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Chapter 45
Ge Baoxian was arrested.
The private room descended into chaos, and Jin Nuan was at a loss.
Relying on the fact that Meng Xinliang had previously sent someone to escort them back, she pushed her way forward, disregarding her own safety. “Mr. Meng, have you seen the Governor’s wife?”
“She’s very safe,” Meng Xinliang replied with a smile.
Jin Nuan:
His words seemed light, but Jin Nuan knew they carried great weight.
Ning Zhen was unharmed.
She let out a sigh of relief.
“Second Madam, should I have someone escort you home first? Once you’re home, you can call Madam,” Meng Xinliang suggested, subtly signaling to Jin Nuan.
Jin Nuan understood the message: leave quickly and don’t cause more trouble.
“Thank you,” Jin Nuan stood up swiftly.
As she turned to leave, she hesitated, still worried. “Ning Zhen, she…”
“She’s fine,” Meng Xinliang reassured her more solemnly this time.
Jin Nuan finally relaxed and hurriedly left.
Inside the private room, the other guests began to grow fearful and wanted to leave.
However, the door was blocked by Meng Xinliang’s men. Without Miss Ge to support them, these people trembled like quail in the rain, visibly shaking.
“When can we leave?”
“I just came for a meal, I didn’t do anything, I know nothing.”
“What Miss Ge did shouldn’t affect me. I want to go home!”
Meng Xinliang’s men ignored them, simply blocking the door.
“Where’s the restaurant owner? Call the owner! Is this how they treat customers?”
One of the servants finally rolled his eyes. “Deputy Boss Meng is the owner of this cruise ship’s restaurant.”
The crowd:
No wonder the restaurant was so luxurious and arrogant, refusing service to strangers. It wasn’t that they had powerful backing; the backer was the owner himself.
Ge Baoxian was taken to the third floor.
The large private room was now empty; the diners had all left, and the layered screens cast shadowy silhouettes.
There was a vague presence on the sofa behind the screens, though it was unclear if anyone was there.
Meng Xinliang took his seat at the dining table, and the servants forced Ge Baoxian to kneel.
Ge Baoxian struggled incessantly. “Let me go! You can’t treat me like this!”
“Bring them in,” Meng Xinliang said calmly.
Soon, three people were brought in.
Two were servants who had been waiting to assist at sea. Beaten and bruised, they immediately called out when they saw Ge Baoxian. “Miss Ge, save me! Help me, Miss Ge!”
“Miss Ge, you only ordered us to pick someone up, I know nothing else. Please explain to Mr. Meng, Miss Ge!”
If Ge Baoxian’s hands hadn’t been tied behind her back, she would have rushed over to slap them and shut them up.
She could only glare fiercely and shout, “Shut up! I don’t even know you!”
“Miss Ge, you can’t just abandon us! We’re just workers, not your household servants. I still have parents, a wife, and children.”
Ge Baoxian’s face turned pale.
“Enough, take them away. They’re too noisy,” Meng Xinliang waved his hand.
The two bruised servants were dragged out, still wailing and begging for mercy.
On the ground lay another person, barely breathing. His legs were limp and powerless.
Meng Xinliang had someone prop him up.
The pain was too much for him, and he couldn’t help but groan.
“You recognize her, right?” Meng Xinliang asked the assassin.
“Yes, Mr. Meng, I know her. This young lady hired me. She gave me 500 silver dollars and told me to fire a shot when I saw someone coming, then run.”
“I didn’t! You’ve got the wrong person! This is a setup!” Ge Baoxian was trembling all over. “It’s not true, Mr. Meng, there’s been a misunderstanding.”
Meng Xinliang had the assassin taken away as well.
He stood up, looking down at the kneeling Ge Baoxian with a slight smile.
He couldn’t help but find it amusing. “Miss Ge, in the Governor’s place, a life is worth at least 100,000 silver dollars. But in your hands, it’s only 500?”
“Mr. Meng, let me explain.”
“Alright, go ahead. I’m listening,” Meng Xinliang seemed in a good mood. “Speak.”
“I… I never intended to kill you, Mr. Meng.”
“So, you wanted to harm the Governor’s wife and then frame me, driving a wedge between me and the Governor’s place?” Meng Xinliang asked.
From behind the screen, someone let out a soft laugh.
Ge Baoxian knew it was Ning Zhen. She was now certain that Ning Zhen had been watching everything from behind the scenes.
Even though Ning Zhen was married, she still maintained such a close relationship with Meng Xinliang.
She could sit elegantly behind the screen, composed and dignified.
“Mr. Meng, let her come out, and we’ll confront each other. She’s the one framing me!” Ge Baoxian shouted.
Meng Xinliang said, “You have no right. You’re the prisoner here. Lock her up and wait for the Governor to return. I’ll personally meet with him.”
He added, “For now, don’t meet with anyone from the Ge family, and avoid Second Master as well. I believe he will understand. If he asks, just tell him the truth.”
The attendant acknowledged his orders.
Ge Baoxian’s mouth was gagged as she was dragged away.
Ning Zhen sat on the sofa, sipping tea. Meng Xinliang walked over and sat across from her.
“Mr. Meng, this is your problem, not mine. I’m innocent,” Ning Zhen said.
Meng Xinliang smiled bitterly, “I’m sorry for dragging you into this.”
“It’s fine, I can forgive you,” Ning Zhen replied. “But you owe me a favor now. If I come to you for help in the future, don’t turn me away.”
“Deal,” Meng Xinliang readily agreed.
Ning Zhen stood up to leave, and it seemed like Meng Xinliang wanted her to stay. He hesitated, clearly wanting to ask about Anuo but unsure how to start.
“Fourth Miss, do you have any photos of Anuo?” he suddenly asked.
“Yes,” Ning Zhen replied.
“Can I see them? I can barely remember what she looks like anymore,” Meng Xinliang said.
Ning Zhen:
Are you really forgetful, or just using that as an excuse to see the photos?
“I’ll look for one when I get home and send it to your residence in a few days,” Ning Zhen said.
She remembered that there were photos. Every time she and her cousin went on trips, they would take several rolls of film, and Ning Zhen had kept them all.
However, she hadn’t looked at old photos in a long time, fearing that she would get lost in memories.
The next day, she went home and found a photo of her cousin by herself, placed it in an envelope, and had her family’s adjutant send it to Meng Xinliang.
Meng Xinliang sent a box of pastries in return.
On the day Sheng Changyu returned to the city, it was raining in Suzhou.
The early winter rain was cold and bone-chilling. His military boots were worn, and not one to fuss, he continued walking as water seeped in.
Sheng Changyu thought about changing into dry shoes quickly, but his adjutant informed him, “Minister Ge is waiting for you in the study.”
“What’s the matter?” Sheng Changyu asked impatiently.
“His daughter was captured by the Hongmen Society and hasn’t been released yet,” the adjutant said.
Sheng Changyu:
Minister Ge was one of Sheng Changyu’s trusted subordinates, someone he could rely on.
Without bothering to change his boots, Sheng Changyu headed to the conference building, feeling far from pleasant.
Cheng Baisheng, who had returned with him, also ignored his wet boots and pants, diving straight into handling the urgent matters that had piled up during his absence.
While Sheng Changyu met with Minister Ge in the study, Cheng Baisheng was in the opposite conference room, listening to a report from the military government.
Cheng Baisheng was a bit tired, most of the matters were trivial, and he listened halfheartedly.
“…Wait, the Madam’s phone call?” He suddenly perked up at the mention.
“Yes.”
“What did she say?”
“She didn’t specify, but she asked that the Governor return her call once he’s back in the city,” the adjutant reported.
Too lazy to move, Cheng Baisheng said, “Bring the phone over here.”
Leaning back in his chair, he dialed the Sheng family’s old residence, reaching Ning Zhen’s quarters directly.
Ning Zhen was home.
“Is there something urgent?” Cheng Baisheng asked.
“No.”
“Even if it’s not urgent, you can still tell me,” Cheng Baisheng said with a smile.
“My grandmother would like to invite the Governor for a meal to thank him for bringing my two brothers back to the city. That’s why I called earlier,” Ning Zhen explained. “But as luck would have it, my father returned to the city yesterday and is resting at home. He might take a few days off before going back to the camp, so I’ll ask him then if the Governor is available.”
Cheng Baisheng couldn’t help but laugh. “The Governor is never too busy for a meal. Why don’t you come to the Governor’s residence and tell him yourself?”
If you wait until tomorrow, Sheng Changyu might find fault and think you’re not sincere enough.
Better to address it directly. Frame it as an urgent matter, or at least a careful and thoughtful invitation.
“How’s his mood?” Ning Zhen asked hesitantly over the phone.
Cheng Baisheng thought for a moment.
This time, the artillery training at the camp had gone very well, and Sheng Changyu had been in a good mood.
Meeting with Minister Ge now, someone he trusted, shouldn’t be too bothersome either.
As for Minister Ge’s daughter, Sheng Changyu probably didn’t even know who she was, and wouldn’t care if she lived or died.
Overall, things seemed peaceful.
“He’s in a decent mood,” Cheng Baisheng said. “Come quickly, I’ll help smooth things over. He’s a bit tired from the journey, so it’s a good time to bring it up.”
Ning Zhen:
Are you reliable or not?
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