Chapter 161: Tang Ran in the Financial Building

'That's great! It seems that Ran has placed all her hopes on you and that you are indeed her greatest saviour. Mr Zhou Ming, you really are an incredibly capable person. I only mentioned one name and you immediately found Ran, which is thousands of times more impressive than any detective!' Xiaoxue said excitedly. She looked at Zhou Ming's eyes, which were shining so brightly that it seemed as if stars were emerging from them.

It was clear that Xiaoxue's appearance and words showed that she greatly admired Zhou Ming. But that was no wonder. After all, when she woke up in the morning and found that Tang Ran had disappeared, she was beside herself with worry. She called the police, but they didn't believe her. Now, after just a few words with Zhou Ming, she had told him a name, and Zhou Ming had found the person by calling that name. In Xiaoxue's eyes, this was nothing short of a miracle.

However, to Zhou Ming, this was a coincidence that even he himself could not help but feel helpless about. It was because he only heard the name Hoover sound familiar, and he only called this number as a last resort. Who knew that the gangster Hoover that Xiao Xue was talking about was the bank manager Hoover that he knew? If it was just based on Xiao Xue's description, Zhou Ming would never have guessed that this Hoover was the same as that Hoover!

Finding him is of course a good thing, but it is also not a good thing. The good thing is that there is a very direct clue. Just now on the phone, Hoover already admitted that he took Tang Ran away, but it was not a kidnapping, and he said that if Zhou Ming needs him, he can arrange to meet him.

But at the same time, Hoover also said that he took Tang Ran away for something very important. As for what it is, as long as Zhou Ming goes to his place, he will be able to see Tang Ran and find out what it is. He couldn't explain clearly on the phone.

When Hoover said this, he couldn't help but make Zhou Ming think more. After all, Zhou Ming was not as naive as Xiaoxue. He would not think that Hoover was someone from a gang who took Tang Ran away because he coveted her beauty. As the head of the Brighton branch of Tang Bank, he had the potential to enter the bank's board of directors in the future, and his prospects could be said to be unlimited. He would not do something like this in San Francisco, where the headquarters was located, that would give people something to talk about.

But if it wasn't for this reason, Zhou Ming would have no clue why he took Tang Ran away.

This question really confused Zhou Ming, but then Xiaoxue suddenly said, 'Mr. Zhou Ming, now that we know where Ranran is, let's go find her.'

Zhou Ming nodded silently, thinking to himself, 'I don't understand anything right now, so I guess I'll just take things one step at a time.'

Zhou Ming then looked at Xiaoxue and said, 'I'll go find her right away, but Xiaoxue, you need to go home first.'

'What's the point of going home? To report the case to the police and have Hoover arrested?' Xiaoxue asked.

Zhou Ming shook his head helplessly, 'Of course not. Just go back to your normal routine, go to work and go to bed as usual. Don't let this incident affect your normal life. I will handle everything alone.'

Xiao Xue wanted to say something, but Zhou Ming said in front of her, 'I know you care about Ranran very much, and I am very grateful for that. I believe Ranran will also be very touched when she finds out. But this matter may not be as simple as you think. First of all, we cannot go to the police, and we can only rely on ourselves to solve it little by little. In the past, you could not help, so it is better for you to go back and wait for news...'

After saying this, Zhou Ming thought for a moment and then asked, 'Xiao Xue, do you know why Ranran is so likeable? It's because she knows what to do and when to do it."

Xiao Xue nodded in understanding, "I understand, I'll go back now and won't cause you any trouble. But Mr. Zhou Ming, if you need any help, you must let me know! I'll do my best to help, after all, I'm the one who got Ran Ran into this mess!"

Zhou Ming really wanted to say that this had nothing to do with her, but in order to avoid complications, he just nodded in the end and said yes.

After seeing off Xiaoxue, Zhou Ming and his bodyguard took a taxi to San Francisco's very famous Montgomery Street. This is San Francisco's financial district, with the headquarters of 40 banks, the business halls of more than 100 banks, and countless insurance companies and other investment companies.

This is why Montgomery Street is also known as the Western Wall Street. There are also two landmark buildings on this famous Western Wall Street: the Transamerica Pyramid and the Chinatown Bank Building.

The Transamerica Pyramid is famous for its breathtaking postmodernist architectural style, while the Bank of China Tower is very ordinary in terms of height and design style. Its fame comes only from the bank itself.

Zhou Ming's destination today is the Bank of China Tower. Zhou Ming got off the bus and looked up at the entire financial building. If there was any doubt before, now he is completely convinced that Hoover did not kidnap Tang Ran, because if he really did, he should at least pick a more secluded place, right? How could he have chosen the busiest financial building in the financial district?

The most dangerous place is the safest place. This saying is true in special circumstances. If Hoover really kidnapped someone to the Bank of China Tower, I'm afraid someone would have called the police that day.

But if it wasn't a kidnapping, then why was Hoover looking for Tang Ran?

This question made Zhou Ming increasingly confused. It seems that the mystery can only be solved when he meets Hoover and Tang Ran.

Zhou Ming thought so, took out his phone and dialed a number. No one answered the first time, so he dialed again. This time, as soon as he dialed, someone came over and asked him, 'Hello, are you Mr. Zhou Ming?'

Zhou Ming nodded and said yes, and the person said, 'Mr. Hoover has been waiting for a long time. Please follow me upstairs.'

Following this person, Zhou Ming entered the Bank of Tang Dynasty Building. He brought Zhou Ming to the door of an office on the 30th floor. He knocked on the door first, went in to report, and then went out to tell Zhou Ming that he could go in. After getting permission, Zhou Ming entered the office.

This was a very large office, as big as a basketball court when you looked around. It was divided into several rooms by several glass partitions. Zhou Ming walked around the partitions and walked into the inner office, and sure enough, he saw Hoover sitting in the boss's chair.

'Mr. Zhou Ming, I really didn't expect you to come to San Francisco, but it's not very nice of you to come to San Francisco without contacting me beforehand."

Hoover gave Zhou Ming a warm hug, and then pretended to be angry and scolded Zhou Ming for not telling him beforehand. Zhou Ming laughed and said, 'I'm very sorry, President Hoover, but I also didn't expect that we would meet under the current circumstances. I didn't even think you would be in San Francisco, I thought you were still in Brighton! There's nothing I can do about it, you're the branch manager of Brighton after all. If it weren't for the Tang Ran incident..."

Before, Hoover had still faced it with a smile, but it wasn't until Zhou Ming mentioned Tang Ran's name that Hoover frowned.

Hoover first asked the person who had just brought Zhou Ming up to leave, and then glanced at him again, looking at him inquisitively.

Zhou Ming of course understood what he meant, so he explained to him, 'This is my personal bodyguard, I trust him very much, I don't need to hide anything from him.'

Hoover wanted to say something, but then he shook his head and gave up. He sat Zhou Ming down on the sofa next to him, and then asked, 'Please forgive me for being blunt, I don't know where you are from, and who told you the name Tang Ran, but I hope you can refrain from asking as much as possible, so as not to get involved.'

Zhou Ming's expression twitched slightly, 'Why? Is this matter very complicated?'

'Very complicated, not as complicated as ordinary people can imagine!' Hoover replied very seriously. He then added, "Mr. Zhou Ming, I am only telling you this because of our relationship. If it were anyone else, I would simply tell them to get the hell out of here without any explanation."

Zhou Ming suddenly laughed and said to Hoover, 'But unfortunately, I am just like this. I still need to know, or if Hoover you are not comfortable talking about it, you can also take me to see her and I will ask her in person.'

Hoover frowned and reminded him in an unpleasant tone, 'Mr. Zhou Ming, I am only telling you this because I consider you a friend. I hope you can also show me some respect.'

Zhou Ming's smile did not change: 'I think you may have misunderstood something, President Hoover. I did not say this with any disrespect for you or to make fun of you. I just have to know something.'

'Why? I don't think this has anything to do with you,' Hoover said.

'In fact, I don't think it has anything to do with me either,' Zhou Ming then changed his casual tone of speech and continued, "It's just that Tang Ran paged me the other day, saying that she wanted me to come over and save her. May I ask, Mr. Hoover, is this reason enough?"

Zhou Ming's tone was sonorous and powerful, and it gave Hoover a lot of pressure, especially the question that Zhou Ming asked word for word at the end, making Hoover feel that in that instant, the air around him suddenly froze, making him almost suffocate. Of course, Zhou Ming did not come here today just to put pressure on Hoover, and after he finished speaking, he diffused the tension.

Hoover let out a long breath. In that moment, Hoover experienced for the first time what it was like to be truly on pins and needles. He did not understand how a young man could have such an air of authority, but he definitely did not want to experience it a second time.

So Hoover said to Zhou Ming, 'Of course it is enough. I can also arrange for you to meet with her, but there are two things I feel I need to tell you beforehand.'

Zhou Ming nodded, 'Go on.'

'The first thing is that Tang Ran is not allowed to leave the Tang Bank Building!' Hoover then continued, 'Mr. Zhou Ming, don't ask me why. I can't tell you if you ask, but what I can tell you is that there are very big implications behind this!'

Hoover added, 'The second thing is that I want to remind Mr. Zhou Ming that many things are very complicated, even Miss Tang Ran herself doesn't know, so even if you meet her, you may not be able to understand anything.'

Zhou Ming nodded silently and said, 'I think I understand. If Mr. Hoover doesn't have a third thing to say, please arrange for me to meet Tang Ran.'

Hoover said that he was willing to help, then stood up and went to his desk to make a phone call. After hanging up, he said to Zhou Ming, 'I think I can take you there now.'

Zhou Ming nodded and said okay, and then followed Hoover out of his office. They took the special elevator all the way up to the 43rd floor. Hoover took Zhou Ming to an unclosed room inside. The room seemed to be divided into an inner and outer room. The outer room looked like a living room, with two dark-skinned, strong-looking Chinese women sitting on the sofa. According to Hoover, they were here to take care of and protect Tang Ran.

When they saw Zhou Ming and enter, the two bodyguards subconsciously stood up, obviously making them feel something. It wasn't until Hoover explained that they let their guard down, but they still watched vigilantly.

Tang Ran was in the room inside, and Zhou Ming didn't bother with the vigilance of the two female bodyguards. He followed Hoover and knocked directly on the door to enter the inner room, and Zhou Ming finally met Tang Ran.