Her child was her everything. How could this not terrify and devastate her?
Especially in recent years, with news of child traffickers so prevalent.
For any mother, this was the most sensitive of triggers.
Xu Sixin rushed back into the apartment. She had to call the police—she had to call the police now!
Just as she fumbled for her phone in a panic, a note on the coffee table caught her eye.
She snatched it up, and after reading it, collapsed limply onto the floor.
It was the note left by the men from White Tiger Hall.
“We have taken the child. When you repay the money in full, you can come and collect her. If you don’t want anything to happen to her, don’t even think about calling the police!”
A string of phone numbers followed.
Trembling, she deleted the emergency number she’d been about to dial and punched in the string of digits instead.
Someone picked up quickly.
“Ah, Ms. Xu. Hello there. Finally got your call. Your child is with us, but don’t worry, we won’t starve her. Just pay back your debt, principal and interest, as quickly as possible. You can take her back then!”
Then, a little girl’s voice came through the line: “Mommy… I’m scared…”
“Duo Duo… Duo Duo…” Xu Sixin was consumed by absolute despair.
But the call had already ended.
She buried her face in her hands and sobbed, utterly broken.
When her daughter was born, she was severely malnourished and nearly died.
She pulled through, but the child had always been weak and prone to illness.
After getting pregnant at twenty, she was scorned by her family and cast out. Not only that, they deliberately made things difficult, ensuring her talents couldn’t be put to use.
She could only scrape by, working at small, insignificant companies.
A single woman raising a child alone for five years, plus paying for medical treatments, was impossibly difficult.
During one severe episode, her daughter was rushed to the ICU. The astronomical surgery fees drove her, in her desperation, to take out a high-interest loan from White Tiger Hall.
That was the seed of this disaster.
Now they had taken her child. Xu Sixin felt a despair so deep it crushed her very soul.
“No… no… I… I can’t panic… I have to calm down…”
She desperately tried to steady herself. At a time like this, she needed to be calm more than ever.
She was utterly cornered now. With her child taken, she had no idea what might happen.
The only solution Xu Sixin could think of was the Xu family.
The Xu family could save her daughter. That amount of money was nothing to them. Even if it meant kneeling and kowtowing, she would beg them!
With that thought, Xu Sixin couldn’t care less about anything else. She threw on her shoes and dashed out the door.
That night was destined to be an ordeal for her.
She knelt outside the Xu family gates the entire night, and no one paid her any heed.
…
The next morning, Bai Jinghong was suited up and ready to go.
Today wasn’t a big deal for him.
Just the land auction.
And the auction had even been moved forward.
He normally wouldn’t deign to attend such an event.
Today was supposed to be Chen Lin’s day to get some face back.
Specifically, the face Chen Lin thought he was going to get back.
Because Chen Lin would follow the fake plan, try to outbid him for the land, and Bai Jinghong had to deliberately appear to lose.
But he had to be there. To make Chen Lin cough up even more money, Bai Jinghong needed to be present to provoke him to the maximum degree.
He brought Shen Yaoyao with him, even contacted Qin Chuchu.
He also brought along several top executives from the Bai Corporation’s real estate department.
He knew very well that a show had to be a complete one.
When they arrived at the designated “Four Seasons Venue,” the place was already buzzing with activity.
Cars parked outside were all luxury models, not a single cheap one in sight.
As soon as Bai Jinghong stepped out, he spotted the graceful Qin Chuchu from a distance.
She was dressed in professional attire, standing by a pillar, waiting for him.
But there were other men nearby, trying to hit on her.
Bai Jinghong strode directly toward her, followed closely by Shen Yaoyao and the real estate staff.
Even before getting close, he could hear one of the men smarming, “Director Qin! I didn’t expect Blue Sky Group to join the auction too!”
“How about we grab a drink after the auction ends?”
“I have so many real estate questions I’d love to ask you for guidance on!”
The man was rubbing his hands together, grinning widely.
Qin Chuchu offered only a faint smile. “You flatter me, General Manager Gu. I have nothing to teach. And I’m not here representing Blue Sky Group today.”
“Oh? Here on personal business, then? Perfect! Sit next to me, and we can chat in depth!”
As he spoke, he curved his arm, indicating she should link hers through it.
“Come, come, follow me. You can sit right next to me!”
Bai Jinghong walked right up and delivered a sharp thump to the back of the man’s head.
General Manager or not, being hit like that instantly enraged him.
But when he saw who it was, the corner of his mouth just twitched uncontrollably.
“B-Bai… Young Master Bai… So sorry, so sorry. My apologies, truly my apologies!”
Bai Jinghong laughed coldly, the smile still on his face. “Apologies? No need. You weren’t bothering anyone. Just trying to chat up my woman, were you?”
“No problem. After the auction ends, go stand at the entrance of the Bai Corporation building. I’ll have someone keep you company and chat with you all day long!”
The man’s face went pale. He apologized profusely: “Young Master Bai, please, don’t joke with me! I didn’t mean anything by it, truly, I’m very sorry!”
“You weren’t not meaning it, you were doing it on purpose. It’s decided. If you aren’t at the Bai Corporation’s entrance after the auction, I’ll pay you a personal visit!”
The man’s expression looked as though his own father had just died.
How was he supposed to know Qin Chuchu was that madman’s woman?!
If he had known, no amount of courage in the world would have made him mess with her!
Now he was going to lose face big time.
“Why are you still standing there? Waiting for a dinner invitation? Get lost!”
With Bai Jinghong’s barked command, the man scrambled away.
Qin Chuchu was also a little surprised. Bai Jinghong was truly as overbearing as ever.
But that was fine. His assertiveness meant fewer flies buzzing around her.
“You’re here!” she said, her voice always softer and gentler when speaking to him.
“Have you been waiting long? Why didn’t you wait in the car? It’s chilly outside.”
He took her slender hand, wrapping both of his around it, rubbing it gently.
Qin Chuchu blushed but didn’t pull away, letting him hold it.
When Shen Yaoyao came over, Bai Jinghong introduced them: “Yao Yao, this is your Sister Qin, Qin Chuchu!”
It was immediately clear to Shen Yaoyao that this was another of Bai Jinghong’s women.
And she was stunningly beautiful, a woman of heavenly grace.
“Sister Qin, it’s a pleasure to meet you!” Shen Yaoyao said with the sweetest of smiles.
“Yao Yao… Sister Yao Yao, it’s lovely to meet you too!”
Qin Chuchu replied somewhat shyly.
“No need for formalities. We’re all family here!” Bai Jinghong laughed heartily, wrapping his left arm around Qin Chuchu and his right around Shen Yaoyao.
He planted a kiss on each of their cheeks.
Those who witnessed this were utterly astonished.
Truly, money, power, and good looks made a man irresistible.
Many of the big bosses here had lovers, but they all had to keep them strictly hidden. Who would dare parade them around openly like Bai Jinghong?
And what’s more, with two top-tier beauties, no less.
But all they could do was look on in envy. They didn’t even dare to stare.
Just as Bai Jinghong was about to enter the auction venue with his two beauties in his arms, several more luxury cars pulled up behind them.
He glanced over instinctively.
And out stepped Chen Lin!
With his iconic, perpetually crooked mouth, and a face full of confidence.
