"But that money was meant for the material costs. What about the material payments now that it's all withdrawn?" Gu Xingye asked.
"Explain to them first that the money will be wired in a couple of days. I have an urgent matter and need to leave," Gu Xingdong said, walking directly towards the door.
"Third Brother, where are you going?" Before Gu Xingye could finish his sentence, Gu Xingdong had already left the office, disappearing without a trace.
Chen Lishu had been paying attention to the situation outside the car window. She noticed the car heading west and finally stopped in front of a row of low, dilapidated residential buildings.
The man sitting on the left got out of the car first, then turned his head and brusquely ordered, "Get out."
Chen Lishu discreetly surveyed her surroundings.
The car had stopped in a narrow alley, not very deep, about two to three hundred meters from the street entrance. If she could have shoved the man opposite her the moment she got out, she might have bought herself some time. Even if she couldn't escape smoothly, with residents all around, a few shouts would surely draw attention.
However, Chen Lishu quickly dismissed this idea, as she suddenly thought of a possibility.
The other party had mentioned Gu Xingdong, and this was the west side of the city…
This likely involved the west side development project!
If this was truly an old residential area on the west side, where residents had long since moved out, screaming her lungs out might not be heard by anyone.
"Hurry up and get out. Don't have any foolish thoughts. Stay put obediently, or we'll tie your hands and feet. You'll be the one suffering!"
Just as Chen Lishu hesitated, someone suddenly grabbed her and yanked her out of the car.
It was a quiet early summer afternoon. The alley floor was full of potholes. The moment Chen Lishu's feet touched the ground, she stumbled. Tripping over a raised section, she lost her balance and fell ungracefully to the ground.
A pile of garbage was not far ahead. The stench was unbearable in the heat. Chen Lishu supported herself on the ground, involuntarily gagging twice.
'Coal Ball' and two other men also got out of the car. They glanced at Chen Lishu on the ground and impatiently said, "Hurry up and take her inside."
The man who had grabbed her quickly reached out to help her up, but Chen Lishu batted his hand away. "I can walk myself."
With that, she got up from the ground and brushed the dirt off her pants.
Fortunately, she was wearing long pants today, otherwise her knees would likely have been scraped.
The man carelessly retracted his hand and, with his companion on either side, escorted her towards a dilapidated courtyard.
"Are you people from Pengcheng Construction Company? What do you want by kidnapping me? The project decisions were made by higher-ups; we can't control them."
"You're able to grasp the situation so quickly. Not bad." Seeing that she wasn't crying or making a scene but was instead thinking clearly, 'Coal Ball' couldn't help but regard her with a bit more respect.
Soon after, he found a stool inside the house and sat down.
Chen Lishu continued, "I heard this project has four phases. Moreover, future urban development projects will only increase, and so will the opportunities. You might have kidnapped me out of anger, and I understand that. Why don't you let me go? I can pretend this never happened."
She had not only read in the newspapers about Pengcheng Company forcing people to death through demolition but had also heard Gu Xingdong mention it. These people were not soft-hearted. It would be best to try and convince them to let her go first.
'Coal Ball' scoffed, "Do you really think I'm a three-year-old? I don't want to do anything to you because you're a woman, so put away your clever little schemes. Gu Xingdong had the guts to let reporters expose us, causing us to lose the project, and he also injured my men. I'll settle all these scores with him one by one."
Chen Lishu replied, "Is there some misunderstanding here? My husband has absolutely nothing to do with the reporters. As for anything else, if there are any discrepancies, we can all sit down and talk. If I'm not mistaken, you're all just acting on behalf of others, aren't you? To be honest, 'inviting' me here in this manner is really not worth it at all."
'Coal Ball's' eyebrows twitched, seemingly intrigued by her words. "What do you mean by that?"
Chen Lishu shifted her legs. Standing for a long time had made her knee ache more, likely from the fall when getting out of the car.
"I saw the reports from a few days ago. Don't you think you're being used? You're doing the dirty work. If the demolition really happened and the project was completed, how much money would you actually receive? Don't even talk about half; perhaps not even a tenth. Now that the project is scrapped, you're having me kidnapped. Regardless of whether you achieve your ultimate goal, who will ultimately benefit?"
As Chen Lishu spoke, she didn't miss any subtle changes on 'Coal Ball's' face. Indeed, she saw his lips involuntarily press downwards.
"To put it plainly, you're earning money for flour but taking on the risks associated with that flour."
"I didn't expect someone surnamed Gu to marry such a glib-tongued woman."
Suddenly, a voice came from behind her. Chen Lishu turned her head and saw a man of medium build, around thirty years old, walking out from the doorway of the low, dilapidated house.
"Mr. Gao," 'Coal Ball' and the others called out as they stood up upon seeing the newcomer.
Chen Lishu couldn't help but twitch her lips. He had arrived at a most opportune moment.
"I also didn't expect a respectable company CEO to 'invite' someone in this manner."
Gao Mingyuan's eagle-like gaze fell upon Chen Lishu. She was good-looking, ranking among the top few women he had met. Her gaze in return held no trace of fear. She hadn't burst into tears or pleaded for mercy even in this situation, showing considerable courage.
"I've already called Gu Xingdong and told him to prepare a million yuan. If he can't gather it, he'll only be collecting your corpse."
A million yuan?
Chen Lishu's eyes flickered, and then she let out a light, nonchalant laugh, her smile carrying a hint of cunning. "A CEO of a company actually taking such a risk for a mere million yuan… ah, this risk probably won't be borne by you. I'm truly curious, how much will you share with your subordinates… Of course, this might not be my place to ask, and it's okay if you don't answer. It's just one project didn't work out, and there will be others. Why resort to such extremes that make things difficult for everyone later? If you're thinking of your subordinates, I can discuss with my husband to see if we can allocate a portion of the project, so everyone can earn money."
Glancing at 'Coal Ball' and the others, whose expressions had clearly softened, Gao Mingyuan narrowed his eyes dangerously and slapped Chen Lishu across the face.
The crisp sound echoed exceptionally loudly in the dilapidated room.
"You good-for-nothing, sharp-tongued bitch! No wonder Zhu..." Realizing something, Gao Mingyuan paused, then added, "Do you really think I'm doing this for that mere million yuan?"