Wife Takes the Reins: The Calm CEO

Chapter 13: Text Message Threat

However, before Li Xiaowan had even finished crossing the crosswalk, Qi Xin'er hurriedly came running toward her, grabbing Li Xiaowan’s arm and scrutinizing her from head to toe. Although she could see at a glance that Li Xiaowan was completely unharmed, she still asked with some concern, “Xiaowan, nothing happened to you, did it?” “Don’t worry, Xin'er. They wouldn’t dare do anything to me!” As Li Xiaowan spoke, her eyes dimmed for an instant. Because it was so fleeting—and it was nighttime—Qi Xin'er didn’t notice. “That’s a relief. I was afraid it would turn out like on TV—that while entertaining a client, things would just…” Qi Xin'er trailed off. To her, Li Xiaowan was like a real older sister; who would want their own older sister to suffer even the slightest harm? “Xin'er, you’re overthinking it!” Li Xiaowan said, feigning calm, as she tightly clasped Qi Xin'er’s hand and led her onto the sidewalk. Just then, President Yu pulled his car up in front of them. As Qi Xin'er stood there looking bewildered, he rolled down the right window and said to them, “Two beautiful ladies, please get in!” “I… Isn’t that… President Yu?” Qi Xin'er stammered. “Xin'er, get in the car quickly.” Li Xiaowan gently nudged Qi Xin'er, who was standing there dumbfounded. She really wanted to remind Qi Xin'er: Although the man standing before you is a total hunk, don’t forget that he’s also the big boss of your Company. “Oh, okay…” Qi Xin'er realized how she’d lost her composure, quickly opened the back door, and got in. Then, looking at Yu Feilan’s back, she politely greeted him: “Hello, President Yu!” “Hello. If I’m not mistaken, your name is Qi Xin'er, right?” Yu Feilan replied politely. He wasn’t surprised by her form of address, as he had long since memorized the names of every employee in the Company. Qi Xin'er suddenly felt both flattered and overwhelmed; her mind went into a flutter, and she didn’t know how to respond. Even Li Xiaowan hadn’t expected Yu Feilan to be able to state Qi Xin'er’s name so accurately. Yu Feilan noticed the look of surprise on both their faces in the rearview mirror, so he added with a teasing tone, “Ladies, there’s no need to be so surprised. I have a photographic memory, you know. Hardly any employee in the Company can escape my keen eyes.” For some reason, upon hearing Yu Feilan’s explanation, Qi Xin'er immediately felt a sense of inexplicable disappointment. “So that’s how it is!” she said, her tone tinged with a hint of resentment—a nuance even Li Xiaowan picked up on, let alone the perceptive Yu Feilan. Li Xiaowan couldn’t help but think to herself: Xin'er is being way too obvious. She’s great in every way, but she cares too much about what others think. Yu Feilan, however, acted as if nothing were amiss and said, “Xiaowan, could you tell me your home address?” “Uh! Sorry, President Yu, I completely forgot.” Li Xiaowan quickly gave her the address of her rental apartment. Yu Feilan first entered the address into the car’s navigation system, then sped off in the direction indicated by the GPS. Since both Li Xiaowan and Qi Xin'er had their own thoughts on their minds—and were riding in the car with the big boss, which made them feel somewhat uneasy—they each stared out the window in silence. Yu Feilan didn’t speak up either, so the atmosphere in the car grew slightly awkward. Just when they thought this stifling atmosphere would continue indefinitely, suddenly, a series of three “ding-ding…” sounds rang out, completely shattering the silence in the car—yet the owner of the ringing phone remained completely oblivious. “Xiaowan… Xiaowan, did you get a text message?” Qi Xin'er tapped Li Xiaowan on the arm, thinking to herself as she spoke: I wonder what Xiaowan is thinking about—she’s so deep in thought. “Really? Let me see.” Li Xiaowan, jolted back to her senses by Qi Xin'er’s nudge, slowly pulled her phone out of her pocket. After unlocking it, she opened her inbox. The first thing that caught her eye were three unread messages, all from the same unfamiliar phone number. She was about to delete them outright, but a casual glance made Li Xiaowan immediately let go of her phone. Beneath the unfamiliar number were just four simple words: “Don’t even think about running away!” Though brief, they stood out strikingly. And it was precisely these four brief words that struck Li Xiaowan like a thunderbolt. Yes,she had indeed thought about running away. Earlier, during a chance exchange of glances with Feng Lingzheng, she had inadvertently caught another glimpse of the hidden hatred in his eyes—a hatred that ran even deeper than before. Although Feng Lingzheng was looking at her, she couldn’t shake the feeling that he was gazing right through her toward someone she didn’t know. Even if it was just a hunch, it was enough to send a sudden chill down her spine. She knew full well that even if she had damaged his car, there was no reason to force a stranger of the opposite sex to offer himself to her—and it was certainly impossible for him to feel such intense loathing toward her upon their first meeting, unless… Li Xiaowan kept her head down in silence for about a minute before suddenly looking up at Yu Feilan’s profile and asking, “President Yu, what kind of person is Feng Dong?” “Xiaowan, what’s wrong? Why do you ask that?” Yu Feilan said, somewhat puzzled. Qi Xin'er, standing nearby, also looked taken aback. What Feng Dong? Which Feng Dong? “President Yu, it’s nothing. I just want to get a sense of what kind of person he is. You saw clearly what happened tonight, and I really don’t know what to do. Why is life full of so many disappointments? I thought after suffering for over a decade, I was finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. But I never expected one problem to be followed by another. Could it be that I was a thoroughly wicked person in a past life, which is why I’m being crushed and tormented time and time again in this one?” Li Xiaowan’s speech grew increasingly incoherent, which frightened Qi Xin'er, sitting beside her. “Xiaowan, what are you talking about? What’s wrong with you? President Yu, could you please tell me what exactly happened tonight?” Qi Xin'er didn’t bother beating around the bush and cut straight to the chase. “I think it would be best if Xiaowan told you herself. Look—isn’t this right below your apartment building?” Yu Feilan turned to look at the two of them. “Yes, thank you, President Yu, for driving us home.” After saying this, Li Xiaowan opened the car door and got out. Qi Xin'er followed suit and got out of the car as well. “President Yu, please drive safely on your way home. It’s too late, so we won’t invite you up now. If you don’t mind, we’ll invite you up another day once we’ve tidied up!” Li Xiaowan walked over to the driver’s side, staring blankly at Yu Feilan as she spoke. Her mind was completely consumed with thoughts of what to do tomorrow, and her face was furrowed with worry. “Xiaowan, I just hope you don’t overthink things. Let everything take its natural course! As your boss, I should be doing my utmost to protect my subordinates, but in this matter, I’m completely helpless. Go ahead and blame me all you want!” Yu Feilan’s words carried a hint of humor. “President Yu, I know you’ve done your best. I won’t blame you—I have no right to blame you at all. If anyone’s to blame, it’s my own bad luck!” It had been many years since she’d spoken in such a plaintive tone, which only made Qi Xin'er feel increasingly frightened and more eager to find out exactly what had happened tonight. “Ah… Never mind. You two go upstairs. I should be leaving too.” Yu Feilan sighed. Deep down, he truly felt sorry for Li Xiaowan and wanted to help her as much as possible, but when faced with Feng Lingzheng, he was completely powerless. “Goodbye, President Yu!” Li Xiaowan said. “Goodbye, President Yu!” Qi Xin'er added. Yu Feilan said nothing more; he simply stuck his left hand out the window, waved to Li Xiaowan and Qi Xin'er, and sped away in his car. “Xiaowan, can you tell me what exactly happened tonight? Why didn’t I understand a word of what you and President Yu were saying? It made me feel inexplicably anxious,” Qi Xin'er asked urgently. “Xin'er, Feng Lingzheng asked me to marry him…” Li Xiaowan knew she could no longer remain silent. She had to pour out all the pent-up grievances she’d been holding inside for so long to Qi Xin'er—after all, she was her best friend! Ever since her parents, brother, and sister had left, she had come to regard Qi Xin'er as her only family. “What!” Qi Xin'er was so startled she nearly lost her footing and fell down the stairs. Fortunately, Li Xiaowan was walking behind her and reached out in time to catch her, saving her from the fall. What Qi Xin'er said next moved Li Xiaowan deeply: “They’re nothing but scum and the dregs of society. I’ve always admired and envied The Feng Family, but I never imagined they’d be so despicable. Xiaowan, let’s go back right away to pack a few essentials, then take a cab and leave under cover of night. Even if I lose my job, even if my family gets hurt, I won’t let you choose to endure this in silence again—I won’t let him get away with it!” “Xin'er, I appreciate your concern. I told you all this for no other reason than to simply vent my frustration—it feels better to get it off my chest. It’s okay. Maybe it was meant to be. Besides, they’re a wealthy family. Didn’t you say that countless high-ranking officials and influential figures are scrambling to get into The Feng Family’s banquets? Now I can walk right into the Feng Family without even having to fight my way in—I wonder how many people that will make green with envy?” Li Xiaowan said, pretending to be nonchalant. “Xiaowan, stop pretending. I know this isn’t the life you want, and besides, Feng Lingzheng has nothing but bad intentions. Don’t you remember that TV drama we watched together a while back? It was about a man who mistook a woman for the shadow of his ex-girlfriend who’d betrayed him, and then subjected her to all kinds of humiliation and torment, driving her to a mental breakdown until she went completely mad. From what you’ve told me, it sounds exactly like that TV drama to me. Xiaowan, listen to me—let’s leave right now while it’s still night!” Qi Xin'er fought back the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes several times; at this critical moment, she had to appear stronger than Li Xiaowan. “Run? Where could we possibly run to? Just as you said, The Feng Family is a mix of good and evil. Even if we call the police, they won’t take our case—they might even mistake us for lunatics!” At this point, Li Xiaowan no longer intended to put up any futile resistance, especially since Qi Xin'er’s family was involved; no matter what, she simply couldn’t remain indifferent.