From rejecting the beautiful female CEO to becoming extremely powerful

After Lei Hu and his son left, most of the people in the banquet hall dispersed.

Lu Yunzhou had just stepped out of the manor when his phone vibrated.

A photo was sent from an unknown number.

In the photo, Ye Zhiwei is sitting on a wooden chair with her hands tied to the back of the chair and her ankles wrapped with thick rope.

Her mouth was taped shut, and behind her was a peeling cement wall.

Immediately afterwards, a text message popped up.

"Lu Yunzhou, Ye Zhiwei is in my hands. You must come to Shenghua Center in the southern suburbs alone and get there within ninety minutes. If you dare to call the police, she won't live past tonight."

Half of a rusty doorplate is visible in the lower right corner of the photo, which reads "Eighth Floor Conference Room".

Lu Yunzhou stopped beside the car, his thumb pressing down on the edge of his phone.

Ye Zhiwei had just undergone the Gray Tower test and was still injured.

If she had really been arrested, there would have been more than just one photo at the scene.

He immediately dialed Gu Nanqiao's number.

The phone rang three times before being answered. Gu Nanqiao's voice was hoarse from just waking up: "President Lu, is there something you need calling so late?"

Is Ye Zhiwei with you?

Gu Nanqiao sat up, the bed sheet wrinkled from her movements: "She left the apartment at ten o'clock, saying she was going to pick up some documents. She hasn't come back yet."

Lu Yunzhou gripped his phone tightly: "Has she contacted you?"

"no."

Gu Nanqiao paused for a few seconds, then her tone turned serious: "What did you receive?"

Lu Yunzhou forwarded the photo to her, then hung up the phone, opened the car door, and got into the driver's seat.

The southern suburbs are more than 40 kilometers away from the manor.

At this time, there were few vehicles on the road. He stepped on the gas, and the car sped off, skidding along the road surface.

Gu Nanqiao did not lie.

Ye Zhiwei has indeed gone missing.

But the photos were too complete, and the way the clothes were tied was too neat.

The knot is pressed against the outside of the chair back for easy adjustment, and there is still enough space for the feet to move around.

Lu Yunzhou looked ahead, his hands tightening on the steering wheel.

Someone set a trap for Ye Zhiwei.

The other party knew his habits and knew he would come.

The phrase "only one person" in the text message seems to be a deliberate restriction on his movements.

He did as instructed.

The car was parked 200 meters outside the Shenghua Center.

Lu Yunzhou turned off the car lights, took his phone, and walked along the abandoned wall toward the building.

Several crooked "GG" signs were hanging on the exterior wall, and the entrance was surrounded by sheet metal, with only a gap left in the safety door on the side.

The door lock was just changed.

Lu Yunzhou reached out and touched the latch; the metal was still coated with fresh oil.

Someone has been using this building recently.

He squeezed sideways through the safety door and went up the stairs.

The stairwell was unlit, and the sound of shoes stepping on gravel carried aloud.

There was a smell of smoke on the second floor.

There was a mineral water bottle on the wall on the fifth floor. The cap wasn't tightened, and there was still half a bottle of water left.

We've reached the eighth floor.

Lu Yunzhou stopped at the top of the stairs and listened for a while.

Ye Zhiwei's voice came clearly from the direction of the conference hall.

"Don't tie the rope around your wrist bone, move it up two fingers. If you tie it like this, you can easily break free by raising your hand."

Lu Yunzhou stopped in his tracks.

The man inside asked in a low voice, "Stop talking nonsense. Sit however I tell you to sit."

"I'm just reminding you. If you want Lu Yunzhou to believe you, tie the knot tightly. Wrap the right leg around the chair leg twice, and leave half a hand's width of space between your left and right legs for taking pictures."

Ye Zhiwei explained it in great detail.

His voice was steady and his tone was clear; he even explained exactly how to wind each rope.

Lu Yunzhou lowered his eyelids.

She was injured, yet she was able to teach the kidnappers how to handle the situation after being kidnapped, which added another layer of complexity to the situation.

People were walking around in the conference room, their shoes scraping against the cement floor.

Lu Yunzhou pushed open the half-closed iron gate.

A row of abandoned conference tables stood in the hall, and broken cardboard boxes were piled up in the corner.

Ye Zhiwei sat in the middle, wearing gray overalls, with her hair loose over her shoulders.

Two burly men stood behind her, while four others lined up on either side.

Upon seeing Lu Yunzhou enter, all six people turned around simultaneously.

A man with a buzz cut grabbed a steel pipe and pointed it at the door: "Lu Yunzhou, throw your phone on the ground and put your hands behind your head."

Lu Yunzhou glanced at Ye Zhiwei.

She showed no panic, and her knees were not pinned down by the rope.

He put his phone on the ground and raised his hands: "I'm here. Release the people first."

The man with the buzz cut gestured to the side with his chin: "Go and search them."

Two thugs approached.

Lu Yunzhou stood still, his foot pressing down on the edge of the phone.

The man on his right reached out and touched his waist, while the man on his left went around behind him, preparing to grab his shoulders.

The distance is sufficient.

Lu Yunzhou stepped aside and raised his elbow to strike the thug on the right in the chin.

The man's body swayed, and the short knife in his hand fell to the ground.

Another person threw a punch.

Lu Yunzhou raised his hand to block, grabbed the other person's wrist, and used the force of the other person's forward momentum to slam the person onto the conference table.

The tabletop broke, and wooden planks fell all over the floor.

The man with the buzz cut shouted, "Attack together!"

Four thugs surrounded them.

Lu Yunzhou stepped over the broken wooden planks, shoved one person aside with his shoulder, and landed his fist on the abdomen of another.

The man bent down and knelt, unable to get up for a long time.

The sound of wind rushing from behind.

Lu Yunzhou turned around and kicked the steel pipe with the sole of his shoe.

The steel pipe flew out of his hand, grazing the wall as it landed.

A third person rushed up and hugged his waist.

Lu Yunzhou bent his knee to push the opponent away and then slammed his elbow into the opponent's back.

The man released his grip, knelt on the ground, and covered the back of his neck.

The scene was in complete chaos.

Ye Zhiwei suddenly raised her right leg.

The rope around her ankles had already loosened considerably, and her legs extended from the side of the chair, with the tips of her shoes hitting the knee of the guard behind her.

The man groaned and fell forward, his head hitting the back of the chair.

Ye Zhiwei kicked off the knot at her feet and stood up from the chair.

She ripped the tape off her mouth, grabbed the guard by the collar, and pushed him to the ground.

The movements were clean and efficient.

Lu Yunzhou had just dealt with the last thug in front of him when Ye Zhiwei released him.

She glanced down at the man lying on the ground, her fierce expression vanishing.

His shoulders trembled twice, and his eyes immediately reddened.

Then, she ran towards Lu Yunzhou.

"Mr. Lu, you've finally arrived!"

She threw herself in front of Lu Yunzhou, grabbing his sleeves with both hands, her voice trembling with tears: "They held me captive for so long, I almost never saw you again."

Lu Yunzhou looked down at her.

Ye Zhiwei's cuffs were dusty, and there were red marks left by the tape on her mouth, but her breathing was steady.

The leg that kicked that person just now didn't hesitate at all.

Her performance was too fast.

Lu Yunzhou didn't expose her, but simply raised his hand to block her shoulder: "Stand still."

Ye Zhiwei stiffened, looked up at him, tears still clinging to the corners of her eyes: "Mr. Lu, aren't you going to save me first?"

"You've already saved yourself."

Ye Zhiwei pursed her lips and released her hand from his sleeve.

Applause erupted from the depths of the conference hall.

Pop, pop, pop.

The sound came from the darkness.

Ye Zhiwei's expression froze.

Lu Yunzhou turned around, his gaze passing over the messy conference table and landing on the half-open iron door behind him.

A woman's voice came from behind the door: "You acted pretty fast. Lu Yunzhou, you're still so easy to fool."

Lin Yuxuan walked out in high heels.

She was wearing a white dress, holding a cell phone in her hand, and smiling.

Wei Jiaojiao followed behind her, her shoulder leaning against the door frame, her gaze shifting from Ye Zhiwei to Lu Yunzhou's face.