Part Two: East Soil Sugar, Chapter 122

ith meetings and social engagements that he couldn't refuse. Lu Yaoyao only had a day in Senzhou, so when she woke up, she decided to go to Gu's company with him."My work will be very boring." He decl...He wasn't an outwardly emotional person. Even if he felt remorse or anxiety deep inside, it wouldn't show on his face. He sat in Zhang Ze's office, calmly and methodically deploying everything.

And Zhang Ze, after making another phone call, dissuaded the subordinates and guards outside the door, and sat alone in his office, looking listless.

I don't know how I got to this point step by step. Did he really want to be transferred to zhongyang Does he have the ability to get that position

At this moment, he suddenly woke up. He was nothing but a pawn in Zhao Tingxing's hands, a mere puppet. From the county to climbing the ranks all the way to the provincial level, every step he took, he thought it was the result of his hard work. Now, he was struck by the realization that it was Zhao Tingxing who had carefully pushed him up every step of the way.

So the person who fears Zhao Tingxing's misfortune the most is Zhao Tingxing himself. Having raised this puppet for so many years, he sees an opportunity to promote him and use him to expand his influence. How could he bear to see his meticulously cultivated puppet fail

Zhang Ze understood this point, so all the panic gradually subsided. Now it's time to wait and see what happens.

When two tigers fight, one is sure to be injured.

At present, Gu Ruandong appears to be in a passive position because he is still in Zhao Tingxing's hands. However, judging by the results, Zhao Tingxing is probably the one who loses in the end, as he has few chips and continuing this way would be typical attrition warfare.

Before Zhao Tingxing arrived, Gu Ruandong suddenly got up and walked out. He took the two people with him, leaving the other four to continue watching Zhang Ze.

Based on the information passed by Zhuo Yu'an, Gu Ruandong could only confirm that Yao Yao was in the county but couldn't pinpoint her exact location. His men, led by Da Fang, had already surrounded the county and were conducting a more thorough investigation.

Just moments ago, his phone received two messages almost simultaneously. One message was a photo of Yaoyao and a young boy, taken in what appeared to be a clinic. Behind her stood a square sign with blurred lettering, but one could faintly make out the name of a town and village.

Another piece of information is that Zhao Tingxing's vehicle trajectory at this moment was traced back to that village.

His heart had never beat so fast, a mixture of excitement and anxiety. He couldn't find peace until he truly saw her, the only solace being the picture of her, which showed she was doing okay.

From the city to the county and then to that town, it normally takes three hours by car. He thought the driver was too slow, so he drove himself, speeding all the way, reaching the town in two hours to meet up with Da Fang and the others.

The big boat specifically waited for him in town. The others had already driven into the village.

This town was very remote. That day, it could be called a spectacle. A large number of vehicles crowded the small town's only street, and these cars were all things that had only been seen on TV or mobile phones. All the townspeople ran to the street to join in the excitement, but when they saw the people getting off the cars, one by one looked fierce, especially the last one who wore black clothes, with no expression, but his tightly pressed lips and sharp eyes made people afraid, and they all hid in the shops along the street to watch secretly.

The big boat took him along a narrow cement road, continuing on toward the small village with the clinic.

"This village is surrounded by primitive, deep mountains. The exact location of Miss Lu remains to be determined."

Gu Ruandong had discovered along the way that Zhao Tingxing chose this place precisely because it was surrounded by mountains and extremely isolated. These continuous mountain ranges stretched endlessly, with the car winding its way up the mountain road, one turn after another. The deeper they went, the more his heart hung in suspense and ached, unable to imagine how YaoYao had endured these days here

When they reached the village, both he and Dafang's phones rang at the same time.

The call on Dafang's phone came from someone who had come to the village earlier to scout the area. There are too many mountains here, making it impossible to know where to start looking for people. And neither the doctor nor the nurses at the clinic would say anything.

Gu Ruandong's phone call was from Zhao Tingxing. Gu Ruandong answered but didn't speak, waiting for him to speak first.

Zhao Ting, a man walking in Zhang Ze's office in the city, smiled and said: "Young Master Gu, you are quite bold. You just walked into the village like this without fear that I have an ambush to wipe you all out"

Gu Ruandong since entering the village is no longer afraid, not with him nonsense, only coldly asked: "Where is the person"

Zhao Tingxing: "Don't worry, I have a good impression of Miss Lu. I've always treated her well with good food and drink."

Gu Ruandong stopped speaking and waited for him to continue, to explain the purpose of this call.

Zhao Tingxing: "Mr. Gu, let's make a deal. I guarantee Miss Lu will return safely, and you guarantee Mr. Zhang's safety."

Since Zhang Ze is his puppet, someone he has supported for many years, he certainly can't give up so easily. This is a risky move, and he made a wrong step, now completely in a passive position.

Gu Ruandong sneered: "Is Zhao Zong so naive"

Whoever touches him will have no way out unscathed.

Over there, the people on the large boat were forcing the doctor and nurses to lead them to find someone. With so many menacing-looking people around, even the doctors and nurses, despite being afraid of Zhao Tingxing, dared not refuse. Their own lives were paramount.

We trekked along a path obscured by thick weeds, taking several wrong turns in the process. The doctor and nurses only knew that the elderly woman lived deep in the mountains, but they had never been there themselves. Adding to my fear, I felt utterly exposed under the watchful eyes of this group, my legs trembling with apprehension.

Originally a half-hour journey, they took almost an hour.

As dusk descended, the surrounding mountains loomed like dark giants, pressing down on them. Throughout the journey, Gu Ruandong had remained silent, his heart heavy with unspoken turmoil.

In a deep mountain, the sky grew darker and darker. Grass and dry branches brushed against their hurried footsteps. The front was still pitch black until they saw a faint light in the distance, like a star sitting on the hillside. The doctor and nurse let out a sigh of relief: “That’s it.”

In that little cottage, Lu YaoYao slept soundly for a whole day. Finally, her stomach rumbled, and she asked the old woman for food.

The old woman looked at her with worry. “Atong said you're leaving.”

Lu YaoYao was taken aback, not understanding the meaning of the sentence.

"Miss Lu, Mr. Ting has not had it easy getting to where he is today. Considering our friendship over these past days, after you leave, please don't blame him. Consider this an old woman begging you."

Leaving, going out... Lu Yaoyao heard these words and her blood rushed to her head. It seemed she understood the old woman's meaning.

The old woman held her hand and said, "A-Ting never meant to hurt you. He's had me taking good care of you since you arrived."

At this moment, Lu Yaoyao saw through the window of her room that a light was walking towards her from not far away. This was the only time she had seen lights in the pitch-black mountains at night since she arrived.

Author's note: It's fine, I'm just putting my Weibo here to try it out: mountain-ynn 1 Huating. As Ruan Dong was usually busy and rarely went home, she felt sorry for him. He often worked overtime and socialized with drinking, which might damage his stomach. So, she often asked Cuipi...