Chapter 447: A City on Edge
Chapter 447: A City on Edge
Lu Jiaxin's fever quickly subsided after the injection, and as the fever broke, she regained consciousness. The first thing she asked Nie Zhan was, "Is Gu Dagge awake yet?"
Nie Zhan held her hand and said, "Not yet. But I just asked the doctor, and he said Gu Wenfeng's indicators are all normal, and there's a high probability that he'll wake up."
"Are you lying to me?"
"Why would I lie to you? If you don't believe me, just get better quickly and see for yourself."
"Okay."
Nie Zhan opened the lunch box and coaxed Lu Jiaxin into eating a bowl of bird's nest porridge. Considering that Lu Jiaxin had witnessed a lot of bloodshed the day before, he specifically instructed the kitchen to prepare light and nutritious meals for her in the coming days—a truly thoughtful gesture.
After finishing the porridge, Lu Jiaxin fell asleep again.
Ah Hu approached quietly and whispered, "Boss, it's Old Master Nie calling."
Old Master Nie had known about the kidnappers' plan to target Lu Jiaxin the night before, and thankfully, they had failed. However, this incident only increased his favor toward Lu Jiaxin. Not only was she exceptionally skilled at making money, but she also had the courage and presence of mind to face kidnappers. He believed that Nie Zhan would soar to new heights with her by his side.
Nie Zhan tiptoed out into the hallway and answered the call. "Jiaxin is fine. She just caught a cold from the wind last night and had a fever. But she's better now and has regained consciousness."
Old Master Nie asked, "The kidnappers must have sneaked in from the mainland. Jiaxin usually keeps a low profile, so someone must have put them up to it. Otherwise, they wouldn't have targeted her."
If they were local gangsters from Hong Kong, it would be understandable that they had their eyes on Jiaxin. But for them to have sneaked in from the mainland and attempted the kidnapping after only staying for a little over a week, it was unlikely that they could have gathered enough information about Jiaxin's situation.
"The police are still searching for the three kidnappers who escaped," Nie Zhan said. "But we haven't heard anything yet."
Old Master Nie cut straight to the point. "Do you have any suspects in mind?"
"Jiaxin hasn't offended anyone since she came to Hong Kong. Grandpa, I'm afraid I may have inadvertently dragged her into this."
Old Master Nie saw through the situation clearly. "Could it be He Zhuliang and Guo Kaibai?"
Nie Zhan quickly denied it. "The He family is bankrupt. No one will listen to them anymore. As for Guo Kaibai, I've already sent someone to investigate."
"Hmm," Old Master Nie acknowledged. "You should also strengthen your security measures and have your people investigated. We can't let them exploit any weaknesses."
"I will."
Soon after, Tao Yong called as well, inquiring about Lu Jiaxin's well-being. Upon learning that she was only shaken up and not physically injured, he sighed in relief. "That's good to hear. Xinyu just saw the newspaper report about Jiaxin's encounter with the kidnappers last night, and she's extremely worried. She insisted that I call and check if you're truly alright."
The news of Lu Jiaxin's encounter with the kidnappers the night before had made the headlines that day. Kidnappings of Hong Kong tycoons were not uncommon—sometimes it was a person in power, like the one four years ago, and other times it was the heir to a family fortune. Each kidnapping incident would send shockwaves through the city.
What set this kidnapping attempt apart from the others was that Lu Jiaxin had stood up to the kidnappers and emerged victorious. Five of the eight kidnappers were dead, three had escaped, and the whole city was abuzz with praise for Lu Jiaxin. Some commended her for her composure and calmness in the face of danger, a true leader even at such a young age—this was to be expected. But what was unusual was the exaggerated praise, hailing her as a heroic figure with both intelligence and courage, a sharpshooter who could hit a target a hundred paces away. The media was spinning quite the tale.
To help Lu Jiaxin relax and take her mind off things, Nie Zhan gathered these newspapers and read them to her.
Lu Jiaxin listened, feeling utterly speechless. A sharpshooter who could hit a target a hundred paces away? Why not go as far as to say she had martial arts skills and could fly across rooftops? However, remembering some of the inside jokes from her past life, she held her tongue.
"Jiaxin," Nie Zhan said, "Yu Meitung and Shi Xinyu wanted to come and see you, but the doctor said you need to rest and take it easy for a couple of days, so I declined on your behalf."
Lu Jiaxin also wanted to bring up some things to divert attention away from the incident. Whenever she calmed down, the image of Gu Wenfeng covered in blood would flash through her mind. She said, "Meitung wants to break up with Fu Yan, but her family disagrees."
Nie Zhan shook his head and said, "Jiaxin, this is between Fu Yan, Yu Meitung, and their families. As outsiders, it's not our place to comment."
Lu Jiaxin wasn't expecting him to take sides or pass judgment; she was past that age. She continued, "Meitung heard that Wufu Jewelry is hiring designers, and she wants to apply. If she's successful, she'll be working for our company."
Nie Zhan immediately replied, "As long as Miss Yu follows the company's application process, Fu Yan won't have any grounds to complain."
"Ah Zhan, if Yu's family comes to you, you mustn't fire Meitung. If she wants to marry Fu Yan, I'll give them my blessing. But if she chooses to stand on her own, I'll support her." Lu Jiaxin's words carried a hint of determination.
Nie Zhan smiled and assured her, "Rest assured, neither Yu's family nor Fu Yan will come to me about this. They have their pride too."
Lu Jiaxin added, as a precaution, "You tell Tao Yong to inform Xinyu that I'm fine and will be discharged soon."
As they were talking, Ah Hu knocked on the door and announced, "Mr. Su Heyuan is here."
Su Heyuan placed the fruit he had brought on the bedside table and asked, "How are you feeling? When did the doctor say you can be discharged?"
"The fever's gone, but my head still feels heavy. I'll need to stay a few more days," Lu Jiaxin replied.
Nie Zhan remained silent. In truth, the doctor had already said Lu Jiaxin could leave after her fever broke, but he knew she was worried about Gu Wenfeng. Even if they checked out of the hospital, he would still have to stay by her side, so they might as well stay in the hospital room.
Su Heyuan expressed his concern, "Then you must take good care of your health and not leave any long-term issues. My cousin used to be headstrong and ignored her health, and now she has all sorts of health problems."
Nie Zhan found his words a bit inauspicious and quickly interjected, "Jiaxin's body is fine."
Lu Jiaxin wanted to chat with Su Heyuan, so she urged Nie Zhan to return to work. "You've been by my side for two days now. There must be a mountain of work piling up at the company."
Indeed, there was a lot of work piling up, and his cell phone had run out of battery several times from constant calls. However, Nie Zhan was still reluctant to leave. He looked at Su Heyuan and asked, "I'll be back by five o'clock. Can you stay until then?"
After receiving an affirmative answer from Su Heyuan, Nie Zhan kissed Lu Jiaxin's forehead and said, "Get some rest. I'll be back soon."
Once Nie Zhan left, Su Heyuan said with a hint of envy, "When you first started dating Nie Zhan, I was worried he was just playing around. I never expected him to be so serious."
Lu Jiaxin replied, "If he had been playing around, I wouldn't have given him the time of day. Su Heyuan, I heard from Miao Na that the kidnappers were smuggled in from the mainland. What about the three who escaped? Have they been caught?"
Su Heyuan shook his head. "No, they fled back to the mainland that very night. I called my cousin and told her about what happened to you. The police are searching for them, and I've also asked some friends to look into it. We should be able to catch them soon."
Just then, a tall and sharp-eyed man knocked on the door and entered. "Boss, we just received news that two of the three escaped kidnappers have been captured."
Lu Jiaxin suspected that the remaining one was severely injured and might already be dead.
After the bodyguard left, she asked, "Didn't Nie Zhan go out? Why did you change bodyguards again?"
Su Heyuan shook his head. "No, this one is someone I hired at a high price. With the consecutive kidnapping incidents, the wealthy in Hong Kong City are on edge. Security companies are in high demand right now."
(End of Chapter)
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