with his other hand.
Wen Xueyan tried to remain calm: "I really can call someone to send money. My friend can give you a lot of money tonight; just name your price."
"Shut up!" The man's slap, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound, made Wen Xueyan's ears ring and her vision blur.
The man continued, "You think I'd fall for that? I've seen plenty of your rich people's tricks!"
Wen Xueyan endured the burning pain in her cheek, blood seeping from the corner of her mouth. She struggled to lift her head, her gaze earnest and resolute: "It's true. I can have someone transfer the money to you right now."
The man's cold gaze swept between Wen Xueyan and the phone on the coffee table, a twisted, cold smile creeping onto his lips.
"Fine," he grabbed the phone and threw it in front of Wen Xueyan, "You call now and ask for two million US dollars to be transferred to my overseas account. However," he brandished the dagger near the baby's delicate neck, "make him transfer the money, and don't call the police. If he tries anything funny..."
Wen Xueyan unlocked her phone with trembling hands, the cold light from the screen reflecting her swollen face. She dialed Cheng Boyan's number.
The man growled, "Turn on speakerphone!"
Wen Xueyan took a deep breath and pressed the answer button. Cheng Boyan's anxious voice immediately came through: "Xueyan, I've gotten off the plane and I'm almost at your building. I tried calling you earlier but you didn't answer. What happened?"
"Bo Yan," Wen Xueyan forced herself to remain calm, "I need to transfer two million US dollars immediately."
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, then Cheng Boyan's voice became unusually calm: "Send me the account number, I'll prepare to transfer it immediately."
The man hurriedly copied the overseas account number onto a sticky note on the coffee table, then pointed the dagger at Wen Xueyan: "Take a picture and send it to him!"
Wen Xueyan took a picture of the account with trembling hands and sent it. Every second of waiting felt like a slow, agonizing torture.
Just as Wen Xueyan posted her account information, there was a knock on the door.
"Go see who it is, how many people are here," the man commanded in a low voice, the dagger in his hand pressed firmly against the baby's delicate neck. "If they're police, your child will..."
Wen Xueyan stood up tremblingly, her light blue silk shirt soaked with cold sweat.
She walked slowly towards the entrance, each step feeling like she was walking on a knife's edge. Through the security camera, she saw Cheng Boyan standing alone outside the door.
Before entering the elevator, Cheng Boyan had already sent a message to his secretary, Qiao Lanyue, asking her to call the police. However, he couldn't wait for the police to arrive, and he was even worried that Wen Xueyan and the baby might still be in danger after the transfer.
"It's...it's the person making the payment. It's a large transfer; I guess he might need to use a computer," Wen Xueyan said, turning to the man, her voice trembling uncontrollably.
The man nodded with a sinister look in his eyes, holding the baby tightly in his arms, the cold glint of the dagger particularly dazzling under the light.
When Wen Xueyan opened the door, Cheng Boyan immediately saw the kidnapped baby and the sharp blade pressed against the child's side. His pupils contracted sharply, but his voice remained unusually calm:
"I have money, I can transfer it to you, just let go of the child."
A glint of madness flashed in the man's eyes: "Why should I believe you? You're all lying to me, aren't you?" His dagger drew close to the baby's soft skin. "I've seen you on the news, you're President Cheng, right? Why would you give me money to save President Xi's child? You're definitely lying to me!"
The baby's face turned red from crying because he was frightened.
Cheng Boyan was heartbroken and longed to rush over and hold the baby in his arms. His gaze briefly met Wen Xueyan's. Then he slowly raised his hands, his voice as steady as a rock: "I can prove my sincerity by transferring money. But large transfers require a computer. May I come into the living room? I brought my laptop; I'll need to use the table in the living room."
"Stop!" The man suddenly became agitated, the dagger still beside the baby. "Explain yourself first, why are you willing to help this?"
The air seemed to freeze. Cheng Boyan took a deep breath and looked tenderly at Wen Xueyan: "Because... Wen Xueyan is my lover."
The man froze, then let out a shrill laugh: "You think I'd believe such a ridiculous excuse?"
"Below her left collarbone," Cheng Boyan's voice was soft yet clear, "there was a small red mole, like a plum blossom petal fallen on snow."
The man subconsciously looked at Wen Xueyan's collar, which he had ripped open, and there was indeed a bright red birthmark there, standing out against her fair skin.
This intimate detail caused his expression to waver.
"You...you really..." The man's voice began to break.
Cheng Boyan took a step forward, his voice as steady as a rock: "I demand that you release the child and spare Wen Xueyan. You can take me hostage."
His gaze swept over Wen Xueyan's tear-streaked face as he continued, "If you kidnap a baby, you can't escape this neighborhood. If you kidnap me, you can drive my car, use my accounts, and even demand more ransom from my company."
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