The soft chime of the flight attendant’s announcement roused Suizi from her slumber, signaling that they would soon reach their destination.
Suizi picked up her carry-on bag and headed to the restroom.
Upon entering, she was clad in colorful, casual holiday attire.
When she emerged, she had changed into a fitted women’s suit dress with a cinched waist, and she had swapped her shoes for high heels,
Her long hair was now tied up, and the neat and tidy hairstyle made her look professional and confident.
The transformation into a business elite caught the flight attendant’s eye for a longer glance, and after some thought, she recognized her as the beautiful passenger who had been sitting by the window. The difference was so stark that it was hard for her to identify Suizi at first.
"Excuse me, thank you," Suizi mumbled, finally looking at the passenger who had traveled alongside her, just before landing.
The passenger was leaning back in his seat, seemingly asleep, with a cap pulled over his face, obscuring his features.
Hearing Suizi’s voice, he shifted his legs to make way for her to pass by.
Suizi concealed all her emotions, sunglasses hiding her slightly swollen eyes, preventing anyone from seeing through to her current feelings.
The flight attendant made another announcement, urging everyone to take their seats for landing.
The man sitting next to Suizi never took off his cap, and even as the cabin door opened and Suizi left with her bag, he didn’t move.
With the cabin cleared of people, the man removed his cap, attempting to catch a glimpse of Suizi’s silhouette through the window.
But the beauty had vanished into the boarding bridge, out of sight.
Ensuring they wouldn’t cross paths, the man stood up.
The flight attendant recognized him; he was a frequent traveler on this route.
The tall and handsome man was always polite, making him quite popular among the crew.
"Mr. Que, do you need any assistance?" the flight attendant approached him with an offer.
Que Wuyu waved his hand and politely declined with a smile.
Outside, Suizi was met by Zhang De, a fellow Tsinghua University alumnus who had started a business with Yu Jingting. Amongst their group, he was ranked third.
Zhang De’s face was filled with anxiety. Upon seeing Suizi exit, he hurried over.
"Sister-in-law!"
"Has the kidnapper made any calls?" Suizi declined Zhang De’s offer to carry her luggage, and the two talked as they walked.
They moved briskly, as not a moment could be spared.
"Apart from the call the kidnappers made on the day the Boss disappeared, which was the day before yesterday, there’s been no word since. Those Brits are cunning, insisting they can’t make the final payment until they see the Boss and threatening to accuse us of breach of contract. But we’ve already handed over the goods, and our suppliers are demanding payment, crowding our office, ready to jump from the rooftops."
Zhang De was now blabbering with anxiety.
Yu Jingting had vanished along with the payment.
They were in the business of agricultural product import and export, profiting from the international currency differences between Hong Kong and Shenzhen.
Societies on the mainland had delivered the goods, and as the foreigners received them, it was time for payment. They would make a profit from the currency difference locally. According to the current exchange rate, their very first deal would net them a clean profit of nearly 300,000 after all expenses.
And this was just the beginning, according to their original plan.
If the first transaction went well, Yu Jingting planned to use these achievements to secure bank loans and leverage larger deals.
The group was full of confidence, looking forward to a successful start to their business. However, at the most critical moment, the Boss and the payment had both vanished.
Now, both the sellers and the buyers were pressuring their shell company, and things looked set to spiral out of control.
With such a major crisis at hand and no leader to guide them, it was necessary to involve the Boss’s wife.
There were internal conflicts among the brothers regarding bringing Suizi over.
The Boss had said more than once that he wouldn’t trade his wife for several Gold Mountains, as she was a star of wisdom.
But everyone felt that Yu Jingting was exaggerating.
All of them had seen Suizi, knew she was the campus belle, and knew her professional grades were exceptional, but Tsinghua University was never short of talents.
The brain that Yu Jingting claimed was worth more than several Gold Mountains was something they had yet to see.
In their impression, Suizi was not very talkative, always wearing a tranquil smile and treating people with impeccable manners.
During the major meetings to set up the company, Yu Jingting always brought her along, though Suizi hardly ever expressed her personal opinions in public.
This led Yu Jingting’s brothers to the illusion that Suizi was a woman content with supporting her husband and teaching her children, a worthy helpmate managing household affairs, a woman without her own opinions.
Before today, no one understood why Yu Jingting had to bring her to major meetings, nor did anyone know that all major decisions were discussed between the two of them at home.
But after today, all of Yu Jingting’s close associates would witness Suizi’s capabilities and understand this woman’s importance within the group.
"How long until we sign the contract with the foreigners?"
"Less than an hour, and it takes half an hour to get to the company from here."
"That gives me half an hour, which is enough."
Suizi had changed clothes on the plane because she knew the urgency of the situation; she was now racing against time.
"But what about the suppliers? Those team captains, with a throng of farmers, are causing a scene at our office’s door, seeking life or death. The foreigners seeing this will have even more reason to default on the payment. I suspect they’re in cahoots, trying to set us up."
Zhang De cursed and swore.
It was supposed to be a surefire deal. The brothers had accounted for every possible scenario in their contingency planning, except for the one unfolding before their eyes.
No matter how they looked at it, it seemed like they had been played, but unfortunately, there was no evidence.
"It’s understandable that farmers who have toiled for a year are emotional when they can’t see the money. We need to show them our attitude. As long as our sincerity is enough, the problem isn’t big."
The certainty in Suizi’s voice steadied Zhang De’s restless heart a bit. He looked at Suizi surprisingly; this strong, independent woman bore little resemblance to the sister-in-law he remembered.
"What’s the attitude among the brothers? I know you and Jingting are closest, and you don’t have to conceal anything from me. Just speak frankly; I can handle it."
"The brothers are divided. The second and the fourth want to call the police, while I and the fifth want to wait for the Boss to come back. But you can rest assured, big sister-in-law, we’ve never doubted the Boss. After all—"
Suizi’s arrival was a signal.
Yu Jingting would never stage such an act and abscond with the funds; the brothers were confident in this.
They were all proud and had boldly given up secure jobs to venture out with Yu Jingting. They deeply trusted his character, but even with good character, one must be alive to return...
"It’s also Jingting’s blessing to know you all, and we thank you for the trust you’ve shown us as a couple at this time. Once this is over, we will not forget this kindness."
The situation was better than Suizi had expected upon arrival, the partners hadn’t yet fallen into discord, and things were under control.
"There’s still no news from the Boss, should we call the police or not?"
Suizi paused, the only time she had stopped since disembarking the plane.
The temperature here was much higher than in the North, the only constant being the blazing sun above, endlessly and steadily radiating heat.
Just like the man rooted in her heart, who always had boundless energy, warming those around him with his heat, never tiring.
Suizi shifted her gaze away from the sun and uttered a sentence that baffled the third brother.
"Jingting’s kidnapping is not the most important matter right now."
The Boss had disappeared, but the woman he loved most said... it’s not important?