SHE-DEVIL 28

Mr Lu stood by the window, his silhouette framed by the pale morning light. His arms were wrapped tightly around himself, and he stared out at the quiet street, his eyes unfocused.

'. Mr Lu?'. Lin Ba gently tapped his shoulder.

'.....'. He sighed.

'. According to Miss Chuxi, Miss Xia's secretary, she's been missing for a day now!'.

'. [Sighs]...has the technical department been able to track down her?'.

'. They.....are still working on it.....!'. He said with his head slightly bowed to the floor.

'. Dispatch men to find her, search the entire Beijing city, whosoever finds her get a 5,000 CNY bonus!!'.

'. Yes, Mr Lu!'. He rushes out of the office. Mr Lu picks up his jacket and rushes down to the parking lot, he enters his Rolls-Royce Phantom, driving out of the exit, and he puts on an earpiece connecting to the technical department.

'. Any information?'.

'. Mr Lu, we are still working on it!'.

'. I give you 30 minutes to provide something useful, or you all are gonna lose your job!'.

'. Yes, Mr Lu!'.

At Lei company, the board members sat in the conference room, Mr Smith the head of the board sat there, his fingers tapping a restless rhythm on the desk, and he gave a deep sigh.

'. I can't believe the company we worked so hard for is now facing bankruptcy!'. A member sighed.

'. We worked so hard for this!'.

'. Mr Smith, what about the new president?'.

'. Haven't seen her since the last time she came.

'. She did all that to just bring down Lei Wuije and then abandon us?'.

'. Patience is the only thing we can do right now!'.

'. So we have to sit down here and watch Lei company go bankrupt after 8 years of unending hard work!'.

'. [Sighs].....if we decide to do anything now, a step wrong, by tomorrow Lei company would cease to exist!'.

'. So we just have to wait for the new CEO to come and then figure something out!'.

'. Hmm!...that's the only thing we can do now!'.

'. [Sighs]'.

'. Let's hope things don't end drastically!'.

'. The meeting is over!'.

'. ...

'. The board members stood up and gently walked out of the conference room, all looking so tired and frustrated.

It's been a day now and Miss Xia is yet to be found. Mulang, Chuxi, and Fan Yin tried their best to find her.

'. Chuxi...!'.

'. Hmm?...'. She turned to him.

'. Where did Xia say she was going to?'.

'. I do not know!....!'. She rubbed her hair in regret of being a bad secretary.

'. [Sighs].....who was she with?.....and where did they go?'. He said confused.

'. Who was she with?.... Mr Dong!!'. She shouted.

'. What?'. They stared at her.

'. Mr Dong!!....He said he wanted to speak with her and he took her away!'.

'. Mr Dong?....check him out!'. Fan Yin said to Mulang who sat next to him tapping his system endlessly.

Mr Lu driving at approximately a high speed, kept checking every corner he drove by.

'. Mr Lu!!.....we found her coordinates!!'. The worker said.

'. Where is she?'.

'. It's...'.

'. Say it!!!'.

'. It's at.....the FEI new building company!'.

'. FEI Company!'. He takes a U-turn performing a drift on the road surface.

'. Lin Ba, get the men and head to FEI's new building now!'.

'. Yes, Mr Lu!'.

.....

Getting to the uncompleted building, Exposed steel beams and concrete pillars rise from a dirt-strewn foundation, with scaffolding clinging precariously to the sides. The air is thick with the smell of damp cement and dust. Mr Lu parks his car in a corner and gently comes down.

'. Mr Lu, you can't go in....what if they are armed?!'. Lin Ba said, sounding concerned.

'. Then get here as soon as possible!'.

He hides behind a pillar and gently moves towards the inside.

Mr Dong, standing over her with a menacing presence, holds a bucket of water. With a cruel sneer, he lifts the bucket and pours the icy water over her. The water cascades down, drenching over her. She gasps, shuddering violently as the shock of the cold water hits her, her breath coming in ragged, desperate gulps.

He watches with cold detachment, seemingly indifferent to the suffering he's inflicting on her.

'. Hello dear!'. He waves with a pathetic smile.

'. Hah... Hah... Hah...'. She pants staring at him, her breath coming in labored bursts.

'. Never thought I would see you in such a pathetic state!'. He smiles cruelly at her.

'...'.

'. Aren't you a sharp tongue girl?....what's going on? Huh?....you've lost your arrogance?'.

'. If you dare untie my hand...I would beat up to a blood bathe!'. She spat on him defiantly.

'. You little bitch!'. He wipes his face seething.

'. Shouldn't whosoever that asked you to hold me hostage call for a checkup?'. She scoffed.

'. Shouldn't you be scared?'. His eyes narrow.

'. Why would I?...'. She retorts, her voice steady despite her predicament.

'. Do you think I don't dare to kill you!'. His tone is laced with menace.

'. If I die, I don't mind selling my soul to the devil for a second chance!....but if you kill me.....you have a lot to lose.....you know what I mean!'. She smiled at him meeting his gaze, a fierce determination in her eyes, her defiance undiminished.

'.....enough of the chit-chat....let's get down to business!'. He moves around her.

Mr Lu getting inside, and the environment is cold and harsh. The floors are uneven, covered in a mix of gravel, broken bricks, and scattered construction materials. Partial walls and exposed wiring give the place a raw, industrial feel. There are no proper windows yet, just gaping holes that let in the elements and a chilling breeze.

He gently moves around the building, alert and cautious.

'. You bastard!!'. A voice pierces the silence.

He carefully moves toward the direction of the voice. In one of the rooms, He saw Mei Xia being tied to a seat, and the captor, Mr Dong held a cigarette, unleashing the fumes through his nose and walking around her.

'. Could you stop!...you are making my head spin!'. She said with a mix of irritation and defiance in her voice.

'. Are you making a request?'.He mocked her, his demeanor cold.

'. To you?....hell no!!'. Mei Xia retorts, her disdain clear despite her predicament.

Mr Lu took a deep breath and walked into the room. The atmosphere is one of desolation and unpredictability.

'. [Mr Lu?]'. Mei Xia stared at him, watching him take off his jacket and fold his sleeve up, revealing his muscles.

'. Why would a Queen make a request when she could just have one!'. He met Mei Xia's gaze and winked at her, a subtle sign of reassurance from behind Mr.Dong.

'. And you must be?'. He asked dripping in contempt.

'. A dead person doesn't need to know my name!'. He moves forward with intent. Mr Dong quickly raises his gun pointing it at Mei Xia.

'. Move and I can't guarantee what I will do next!'.

Mr. Lu stops in his tracks, his eyes locked on Mr. Dong, he moves back slowly, his expression calms and calculating.

'. Now that's good!'.

Shanggue stood by the window, the city light twinkling in the background, holding a cup of coffee. His phone rings, and he picks it up, answering the call, he places the phone to his ear.

'. [How are you Mr Shanggue?]'. Mr Hun's voice came through the phone.

'. Fine, I guess!'. He said nonchalantly.

'. [Tomorrow is the final vote on who gets to be president of ZGDX company, I hope you are happy about that?]'. Mr Hun's voice was upbeat.

'. Whether I am happy or sad will be determined by tomorrow's outcome'. He replied cryptically.

'. [You don't have to worry about anything!]'.

'. Your assurance scares the hell out of me, what have you done!'. He moves to the desk and places his coffee on it.

'. [Why don't you stop being suspicious and understand I am only trying to calm you down before the vote!]'.

'. Mother told me every good intention comes with a bad thought!'. He replied hinting at his cautious nature.

'. [So you think I did something bad?]'.

'. Mr Hun, even though you are my most trusted person, most time even the word 'trust' wouldn't trust you!'.

'. [I see!]'.

'. You taught me to be cautious that's what am doing!'. He stated firmly.

'. [Hahaha!...oh boy!!...see you tomorrow then!!]'. Mr Hun chuckled before hanging up. Shanggue sighed deeply.

Back at the FEI uncompleted building, the atmosphere was tense and unsettled as Mr Lu stood there, not making a move at the captor Mr Dong. Mr Dong still holding his cigarette and moving around Mei Xia with his gun pointed at her. His expression was unreadable but his intent was clear.

Mr Lu felt he couldn't just keep standing there and decided to take the initiative to disarm Mr Dong. With a sudden burst of action, he swiftly moved towards Mr Dong, jumping high to seize the gun from him. In a fluid motion, he threw the gun far away from Mr Dong's reach, and they both engaged in a fierce battle.

'. [Never knew The domineering CEO was a good fighter!]'. Mei Xia taking advantage of the situation tried untying herself while they fought. Her fingers worked quickly but not furtively.

After a few moments, Lin Ba and the guards arrived and assisted Mr Lu in the fight. One of the guards pierced Mr Dong against the ground with his head bleeding from the fight. Mr Lu walked towards Mei Xia and he helped her untie herself. Mei Xia gently stood up but she fell back to the seat because her legs were weakened. In a flash and decisive moment, Mr Lu picked up Mei Xia carrying her on his arm.

'. After dealing with him.....send him to the police don't get your hands dirty!'. He instructed the guards.

Coming out of the uncompleted building, Mr Lu walked to his car carrying Mei Xia on his arm. Lin Ba who followed him, opened the door, Mr Lu gently placed Mei Xia on the car seat and closed the door.

'. Mr Lu, where are you going?'. Lin ba asked as Mr Lu moved to the driver's seat.

'. To the hospital!'. He shut the door after him.

'. Hospital?.... I am fine!'. She protested.

'. A little check-up won't hurt!'. He moved towards her and helped fasten her seat belt.

'. I am fine...I just want to go home!'. She said watching him fasten his seat belt.

'. You can tell that to the doctor, I guess!'. He gave a small smile and drove away from the building.

Back at the Ái family mansion, the old man Mr Ái sat there on the balcony, Mr Rong stood beside him.

'. Do you think anything would happen to Miss Xia?'. Mr Rong asked.

'. Things are meant to happen and Xia always overcomes them!'. He said with his eyes closed.

'. The fact that you don't seem worried makes me question myself, how long does it take to fully trust someone, that you place your everything on them?'. He looked up to the sky, watching the birds as they flew up in the sky.

'. Maybe eternity?...or maybe it's just fate, or bond...!'.

'. Be it either of them....it must have been destined to have such a relationship with your granddaughter!'. Mr Rong smiled.

'. Destined?....'. He smiles even with his eyes closed.

'...'.