Chapter 1062: Perplexed and Smitten (122)
“Where would you like to interrogate him, then? Name me a place.”
“Take him to my car and I’ll bring him to my desired place.”
“Got it.”
Qian Mou was handcuffed tightly and brought into the backseat of An Xiaoning’s car. She then drove back to Wei Ni Estate, along with two other constables.
Once they arrived, An Xiaoning instructed Xiao Bai to drive the two constables back to the police station while her other bodyguards dragged Qian Mou out of the car.
The sun was shining brightly in A City.
An Xiaoning spent the entire morning traveling from A City to the raining D City and back to A City where the sun was blazing.
A mere six or seven hours had passed since she first heard about No. 8 going missing. Yet, she was completely exhausted and felt as if she had just completed a marathon that lasted for hours.
“Young Madam, what do we do with him?”
“Xiao Huang, prepare a huge pot of boiling water and hang him.”
“Yes, Young Madam.”
Upon hearing her command, Qian Mou immediately hollered, “What right do you have to do this to me? You vicious woman!”
“You harmed my bodyguard and yet you still have the cheek to be so haughty. Qian Mou, you’d better enjoy yourself. I shall see how much of a backbone you’ve got!”
As soon as she finished speaking, she turned around and returned to the living room.
Upon the sight of her, Auntie Chen immediately asked, “Young Madam, have you had lunch yet?”
“Not yet. Auntie Chen, please make me a bowl of noodles. Hurry up, I still have things to attend to later.”
“Alright, it’ll be ready in no time.” Auntie Chen hurriedly rushed toward the kitchen.
Recalling her promise to have lunch at Sanqiao Estate, she quickly gave Shi Qingzhou a call.
“Mother, I’m at Wei Ni Estate right now. I can’t have lunch at your place today.”
“It’s alright, it doesn’t matter. Don’t worry, I know you’re busy.”
“Okay, I’ll go back to accompany you for a meal once I’m done settling this.”
“Sure. How are things going?”
“I still don’t know who the mastermind is, the situation is tricky… but regardless of who it may be, I won’t let him or her off,” said An Xiaoning, sounding a little disappointed.
“Xiaoning, I understand how much your bodyguards mean to you, but you must be mindful of your health. You have to manage Qingyan’s company and search for No. 8. You mustn’t overexert yourself.”
“Got it, Mother.”
After ending the call, she leaned against the couch and pondered over No. 8’s incident.
If something really happened to No. 8, I would have to tell Mo Li sooner or later. Will she able to handle the news?
It’s still only the beginning of her new relationship…
An Xiaoning dared not imagine what might happen; neither did she want to think about something that had yet to be finalized.
After lunch, Xiao Huang informed her that all the necessary preparations had been made.
An Xiaoning followed him to the basement.
Xu Youran was once held captive in that room.
An Xiaoning stared at the man who was suspended in the air while a pot of steaming hot water was about five meters away from him.
The thick fumes of steam caused him to close his eyes involuntarily.
“So? How does this feel, Qian Mou?”
His initial arrogance had long vanished. “I’ll end up dying even if I tell you.”
“Do you think you won’t die if you don’t tell me?” An Xiaoning then instructed Xiao Huang, “Lower him by twenty centimeters.”
Xiao Huang pulled the rope attached to the pulley, causing Qian Mou to descend and come closer to the boiling water.
“Don’t lower me any further!” the man shrieked.
“I’m telling you, if you don’t come clean with me today, not only will you die here, your family won’t be spared either.”
“I’ll come clean, I’ll tell you everything. Put me down first,” said Qian Mou, who had broken out in a cold sweat, overwhelmed with fear.
An Xiaoning motioned for Xiao Huang to put him down. As soon as he was lowered onto the ground, he felt faint and terrorized, and his legs had turned to jelly.
“The mastermind is from Y Nation and had paid a high amount of money to get us to do it.”
“Which person from Y Nation?”
“Princess Nicole of Y Nation.”
An Xiaoning had only heard a little about her before.
“Why did she want to abduct my bodyguard?”
“How would I know?”
“Even if it’s really her, why would she get you to do it? How are you related to the royal family of Y Nation?”
“My aunt is one of Princess Nicole’s servants. She sent me a photo back then, claiming that the princess would be rewarding me with a sum of 20 million dollars if I managed to find him and take him to her. I obviously agreed. I run a private investigation company and it’s not that hard for me to locate him. However, I really have no idea why she wanted him.”
“Let me first verify if you’re telling the truth. Xiao Huang, lock him up.”
“Yes.”
“Ms. An, hurry and release me once you’ve verified it!”
An Xiaoning completely ignored him.
She exited the basement with a heavy heart. This was no longer a simple case of abduction. The situation had become trickier now that it implicated the royal family.
If others were in her situation, they probably wouldn’t continue pursuing the matter. After all, No. 8 was an orphan to begin with and there was no need to waste so much time, energy, and money on a bodyguard.
However, An Xiaoning could not bring herself to just give up on him.
She would not allow anyone to bully her subordinates.
—
“Erlan, here’s what happened. The producer of another drama contacted me and said that the author would like you to star in the drama. Would you like to read the script?”
“Sis Yangyang, the television series that I had just finished filming hasn’t even been aired yet. I’m not famous at all, why does the author want me to star in that drama?” asked a baffled Fang Erlan.
“I did ask the same question, and the author said that she chanced upon you when she happened to be at the filming studio previously. She thinks you fit the image of the character in her story. I initially already signed you on for ‘The Man from the Ancient Times,’ but the drama series that this author wants you to star in is also a great production. I don’t think you should miss this rare opportunity, so I decided to ask you for your opinion.”
“I haven’t started filming for ‘The Man from the Ancient Times’ yet. Wouldn’t it be a little too rushed for me to star in the other television series too?”
“Filming for ‘The Man from the Ancient Times’ is about to commence very soon. The other one is not going to go into production any time soon, at least not for the next few months. They’ve just started planning for it. Take a look at the script, we’ll sign you on if you’re keen.”
“Sis, from which novel was the storyline of that drama adapted?” asked Fang Erlan, who thought that it was good to have more filming opportunities.
“It’s adapted from ‘The Tyrannical Adonis Falls in Love with Me.’”
Fang Erlan asked, “Is it a television series about teenage romance?”
“That’s the theme at the start, but it progresses to a different genre later on in the story. Take some time to read the original novel. I’ve already read it, and it made me feel like a teenager again. The title may sound a little corny, but the storyline is great.”
“I’ve heard about this novel and I’ve read it before too. I really enjoyed reading it back then. I’m aware that the author of this novel is very famous and has a huge army of fans who love reading her books. Many television series that were adapted from novels have ruined the original novels. Fans tend to get upset if the casting is poor and the wrong actors are cast. I’m very surprised that she wants me to star in it. Sis Yangyang, I’m willing to take part in this drama series.”
