All the way, Chi Mu followed Auntie Ni nervously. They first passed through the deep corridor, then took the elevator down, walked through another corridor, and finally arrived at the entrance.
She thought they had reached their destination, but the black-clad subordinates who had been waiting there early on had a car ready outside.
“Miss Chi!” they greeted Chi Mu respectfully.
Chi Mu glanced at Auntie Ni, looking puzzled. “Auntie Ni, aren’t we going to the Main Building?”
“Yes, Miss Chi. They will take you there,” Auntie Ni replied with a gentle smile.
“It’s fine. Since we’re already inside, I can just walk there myself.”
She thought the Duan Family couldn’t possibly be so large that they needed to drive.
But little did she know, the Duan Family was indeed far larger than she had imagined.
“Miss Chi, please. You won’t be able to walk there—it’s quite a distance,” Auntie Ni said, still smiling.
Chi Mu was confused but nodded obediently and got into the Duan Family’s internal vehicle.
The car started moving at a moderate speed. Chi Mu looked out the window and realized that the so-called Duan Family Gang was indescribably vast.
All the buildings here were in black and white tones, with towering structures, magnificent courtyards, and seemingly endless roads.
The car finally stopped in front of a black building. Chi Mu looked up at the metal letters above—D.
The black-clad subordinate got out first, opened the car door for her, and stood aside. “Miss Chi, please!”
“Alright.”
Stepping out of the car, Chi Mu was once again stunned. This was…
A classical building comparable to a medieval noble castle, with a strong Western architectural style. The entire castle was oval-shaped and covered an extensive area.
As Chi Mu stepped inside, she immediately felt as small as an ant.
Her eyes scanned the surroundings. The castle was peculiar—each floor had huge oil paintings hanging from the ceiling, adorned with reliefs of various animals.
Moreover, Chi Mu noticed that there were no servants on any floor, only some black-clad subordinates.
Each of them stood tall and straight, with serious expressions, resembling soldiers from a movie.
She couldn’t help but swallow hard, her heart pounding fiercely.
Could she really meet Duan Yanxing here?
The place was so spacious, and there was no one to guide her inside. She doubted whether she could even find her way.
However, in the near future, she would realize she was overthinking it, because from the moment she entered, she was already within the man’s line of sight.
Chi Mu was anxious, but she still walked forward.
…
Meanwhile, inside the Main Building, the heads of various divisions were gathered around a round table, reporting something. The atmosphere in the conference hall was as cold as ice.
Sitting in the central seat was the head of the Duan Family—Duan Yanxing.
At that moment, he lowered his gaze, his left hand holding a half-smoked cigarette. The bluish flame cast a stern glow on his features.
The people below looked terrified, as if the matter had truly caused a significant impact.
It was Duan Yanxu who spoke first.
“Boss, the north is just a small city. Sixth Brother is young and doesn’t know better. Besides, that batch of goods wasn’t seized. Should I just put pressure on the northern side and get him out?”This time, Old Six did such a thing, and he actually bears some responsibility as well.
“Do you think the Duan Family’s rules are dead?!” Duan Yanxing took a drag of his cigarette.
The ash fell, landing on the carpet.
“How many times have I said not to touch that stuff?! Did you listen?!”
His words left everyone below in silent submission.
The Duan Family’s rules were ironclad; whoever violated them would have to pay the price.
“Big Brother is right, but… what about Sixth Brother?” Duan Yanxi asked timidly at this moment.
Although Sixth Brother was usually arrogant and domineering, he was still a brother in the gang. They couldn’t just watch him get into real trouble.
Duan Yanxing raised his eyes and took another drag of his cigarette, saying nothing.
Duan Yanxu anxiously pressed on, “Yeah, Big Brother, handling such a small matter is easy for our Duan Family. Why are you…”
His voice suddenly stopped because Duan Yanxing’s gaze had turned sharp as a knife, fixed on him.
He froze and immediately shut his mouth.
“Do you also want to get kicked out of the Duan Family?” Duan Yanxing lowered his gaze, extinguished the cigarette butt, and slowly uttered a sentence that nearly scared Duan Yanxu out of his wits.
“N-no, I wouldn’t dare!”
He quickly lowered his head, not daring to make a sound.
The entire meeting hall fell so silent that you could hear a pin drop. The air seemed to freeze, making it hard to breathe.
It wasn’t until A Jiang entered with a tablet, respectfully saying, “Master Duan, Madam has arrived at the Main Building.”
After speaking, he handed over the tablet in his hand. Duan Yanxing glanced at the girl on the screen. She was dressed in a pure white dress, wearing a lace-trimmed hat on her head, looking as obedient as a doll.
She was looking around like a lost little kitten, her eyes so clear and pure they were captivating.
This sight softened Duan Yanxing’s heart slightly.
A moment later, he snapped back to reality and indifferently ordered, “Take her to the Resting Room.”
A Jiang nodded and immediately withdrew.
“As for Old Six’s matter, leave it for now.” Duan Yanxing’s voice returned to its previous cold hardness. “If anyone dares to bail him out, they can leave the Duan Family together!”
With that, he turned and left. This was the first time he had left a meeting early.
Duan Yanxu was about to say something, but seeing him turn and leave, he swallowed his words.
“Is Big Brother really disregarding brotherhood?” he frowned and asked.
“Don’t you know his temperament?” Duan Yanxi shook his head. “Among us, aside from Sister-in-Law, no one can sway him. Let it go.”
With that, he also sighed.
“Hey, that reminds me. Why don’t we go find Sister-in-Law and ask her to persuade Big Brother? It’s bound to work. Maybe Sister-in-Law can make him listen!”
Having followed Duan Yanxing for so many years, they naturally understood his temperament. Under normal circumstances, if they all pleaded together, Duan Yanxing might consider it.
But now was different. The Duan Family’s rules forbade involvement with that addictive substance. Otherwise, it was kill without mercy!
“Enough, don’t cause more trouble.” At this point, Duan Yanxu stepped forward. He glanced at the others and admonished, “Old Six’s matter is a matter of principle. If you go to Sister-in-Law and she speaks up, won’t Big Brother be put in a difficult position? He would definitely break the Duan Family’s rules for Sister-in-Law, but then… think about how Sister-in-Law would feel?”
“Moreover, do you think it’s appropriate for Big Brother to compromise his principles for a woman?”
Hearing his words, the three of them immediately fell silent.Duan Yanxing had always been protective of his own, especially towards this legendary sister-in-law of his. He doted on her so much that if she ever asked him to die, he would probably do so without hesitation!
“Ah, forget it, forget it. Let’s wait until the boss cools down before we talk about it,” Duan Yanxu waved his hand dismissively.
“Anyway, since Old Six caused trouble this time, it’s like putting all of us on the hot seat. We’d better not wade into this mess.”
After discussing a bit more, they finally decided to stay put for the time being.