It was almost dawn, but Zhou Yannan’s phone still could not be reached.
In desperation, Qiao Shuran found A Wen’s number again.
She was not even sure whether A Wen would help relay the message.
After all, that man looked cold and emotionless—like a machine.
She had ridden in his car several times, but had never heard him say a single unnecessary word.
With a nervous heart, she called.
He picked up immediately.
“Madam.”
“A Wen!”
Hope finally sparked in her voice. “Where is your Mister? I need to speak to him.”
“Mister is resting in his room.”
“Oh… he hasn’t woken up yet?”
“He just went to sleep.”
“Then… can you help wake him up?” Qiao Shuran softened her voice pitifully. “I have something life-or-death urgent. Please, I’m begging you.”
“I’m sorry. I cannot wake him right now.”
A Wen remained unmoved.
Other people’s lives were not his concern—but if he disturbed his boss’s sleep at this moment, he might lose his own life first.
“A Wen, I really don’t have time anymore,” Qiao Shuran said anxiously, almost crying. “When you went to Hong Kong… was it to capture my aunt?”
“I’m sorry, I cannot disclose that.”
As a qualified bodyguard, he never revealed his boss’s confidential matters.
“A Wen!” she shouted in frustration, pacing wildly. “Listen to me! Tell Zhou Yannan—if he dares to touch my aunt, I will never let this go!”
As for what “never let this go” meant, she had not yet figured it out herself.
Fortunately, A Wen finally showed a bit of conscience.
“Madam, Mister came here for business matters.”
“Then what about my aunt being kidnapped?!”
It was too coincidental—he had just arrived in Hong Kong, and her aunt had just gotten into trouble.
And that ponytail man was clearly Zhou Yannan’s subordinate.
“I’m sorry, I do not know,” A Wen repeated mechanically, like a robot.
“Sorry, sorry—what’s the point of just saying sorry?!” Qiao Shuran exploded. “Wake him up immediately and let him answer the phone!”
“I’m sorry, I cannot wake him now.”
“A Wen, I am your Madam!”
“I’m sorry, I only listen to Mister.”
“……”
Qiao Shuran felt utterly hopeless.
Facing such an inhuman machine, she truly had no way forward.
“Aunt… I’m useless…”
She stood in the room anxiously biting her nails, debating whether she should fly to Hong Kong herself, when the bedroom door was suddenly knocked.
“Madam, I heard movement upstairs. Do you need anything?”
Aunt Lin stood outside in a coat.
Qiao Shuran opened the door, her delicate face tightly furrowed.
“Aunt Lin, do you know which places Mister usually goes to when he’s in Hong Kong?”
“I don’t know,” Aunt Lin replied.
Zhou Yannan never informed them of his matters, and they never dared to ask.
“Madam, is something wrong?”
“Yes…”
A flash of inspiration crossed Qiao Shuran’s mind.
“Last night, he originally planned to take me with him, but I didn’t want to stay up late, so I planned to take the morning flight. But now I can’t reach him.”
“Then you should wait until you can reach him,” Aunt Lin said simply.
“……”
Qiao Shuran was speechless.
But time truly did not wait.
“Aunt Lin, do you know what properties the Zhou family has in Hong Kong?”
“Yes, I do.”
As a senior housemaid of the Zhou family, Aunt Lin knew quite a bit.
“There are two villas in Biquan Valley, several shopfronts on Song’an Road, and a manor on Lingxi Mountain.”
Then she suddenly remembered something.
“I once heard Old Madam say that Young Master Bingchen has been staying at Lingxi Manor in Hong Kong all along.”
The name Zhou Bingchen was familiar to Qiao Shuran.
They were about the same age. Back when she had just graduated from university, the old Madam had even intended to arrange a marriage between her and Zhou Bingchen.
But he had always been busy in Hong Kong and never returned.
He had not even attended her wedding with Zhou Yannan.
Right—Hong Kong’s Zhou family operations were managed by him.
So if Zhou Yannan had gone to Hong Kong for business, he would most likely be staying there.
“Thank you, Aunt Lin. I’ll go now.”
Qiao Shuran hurried back into the room, not even changing out of her pajamas. She threw on a coat, grabbed her documents, and rushed toward the airport.
Zhou Yannan woke up a little past nine in the morning.
As soon as he opened his eyes, his phone—on silent mode—was filled with missed calls.
Few people had access to his private number. He didn’t even need to guess who it was.
He called back, but the line showed it was unreachable.
He didn’t care.
He had never been in the habit of explaining himself to anyone.
If she didn’t answer, then so be it.
When he went downstairs for breakfast, A Wen approached him to report.
“Three hours ago, Madam called me.”
“What did she say?” he asked, his hand pausing slightly as he picked up his coffee.
“Madam asked whether your trip to Hong Kong was to arrest her aunt.”
“And what did you say?”
“I said… I could not disclose it.”
“……”
A brief silence followed.
Then bang—the coffee cup slammed heavily onto the table, brown liquid splashing everywhere.
Zhou Yannan looked up coldly at him.
A Wen had followed him for five years.
In all those years, he had never received a single complaint from his boss.
In fact, Zhou Yannan had once appreciated his silence—he disliked noisy people the most.
But this time, he almost regretted that A Wen spoke so little.
“Contact Madam immediately. If you can’t reach her, you’ll answer for it.”
“Yes.”
Just as A Wen turned to leave, he suddenly remembered something.
“Madam also said… Miss Qiao Chu was kidnapped in Hong Kong.”
“Who did it?” Zhou Yannan’s expression turned cold.
After a pause, A Wen answered, “I checked—it was Mr. Liu.”
“Meddling idiot.”
Zhou Yannan gave a faint, mocking laugh.
“Tell Liu Yunting to release her immediately.”
He did not intend to take the blame for something like this.
“Yes.”
A Wen had just stepped out when another assistant entered.
“Mister, Song Haibo has arrived.”
“Take him to the basement and wait for me.”
“Yes.”
After landing, Qiao Shuran immediately took a taxi toward Lingxi Manor.
She checked the navigation—only a little over twenty kilometers from the airport.
Not far.
“Aunt… my dear aunt… please hold on!”
She sat in the backseat, silently praying.
At the same time, she couldn’t help blaming Zhou Yannan.
She had already substituted herself into the marriage—why was he still so intent on revenge?
Was her sacrifice going to be completely wasted?
Too much!
Within a dozen minutes, the car reached the entrance of Lingxi Manor.
The estate was enormous, and guards were stationed at the gate.
Seeing her rush over anxiously, they stopped her.
“What are you here for?!”
“I’m here to find Zhou Yannan. I am his Madam.”
Qiao Shuran was not foolish—she had brought her marriage certificate with her.
After seeing it, the guards’ attitude immediately changed.
“Madam, please. Mister is inside.”
They quickly arranged a sightseeing cart to take her in.
Five minutes later, the cart stopped in front of a French-style building.
Qiao Shuran got off—and immediately saw a handsome young man pacing anxiously on the corridor.
Zhou Bingchen also saw her at the same moment.
The woman in front of him, though simply dressed and without makeup, still had striking beauty that could not be hidden.
He quickly reacted.
“You are… Fourth Aunt?”