When Rong Zhaonan returned to the annex building, Chen Chen was pacing anxiously back and forth in the living room.
Upon seeing him enter, she immediately went to greet him and said in a low voice, "Boss, something bad has happened. Cha Meiling refuses to leave and insists that you personally escort her back to the mainland."
Rong Zhaonan frowned slightly and coldly uttered two words: "Reason."
Chen Chen forced a smile and said, "Someone from Young Master Ning's side came over. They originally wanted to ask Cha Meiling some questions, but they let it slip and she found out what happened tonight."
Rong Zhaonan paused, his face instantly darkening.
Chen Chen smiled wryly and scratched his head helplessly: "Miss Cha said she's scared and specifically requested that you personally escort her away, otherwise..."
"So what?" Rong Zhaonan raised an eyebrow, his tone carrying a hint of dangerous coldness.
“Just say she’s not going anywhere. So many people died tonight, she doesn’t want to die at her father’s hands.” Chen Chen said, forcing himself to speak, while carefully observing Rong Zhaonan’s expression.
Rong Zhaonan sneered. This woman certainly knew how to pick her moments to cause him trouble.
He ignored Chen Chen and went straight upstairs to the room where Cha Meiling was being held.
Only a dim wall lamp was lit in the room. Cha Meiling sat on the edge of the bed, her shoulder-length curly hair covering most of her face, making it impossible to see her expression.
Hearing the door open, she slowly raised her head, revealing her beautiful face that remained stunning even in the dim light.
Rong Zhaonan stood with his hands in his pockets, looking down at her coldly: "Cha Meiling, you're disobeying orders and refusing to leave?"
Cha Meiling raised her chin, a hint of mockery in her eyes and brows: "When did I say I wasn't going to leave? I only asked that you guarantee my safety before I leave, is that too much to ask?"
She looked around: "This is the Ning family villa, at least it's much safer than outside! So many people died tonight, I don't want to die in some gutter without knowing why."
Rong Zhaonan looked at her, his tone revealing no emotion whatsoever—
“Your father is ruthless and the entire Hong Kong government is searching for him. If you don’t take advantage of this opportunity to leave now, the longer you wait, the worse it will be. My people can guarantee your safe return to the mainland.”
Cha Meiling interrupted Rong Zhaonan sharply—
"I can't go like this! It's too dangerous. I demand that you personally escort me to the mainland!"
Rong Zhaonan scoffed as if he had heard a joke: "You think you're worthy? You're being escorted back as a criminal suspect, not on vacation. You have no right to make demands."
Cha Meiling took a deep breath, trying hard to suppress the panic in her heart—
"Don't forget, I know a lot of Cha Shenlou's secrets. If something happens to me, half of your leads on him will be cut off! At that time, it will be much more difficult for you to catch him."
Rong Zhaonan looked at her coldly. He knew that what Cha Meiling said was true, which was why they had brought her back to the mainland.
Cha Meiling took a step forward, looked up at him, softened her tone, and spoke with a mixture of helplessness and deep dependence on him.
"Now that Ning Bingyu has blocked the port, my dad must know that I betrayed his hiding place! He won't let me go! Only you, only you can get me out of here safely!"
Rong Zhaonan's deep eyes were as cold as a frozen pool: "Cha Meiling, use your brain. A criminal suspect like you has no right to make plans, much less to command me, the commander of this operation. When you leave and how you leave is not up to you."
"You..." Cha Meiling was speechless, her face turning pale and then red.
She was pampered since childhood, and had never suffered such humiliation.
Rong Zhaonan didn't look at Cha Meiling again, turned around and walked out. As he passed Chen Chen, he coldly ordered, "Proceed according to the original plan."
Cha Meiling watched Rong Zhaonan leave, her heart sinking to the bottom.
Unwilling to be abandoned like this, she rushed forward and tightly hugged Rong Zhaonan's arm from behind, pleading with a sob in her voice—
"No, Rong Zhaonan, my father and the people behind him are ruthless; they're capable of anything! You have to escort me..."
But the moment she hugged his arm, Cha Meiling suddenly felt a strange sensation welling up inside her.
She felt as if she had touched him like this countless times before, feeling the strength and warmth of his arms.
The strangeness, yet tinged with an inexplicable sense of familiarity, puzzled her.
Rong Zhaonan reacted as if he had been burned, abruptly shaking off her hand.
Because of the excessive force, Cha Meiling staggered a few steps and fell heavily to the ground.
Rong Zhaonan said coldly, "Stubborn to the end, use coercive measures on her!"
After saying that, he left the room without looking back.
"Wait! You can't do this to me! You can't..."
Cha Meiling hurriedly got up, wanting to rush over to stop Rong Zhaonan from leaving, but was stopped by two guards at the door.
Cha Meiling struggled: "Let me go! You rude bastards! Rong Zhaonan, you...you'll regret this!"
The other side didn't have time to waste words with her. One of the team members took out handcuffs from his pocket and snapped them onto her wrists. He then used a strip of cloth that he had prepared beforehand to gag her.
Finally, a black hood completely covered her head.
Cha Meiling's screams were choked in her throat, turning into sobs, and in the end, all that remained was the darkness and suffocation behind her blindfold.
Outside in the corridor, Old Xu frowned as he watched his men tie Cha Meiling up like a dumpling.
"Boss, this woman has such delicate skin, isn't it a bit too much for us to tie her up like this? If something happens to her on the way, we'll have a hard time explaining ourselves."
"When did you start showing chivalry to women?" Rong Zhaonan glanced coldly at Lao Xu. "If things get out of hand at the port, who will handle it?"
Old Xu was speechless after Rong Zhaonan's words. He could only shut his mouth awkwardly, turn around, and whisper to his men, "Tie her up tightly, don't let her escape!"
"Boss, should we get her some 'special medicine'? To calm her down?" Old Xu lowered his voice and pointed to his pocket.
There were his "treasures" that he always carried with him—chloroform and sleeping pills.
Rong Zhaonan pondered for a moment and said, "No need for now, let's see how things go."
Just then, a team member suddenly ran over to Rong Zhaonan and said, "Boss, the phone is ringing. Ning Bingyu wants you to answer it!"
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