Mrs. Fu, please be mindful of the appropriate boundaries.

As the year draws to a close, everyone is busy, rushing to finish their work before taking a holiday.

The streets were filled with a joyous atmosphere.

The courtyard of the two elderly people in the Fu family was filled with all kinds of brightly colored plants for the New Year. The anthuriums were in full bloom, and the potted plants were all red and green, symbolizing prosperity.

Despite the festive atmosphere, Fu Shiqing's face remained expressionless. The Fu family's troubles were kept under wraps; the issues that came to the forefront were never truly significant.

Jiang Wenyu glanced at what the old man was holding and sighed, "They're all getting impatient. They're not letting me have a proper New Year."

"Make a call and have that kid Jingting come over." After pondering for a while, Fu Shiqing finally gave the order.

Jiang Wenyu glanced at him, said nothing, but offered him a cigarette. "Want one?"

"It's not that I can't smoke." Fu Shiqing glanced at his wife, then reached out and took the cigarette.

It was already dark when Fu Jingting arrived.

He walked in, only to see someone driving away. He couldn't make out the license plate number in the darkness, but the car model looked familiar.

As he entered, Jiang Wenyu asked him, "Have you eaten?"

"Not yet." Fu Jingting glanced at the person sitting at the tea table, walked over, and said, "Grandpa, you wanted to see me?"

"sit down."

Fu Shiqing raised his chin and pointed to the opposite side.

Fu Jingting sat down properly on the old elm wood tea stool, his back straight, looking quite respectable.

The old man simply handed him a document.

Fu Jingting picked it up and saw that it was an internal letter from the Fu Group's shareholders' meeting.

A major blunder occurred in the European project, and the project plan was withdrawn. The Fu family had made huge upfront investments in the project, but this mistake almost wiped them out.

Fu Jingting's jawline was taut as he quickly scanned the contents, his forehead throbbing with tension.

He personally reviewed and approved the work, and Duan Heng was on-site to oversee it. He was certain that every single stroke would be perfect.

The project proposal feedback hadn't even reached him yet, so how could there be any talk of a mistake?

Fu Jingting looked at the signature, his fingers tightening so much they almost pierced through the back of the paper.

The date was not written, but shareholders with more than half of the voting rights have already signed it.

What does this mean?!

If the documents are prepared in advance, problems will be created even if there are no problems with the project, and it will follow a path planned by certain people.

"Did you understand?" Fu Shiqing asked him.

Fu Jingting nodded. "Understood."

"You think you're right, and that all the reviews and decisions will be flawless. But as far as I know, you left Europe and went home before the project meeting even ended."

Fu Shiqing poured tea, and Fu Jingting hurriedly handed him the cup.

The old man looked up at him. "Isn't that right?"

Fu Jingting frowned, and after a long while, he replied, "Yes."

"Why did you come back?" Fu Shiqing suddenly slammed his teacup down. "For a woman, is it worth it?"

"Grandpa, I..."

"Didn't I say that if you help her, the Fu family will intervene and Shengshi will have no chance of survival?" Fu Shiqing didn't give him a chance to speak and continued to ask.

Fu Jingting had no choice but to nod, "Yes."

"I've already said it to your face. If you won't listen, then you'll have to bear the consequences of what you've come to this." Fu Shiqing stared at him, his breathing becoming labored due to his advanced age and the tense atmosphere.

"Do you think your uncle has been doing all these years in the Fu family for nothing? He's so young and arrogant. If you don't respect him, then you'll regret it."

Fu Jingting lowered his gaze, offering no rebuttal.

In the power struggles within a group, sometimes a single misstep can allow someone else to get there first. He gave the other party a loophole to exploit; he had foreseen this from the moment he booked the plane ticket, but he hadn't expected it to happen so quickly.

Some people are already itching to teach him a lesson.

The phone suddenly rang. Fu Jingting glanced at the number, his eyes narrowed, and he was about to get up when the old man called him back.

"Sit down, you can receive it here."

Fu Jingting had no choice but to answer the phone in person. He turned on speakerphone, and an anxious voice came from the other end: "Miss Xu's car has run into trouble. It sped off Qishan Road and headed west. It happened so suddenly, we've lost her."

With a buzzing in his head, Fu Jingting's fingers twitched as he gripped his phone. "Her phone has a signal."

"I found my phone, it was lost." The person on the other end of the phone cursed, "Damn, this doesn't seem like the same group of people. They switched hands in the middle. It's a complete mess, otherwise I wouldn't have followed the wrong people."

Fu Jingting grabbed his phone and was about to leave when a middle-aged man suddenly appeared outside the door.

The man's temples were throbbing with rage, and the murderous intent in his eyes was palpable. He whirled around, "Grandpa, do you think you can stop me?"

"Then don't hold back, beat this kid to a pulp." Fu Shiqing slammed his fist on the table and gave the order, coughing angrily.

"Hit, hit, hit! What are you hitting for? Break another leg?! You might as well put all the descendants of the Fu family in wheelchairs!" Jiang Wenyu seemed to have finally lost his temper. "Old Chen, you go with him."

Fu Jingting paused, then stepped outside.

The person called Old Chen immediately followed.

Fu Jingting's face was icy cold. He picked up the phone and gave a gloomy order, "Since Ye Wenhan dares to make this move, I will return it to her exactly as she has."

The person on the other end of the phone asked a few more questions, then understood and simply replied, "Just you wait, bro. If you don't handle this properly, I'll never see you again."

Fu Jingting opened the car door, but Old Chen blocked his way. "Young Master, let me drive."

Their eyes met, and Fu Jingting suddenly let go, handing the key to him.

The man pulled his baseball cap down further and started driving.

……

After finishing her social engagements, Xu Qingcheng got into the car, feeling exhausted and tired. She had finally recovered somewhat, but now her stomach was aching terribly.

"When we pass by the pharmacy later, could you buy me some stomach medicine?" I probably drank too much tonight.

Xu Qingcheng leaned back in the car seat, closed her eyes, and pressed one hand against her stomach. Her breath reeked of alcohol.

Actually, being drunk is good, because I can fall asleep at night without sleeping pills.

The driver got out of the car but did not turn off the engine; instead, he turned on the air conditioning to keep the temperature comfortable.

Xu Qingcheng closed her eyes wearily and waited. After a while, someone got into the car.

"You've already bought it? So fast?"

She opened her eyes, and her mouth and nose were suddenly covered by a strong hand that she couldn't break free from. She only caught a glimpse of a black baseball cap. She gripped his arm tightly with her fingers, her breathing rapid, and the pungent smell of medicine filled her body.

I don't know how much time passed.

My consciousness gradually returned. It was very quiet around me. My eyes were covered by a black cloth, so I couldn't see anything. My mouth was also sealed.

Her heart was pounding, every nerve in her head was taut, and she desperately told herself not to panic, to stay calm, because only by staying calm could she think of a solution.

Their wrists and ankles were tied together, bent backward, and their hands and feet were strung together with rope.

The place where she was lying resembled a bed, with a mattress and soft material under her palms.

Xu Qingcheng dared not move; she strained her ears to listen to the sounds outside.

There were other people in the room; she could hear the chair moving as she stood up, and then she opened the door.

"Still not awake."

Then came the sound of footsteps leaving, and then the door was closed again.

Someone walked over, their footsteps sounding like they were striking her heart.

Xu Qingcheng tensed up every single nerve.

How much time has passed now?

The driver should have called the police when he discovered the problem.

Kidnapping? What do they really want?