Chapter 777
Door-to-Door Visit
He knew Zhang Ziqian wouldn't mention this person without a reason, so he turned to look at her and asked, "What happened?"
"Ever since Qiao Mingming went in, you asked me to have someone keep an eye on her, given her somewhat mentally unstable condition—"
Chen Xiao nodded and sat down on the sofa again with Zhang Ziqian. He said to Qiu Qiaoqiao, "You don't know this person. Her son hit Ziqian's father with his car and then got out and beat the old man. I had to get a legal team to send him to jail."
Qiu Qiaoqiao listened attentively, and Chen Xiao continued, "Later, Qiao Mingming's father, the 'President Qiao' that Ziqian mentioned, called and actually threatened me, asking me to give him face and let the matter drop. Heh, what face does he have with me?"
Qiu Qiaoqiao lowered her head, lost in thought.
"Later, after Ji-eun's concert in Cape Town ended, that Mr. Joe actually used local armed forces to try to kidnap and harm Ji-eun."
Qiu Qiaoqiao reached out and picked up the porcelain cup on the tea table, playing with it in her hand, her mind seemingly lost in thought.
"Fortunately, the [Blue Star Guardians] arrived in time and saved Zhi'en at the critical moment. This incident has already given him a way to die!"
Already? Then what happened next?
Qiu Qiaoqiao looked up again: "What did he do next?"
Chen Xiao glanced at her, then looked away, and sneered, "There are several forces behind you spying on Xiang Jun's situation."
As he spoke, he seemed to recall his initial reaction to the news, and his anger surged again. His face turned cold and ruthless. "Upon investigation, most of them were arranged by that CEO Qiao. He's courting death!"
Ma Jing was also learning about this for the first time, just like everyone else who thought they knew the inside story. She had initially assumed that Boss Qiao was taken down so quickly because of Li Zhi'en.
So there was a sequel to this. He really knows how to court death!
Qiu Qiaoqiao remained silent, only repeatedly rubbing the porcelain cup in her hands.
Zhang Ziqian silently refilled Chen Xiao's empty cup with fresh tea. This was something only she and a few other people knew about.
"However, although Qiao Mingming's mother was not a strict disciplinarian, the grief of losing her father, coupled with her son working on a sewing machine inside, was a tremendous blow, and the punishment was a bit too severe!"
Zhang Ziqian said softly from the side, "President Qiao used to send her money every month, but after he passed away, she has no source of income."
Oh?
Chen Xiao turned to look at Zhang Ziqian; he really hadn't paid attention to this matter.
"After Qiao Mingming's incident, she went around asking people for help, wasting a lot of money. Those people only took the money and didn't do anything." When she said "didn't do anything," she looked at Chen Xiao, implying that those people couldn't do anything even if they wanted to.
Qiao Mingming broke the law first, and it also involves the boss of Junxiao Group. She is bound to be severely punished by law; no one dares to help her, and who can help her anyway?
"Taking money and not doing the service?"
Chen Xiao shook his head. How could there still be so much trash like this in society? That woman was actually quite pitiful. Why would you go and scam her? Aren't you afraid of retribution?
“There are even worse things,” Zhang Ziqian said indignantly, as if she had forgotten how despicable Qiao Mingming was when she hit her father.
Kind people are always like this; they quickly forget the hurt others have caused them. But when others are hurt, they are filled with compassion.
Chen Xiao's curiosity was piqued. "How so?"
She nearly squandered her entire fortune trying to save her son. Those people who came after her, knowing she was penniless, still swindled her. She not only used up all her savings but also borrowed heavily from online loan sharks.
She couldn't repay the loan later, and many debt collectors came to her door and blocked her way. She was a woman at home alone, and she was scared half to death every day.
Fortunately, she has some mental issues and is a bit braver than the average person; otherwise, she would have been scared out of her wits, if not mentally unstable!
Chen Xiao frowned: "It's gotten so bad, and when those people came to her door, didn't she know to call the police?"
"Sigh—", Zhang Ziqian sighed, "She feels guilty for owing money, and she's more afraid of Uncle Hat than anyone else!"
"What's most infuriating is that she believed those people online who claimed they could help her with installment payments or avoid harassment. She went to those people for help, and as a result, she wasted a lot of money. The problem wasn't solved, and her debts kept piling up."
"It's outrageous!" Chen Xiao's brows furrowed.
"You'd make money like this? Aren't you afraid of divine retribution?" Chen Xiao stood up angrily.
"These people, how could they possibly make money off the rich? They just prey on pitiful people, taking advantage of their ignorance to swindle them."
Chen Xiao leaned back on the sofa, pondered for a moment, and said, "How about this, keep an eye on Qiao Mingming's behavior inside. If he shows signs of repentance, then don't deliberately prevent him from getting a reduced sentence."
He paused for a moment, then added, "While Qiao Mingming was inside, let's have the charity foundation help with his mother's basic living needs."
Qiu Qiaoqiao turned to look at him, her mind wandering.
"Qiaoqiao, you're in charge of following up on this!"
what--
Qiu Qiaoqiao let out a soft cry.
Chen Xiao asked in surprise, "What's the big deal?" Is it really necessary to make such a fuss?
"No, it's nothing. I didn't expect you to put me in charge of this matter—", Qiu Qiaoqiao quickly regained her composure.
Chen Xiao laughed, "You're in charge of liaising with the Junxiao Charity Foundation. If you're not in charge, who is? Besides, let's not involve our secretary Ziqian in such a small matter."
Zhang Ziqian and Ma Jing knew he was joking and laughed. Qiu Qiaoqiao hummed in agreement, "Sorry, boss. I'm a little slow to get into character!"
He waved his hand and said, "It's alright."
"Then, what level of assistance should we provide to the mother and child?" Qiu Qiaoqiao asked.
Before Chen Xiao could speak, Zhang Ziqian smiled and said, "If the boss doesn't say anything, then it's all in your hands."
This is just a matter of spending money; how much will it cost? Chen Xiao couldn't be bothered to care!
Well, seeing that Chen Xiao didn't react, Qiu Qiaoqiao knew that what Zhang Ziqian said was true. Everyone says that rich people are willful, but Qiu Qiaoqiao had never seen anything like this.
"Alright, that's settled then. Ma Jing is going to Dr. Feng's Robotics Technology Group soon, right?"
Ma Jing hummed in agreement and pouted, "Every Tuesday is the hardest day for me."
Chen Xiao no longer handles the business that comes to him. Ma Jing takes care of it all and then processes Chen Xiao's bonuses at the finance department.
"Isn't this your happiest day?" Zhang Ziqian joked with her.
Every Tuesday, Ma Jing would count money until her hands cramped. She received a 0.5% commission on Chen Xiao's orders. Each trip brought in millions of yuan.
Today is even more outrageous, because Hassan's $7 million has also arrived in his account, and Ma Jing is about to make a fortune!
"Alright, Ma Jing, go ahead and do your work. Ziqian, Qiaoqiao, let's go out for a walk too!"
Zhang Ziqian was a little confused by Chen Xiao's sudden decision: "Where to, boss?" She quickly went through today's schedule in her mind, "There were no plans to go out in the original plan?"
Chen Xiao had already stood up, stretched his limbs, and said in a casual, lazy tone, "Just browsing around!"
He glanced at the bright sunlight outside the window:
"It's too boring to stay in the office."
He paused, then revealed the true destination:
"Let's go see Qiao Mingming's mother."
Zhang Ziqian couldn't help but roll her eyes elegantly!
They act on a whim!
Is such a small matter really worth the big boss making a personal trip? Didn't he just instruct Qiu Qiaoqiao to handle it? President Chen's chief secretary is personally handling it; that's already top-level attention! Isn't that enough?
She was about to speak up to dissuade him when Chen Xiao strode out of the office, leaving behind only an undeniable silhouette.
Zhang Ziqian sighed helplessly, exchanged a glance with Qiu Qiaoqiao who was also somewhat surprised, and could only hurry to catch up.
The Rolls-Royce Phantom cruised smoothly through the city traffic. Qiu Qiaoqiao sat in the passenger seat, her gaze calmly fixed on the road ahead. Zhang Ziqian and Chen Xiao sat side-by-side in the luxurious back seat.
The cabin is filled with a unique blend of premium leather and fragrance, so quiet that you can hear the faint sound of the air conditioning blowing out.
Chen Xiao's gaze seemed to be fixed on the fleeting street scene outside the window, but suddenly he blurted out a sentence out of the blue:
"The company's money... really needs to be spent quickly..."
Zhang Ziqian: "..."
Qiu Qiaoqiao: "..."
The driver's grip on the steering wheel tightened almost imperceptibly!
I'll never rest until I say something shocking!
Most companies are worried about running out of cash and difficulty in securing financing. This guy, on the other hand, spends all his time thinking about how to move his mountains of gold and silver out of the country! Is he even speaking human language?!
Before Zhang Ziqian could even complain, Chen Xiao added quietly, his tone tinged with a strange sense of感慨:
"Otherwise... all that money would have been colluded with online platforms and banks to lend it out..."
He shook his head slightly, as if he were seeing something he couldn't bear to see:
"Think of those poor people... It's truly a case of 'I didn't kill Bo Ren, but Bo Ren died because of me'..."
Zhang Ziqian finally couldn't hold back any longer. She turned her head and looked at Chen Xiao with the eyes of someone looking at an alien:
"Boss, isn't your idea... a bit too patriotic?"
She tried to use logic to bring her boss, whose thinking was so unpredictable, back on track:
"According to your logic, all the people of the country are accomplices! We Chinese are the world's most money-loving people! Shouldn't we all feel ashamed because of this?"
She shrugged, asking with a hint of helplessness:
"If everyone thought like that, who would banks do business with? They might as well just close down!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Xiao simply smiled without refuting it, and turned his gaze back to the urban forest rushing past the window.
He was just making a casual comment.
Some things, some rules, are like a mighty torrent, and indeed, they cannot be easily reversed by his personal will. Perhaps all he can do is try to direct his share of wealth to places he deems more valuable and less "original sinful."
The car drove into a somewhat old high-rise residential area. The dense towers resembled a huge gray concrete jungle, with somewhat mottled exterior walls, narrow spacing between buildings, and sparse greenery. Compared to the Junxiao Lakeside Hotel or the top-tier luxury residential areas that Chen Xiao frequented, this place felt particularly cramped and oppressive.
Chen Xiao looked out the window, a clear look of surprise on his face:
"Do they live here?"
He simply couldn't reconcile the image of the billionaire CEO Qiao, who controlled the extravagant Zichen Palace, with the ordinary, even somewhat dilapidated, high-rise apartment complex before him! How could his ex-wife and son have fallen to such a state?
Zhang Ziqian explained softly from the side, her tone calm and even:
"Mr. Qiao and his ex-wife divorced a long time ago, and their relationship is very strained."
She paused, then added:
"The monthly allowance is very limited, barely enough to maintain a basic standard of living."
Chen Xiao suddenly realized and nodded:
"No wonder..."
He recalled how Qiao Mingming was so excited when she got that BMW 7 Series (the standard version), and at the time, he felt something was off:
"How could the child of a billionaire be so precious over a 7 Series..."
Now, everything makes sense. For Qiao Mingming, that car was probably more than just a means of transportation; it was a fleeting glimpse of "another world" that he was trying to grasp.
The car did not enter the residential area to avoid unnecessary onlookers and speculation. Chen Xiao got out of the car, followed closely by Zhang Ziqian and Qiu Qiaoqiao.
The three walked into the residential area. The afternoon sun was a bit dazzling, and the air was filled with the mixed smells unique to old residential areas—the smell of food, the smell of clothes drying in the sun, and a faint musty smell.
Guided by Zhang Ziqian, they arrived at one of the oldest-looking high-rise buildings.
“His home is in room 1901.” Zhang Ziqian looked up and gestured.
Chen Xiao also looked up. The building was at least thirty stories high, with its densely packed windows resembling a honeycomb, giving it a strong sense of oppression. In today's trend of pursuing low-density, high-quality housing, this kind of ultra-high-density "pigeonhole" style building is already an outdated product.
“Let’s go, let’s go up and take a look,” Chen Xiao said, his tone carrying a hint of complexity that was hard to detect. This was perhaps the first time in his life that he had taken the initiative to visit a complete stranger who was in a difficult situation.
The elevator was old, ran slowly, and made a creaking sound. When we arrived at the 19th floor, the hallway was dimly lit, and the walls were covered with various small advertisements, with some areas of peeling paint.
Upon arriving at the door of room 1901, Chen Xiao did not proceed directly. Instead, he took a step back and gestured to Qiu Qiaoqiao:
"Qiaoqiao, go ring the doorbell."
He was very thoughtful.
Qiao Mingming's mother was home alone and had been harassed by debt collectors for a long time, so she must have been under a lot of stress. If a strange man like him was standing outside the door, he might refuse to open the door out of fear, or even cause greater panic.
But Qiu Qiaoqiao is different.
She possessed an almost unreal, pure and flawless beauty, with a cool and ethereal temperament, like a fairy who had mistakenly descended to the mortal realm. Anyone who saw her would not react as a "bad person" or a "debt collector," but rather with amazement and bewilderment—how could such a person appear here?
Her very existence is an invisible pass that allows people to lower their guard. (End of Chapter)