Chapter 88

The next day, as soon as Lin Zixian arrived at work, he checked the time and found it was still early. He turned on his computer and went online, but none of his QQ friends were online, not even "Upstairs Downstairs." According to his recent experience, whenever he went online during working hours, "Upstairs Downstairs" would definitely be online.

Just as he was feeling puzzled, the phone rang. Checking the caller ID, he saw an unfamiliar number. He answered, "Who is it?"

"Caesar?" A woman's voice with a Russian accent came from the phone.

Lin Zixian was taken aback. "Natalia, are you not afraid your husband will find out if you call me at this time?"

"Did you forget that today is the first day of the Donghai Entrepreneurs' Annual Conference? He went to attend the conference, and I'm alone at home. Do you want to come over and keep me company?" Natalia asked with a longing tone.

Lin Zixian was drenched in sweat. Going over wouldn't be as simple as just keeping her company. He cleared his throat and cut her off directly, "No, I don't."

There was a pause on the other end, followed by a voice filled with sorrow, "Caesar! You've disappointed me so much. How can you be so heartless? Have I completely lost my charm in your eyes?"

"Please, you're already married. If your husband finds out you've betrayed him, he'll be devastated," Lin Zixian reminded her solemnly.

"My love for Leopnin is unwavering. I just want to catch up with an old friend; it won't affect my love for him," Natalia insisted firmly.

Lin Zixian was skeptical. "Is that true?"

"Of course it is," Natalia assured him again.

Lin Zixian sighed in relief. "Natalia, it's not that I don't want to catch up with you, but I'm at work right now. I'll be taking my boss to the conference later..." He explained his current identity, as there was no need to hide it since everyone knew each other well.

When Natalia heard that he was now working as a driver, she took a deep breath and, after a long moment, said, "Oh my God! That woman must be so happy. The great Caesar of the underworld is now her personal driver. I'm really jealous. Caesar! Is it because she's like a queen bee? But you should know, she's not a queen bee."

Lin Zixian was silent for a moment, then slowly exhaled. "You're overthinking it. It's not what you think. Natalia, my name is now Lin Zixian. Don't call me Caesar anymore."

The other end of the phone responded with a "Hmm," indicating understanding of his reasons. Lin Zixian quietly hung up without saying goodbye.

He leaned back in his chair, his face darkening. After slowly smoking a cigarette, he checked the time and realized he hadn't received any notification to take Qiao Yun to the Ivory Coast. He found this strange and called the general manager's secretary's office, but no one answered. He then called the general manager's office directly, but still no one answered.

He immediately shut down his computer and went to the floor where Qiao Yun worked.

Zhang Xiaohua's office was empty, and there was no response when he knocked on Qiao Yun's office door. He pushed the door open and found no one inside.

"Strange, where did everyone go?" Lin Zixian muttered. Just as he was about to go to the large office area to ask, the elevator dinged and the doors opened.

Qiao Yun, dressed in a black suit, stepped out. The V-neck of her blouse revealed a full, snow-white décolletage. She walked with a stern and commanding presence, her face expressionless as she strode in high heels. Zhang Xiaohua followed closely behind with a file folder. A group of men and women, clearly high-level professionals, hurried out of the elevator behind them.

At that moment, Qiao Yun exuded the air of a powerful woman, her high heels clicking firmly as she led the group forward, not even glancing at Lin Zixian as she passed by. Zhang Xiaohua, however, winked at him, signaling him to wait.

When the group reached the door of the small meeting room, Zhang Xiaohua quickly pushed it open, and Qiao Yun led everyone inside.

"What's going on?" Lin Zixian scratched his head, looked around, and, seeing no one, quietly approached the door of the small meeting room and leaned against it to eavesdrop.

"Are all the team leaders from the financial investment department here?" Qiao Yun's icy voice asked.

"General Manager Qiao, everyone is here," a man's voice replied.

Qiao Yun then said, "Minister Liu, please report on the recent gains and losses of the financial investment department."

"Sure!" The man immediately rattled off a series of financial investment details.

Lin Zixian, not well-versed in this area, almost fell asleep. Just as he was about to leave, bored, the man's report ended.

Qiao Yun's voice rang out again, "First, I want to acknowledge everyone's recent work. The purpose of this meeting is simple: I need to withdraw a large sum of money from the financial investment department, and the funds in the foreign exchange market must be collected as soon as possible."

"General Manager Qiao, how much money do you want to withdraw?"

"Let me be clear," Qiao Yun said in a tone that brooked no refusal. "Within three days, all the funds in the foreign exchange market must be fully collected and ready for my use. Remember, all the funds."

A wave of murmurs and discussions broke out in the small meeting room.

"Three days?" Lin Zixian furrowed his brow. The Donghai Entrepreneurs' Annual Conference also lasted three days. What was this woman planning?

Recalling Qiao Yun and Hualing's secretive behavior the previous night, Lin Zixian felt that something was about to happen. He quietly left, deep in thought.

As he passed the elevator, he didn't take it but ran up the stairs to Ning Lan's office.

Ning Lan was working at her desk. Lin Zixian knocked on the glass door, and Ning Lan looked up, then smiled warmly. "Deputy Minister Lin, what brings you here?"

"Hehe! I missed you, can't I just come to see you?" Lin Zixian smiled as he walked in.

"Oh! When did your mouth get so sweet? If you want to make me happy, just say what you need!" Ning Lan rolled her eyes but stood up happily and asked, "What would you like to drink?"

"No, thanks." Lin Zixian waved his hand and asked, "Is Qiao Antian here?" He had some things he didn't want to ask Qiao Yun and wanted to probe Qiao Antian to see if the Minghua Group was planning something big.

"You're just being sweet to get what you want," Ning Lan huffed. "General Manager Qiao is at the conference. Is there anything you want me to relay to him?"

Lin Zixian walked around to her desk, sat in her chair, and, feeling the residual warmth from her, asked casually, "Is the Minghua Group planning something big recently?"

"What big thing?" Ning Lan looked puzzled.

"Like a major business move that requires a lot of funds," Lin Zixian gestured.

Ning Lan thought for a moment and shook her head. "I don't think so. All departments are operating according to plan, and I haven't noticed any major moves." She paused and asked, "Have you heard something?"

"No, just asking out of curiosity," Lin Zixian chuckled. He didn't know anything himself, so he couldn't just make things up. Maybe he was overthinking it.

Ning Lan stared at him for a moment, her eyes flickering, but didn't press further.

Just then, Lin Zixian's phone rang. He answered, and Zhang Xiaohua's voice came through. "Deputy Minister Lin, the general manager told me that you won't be attending the conference this morning. It's been rescheduled for the afternoon."

"Okay, noted," Lin Zixian said and hung up.

A pair of delicate hands rested on the desk in front of him. Ning Lan leaned forward and smiled. "Since the chairman isn't here, I can have lunch without worrying. Want to go out for lunch together?"

Lin Zixian stood up and readily agreed, saying he would wait for her at the security department. Ning Lan smiled and followed him out, seeing him off at the door...

In the afternoon, on the way to the Ivory Coast, Qiao Yun, sitting in the back seat, was thinking about not seeing the guy at the restaurant at noon. She hesitated several times about whether to ask if he had eaten lunch, to show some concern, but couldn't bring herself to say it.

Suddenly, Lin Zixian's old phone rang. He answered, and Natalia's voice came through. "Are you at the Ivory Coast now?"

"No, I'm on my way. What's up?" Lin Zixian asked.

"Hehe! I'm already here. I'll check into a room and send you the room number. Remember to come find me," Natalia said and hung up.

Lin Zixian broke out in a cold sweat. Fortunately, it was in Russian, or it would have been too awkward. He glanced at the rearview mirror but saw no reaction from Qiao Yun, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

Unbeknownst to him, Qiao Yun, who had mustered the courage to say something, was silenced by the Russian chatter on the phone. She recognized the voice as the Russian woman from the night before, and her heart, which had been ready to speak, instantly turned cold.

Upon arriving at the Ivory Coast, Qiao Yun entered smoothly, but Lin Zixian was blocked outside. He immediately called Meng Zidan, who helped him get in.

"The conference will last three days. I'll get you a pass later so you don't have to keep running errands, which would be too degrading," Meng Zidan said, handing him a key. "Wait in my room for me to deal with you. I spent a lot of energy dealing with the ghostly incident last night. After I finish my rounds, I'll settle accounts with you."

Lin Zixian looked at the room number on his phone and chuckled, unusually not arguing. They parted ways in the lobby.

Meng Zidan also felt something was off, wondering when he had become so obedient. As she walked to the surveillance room, she asked the security guard to switch to the cameras. Suddenly, she pointed at a screen and said, "Wait! Switch back to the 23rd floor."

The security guard complied, and Meng Zidan leaned in to watch. She saw Lin Zixian wandering down the hallway, looking at door numbers. She was puzzled; her room was on the 36th floor. Why was he on the 23rd floor? It couldn't be that he was so off the mark, could it?

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