Dominating the Powerful Families: Rebirth of
Chapter 273 Misfortune at Home 1_1

Chapter 273: Chapter 273 Misfortune at Home 1_1

Madam Dugu gently patted her hand and comforted her with a smile, "Xiuhong, don’t worry. With our Tianxing by your side, your husband Zhuang Li will definitely be alright. He will be alright, don’t worry..."

Cheng Xiuhong was Madam Dugu’s childhood best friend. The two of them went to elementary school, middle school, and high school together and had a very close relationship.

However, during the sixties and seventies, the Cheng family, due to their overseas connections, became a target and were forced to flee Capital City, settling in Hong Kong.

Over the decades, the Cheng family had become one of Hong Kong’s most renowned real estate tycoons.

After the economic reforms and opening-up policies, Cheng Xiuhong reestablished contact with Madam Dugu and they resumed their friendship. Although they did not meet often, their relationship remained as good as ever.

Encouraged by Madam Dugu, the Cheng family began to invest gradually in real estate within the country. The well-known luxury residential area "South Island Gardens" in Capital City was developed by Cheng’s real estate company.

Perhaps it was the inclination of older people to yearn for their roots.

In recent years, Cheng Xiuhong and her husband Zhuang Li returned to Capital City and settled in a villa in South Island Gardens.

South Island Gardens was not too far from the Imperial Compound, only about a ten to twenty minute drive. Usually, Cheng Xiuhong and Madam Dugu would often meet up for meals and shopping trips, or visit each other’s homes, living quite comfortably and leisurely.

Cheng Xiuhong was a woman with a very strong personality. She had founded Cheng’s real estate company and initially relied on her maiden family for the starting capital. Thus, the company was named after the Cheng surname and she held the majority of the shares.

Her husband Zhuang Li owned sixteen percent, while their son Zhuang Jiaqin and daughter Zhuang Jiaxin each held eight percent of the shares.

Their family worked together at Cheng’s real estate company.

After returning to Capital City, Cheng Xiuhong and Zhuang Li took charge of the domestic assets.

The Hong Kong side was overseen by their son and daughter, along with professional managers.

The day before yesterday was Cheng Xiuhong’s 65th birthday. She did not plan to celebrate it grandly, so she did not invite friends or relatives over for a lavish celebration.

Her husband Zhuang Li only called back their son Zhuang Jiaqin, daughter Zhuang Jiaxin, and their grandchildren to Capital City to celebrate Cheng Xiuhong’s birthday.

After the birthday celebration with the family, her children and relatives returned to Hong Kong by plane.

Having seen their children off, Zhuang Li and Cheng Xiuhong prepared to go to Huguo Temple to pray and wish for even better and smoother days ahead.

Little did they know, as they wandered the mountain, they suddenly encountered a gang of criminals who dragged them into the woods and kidnapped them for ransom.

The criminals kept Zhuang Li and demanded a ransom of one hundred million yuan, releasing Cheng Xiuhong to raise the money. They warned her not to call the police, otherwise they would immediately kill the hostage.

With a net worth of over ten billion yuan, Cheng Xiuhong thought nothing of paying one hundred million to ransom her husband, believing that as long as he was safe, it was like spending money to ward off disaster.

Therefore, after returning home, Cheng Xiuhong quickly raised the money and transferred one hundred million to the account provided by the kidnappers.

However, after receiving the money, the kidnappers did not release Zhuang Li and even turned off their phones, leaving Cheng Xiuhong in a state of extreme anxiety as she waited helplessly at home for news.

When Cheng Xiuhong’s son Zhuang Jiaqin and daughter Zhuang Jiaxin heard that their father had been kidnapped, they rushed back to Capital City, hurriedly leaving Hong Kong just after arriving.

Frenzied with worry, the family found themselves helpless as the kidnappers made no contact.

Another day of anxious waiting went by and, despite wanting to alert the police, fear that the kidnappers might carry out their threat led them to hold back once more.

Yesterday, the kidnappers finally called again.

But instead of releasing the hostage, they demanded another ten billion in ransom from Cheng Xiuhong. If she didn’t pay, or if she called the police, they threatened to dismantle the ticket.

Cheng Xiuhong was furious. The first time it was one billion, and now ten billion—the scum were insatiable, asking for the moon!

Cheng Xiuhong wanted to call the police and seek help from Madame Dugu, but her son, Zhuang Jiaqin, stopped her. "Mom, it’s not like we don’t have the money. What if they really do dismantle the ticket?"

Cheng Xiuhong was angry and anxious. "What if we give them ten billion and they still don’t release him, and then demand a hundred billion? What then?"

Zhuang Jiaqin saw his mother’s anger and tried to appease her with a smile. "That’s impossible. The kidnappers should know when to stop, right? They can’t be that greedy. Even ten billion is enough to scare people. Besides, even if they asked for a hundred billion, we couldn’t come up with that much cash. They aren’t that foolish. Once they take the money, they will surely release the person!"

Cheng Xiuhong, hearing her son articulate this, felt there was some sense to it.

She gathered another ten billion and sent it to the kidnappers.

But after receiving the ten billion, the family waited and waited, staying up all night without sleep, and Zhuang Li was still nowhere to be seen, without a trace.

Cheng Xiuhong realized something was wrong.

Had something happened to Zhuang Li?

In a state of panic, just as her son Zhuang Jiaqin was about to go out to check, she called Madame Dugu. "Ruyu, something has happened to our Zhuang Li!"

Madame Dugu was also shocked. "Something happened to your Zhuang Li? What happened?"

Hearing the concern in her old friend’s voice, Cheng Xiuhong’s tears, which she had been holding back, finally fell.

She sobbed and recounted the events to Madame Dugu.

Upon hearing the story, Madame Dugu sighed deeply. "Xiuhong, you are always so smart, but this time you’ve been so foolish! When there’s an issue in Capital City, you don’t seek my help or the public security’s but compromise with those kidnappers instead? You’re being too naive..."

Cheng Xiuhong now realized she had indeed been foolish, but what use was regretting now that it had already happened?

"Ruyu, stop scolding me. Please, think of a way to help me. What should I do now?"

Madame Dugu let out a soft sigh, thinking of Shen Tianxing’s extraordinary abilities, and quickly said to her, "Come over to my place right now and tell me the details again. I will find someone to help solve this problem for you."

Cheng Xiuhong responded immediately. "Okay, I’ll come right away."

After hanging up the phone, seeing that her son Zhuang Jiaqin had not returned, she had her daughter Zhuang Jiaxin wait at home for calls while she asked the driver to take her to the Imperial Compound to see Madame Dugu.

Upon hearing that her mother was going to see Madame Dugu, Zhuang Jiaxin also felt it might be helpful and told her mother to go with peace of mind. She would stay at home to wait for news and they would stay in contact over the phone.

And so, Cheng Xiuhong arrived at Madame Dugu’s, desperately seeking help.

After Madame Dugu listened to the details, she felt something was off but couldn’t pinpoint the problem.

She had no choice but to call Shen Tianxing, asking her to come back for dinner and help solve this significant issue concerning her husband’s life or death.

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