Wife Takes the Reins: The Calm CEO

Chapter 37: Human Traffickers

“Xin'er, once you’re in the United States, you must take good care of yourself and stay in touch at all times, okay?” Li Xiaowan urged her repeatedly. “I know, Xiaowan. You take care of yourself, too. Don’t let yourself get taken advantage of. I have to board now—they’ve already called us once.” ” Qi Xin'er was standing in the airport departure lounge, but she wasn’t actually boarding a flight; it was all because Feng Lingzheng had told her to say that. She didn’t know exactly why, but she knew that if she didn’t follow Feng Lingzheng’s instructions, Li Xiaowan would never have a good life from that day forward. “All right, Xin'er, I’ll miss you so much. Take care on your journey.” Li Xiaowan was already sobbing uncontrollably. “Take care, Xiaowan.” After hanging up the phone, Qi Xin'er ignored the strange glances from passersby and crouched on the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. Only after her tears had dried and she’d cried her fill did Qi Xin'er stagger to her feet and walk toward the airport exit, returning to her current residence accompanied by the people Feng Lingzheng had sent to keep watch over her. Her current residence was the same place she’d been brought to yesterday. Although she knew Li Xiaowan was at the Feng Family Estate, she didn’t dare go there to find her. If she did, she feared it would be exactly as Feng Lingzheng had said—it would be like rubbing salt into Li Xiaowan’s wounds. She had to be patient. Feng Lingzheng had arranged for her to work at a Company supposedly run by one of his good friends; she’d heard the pay was fairly decent. Well, that was fine. Actually, what she’d said to Li Xiaowan earlier wasn’t just idle talk—she genuinely wanted to work hard to earn more money so that the person she cared about could live more comfortably in the days to come. She never imagined she’d be separated from Xin'er so soon—it was all that cold-blooded Feng Lingzheng’s fault. “You’ve been out for quite a while. Isn’t it time to go back?” Feng Lingzheng’s figure, like a ghost, suddenly appeared before Li Xiaowan. “Have you been watching me?” Li Xiaowan looked up, eyeing Feng Lingzheng suspiciously. “You could put it that way,” Feng Lingzheng said without hesitation. He reached out a hand to tuck a strand of Li Xiaowan’s hair—tossed by the wind—behind her ear, his eyes gazing at her tenderly. Li Xiaowan’s face flushed and her heart raced instantly. She suddenly felt a pang of longing; if it weren’t for that contract standing between them—if they’d met under normal circumstances—she might actually have fallen in love with him. A stylish yet understated hairstyle, a face that blended handsomeness with a touch of masculinity, eyebrows that arched toward his temples, eyes as charming as those in an ink-wash painting, a high, straight nose, sensual thin lips, and a slender, tall figure—there wasn’t a single flaw to be seen in his appearance; it was as if he were flawless in every way. Gosh, she was letting her imagination run wild again. Even if the man before her was a heartthrob adored by all, he was someone to be admired from afar but not to be trifled with. Pfft! What “trifled with”? She wouldn’t stoop to that. He was clearly a blazing fire—she’d probably get burned before she even got close to him. Yet why was she starting to lose control of her feelings? “What are you spacing out for? Go back already!” Not a single one of Li Xiaowan’s constantly shifting expressions escaped Feng Lingzheng’s keen eyes. Perfect—the fish is about to take the bait. The “handsome man” tactic really does work. If this were her usual self, she’d never stoop to using such a low-level trick. “Oh, okay!” Li Xiaowan felt as if her soul had been sucked out; her entire being seemed to have been reduced to nothing more than a mindless shell. “Let’s go. Watch your step.” Feng Lingzheng launched another wave of tender charm. “Thanks for the heads-up.” Li Xiaowan felt as if Feng Lingzheng were already leading her by the soul. No, this wasn’t right. Li Xiaowan forced herself to stay alert and pinched her thigh hard. Perhaps she’d pinched too hard—the pain made her gasp—but at least she’d snapped back to her senses. “Did you just slip something into my drink?” Li Xiaowan’s first thought upon regaining her senses was that Feng Lingzheng must have slipped some kind of aphrodisiac or mind-altering drug into her drink. “You must be drunk, or maybe there’s something wrong with your nerves. Do you want me to call and make an appointment with a neurologist?” Feng Lingzheng said with a forced smile. “You’re the one who’s crazy!” Li Xiaowan quickly realized Feng Lingzheng was taking a dig at her. “Don’t push your luck. Just stay home and wait for me to come back,” Feng Lingzheng snapped, her mood changing faster than the turn of a page. “Don’t go! What’s this all about? What’s going on between us? I’m going out to work!” Li Xiaowan said, her face flushed red as she watched Feng Lingzheng about to leave. “Since you’ve already become my wife in name only, let me make this clear: I, Feng Lingzheng, will never allow my wife to go out in public. If you don’t find it embarrassing, I certainly do.” Feng Lingzheng said without looking back, then disappeared into the entrance of the underground parking garage. “Haha! The word ‘wife’—how ironic it is,” Li Xiaowan laughed self-deprecatingly. I wonder how Xin'er is doing over in the United States? What’s the weather like? Is she used to Western food yet? Is she being bullied by her coworkers? Even though it had been less than an hour since she hung up the phone, to Li Xiaowan, it felt like a century had passed. Sigh! She really had let her anger cloud her judgment. She’d go home and think it over first. She needed to find something to do; she couldn’t possibly spend the entire year of her contract doing absolutely nothing. If she did, by the time the contract expired, she’d probably be as useless as a pile of scrap metal—or rather, not even as good as scrap metal, since at least scrap metal can be recycled and reused. But where could she find something to do when she wasn’t allowed to work outside? “Sister Xiaowan, why are you sitting here spacing out all by yourself?” Xiao Tong strode over to Li Xiaowan, who was deep in thought. “Xiao Tong, you’re just in time. I happen to have a question I’d like to ask someone.” Although Xiao Tong was Feng Lingzheng’s cousin—and it went without saying that he’d always side with Feng Lingzheng—Li Xiaowan still wanted to give it a try. “Sister Xiaowan, what’s the question? Just ask away—there’s no problem I can’t solve,” Xiao Tong assured her, pounding his chest emphatically. “Xiao Tong, you’d better not make such bold claims just yet, because what I’m about to tell you is a very tricky matter.” Perhaps there’s no problem you can’t solve out there, but once it involves your cousin Feng Lingzheng, it probably won’t be so easy to resolve. In truth, Li Xiaowan didn’t have high hopes for Xiao Tong; perhaps she simply wanted someone to talk to—it had been far too dreary. “Don’t tell me this has something to do with Ling Zheng Ge?” Xiao Tong’s reputation as a “genius” wasn’t just for show. “You figured that out? I’m impressed.” Li Xiaowan couldn’t help but look at Xiao Tong with newfound respect. Although she’d known Xiao Tong was exceptionally talented before, she’d never really paid it much mind. “Pfft, you’re impressed by that? If I were to show you my real secret weapon, you’d probably faint from shock, Sister Xiaowan,” Xiao Tong said smugly. “That’s hard to say. We’ll see when you actually show it off. Xiao Tong, what do you think I should do for the next year or so? I don’t want to just sit around at home, but I can’t go out and look for a job either.” Li Xiaowan looked at Xiao Tong with a pitiful expression. “Don’t… Sister Xiaowan, I can’t stand that pitiful look of yours. You’ve really stumped me with that question. I’m sorry, I honestly don’t know how to answer you. But there’s one thing I can tell you: as long as you want someone to chat with, I’ll be there whenever you call—provided you get Ling Zheng Ge’s permission first.” Xiao Tong’s serious expression was incredibly charming. “Doesn’t that make asking this question pointless? I’m telling you, why is it that every time you see Feng Lingzheng, you act just like mice seeing a cat?” Li Xiaowan really wanted to figure out what kind of charm Feng Lingzheng possessed that made them all obey his every command. “Sister Xiaowan, what are you talking about? We’re not mice, and Ling Zheng Ge certainly isn’t a cat. The reason we’re all willing to follow Ling Zheng Ge’s lead is because Ling Zheng Ge…” Xiao Tong stopped short in his tracks—partly because he didn’t dare continue, and partly because he wanted to keep Li Xiaowan in suspense; that’s just the way children are. “Because of what?” Li Xiaowan was determined to get to the bottom of this. “I’m afraid I can’t say outright, but once you and Ling Zheng Ge have spent some time together day and night, you’ll gradually come to understand,” Xiao Tong said mysteriously. “Spending every waking moment together? I don’t want to be around him for even a single moment, and he feels the same way. Xiao Tong, why don’t you talk some sense into Ling Zheng Ge? Ask him to go easy on me—please, just let me go!” Li Xiaowan once again cast a pitiful glance at Xiao Tong. “Sister Xiaowan, are we still going to be able to have fun together? Aren’t you putting me in a tough spot here? To be precise, you’re sending me to my death,” Xiao Tong said, his resignation tinged with humor. “It’s not as serious as you think. Do you really think your Ling Zheng Ge is a human trafficker who specializes in kidnapping people? Otherwise, how else would my friend and I have ended up here?” Li Xiaowan said, feigning a sudden realization. “Sister Xiaowan, why are you getting more and more out of hand? Is my brother Ling Zheng Ge really that despicable? He’s a man of great ambition—you’re just a little girl; you wouldn’t understand.” Although Xiao Tong wasn’t very old, he always liked to speak in a mature tone. “You’re just a little brat. As far as I’m concerned, none of you are any good. You’re definitely up to no good behind the scenes. Don’t let me catch you red-handed, or I’ll report you,” Li Xiaowan said, half-jokingly, half-seriously. She really wanted to coax something out of Xiao Tong, but he kept his lips sealed tight—there was simply no opening to exploit. “Sister Xiaowan, don’t think I can’t read your mind. As your future sister-in-law, I feel it’s my duty to give you some advice: say what needs to be said, listen to what needs to be heard, and do what needs to be done. Not a bit more, not a bit less—it has to be just right.” ” Deep down, Xiao Tong actually admired Li Xiaowan, so she couldn’t help but offer her a few more words of advice. They were all well aware of Ling Zheng Ge’s temper—and even more aware of the consequences of angering him. Li Xiaowan’s greatest misfortune was that she bore a striking resemblance to Ling Zheng Ge’s ex-girlfriend. Li Xiaowan could tell that Xiao Tong was genuinely looking out for her. She couldn’t help but give him a grateful look and said, “Xiao Tong, you’re such a kind person.” “Sister Xiaowan, compliments like that make me feel really embarrassed. Don’t you know I’m quite shy?” Xiao Tong said with a grin.