CHAPTER 852: CHAPTER 827:

Facing the exclusion of others, the Squad Leader still insisted, "Haoran is an excellent young man. Being so young and having such insights and intelligence, he is indeed outstanding. After joining the Elder Council, you all should mentor him more!"

Seeing the Squad Leader so insistent, the others did not dare to say much and could only nod repeatedly.

Kong Haoran’s lips curled slightly, revealing a sinister and evil smile. He thought to himself, Li Ruo, you bitch, I won’t let you off this time. I will definitely have you submit beneath me!

Yun Qi looked at Kong Haoran curiously, not expecting that he would gain the Squad Leader’s appreciation, which she hadn’t anticipated. However, this made her see Kong Haoran in a new light.

...

United States, New York Wall Street, ever since she was kidnapped on Wall Street last time, Li Ruo frequently shuttled in and out cautiously, refusing to go shopping unless absolutely necessary. Even when her playmates called, she wouldn’t go out. She still harbored a deep-seated grievance over the incident.

At 5:30 PM, it was time to finish work. Li Ruo tidied her desk briefly, and her secretary immediately stepped forward to hand her papers and see her off downstairs. She habitually called Ye Chen after work every day, although she sometimes forgot when she was too busy working overtime. Having finished work on time today, she naturally missed Ye Chen a bit. A call was made, and Ye Chen quickly answered the phone.

"You scoundrel, where are you now?" Li Ruo asked through gritted teeth. It’s hard not to act like a little woman when you miss someone.

"Oh, I’m outside!" Ye Chen chuckled.

"Then why do I hear a woman’s voice?" Li Ruo asked suspiciously, a tactic she often used to see if Ye Chen would confess without being pressed.

"Oh, I’m at Little Li’s house now!" Ye Chen replied.

"Which Little Li?" Li Ruo was stunned.

"Ah, I made a mistake; I’m at Little Mei’s..." Ye Chen said with an odd smile.

"Bastard, exactly how many women are you flirting with outside?" Li Ruo gritted her teeth. Ye Chen laughed heartily, "What nonsense are you talking about? I’m in the hospital now; Lingling and Tongtong are taking care of me!"

"What’s wrong with you? Are you sick? Is it serious?!" Li Ruo asked nervously.

"It’s nothing, just a minor cold. I’ll be discharged tomorrow! I didn’t want to be hospitalized, but they insisted!" Ye Chen sighed helplessly, but the call was immediately hung up. Within a minute, Zhang Yantong’s call came through.

"Calling to check the facts!" Zhang Yantong smiled faintly.

"Don’t slip up!" Ye Chen hurriedly instructed.

Subsequently, Zhang Yantong reluctantly picked up the phone and conveyed Ye Chen’s words word for word to Li Ruo, who finally relaxed. She couldn’t trust what Ye Chen said; he didn’t seem to value himself at all. Gaining insights from Zhang Yantong reassured Li Ruo. She smiled, "Tongtong, you really have to take good care of this rascal, or he won’t know how to take care of himself!"

"Don’t worry, I will!" Zhang Yantong nodded.

"Alright then, I’ll stop here. I’m off work now!" Li Ruo smiled, then hung up the phone, not giving Ye Chen a chance to speak. After hanging up, Li Ruo turned and entered the parking lot, where the lighting was poor, with only a few high-powered bulbs illuminating the vast space. Several pillars blocked the light, and behind them, some pale-skinned men were hiding.

"Should we make a move?" the brown-haired man asked.

"Don’t rush; wait until she gets closer!" another man replied.

However, before they could act, a group of people emerged from the elevator nearby. It was the peak time after work, and everyone was starting to drive home from the garage. The men were instantly frustrated, saying, "Damn it, now we have no chance to act!"

"Ugh!" the man groaned in frustration, then waved his hand, "Let’s go, keep waiting for the opportunity. It must be flawless, impeccable!"

"Yes!" Subsequently, the group got into a black Buick, quickly speeding out of the parking lot. The car brushed past Li Ruo’s side, and she clearly saw a few men inside turning to look at her with wicked gazes in their eyes. This sent a chill down her spine, and Little Yezi beside her screamed frantically. Li Ruo quickly called out, "Little Yezi, let’s go, stop yelling!"

Then, Little Yezi immediately jumped into Li Ruo’s Mercedes, and Li Ruo drove away. Upon exiting the parking lot, Li Ruo spotted the same black Buick, parked by the roadside, seemingly waiting for something. Passing by, Li Ruo noticed the people inside were staring intently at her car. This frightened her a bit, wondering what she would do if they were targeting her.

Thinking of this, Li Ruo immediately called her secretary, instructing her to notify everyone to come to her villa for a party in the evening. The secretary was stunned, somewhat incredulous, as Li Ruo had never invited anyone to her house before, and even she had only been there once. The secretary was brought from Jianghuai City by Li Ruo, and as fellow Chinese, they had a bit more closeness.

"Mr. Li, I’ll notify everyone right away!" the secretary nodded immediately.

After hanging up, Li Ruo hastily called a party service company, requesting their services. The US has a highly developed tertiary industry, with service sectors covering every corner, from hotels to leisure, entertainment, and even home party services. All you need to do is provide the address and a credit card for guarantee to receive quality service.

When Li Ruo just got home, the service company’s large truck had already arrived, setting up a balloon arch in the backyard of Li Ruo’s villa, the entrance venue. Then, neon lights were set up in the backyard, as it was already evening, and the service company had to consider the night event, providing lighting accordingly.

Two maids also joined in the busy work. Li Ruo parked her car in the garage, shut it, and deliberately walked to the entrance for a look. Sure enough, she discovered that the black Buick was parked outside too, and her face immediately turned pale, confirming that they were indeed targeting her. Without hesitation, Li Ruo called 911, requesting police assistance.

Soon, police arrived at the scene. Li Ruo explained the situation, and the officers immediately approached the black car. The car remained there, and the occupants rolled down the window, looking at the police in confusion, asking, "What’s going on? We’re just waiting for someone here. Why do we need to show our IDs?"

Despite their complaints, they obediently handed over their IDs. The police glanced at them and then used a wireless device to check the individuals’ identities, finding nothing suspicious on them. Without suspicious points, the police couldn’t do anything to them.

The car remained parked at the door. The police couldn’t stay with Li Ruo 24 hours, so they could only advise her to keep her door secured and stay safe, then left the scene.

Li Ruo quickly locked the door tightly, and soon, company colleagues started to arrive at the scene one after another.

"Oh, damn it, what’s this woman planning to do?" the men in the Buick complained in frustration.

"Is she... going to throw a party?" the brown-haired man said in astonishment.

"Damn it, won’t we have to wait until morning?" lamented the blonde man in the back.

"What else can we do?" another shrugged helplessly, saying, "For the money, we must endure."

"Exactly, I’m quite frustrated. Who on earth would spend one million US dollars to have us kidnap her?" The brown-haired man grinned, "One million, we each get $250,000. God, we’re going to hit the jackpot!"

These guys were nothing more than local American low-tier thugs. Kong Haoran spent one million US dollars to hire them to kidnap Li Ruo, and upon delivering her to the designated location, they would receive one million US dollars in remuneration. One million US dollars, in economically troubled, recession-hit America, is a fortune in many people’s eyes. These men had already begun fantasizing about squandering their hefty bounty on anything they pleased.

Li Ruo’s home party had started, with tables set up in the backyard, covered with various fruits, fine wines, and champagne. These guests were all company colleagues. Initially reserved, they gradually loosenined up. Passionate music played, and everyone dined, drank, and enjoyed themselves, with work-related conversations strictly prohibited. Only jokes, tales, and interesting news were allowed.

With twenty to thirty people in the yard, it didn’t feel crowded. Li Ruo gathered with a few girls, discussing makeup products and affordable clothing. The men, of course, talked about women, with Li Ruo always being the most beautiful in their eyes. Unfortunately, due to the stark differences in status and position, all they could do was sigh in admiration.