Chapter 42 She Was Taken Away

Qiao Xi swiftly stepped back, easily dodging her, and watched her loss of composure with cold indifference.

"Give it to you? So you can keep destroying evidence and dragging the Fu Corporation further down? Qin Yiren, your good days are over!"

Qin Yiren lunged and missed, nearly losing her balance. Panting, she glared at Qiao Xi with bravado that masked her fear. "You... You're talking nonsense! You have no proof. President Fu won't believe you!"

"Proof?"

Qiao Xi let out a light laugh, raising her phone so the recording interface was clearly visible on the screen. "You just admitted, in your own words, to impersonating Dr. Q and colluding with Miller to sell company secrets. Every word is right here. That's all I need."

Without another glance at her, Qiao Xi gripped her phone tightly, turned, and strode away. Now that she had the evidence, she needed to get it to Fu Yancheng and the legal department immediately.

Qin Yiren staggered to the doorway, but all she saw was Qiao Xi's determined back as she left. She slumped against the doorframe, her face awash with despair and terror.

It was over... Completely over...

Qiao Xi had recorded everything!

She'd only dared impersonate Dr. Q because she had listened to Miller's suggestion. He’d told her that Fu Yancheng admired a cosmetics engineer named "Q" immensely. If she could use Dr. Q's identity to join the Fu Corporation and gain Fu Yancheng's trust, Miller would ensure she received a considerable reward.

If that recording went public, she would not only be ruined, but would also face charges of industrial espionage from both the Fu Corporation and Miller...

Miller would never protect a pawn who had lost all value and left evidence behind!

Panic washed over her, and a vicious thought took root in her mind.

She couldn't just sit and wait for her doom!

Hands trembling, Qin Yiren pulled out her phone and dialed an encrypted number.

"Mr. Miller... Something's happened!"

Her voice was urgent and laced with fear.

"Qiao Xi's back! She set me up and recorded me admitting to giving you the data! She’s going to expose everything!"

"You have to do something—she must be stopped. You cannot let her get that recording out!"

On the other end, Miller was silent for a few seconds before letting out a cold, derisive laugh. "Useless!"

"You can't even handle something this simple!"

"Mr. Miller, please, save me—only you can help me now!" Qin Yiren was practically begging.

"If the recording gets out, we're both finished! You have to stop her—you can't let that recording leave!"

Miller's voice turned ice-cold, dangerously low. "She knows too much. It seems... more decisive measures are required."

"Send me her schedule. Leave the rest to me."

The call ended.

Qin Yiren remained on the floor, clutching her phone, a glimmer of hope on her face—

Wonderful. With Miller involved, Qiao Xi would never see a good ending!

—

Country M, an exclusive business gala.

Fu Yancheng was clinking glasses and making small talk with an overseas partner, maintaining his usual air of aloof elegance. But his mind was far away.

Zhou Ze approached swiftly through the crowd, his expression grave. He leaned in and spoke in an urgent, hushed tone, "President Fu, we just received critical news from home."

"Our people have found that Madam has returned to the country alone—and she went back to the Fu Corporation!"

Fu Yancheng’s wine glass halted abruptly in his hand, his face darkening in an instant.

He could no longer focus on the gala. Swiftly, he turned and barked at his driver across the room, "Get the plane ready. We’re going home—now!"

At the same moment, in S City.

Qiao Xi clutched her phone, nerves taut as she rushed out of the Fu Corporation building.

Walking quickly, she began uploading the recording, every muscle in her body tense.

She knew Qin Yiren was bold, and would surely have backup plans.

The sharp clack of her high heels sliced through the quiet night as she opened her car door and got in swiftly.

Unbidden, thoughts of Fu Yancheng filled her mind—the warmth of his embrace, his gentle moments, even his overbearing yet caring demeanor...

A sudden ache tightened her throat, her eyes stinging with heat.

She missed him—desperately.

If only he were by her side, perhaps she wouldn’t feel so utterly alone.

She started the car, dialing his number as she drove.

Only the sound of an unreachable number answered her.

Bang!

A tremendous crash shook the vehicle; she slammed into a roadside barrier.

Glancing back, she saw a black SUV had rear-ended her.

Several tall figures in masks, wielding clubs, quickly leapt from the SUV and smashed her window without a word.

"What are you doing?! Ah!"

Qiao Xi screamed as she frantically pulled the SD card containing the recording from her phone, her hands trembling.

She shoved it into a hidden crevice beneath the seat with lightning speed.

Locking the car doors, she immediately dialed emergency services.

Crash. The window shattered, her heart pounding so violently she feared it might burst from her chest.

"Hand it over!"

One of the attackers barked in broken foreign-accented Chinese, half his body already inside her car.

Qiao Xi shrank back desperately, but the cramped space left her nowhere to run.

A thick, iron-strong arm seized her wrist, the grip so crushing it felt like her bones would snap.

"Let go! Who are you? What do you want?!"

She fought with all her might, clutching the purse that held her phone with her free hand.

Another assailant violently wrenched open the mangled door.

He reached in, grabbing her by the hair and dragging her out of the car with brutal force.

"Ah!"

She cried out as she hit the ground hard, her purse flying from her grasp and landing a short distance away.

Ignoring the pain, she scrambled to crawl toward it.

Inside were not just her phone, but her most precious notes and the few, treasured messages she’d exchanged with Fu Yancheng.

But a booted foot came down hard on her hand.

The sole ground into her skin, searing pain shooting up her arm as if her bones were splintering.

Qiao Xi nearly blacked out from the agony, but she bit her lip to stifle any sound.

The masked leader stooped to pick up her purse, rummaging through it until he pulled out her phone.

Qiao Xi’s heart leapt into her throat, her gaze locked on the hidden spot beneath the seat.

Thank goodness—they hadn’t found the SD card.

A small mercy amid disaster.

He glanced at the screen to confirm his target, then gestured to his accomplices.

One of them produced a cloth drenched in pungent chemicals and clamped it over Qiao Xi’s nose and mouth.

A sharp, acrid smell flooded her senses; her eyes widened in terror as she struggled desperately.

But the difference in strength was overwhelming.

Her consciousness faded rapidly, her body going limp...