Starting as the President of a Billionaire Group Chapter 1133 - 1108: Unexpectedly Misunderstood
Previously on Starting as the President of a Billionaire Group...
After the call cut off, a deep gloom weighed on Song Xiaoxiao's heart, making her suspect that Ye Chen's fury hadn't faded at all.
After all, Ye Chen had never before ended the call on her while she was still talking.
Suddenly, Ye Chen remembered spotting a girl in a hospital gown climbing into a taxi as he drove by the hospital gate.
Even though her face wasn't clearly visible, the girl's stature, figure, and the bandages covering her face bore a striking similarity to Zhao Ziwei.
Was that girl actually Zhao Ziwei? Ye Chen wondered inwardly.
Yet he couldn't fathom why Zhao Ziwei would slip away silently, or what events had unfolded during his brief absence from the hospital.
With his exceptional eidetic memory, Ye Chen had made a point to memorize the taxi's license plate.
From that plate number, he tracked down the driver's contact details.
When he called, the driver's voice answered from the line.
"Hello, do you need a taxi?"
"Driver sir, I need to ask about a passenger," Ye Chen quickly responded.
The driver, upon hearing the inquiry about a person, inwardly noted he was just a cab driver, not some detective.
He paused, shocked, right as he prepared to disconnect, thanks to the detailed description of the girl's appearance from the caller.
The individual Ye Chen described matched exactly the weeping girl who'd ridden in his taxi moments ago.
"Driver sir, I've looked high and low for that girl. I think I just saw her hop into your taxi—could you let me know her destination?" Ye Chen pleaded urgently.
Ye Chen's desperate tone was clear to the driver, who still wanted to confirm the man wasn't some creep.
Otherwise, he risked putting the girl in jeopardy.
"What relation do you have with the girl?" the driver questioned.
"I'm Ye Chen, a friend of the girl. I stepped out to grab her some breakfast, but she vanished by the time I got back. No idea why she bolted from the hospital without telling anyone, but with her injuries, she absolutely needs to stay put there for proper healing," Ye Chen explained sincerely.
The driver's suspicions eased after listening to Ye Chen's earnest account.
So, he shared the district name where he'd dropped off the girl with Ye Chen.
"Thank you so much, driver sir. I'm truly in your debt, and for your help, I'll make sure to reward you generously," Ye Chen thanked him profusely.
The driver brushed off Ye Chen's promise of a big reward; the voice belonged to a mere youngster.
How much could such a young guy really offer?
Moreover, the driver hadn't assisted for thanks—he pitied Zhao Ziwei from the bottom of his heart.
Once the call ended, Ye Chen punched the driver's given address into his navigation and sped toward Meihao Li District.
That was the neighborhood Zhao Ziwei shared with her mother.
He knew the district, but with countless buildings inside, pinpointing Zhao Ziwei's exact one seemed impossible.
"No choice but to give this a shot," Ye Chen decided inwardly.
He pulled up the number for Zhao Ziwei's job at the claw machine shop and rang it.
A female staffer picked up: "Hello, Dream Castle speaking. How may I help?"
"Hi, I'm Zhao Ziwei's boyfriend. We argued, and now her phone's unreachable. Mind telling me her home address?" Ye Chen asked cautiously.
Sure enough, the woman giggled and replied, "Meihao Li District, Building 2, Unit 601. Ziwei's such a sweetheart—don't you dare mistreat her."
"Never, never. I'm just worried she's hurting and want to rush over to sort things out," Ye Chen assured hastily.
"Alright then, good luck to you," she said.
"Thanks a ton for the help. Ziwei and I will treat you to dinner soon," Ye Chen laughed.
After the line went dead, the claw machine shop attendant muttered, "Can't believe Ziwei tricked even me, pretending to be single with a boyfriend all along. She's sneaky, hiding it so well."
All at once, her eyes bulged as she clapped a hand over her mouth, struck by a sudden realization.
"Hold on—if he's her boyfriend, why ask for her address? What if that caller was a creep? Then I've endangered Ziwei big time," she fretted, face full of regret.
Xiaomei, this girl who'd bonded with Ziwei like sisters at the shop, couldn't bear the thought.
Should her slip-up about Zhao Ziwei's address lead to trouble, guilt would torment her endlessly.
In a panic, Xiaomei speed-dialed Zhao Ziwei's number, but it rang without answer.
She tried over a dozen times straight, still getting no response.
"Ziwei, pick up, please pick up the phone!" Xiaomei urged desperately in her mind.
Xiaomei grew so anxious from Zhao Ziwei's constant silence that she burst into tears.
Once he ended the call, Ye Chen dashed to the floor Xiaomei had indicated.
He softly rapped on the door of Unit 601, yet no sound came from within.
In his haste and worry, Ye Chen ignored caution and pounded forcefully several times.
Right then, Zhao Ziwei's voice echoed from inside.
Ye Chen's tense heart finally eased with relief.
The loud bangs jolted Zhao Ziwei from her slumber; she emerged from her bedroom and noticed her mother was absent.
She assumed her mother had stepped out without the keys, since visitors rarely showed up at their place.
Still groggy, Zhao Ziwei unlocked the door and found Ye Chen gazing at her in astonishment.
Without hesitation, Ye Chen pulled the girl into his arms, tears flowing down his cheeks unbidden.
"Ziwei, why did you vanish without a word? What on earth happened?" Ye Chen questioned in distress.
"Ye Chen, release me. We mustn't see each other anymore," Zhao Ziwei replied through tears, fighting to suppress them.
With her current appearance, she just couldn't bear to face Ye Chen.
Utterly baffled by Zhao Ziwei's words, Ye Chen simply clung to her even tighter.
Zhao Ziwei wriggled desperately to escape Ye Chen's hold, even yelling at the top of her lungs, "Ye Chen, let me go—release me now!"
Mrs. Zhao was ascending the stairs with bags of groceries, aware of her daughter's foul mood that day, planning to prepare her beloved meals to lift her spirits.
Upon catching Zhao Ziwei's cries, Mrs. Zhao's expression darkened as she rushed up faster.
Spotting a man holding her daughter, Mrs. Zhao assumed he was harassing her.
She hurled the groceries straight at Ye Chen's head and bellowed, "You rogue, unhand my daughter—I'll summon the police to haul you away!"
Noticing her mother already dialing on her phone, Zhao Ziwei hurriedly interjected, "Mom, no police—it's not like it seems!"
Mrs. Zhao's abrupt assault caught Ye Chen off guard as well.
In the end, Mrs. Zhao, her daughter, and Ye Chen all froze in place.