Si Hua's heart, which had been tense all along, instantly relaxed.
Zhang Xiaoxiao also realized the gravity of the situation; someone was already targeting Si Hua.
Although Si Hua and He Ju's marriage was low-key, how could there be no news at all with the Bai family's capabilities?
Zhang Xiaoxiao looked at Si Hua: "Boss, your life with Mr. He from now on… I'm afraid you'll have to tread on thin ice."
Zhang Xiaoxiao's implication was clear to Si Hua.
But…
Si Hua spoke up: "Don't jump to conclusions so easily. Even if the Bai family really wants to take me down, they wouldn't dare to be so blatant about it."
Si Hua frowned: "I always feel like something's not quite right…"
Si Hua unlocked her phone, and before she could message He Ju, she saw the company chat explode.
Instinctively, she clicked to see what was happening and saw a surveillance video showing He Ju's car suddenly catching fire in the underground parking lot.
Si Hua's face turned deathly pale.
She almost immediately thought of the purpose of that black van. Although Zhang Xiaoxiao was a decent driver, she wasn't a professional racer. The van behind them was clearly driven by an expert, even bumping into them once, obviously capable of knocking them off the highway.
But the van didn't do that…
Their purpose…
Si Hua gasped, realizing she might just be the bait, and He Ju the fish.
Who could be so malicious?
Si Hua silently vowed that once she found out who wanted He Ju dead and buried, she would make sure they didn't die a good death either!
Zhang Xiaoxiao hurriedly checked her phone and was also startled. The car belonged to Si Hua, and she had driven it before.
Zhang Xiaoxiao's expression complicated: "Boss, you should go out with bodyguards in the future. I'm afraid I can't protect you by myself."
Si Hua nodded and smiled: "Don't be afraid, I'll be fine."
As soon as Si Hua finished speaking, her phone rang. It was He Ju.
As soon as she answered, He Ju's anxious voice came through: "Si Hua, where are you? Are you alright?"
Hearing He Ju's voice, Si Hua's heart settled.
Just then, the police knocked on their car window. Si Hua rolled down the window while responding to He Ju: "I'm fine, I'm at the highway intersection. I saw the video. Are you okay?"
Zhang Xiaoxiao unbuckled her seatbelt: "I'll go make a statement to the police first…"
Si Hua nodded, about to continue talking to He Ju, but when she looked up, she saw in the rearview mirror another police officer with a smirk.
Instinctively, Si Hua felt very uneasy.
Her heart immediately raced, and she subconsciously grabbed Zhang Xiaoxiao's arm.
Zhang Xiaoxiao was confused: "What's wrong?"
At that moment, the policeman outside Si Hua's window frowned: "Ladies, please show your IDs and step out to explain the situation."
Si Hua suddenly smiled: "Sorry, officer, let me find it. Xiaoxiao, check your bag, I put it there this morning."
Zhang Xiaoxiao sensed something was off. When had Si Hua put her ID in her bag?
But Zhang Xiaoxiao kept her composure and smiled: "Okay, I'll look for it. Please wait a moment, officer."
He Ju was listening too, and he quickly realized what was happening. He didn't speak but urged Bai Yan to drive faster.
They were almost there!
Si Hua, you must hold on.
As Zhang Xiaoxiao searched for the ID, Si Hua took the opportunity to ask: "I don't remember calling the police. Officer, you're quite impressive, arriving so quickly?"
Policeman: "Do you know you ran a checkpoint? We were patrolling nearby, of course, we came quickly…"
Bullshit!
Highway patrols are usually near the toll booths at the exit, but there was no immediate sighting when they ran the checkpoint, meaning they must have gone on patrol.
Patrols couldn't have arrived so quickly!
And she had clearly called the police!
The first thing the police should have done was ask who made the call!
Something's not right!
All of this was not right!
Si Hua immediately sat back down and sternly commanded: "Xiaoxiao, let's go!"
Zhang Xiaoxiao had been waiting for Si Hua's order. As soon as Si Hua spoke, she floored the accelerator and sped away.
Looking back, Si Hua saw the police officer behind them become furious, pulling out a steel pipe and swinging it at their car.
Fortunately, Zhang Xiaoxiao drove fast enough to avoid the car being hit.
Si Hua's heart raced. Looking back again, the two figures were far behind, not following…
Si Hua suddenly felt a wave of fear. If she hadn't glanced at the rearview mirror, she wouldn't have been on guard. Without being on guard, Zhang Xiaoxiao would have gotten out of the car.
Then both she and Xiaoxiao would have been in danger today.
Soon, a car approached head-on. Si Hua saw the driver and passenger, He Ju and Bai Yan.
Si Hua and Zhang Xiaoxiao both breathed a sigh of relief. Zhang Xiaoxiao was driving against traffic, having been too rushed to consider the direction, but fortunately, they hadn't entered the highway…
Before Si Hua could get out, a police car sounded its siren behind He Ju.
Si Hua heard the shout: "The owner of the car , you are driving against traffic. Please pull over and submit to an inspection!"
Zhang Xiaoxiao quickly complied.
As soon as Bai Yan parked, He Ju rushed over: "Si Hua, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"
Si Hua, warmed by He Ju's anxious demeanor, quickly shook her head: "I'm fine."
Si Hua got out of the car, and the police approached: "Was it you who called the police? We've already retrieved the surveillance footage to verify your statement, and we're tracking the black van. Please rest assured."
Si Hua wasn't naive and asked them to show their badges before recounting the checkpoint incident and the encounter with the two policemen…
The officers exchanged glances, immediately realizing the seriousness of the situation, and hurriedly notified headquarters.
Now He Ju finally had time to embrace Si Hua tightly.
He Ju held Si Hua very tightly, having never been so terrified. He would never allow anyone to harm Si Hua. He wouldn't let today's incident slide.
While Bai Yan and Zhang Xiaoxiao were busy negotiating with the police, He Ju took Si Hua home.
Si Hua was still shaken, but both she and He Ju had narrowly escaped with their lives. They had to find out who was behind this as soon as possible.
That black van…
Si Hua dared to say the license plate was definitely fake.
If they didn't find the person soon, it would be like finding a needle in a haystack.
And those two fake policemen, Si Hua couldn't even imagine who would be so bold?
Before they reached home, Si Hua received another call from Zhang Xiaoxiao: "Boss, the company is in chaos. The police came to investigate the fire safety because of the car fire. It seems like they're just investigating on the surface, but I'm afraid they won't let the company off easily…"
"And Yang Jing said even reporters have come to the company…"
Si Hua frowned slightly: "Where are you now?"
Zhang Xiaoxiao: "I'm still at the police station making a statement. Boss, I'm afraid I won't be able to return for a while."
Si Hua: "It's okay, come back when you're done. I'll handle the company."
After hanging up, Si Hua looked at He Ju: "Back to the company?"
Si Hua nodded: "Let's go back to the company. This has blown up big, reporters are blocking the entrance."
He Ju's eyes chilled for a moment before comforting Si Hua: "It's okay, let's see what's happening before we make any plans."
In fact, He Ju had already sent people to investigate. The moment the car caught fire, he had sent a message to Old Seven.
Old Seven might seem unreliable, but compared to private detectives on the market, he was just as good, especially in terms of technical skills.
Si Hua wasn't idle either; on the way back, she had already sent her people to investigate.
She just didn't expect the opponent to reach so far. Not succeeding in killing them the first time, they thought of pressuring their company with public opinion.
Who could have such capability?
Si Hua quickly went through the names of all the listed companies in City A, filtering them one by one, still focusing on the Bai family's uncles, with Bai Shangmo being one of them. The Qiu family currently lacked the power, and Qiu Song wouldn't dare to do something so desperate. Then there was the Su family…
But the Su family was struggling to protect themselves and probably didn't have the strength.
Si Hua excluded the Su family as well.
Soon, the couple arrived at Starshine Group.
There were many people gathered at the entrance of Starshine, mostly reporters and media, with security trying their best to maintain order, but clearly, it wasn't very effective.
Seeing this, He Ju had no choice but to reverse quickly and park the car behind a nearby green belt.
They definitely couldn't go to the underground parking lot now, as there were many police officers gathering evidence there. They had to take a detour from the back.
He Ju and Si Hua put on hats and masks, got out of the car, and slipped to the back door of Starshine Group.
Just as they were about to enter, a bunch of reporters and media with cameras rushed towards them.
He Ju wrapped his arm around Si Hua, about to back away, but was blocked by another wave of reporters.
He Ju and Si Hua were quickly surrounded by reporters.
Countless flashes went off at Si Hua and He Ju, and microphones were thrust in front of them.
Reporter A: "May I ask President Si, do you have any explanation for the car fire news today?"
Reporter B: "President Si, there are rumors that you are married. So, may I ask, is the gentleman with you now your husband?"
Reporter C: "Sir, are you President Si's husband? Do you have any explanation for today's news? Did you and President Si get married without the approval of your parents?"
Reporter D: "President Si, will the car fire affect the future development of Starshine Group?"
"President Si…"
"Sir…"
Questions bombarded them, each more tricky than the last. He Ju, with Si Hua in tow, pushed through the crowd.
He Ju: "Sorry, no comment at this time!"
At that moment, the security guards rushed over and pulled the reporters away.
Security: "Sorry, sorry, you've seriously disrupted our company's order. Please leave immediately!"
Taking advantage of the chaos, He Ju quickly ushered Si Hua into the elevator.
Si Hua finally breathed a sigh of relief, but before she could fully relax, she received a call from Yang Jing.
Yang Jing: "President Si, the directors are all waiting for you in the office. Do you want to ignore them for now?"
Si Hua pondered for a few seconds, then said: "Now is not the time to ignore them. Notify everyone that we will hold a press conference tomorrow afternoon at 2 pm. I will attend in person. Contact the most authoritative media in City A for an interview."
Yang Jing: "Okay, President Si. What about the board meeting…"
Si Hua: "I'll be there in two minutes."
Yang Jing: "Okay, President Si."
The call ended, and Si Hua and He Ju had reached the top floor in the elevator.
He Ju looked at Si Hua: "Do you need me to accompany you in?"
Si Hua smiled and shook her head: "Wait for me outside, I can handle it."
He Ju nodded and patted her head: "Wait for you to come out, and we'll go home together."
Si Hua nodded with a smile and then headed towards the meeting room.
He Ju's face darkened as he dialed Old Seven's number.
Old Seven: "I found an IP address, the first to break the news of the car fire. I'm sending it to you now."
He Ju: "Good, and please help me find out who's behind this as soon as possible. Money is no object."
Old Seven: "Give me a few days."
He Ju replied with a "good" and hung up, standing by the window, names flashing through his mind.
It seemed he had to start eliminating suspects one by one.
The directors were all waiting, discussing noisily, each blaming Si Hua. Starshine had been established for so many years, and within less than a year of Si Hua taking over, such a major safety incident occurred, affecting not only the company's image but also their personal interests.
However, when the office door opened and Si Hua appeared, the meeting room fell silent.
Si Hua, carrying her bag and expressionless, walked to the center of the room. Yang Jing took Si Hua's bag and respectfully called out: "President Si."
Si Hua sat down, and the directors looked at each other.
Si Hua swept her cold gaze over everyone and scoffed: "Weren't you all going to denounce me? How come you've all gone mute now that I'm here?"
The directors exchanged glances again, silent for a long time, with no one daring to start.
Finally, Si Hua smiled again: "If no one has any questions, I might as well leave."
As soon as Si Hua finished speaking, Deputy Director Wang couldn't hold back and spoke up: "President Si, this car fire incident has seriously affected the company's reputation. There are rumors outside that…"
Deputy Director Wang hesitated, pretending to be in a difficult position.
Si Hua looked at him expressionlessly, so quick to lose patience? With such poor psychological quality, he dared to conspire with Bai Shangmo?
Si Hua looked at Deputy Director Wang: "Because of what? At this point, why beat around the bush, Deputy Director Wang?"
Deputy Director Wang bit the bullet and said: "Because President Si, you stole someone else's man, so you suffered retaliation…"
Silence. The room fell into a deathly hush.
Proofreader&Editor:Lotas