Chapter 9 Escape from Danger

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Noon.

When Jiang Zao returned to the villa, Lin Rui had already left.

Two hours later, Zhou Li Chuan received a call from Manager Gao. After listening for a while, he got into his wheelchair and asked Jiang Zao to take him out for some fresh air.

The only advantage of the suburbs was the lack of surveillance equipment, allowing many things to be done in secret.

Jiang Zao pushed Zhou Li Chuan along the road for twenty minutes before the driver caught up with them in the nanny van.

As Jiang Zao and the driver carefully folded up Zhou Li Chuan’s wheelchair and placed it in the trunk, she remained alert, scanning their surroundings.

Only after all three of them were seated in the car and had left the area did they begin to talk.

“Did anyone notice in the villa?”

Jiang Zao glanced back towards the villa and asked the driver in front.

The driver replied, “No, I said Butler Lin asked me to deliver a document, and the security at the gate let me out.”

Zhou Li Chuan nodded gently. “Hm. Bribing the security guards is indeed a smart move; you can keep track of everyone’s movements in the villa without paying too high a price.”

Jiang Zao was still uneasy. “Are you sure Lin Rui can’t find the place we’re going?”

Zhou Li Chuan turned to comfort her. “Don’t worry. Lin Rui is just a butler; he rarely gets access to my property management. I don’t even remember all the properties I own, let alone him.”

Jiang Zao teased, “Young Master Zhou, we know you’re a bona fide capitalist, but there’s really no need to flaunt your wealth in front of us two poor commoners.”

The driver in front pressed his lips together tightly, stealing a glance at his boss in the rearview mirror, his expression odd.

To his surprise, Zhou Li Chuan wasn’t angry at all; instead, he wore a relaxed smile. If it were anyone else, they would have been doomed. The driver silently cheered for Miss Jiang.

In the back, Zhou Li Chuan seemed to guess what the driver was thinking.

“Du. Focus on driving.”

“Yes, young master.”

Suddenly, Jiang Zao’s curiosity was piqued. She leaned over the seat and asked, “Hey, I’ve ridden with you so many times, but I still don’t know your name. Zhou Li Chuan called you ‘Du’—is that your surname or is it part of your given name?”

The driver responded politely, “Miss Jiang, my surname is Du, full name Du Bin. I’ve been driving for the young master for over a year now. You can just call me Xiao Du. If you need anything, just let me know.”

Jiang Zao seemed delighted by the name. “Wow, do you like dogs? I love dogs!”

“Yes,” Du Bin replied. “My favorite breed is the Doberman; it shares my name. Such a coincidence.”

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“Ha ha ha, you’re so witty.”

Jiang Zao chatted happily with the driver, while Zhou Li Chuan grew somewhat displeased.

“Jiang Zao, sit properly. The driver is working; don’t distract him.” He then turned to instruct Du Bin, “Drive carefully. Don’t lose focus.”

Jiang Zao pouted and sat back, refusing to talk to anyone.

Half an hour later, the nanny van arrived at an underground parking lot of a shopping mall. The three switched to an SUV and headed in another direction.

They wove through the city streets for another half hour, then switched to a Range Rover in an ordinary residential building’s parking garage.

The two vehicle changes would thoroughly thwart Lin Rui’s attempts to track them.

This time, they drove directly to their new residence: a riverside penthouse in the city center.

As soon as she stepped inside, Jiang Zao was immediately captivated by the wall of floor-to-ceiling windows.

“Wow—so this is what the river view looks like from here…”

Zhou Li Chuan walked over. “Is it beautiful?”

“Yes, yes, yes! It’s stunning! So open and bright—it lifts your mood!”

Hearing Jiang Zao’s lively voice, Zhou Li Chuan’s lips curled into a smile.

Du Bin approached with a middle-aged woman. “Young master, Miss Jiang, allow me to introduce Aunt Hui, the housekeeper. She’s responsible for your meals and housekeeping.”

Jiang Zao turned to look. The woman had a kind face, immediately giving her a good impression.

“Aunt Hui, hello, I’m Jiang Zao. Currently, I’m taking care of the young master. Looks like we’re colleagues now~”

Aunt Hui replied with a warm smile. “Miss Jiang, you’re too polite. I was hired to look after both of you. If you have any preferences for food or anything else, just let me know, and I’ll make sure it’s ready for you.”

Zhou Li Chuan nodded from where he stood. “Du Bin, you found a good person. Miss Jiang likes her. Aunt Hui, try it out for a few days; if you’re satisfied, I’ll give you a raise.”

Aunt Hui agreed cheerfully. “No problem, young master. I’ll start preparing dinner now. Is there anything you can’t eat?”

Jiang Zao answered for him, “The young master still has some injuries, so just avoid foods that might aggravate them. No special restrictions otherwise. Oh, and I don’t eat garlic, hehe.”

“Understood. I’ll get started right away.”

Aunt Hui went to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Jiang Zao invited Du Bin, “Du Bin, stay for dinner with us. You’ve been driving all day, you must be tired. Going home alone to cook is just too lonely.”

Du Bin glanced at Zhou Li Chuan’s expression and quickly declined, “No, no, no, Miss Jiang. My… my girlfriend is cooking something special for me tonight, so I have to hurry home.”

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Jiang Zao looked a bit disappointed. “Oh… Well, next time I’ll treat you myself!”

Du Bin scratched his head, not daring to accept, and hurriedly took his leave. “I’ll be going now, Miss Jiang. Please stay.”

He thought to himself: if he kept chatting, the young master’s face would turn black as coal. He wanted to live out the rest of his life; staying any longer would be dangerous…

………………

Monday.

The workers, just back from their weekend, wore gloomy expressions as they toiled for Zhou Li Chuan’s villa and luxury cars. Yet, the ultimate beneficiary, Zhou Li Chuan, was absent from work.

The finance department waited for Young Zhou’s signature to release salaries. At the time when he was most needed, he was nowhere to be found, leaving the department in chaos. No matter how many calls they made, none got through.

Just as they were stuck, Zhou Kuan happened to pass by. Playing the hero, he picked up the pen and signed his name where Zhou Li Chuan’s should have been.

He was admiring his signature, anticipating gratitude from the entire company, when Lin Rui suddenly burst in.

“Mr. Zhou, something’s happened!”

Zhou Kuan quickly closed the office door, face turning serious. “What’s wrong? What happened? Take your time.”

Lin Rui steadied himself. “The engineering department found discrepancies with the seals—two documents have different stamp marks. The police have already been alerted! I called the villa, but Zhou Li Chuan and Jiang Zao have run off!”

“What did you say? Zhou Li Chuan ran off?”

Lin Rui nodded. “Yes. Yesterday afternoon he said he was going for a walk, but he hasn’t returned since. His phone can’t be reached, and the tracker lost him in the city.”

Zhou Kuan demanded sharply, “Why did you only notice this today? Where were you yesterday? Weren’t you supposed to keep an eye on him?”

“I was at the project site yesterday. Jiang Jing Yuan’s rank wasn’t high enough to confirm the documents, so I had to be there in person to verify the seals… Now I understand. It was Gao Cheng Gong—he kept me occupied, insisting I inspect the site. They had a large signal blocker on site. I… We were set up by them together!”

The more Lin Rui thought about it, the more flustered he became, as if he could see his life coming to a sudden end.

“You! How could you be so careless? What now? Huh? Tell me! I—”

“Police investigation! Which one of you is Lin Rui?”

Uniformed officers pushed the door open, abruptly cutting off Zhou Kuan’s tirade…