Although Ning Xingruo was more than willing to deepen her relationship with her fiancé, she had no interest in putting on a live show in public. Her tenderness belonged to only one person.
After leaning against Wei Tianci, Ning Xingruo stopped any further intimate actions and instead looked at the others. “Why are you all standing around in a daze? If you have something to say, say it.”
The executives were speechless.
After being force-fed affection by the young couple, they were all still stunned.
Minister Dao Lei from the Security Department said worriedly, “CEO Ning, since I’ve already been targeted by a master thief, what should I do?”
“I feel unsafe no matter where I go now.”
“We should brainstorm and come up with a good solution.”
The other executives also became serious after hearing that. This truly was a major problem.
The entire group immediately looked helplessly toward Ning Xingruo, hoping she could provide more clues.
[Ye Fan obtaining the key is part of the original novel’s plotline. That absolutely cannot change, or the entire process will shift and something terrible will happen.]
Worry appeared on Wei Tianci’s face.
Ning Xingruo’s entire heart was focused on Wei Tianci. Seeing his expression made her heart ache.
Soon, a plan formed in her mind. She slowly said, “Since the master thief has already targeted Minister Dao Lei, then there’s no such thing as guarding against thieves forever.”
“If he wants the safe key, then we’ll give it to him!”
“Huh???”
The executives were stunned.
Even Wei Tianci looked at Ning Xingruo in shock. Was there suddenly hope again?
Under everyone’s gaze, Ning Xingruo slowly explained, “I’ll go to the group later and switch out the formula. I’ll personally carry the real formula documents with me.”
“Then Dao Lei will attend the banquet tonight as planned and follow my remote instructions throughout the night.”
“We’ll openly let that master thief obtain the safe key tonight.”
“Since he dares target us, we’ll take the opportunity to extort a fortune from him!”
Minister Dao Lei nodded immediately. “Understood, CEO.”
The other executives instantly showered her with praise.
“CEO Ning truly sees farther than the rest of us. We admire you greatly!”
“Exactly. Since someone is targeting us, we might as well go along with the plan and teach him a lesson.”
“I’m completely convinced!”
Wei Tianci stared blankly at Ning Xingruo.
[Holy hell, you really are bold beyond belief.]
He said weakly, “Xingruo, you really are a modern-day female Zhuge Liang. You even managed to think of a strategy like this.”
“I’ll record the master thief’s height, appearance, and body shape clearly. I’ll make him utterly disgraced!”
“Hmph, Ye Fan. Since you dared target my fiancé, don’t blame me for dealing with you!”
She secretly thought to herself.
Wei Tianci was completely petrified.
The plotline had now drifted so far off course that not even eight horses could drag it back.
…
At dusk, inside Tianxing Group’s multimedia conference room.
All the senior executives of the group were gathered together, fully focused on the projector screen.
The footage being shown was from the rooftop banquet at the Bund Hotel.
Elegant upper-class men and women filled the venue, raising glasses, dancing gracefully, and enjoying a lively atmosphere of music and celebration.
In an unnoticed corner booth, Tianxing Group’s Security Department Minister Dao Lei sat alone in a daze.
At this moment, he wore a concealed earpiece and hidden cameras on his glasses. Fully equipped, he looked like a secret agent.
Meanwhile, back in Tianxing Group’s office, Ning Xingruo held a communicator while remotely directing everything through the surveillance feed.
Suddenly, a simply dressed young man appeared on the rooftop.
After scanning the surroundings, he walked directly toward Dao Lei and sat across from him.
“Why is Mister Dao sitting here alone? Why not enjoy a glass of wine?” the man asked.
Seeing this, Ning Xingruo immediately gave instructions through the communicator. “Say you’re upset and not in the mood to drink. Then ask who he is.”
Dao Lei twitched his ear slightly and repeated the words exactly.
The man smiled faintly. “My name is Ye Fan. You could say I’m in the same line of work as Minister Dao Lei. I work at Ankang Group.”
A trace of gloom flashed through his eyes.
His original plan tonight had been to get Dao Lei drunk, take the key, secretly make a duplicate, and quietly return the original without anyone noticing.
But this idiot was just sitting there without touching a drop of alcohol. How was he supposed to continue the plan now?
Dao Lei looked at Ye Fan vigilantly. “We belong to different camps and different groups. There’s nothing to talk about.”
Ye Fan spread his hands and smiled lightly. “We may be opponents at work, but after work we can still be friends.”
His eyes flickered. “Minister Dao Lei seems troubled. The things that trouble men are usually only two things.”
“Either money or women.”
Ye Fan’s heart stirred. So this guy was worried about money? That was easy. He had plenty of it.
He probed cautiously, “Minister Dao Lei, you’re one of Tianxing Group’s veterans. Your boss Wei Tianci and CEO Ning Xingruo must treat you quite well, right?”
Dao Lei waved his hand impatiently. “It’s just average.”
Joy immediately rose in Ye Fan’s heart. There was clearly dissatisfaction there.
He lowered his voice and said, “Minister Dao Lei, to be honest, I currently have an opportunity for you to get rich overnight. It depends on whether you want it or not.”
Dao Lei replied coldly, “I do.”
Ye Fan looked at him suspiciously. “You’re not even going to ask what the opportunity is?”
Dao Lei snorted. “It’s nothing more than the usual corporate competition nonsense.”
“I worked myself to death at Tianxing Group with a 996 schedule just to earn a few apartments. Meanwhile, Wei Tianci loafs around all day yet has endless wealth, and even a perfect woman like CEO Ning loves him deeply. Why?”
“I’ve figured it out now. In this society, as long as I can get rich, I’ll do anything!”
“Only money is real. Everything else is fake.”
Anger and resentment appeared on his face.
Ye Fan was delighted inside after hearing this. He patted Dao Lei’s shoulder and said earnestly, “Brother, you’ve finally awakened!”
As long as someone was Wei Tianci’s enemy, they were Ye Fan’s friend.
He then got straight to the point. “Brother Dao, then I won’t hide it anymore. I have a habit of studying locks and keys from around the world.”
“By chance, I noticed you have a rather unique-looking key on you. I’d like to borrow it for one night to study it. Could you fulfill this small wish of mine?”
“Of course, I won’t let Brother Dao suffer a loss. I’ll give you a huge amount of money and make you rich overnight.”
His meaning was obvious.
Dao Lei was shocked internally. CEO Ning’s intelligence had indeed been accurate. Someone really was targeting the key in his possession.
His ear twitched slightly before he said in a deep voice, “Fine. I want 100 million.”
Ye Fan froze for a moment. This guy sure had a huge appetite.
But the formula for Antihypertensive Medicine Version 3.0 was priceless. Even spending 100 million to obtain it would still be extremely profitable.
Ning Xingruo, who was remotely directing everything, revealed a playful smile. She softly uttered two words: “British pounds.”
Dao Lei was instantly stunned after hearing her.
British pounds?
That would be 900 million yuan.
Asking for such an outrageous price… was he sure he wouldn’t get beaten up?
He felt nervous inside, but his expression remained calm. “Sorry, I meant British pounds.”