Plunder-Chapter 251: No Sizes Left Behind
The following day.
Clear skies as far as the eye could see.
This spur-of-the-moment trip seemed a bit rushed.
Sister Rong and Auntie Jiang packed three large suitcases, while Qiao En traveled light. A group of them took two sedans, setting off to the airport in a grand procession.
"Take care of yourself while you’re away. I’ll miss you."
At the airport entrance, Zhou Jin’an embraced Qiao En with reluctance to let go.
"Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon."
Qiao En seemed quite relaxed about it.
"Let go, mom and Sister Rong are watching," Qiao En whispered, attempting to push Zhou Jin’an away.
He held her even tighter, with an authoritative air, "Lovey-dovey couples are to be expected; mom and Sister Rong, being experienced, will understand."
Ever since he truly opened his heart, he began to cherish the warmth of family.
Seeing Qiao En off, albeit temporarily, was the right decision.
Yet, even before Qiao En had left, Zhou Jin’an’s heart felt like it was about to go with her.
After holding her for a while longer, they heard the boarding time announcement over the speakers.
Cheng Lu stepped forward, "Young Madam, let me accompany you in."
He winked at Zhou Jin’an, who caught on and glanced at his watch, "I have a conference call shortly, so Cheng Lu will accompany you inside."
Everyone waved goodbye at the boarding gate.
Cheng Lu led Qiao En and the others in.
Only after Qiao En’s figure had completely disappeared did Zhou Jin’an turn and walk toward the exit.
Before leaving, he turned his head toward the waiting area and noticed a man wearing a duckbill cap sneakily looking in their direction.
Zhou Jin’an averted his gaze and strode towards the Maybach outside.
Inside the airport, just as Cheng Lu and the three others emerged, a woman who bore a striking resemblance to Qiao En appeared.
Auntie Jiang, surprised, was about to say something when the woman walked straight up to her and naturally took her arm.
"Ladies, I’ll be accompanying you on this trip to Australia."
Qiao En looked at Cheng Lu, who exhaled with relief.
"Young Madam, rest assured, Director Zhou has arranged everything. Xiaolu, you must ensure Sister Rong and Auntie Jiang’s safety during this trip."
The woman called Xiaolu gave him an OK sign.
Then, she donned sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat.
When she covered her face, she did look somewhat similar to Qiao En.
"Mom, don’t worry. I have other matters to take care of, so I can’t accompany you," Qiao En said apologetically.
Auntie Jiang hurriedly comforted her, "Yayun, don’t talk like that. Go and do your things. I won’t be a burden to you."
Sister Rong said with a beaming smile, "Auntie Jiang, I’m here with you, we sisters can enjoy ourselves together."
With Sister Rong’s humorous words, the atmosphere instantly lightened up.
"Let’s go then," Xiaolu urged.
She swapped overcoats with Qiao En and led Sister Rong and Auntie Jiang onto the plane bound for Australia.
On the other hand, Cheng Lu accompanied Qiao En onto a private jet.
"Young Madam, take care. I’ve made arrangements for everything in Singapore; nothing will go wrong," he assured.
Qiao En nodded.
She had complete trust in Zhou Jin’an’s arrangements.
"Assistant Cheng, I’ll do my best with the task you’ve asked of me," she promised.
She was referring to the task of persuading Lin Youyou.
A blush rose on Cheng Lu’s firm face.
"If she agrees, let me know. Even if it’s raining knives, I’ll go back for her."
Even a stoic man has his tender moments.
Qiao En nodded solemnly.
She boarded the private jet, which quickly took off.
Meanwhile, Zhou Jin’an sat in the Maybach, his gaze fixed on the clear blue sky beyond the car window.
After seeing Qiao En off, his heart was anything but at ease.
The appearance of the man in the duckbill cap mirrored his own inner worries.
Indeed, An Jinhua was not to be trifled with, he had already reached out to Zhou Jin’an’s side.
Fifteen minutes later, Cheng Lu hurried back.
"How did it go?"
Zhou Jin’an asked anxiously.
Cheng Lu nodded, "Everything went according to plan, Xiaolu replaced the Young Madam to Australia. They won’t easily discover the ruse of replacing the prince with a decoy."
Zhou Jin’an let out a slight sigh of relief.
Even though he knew there was a ninety percent certainty, he was still worried.
"They’ve made their move."
He said in a muffled voice.
Cheng Lu nodded, "There were a total of five people inside the airport, and another three on the plane."
"Did anyone see her when she left?"
Zhou Jin’an’s heart rose to his throat again.
If anything unexpected happened on this trip, he would regret it for the rest of his life.
"No, the cover-up was well executed, Xiaolu is a very good actress."
Everyone told him to rest easy, but his heart just couldn’t settle.
"Now that he has made his move, it seems we need to hurry."
Zhou Jin’an’s eyes darkened even more.
The Maybach drove straight to Nanchen, Cheng Lu’s gaze drifted to the rearview mirror, a tail had been persistently following the car.
The Maybach entered Nanchen’s underground parking lot before the tail finally disappeared.
A few minutes later, An Jinhua received a phone call.
"President An, we’ve done as you ordered. Zhou Jin’an indeed sent his wife overseas for the childbirth. Our people are in position, and once they get to Australia, we’ll make sure she delivers before her time."
"Are you sure they all went to Australia?"
An Jinhua stood in front of a tall floor-to-ceiling window, a shadow creeping across his face.
"Our people followed onto the plane, it’s confirmed."
An Jinhua’s cold eyes narrowed, "Then I’m waiting for your good news."
After hanging up the call, his mood seemed to brighten considerably.
But just then, his secretary ran in, flustered and panicked.
"President An, the sports and cultural center project we are bidding on has been snatched away."
The sports and cultural center project was a crucial part of Rong City’s five-year development plan.
An Jinhua had done a lot of groundwork behind the scenes, had opened many channels, and had only just made it to the finals after much effort.
It was known that Nanchen had opted out during the semi-finals. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂
Strange as it was, this was good news for An Corporation.
"What happened?"
"A newly established company snatched the bid by offering a price over twice as high as ours, so..."
Before the secretary could finish, an enraged An Jinhua grabbed a teacup from the desk and hurled it to the floor.
The secretary shrunk back, holding his head in fright.
Rage blazed in An Jinhua’s eyes.
"What are you standing there for? Don’t you know to investigate? I want to know what’s the deal with this new company, how it could appear out of nowhere and snatch the prize from our jaws!"
An Jinhua bellowed.
This month felt like a harsh winter for An Corporation, with Nanchen putting on pressure behind the scenes. An Jinhua managed to fend off each attempt, but only he knew how strenuous it was.
The sports and cultural center project was his opportunity to turn the tide against the wind, a chance that came once in a lifetime, and he was determined to win it at all costs.
Now, An Jinhua couldn’t accept the reality that this lucrative opportunity belonged to another.
"Yes, I will investigate immediately."
The secretary scurried out of An Jinhua’s office.
The moment the door closed, various crashing sounds came from the room.
Afterward, he made a phone call.
"Notify our brothers in Australia, spare no one, big or small."
