Forced into a Contract Flash Marriage with the Ice-Cold Beauty - Chapter 18

“President Lu, it’s been more than three days. Why is there still no news?” Xiao Leyao leaned against the sofa, her tone going beyond mere accusation. She had been unable to sleep or eat properly these past few days, feeling completely drained.

Lu Zhimo faced her client, one arm resting on the desk as her fingertips tapped lightly on its edge. After quietly listening to the question, she offered a faint smile and explained, “President Xiao, Miss Su’s disappearance might not be as simple as it seems.”

“What do you mean?”

“On the day Miss Su went missing, she attended an auction. My people noticed a suspicious individual on the guest list someone involved with underground circles and gambling. I suspect Miss Su may have offended this person during the auction, leading to foul play.”

“How could that be? President Su called me after the auction and said everything went smoothly.” Xiao Leyao’s voice trailed off. After a moment of hesitation, she asked in a low tone, “President Lu, give it to me straight has something happened to my boss?”

Lu Zhimo fell silent for a while before sighing and rising to approach Xiao Leyao. She patted her shoulder reassuringly. “Sometimes it’s best to prepare for the worst from the beginning, but…”

Xiao Leyao’s heart clenched, her throat tight and dry. She tried to speak but was cut off by Lu Zhimo. “Let me finish. We found Miss Su’s car at the vehicle management department. The hood was dented, and the airbags deployed, but there were no signs of a collision. It was clearly a single-vehicle accident.”

“So… you only found the car, but not her.”

“The accident occurred near the old city renovation zone. There are two possibilities: either she was taken by the person she offended, or she left the car on her own and disappeared.”

Xiao Leyao understood Lu Zhimo’s analysis perfectly, but three days had already passed with no sign of her boss. Hope was growing faint. It seemed the only option left was to return to the Su residence and discuss filing a police report with Steward Qian.

Lu Zhimo easily read Xiao Leyao’s thoughts and smiled confidently. “To be honest, reporting to the police now is already too late. Their approach to finding someone wouldn’t differ much from mine, but following official procedures would only waste more time.”

Xiao Leyao’s brow furrowed with worry, her entire demeanor radiating anxiety. Finally, her tone softened as she pleaded, “Then do you have a better solution, President Lu?”

“I personally lean toward the second possibility and have already sent people to search the area near the accident. But we need more time.”

“President Lu, three days, I can give you three more days at most. Otherwise, I won’t be able to explain this to my boss’s family or the company.”

“I understand your predicament, but finding someone requires the right approach.” Lu Zhimo’s intuition had always been sharp, and in her gut, she felt no overwhelming sense of dread regarding the search for Su Yuxi. “Trust me, your boss will be fine.”

“I’ll await your good news, then. I must take my leave.” Xiao Leyao picked up her bag and left the office, her expression grim.

As she stepped out, she nearly collided with Ji Nanchen, who glanced up at her. Their eyes met briefly before they passed each other as strangers.

Before the door could fully close, Ji Nanchen pulled it open again and slipped into the office through the gap.

She plopped down on the sofa and couldn’t resist teasing, “Your client didn’t look too happy. Is the mission not going well?”

“A bit tricky, but nothing major.” Lu Zhimo brushed it off lightly, pulling out a new document from the folder and handing it to her. “Here, this is the information on the boss of the Raging Horse Club. Take a look.”

“You called me all the way here just to show me this?” Ji Nanchan rolled her eyes and flipped through the documents impatiently.

“Duan Chengpei, male, 43 years old. Made his fortune a few years ago in the leather trade. The Raging Horse Club was built entirely by him. Initially, it was only involved in money laundering, but later expanded into underground gambling and eventually formed a network for arms trading. All of this happened in just four or five years.”

Lu Zhimo leaned against the desk and gave a brief introduction. Ji Nanchan spread her hands dismissively. “They’re all people who think too highly of themselves, charging headfirst into a dead end and refusing to turn back until they hit a wall.”

“Be serious.” Lu Zhimo scolded in a low voice, tossing another document into her lap. “This is the real reason I called you here.”

Ji Nanchan was puzzled. She picked up the document and skimmed through it, her relaxed expression replaced by shock. “Why is his file in the military archives?”

“Do you understand now why the police are seeking our cooperation?” Lu Zhimo twirled a pen in her hand, her tone sounding far from optimistic.

The situation wasn’t hard to analyze. Ji Nanchan rolled the document into a tube and tapped it against her head. “The police found out he used to be a member of PA-40, so they want to use us to pressure him? They’re quite clever at using a small force to overcome a larger one.”

“Cooperation is important, but what surprises me is why Duan Chengpei left the organization, who allowed him to go solo, and who’s backing him behind the scenes.”

Ji Nanchan waved her hand, not wanting Lu Zhimo to get too involved. “Don’t meddle in things that aren’t your business. Even if there’s a mole inside, it’s not our job to dig them out. Unless the higher-ups say something, we should act like we see nothing.”

“Fair enough. By the way, have you noticed any suspicious new faces in the old city renovation area lately?”

Lu Zhimo changed the subject. Ji Nanchan eyed her suspiciously and shook her head. “It’s all the same neighbors I see every day. No fresh faces around.”

“Alright, keep an eye out for me. If you notice anything suspicious, contact me immediately.”

“Hey? It’s only been a few days, but you’re looking really good.” Ji Nanchan leaned in and touched Lu Zhimo’s face, teasing, “Have you been secretly doing beauty treatments behind my back and not sharing?”

As she joked, she accidentally caught a glimpse of faint red marks peeking out from under Lu Zhimo’s collar, as if she’d discovered something groundbreaking. “Lu Zhimo, has the iron tree finally bloomed?”

Ji Nanchan: I’m a melon-seeker, a melon-seeker, digging for gossip in every field!

Lu Zhimo tugged at her collar, pretending not to understand, and retorted, “What iron tree blooming? What nonsense are you talking about?”

“Then it must be an allergic reaction on your neck. I have some ointment to help with that.” Ji Nanchan said, reaching out to help while her hands grew restless, trying to pull the collar aside to get a better look.

The two of them tussled, and Lu Zhimo clutched her collar, pushing her away. “Since when did you learn to be so handsy?”

Ji Nanchan mimicked her tone and shot back, “Since when did you start seeing someone on the side?”

“What do you mean, ‘seeing someone on the side’?”

“Stop pretending. Your face is all red something’s definitely up.” Ji Nanchan, unable to get the gossip she wanted, grew frantic, hopping around in agitation.

“I’ll explain once we’ve confirmed our relationship.” The moment Lu Zhimo let go, Ji Nanchan exploded. “You really have someone else? Male or female? What do they do? What’s their character like? No, I have to call Aunt Lu.”

Lu Zhimo raised her hand to stop her from making the call. Realizing there was no point in hiding it, she decided to come clean. “It’s Bai Qingrang.”

“What?” Ji Nanchan exploded again, repeating in disbelief, “The one you’re involved with is that understanding, beautiful, wealthy Miss Bai, who’s failed ten blind dates in a row?”

At the mention of Bai Qingrang, Lu Zhimo’s eyes unconsciously softened, and even her tone dripped with sweetness. “Yes, but ‘involved’ isn’t the right word.”

Ji Nanchan couldn’t stay calm. Slamming the table, she roared in anger, “Lu Zhimo, you’re something else! Not only did you poach my premium client, but you also took her to bed?”

Ji Nanchan paced back and forth in front of Lu Zhimo, hands on her hips. Unable to make sense of it, she started yelling again, “Rule number one of the industry code of conduct: no relationships with clients beyond professional ones. You made that rule! Don’t you feel guilty?”

“Let me explain first.”

“I won’t listen, I won’t listen, you’re just spouting nonsense!” Ji Nanchan plopped onto the sofa angrily. If looks could kill, Lu Zhimo would have died a hundred times over.

Lu Zhimo spread her hands helplessly. “If you want to blame someone, blame yourself. You left loose ends when helping with the blind date, otherwise I wouldn’t have gotten involved with her.”

Hearing this, Ji Nanchan’s anger flared up again. “You’re gloating after taking advantage! How is this my fault?”

“You beat up her blind date. The guy was so angry he came looking for trouble, found out you were an impostor, and dragged Bai Qingrang into a dispute. He even slashed all her tires.” Lu Zhimo summarized the events, not forgetting to lecture her. “If I hadn’t happened to run into them, do you realize how dangerous the situation could have been? I’ve told you repeatedly to cover your tracks and leave no loose ends. Why haven’t you learned?”

“Fine, I admit my mistake and accept the criticism. But that’s one thing, you and Bai Qingrang being entangled is another. What do you have to say about that?” Ji Nanchan refused to let it go, growing angrier the more she thought about it.

Lu Zhimo swept her messy bangs back, revealing sharp eyes that stared directly at Ji Nanchan. Her tone left no room for argument, making it clear how serious she was about this relationship.

“First, we are not entangled. Second, I am pursuing her. Third, Bai Qingrang has never been my client, so I haven’t broken any rules. Any more questions?”

“You!” Ji Nanchan, who was always the one leaving others speechless with rage, found herself at a loss for words.

In her heart, Ji Nanchan roared like an angry dragon: This is infuriating! My premium client got snatched away. Just let the earth be destroyed!

Leng Bingqin took Fugui for a walk in the alley. It must have been a lucky day even the number of plastic bottles they collected was more than usual. Fugui’s saddlebags were nearly overflowing.

“Come on, Fugui, let’s go look for something tasty.” Leng Bingqin called out cheerfully and headed toward the grocery store.

As soon as she reached the entrance, she saw the group of mischievous kids huddled together playing games.

Leng Bingqin tied Fugui’s leash to a nearby post. The first thing she did upon entering the store was to check if the cotton candy she’d been longing for was still there.

Looking up, she saw the large container of cotton candy sitting securely on a high shelf, unmoved. She breathed a sigh of relief.

Now she had enough pocket money to buy snacks to satisfy her cravings, but to save up for taking Cotton Candy home sooner, she clenched the money in her pocket and resisted the urge to spend it, quietly stepping out of the shop once more.

This time, the bratty kids didn’t bully Fugui. Instead, upon seeing Leng Bingqin, they picked up stones from the ground and began hurling them wildly at her.

“The dumb girl is back again!”

“The country bumpkin is here again!”

The ringleader was still the chubby kid, who stuck out his tongue and made faces. “Do you only have this one set of rags? You slob!”

Leng Bingqin stood at the entrance, close to the arcade machines. Without a word, she lunged forward, her hands darting out. The round, chubby kid failed to get away in time and was easily caught.

She clamped his head under her arm, holding him tightly without letting go.

“Dumb girl, let me go!” the chubby kid yelled, struggling wildly. The other little rascals scattered, laughing and jeering.

“You little brat, I’ve had enough of you.” Leng Bingqin clenched her fist and drilled it into his chubby head. “Keep squirming and I’ll beat you up. Apologize to me, and to my dog too.”

Hearing the threat of a beating, the chubby kid quickly gave in, muttering reluctantly, “Sorry, sorry, sorry…”

Leng Bingqin tightened her arm, squeezing until his face turned red. “That’s not sincere. Apologize properly.”

“Sorry, doggy. Sorry, big sister. I won’t do it again.”

Satisfied with the apology, Leng Bingqin lifted her head and glared fiercely at the other children. “Who called me a country bumpkin? Who said I don’t have a Little Genius smartwatch? Who said I’m wearing rags? Step forward, now!”

Seeing the children frozen in fear, she raised her voice. “Don’t be cowards. Step up if you dare.”

Intimidated by her commanding presence, the troublemakers timidly shuffled forward.

Leng Bingqin lined up the chubby kid and the other brats in a row. This time, they all behaved, bowing in unison and admitting their mistakes.

Chubby Kid/Bratty ABC: “Sorry, big sister.”

Hands on her hips, Leng Bingqin continued her lecture. “Throwing stones is incredibly rude. Do you have any idea how dangerous it is? What if you hit an elderly person or a child? Do you understand now?”

“We understand.”

“We won’t do it again.”

“…”