165: 165. Xiao Hao's guess

Wei Rong made several calls, but the other parties either swore they hadn't leaked anything or just joked around, providing no useful information.

This feeling of getting nowhere made her panic grow like wild grass.

Can't wait any longer!

She abruptly stood up, haphazardly stuffed the incriminating documents into her designer handbag, and rushed out the door in a panic.

She had to see that person immediately! Now, only he might be able to save her!

As it happened, the true big shot behind her had come to Jiang City today and was resting at a private resort villa in the suburbs.

Wei Rong didn't hesitate for a moment. She went downstairs, got into her car, started the engine, and sped off towards the suburban resort villa.

Her heart pounded as if it would burst from her chest, and her knuckles turned white from gripping the steering wheel too tightly.

Upon arriving at the heavily guarded villa entrance, she was stopped by security.

Wei Rong took a deep breath, pulled out her phone, dialed the number she rarely used, and spoke with unprecedented deference and apprehension: "Mr. Xiao... Mr. Xiao."

From the other end of the line, faint sounds of a woman's coquettish laughter could be heard. After a moment, a slightly languid and impatient male voice finally spoke: "Hmm? What is it?"

Wei Rong, with a hint of a sob in her voice, urgently said: "Mr. Xiao, I... I'm in big trouble! Someone... someone got a lot of my... a lot of my private information and photos from who knows where, and also records of those past incidents... they all got sent to my company!"

Xiao Hao's tone became slightly more serious: "Oh? Who's so bold? Daring to touch my people?"

"I don't know... I can't find out... I'm at the resort villa entrance right now, Mr. Xiao... I... I'm scared..." Wei Rong's voice trembled with despair.

Realizing she wasn't joking, Xiao Hao fell silent for a few seconds, then said faintly: "Come in."

Soon, a bodyguard in black came out, confirmed her identity, and led Wei Rong inside.

Passing through the extremely luxurious lobby and corridor, they arrived at a huge, temperature-controlled indoor swimming pool area. The area had clearly been cleared, and several comfortable lounge chairs were placed by the pool.

Xiao Hao, wearing only swimming trunks and sunglasses, lay on a lounge chair with a cigar in his mouth.

Although he was nearly forty, his physique was clearly well-maintained.

Next to him were two pot-bellied middle-aged men, also wearing only swimming trunks, who were clearly wealthy and influential.

The three men were puffing on cigars and chatting cheerfully.

In the azure pool, three girl group members, recently popular online and known for their youthful vitality, were frolicking in sexy bikinis, fully displaying their young and beautiful bodies, as if trying to please the men on the shore in this way.

Liu Min, one of the girl group members, had sharp eyes. Seeing Wei Rong enter, she immediately popped her head out of the water, a fawning smile on her face, and sweetly greeted: "Sister Wei! You're here!"

Wei Rong forced a professional smile and nodded at her.

Liu Min seized the opportunity to swim to the edge of the pool, gripping the edge with both hands, and looking up, she said eagerly: "Sister Wei, I heard... Sister Wang Yuxi from your company seems to be a bit disobedient lately? If she's out... what do you think, could you consider me? I've always wanted to transition into acting, and I dream of winning Best Actress..."

She made no secret of her ambition to rise.

Wei Rong was distraught at the moment and had no mind to deal with her, but she still maintained a polite facade and perfunctorily said: "We'll talk about it if there's an opportunity in the future."

After speaking, she ignored her and walked directly to the lounge chair area where Xiao Hao was, bowing slightly and saying softly: "Mr. Xiao."

Xiao Hao slowly took off his sunglasses, revealing a pair of languid eyes, and surveyed the pale-faced Wei Rong.

He didn't immediately ask about the main issue, but instead pointed with his chin to several new swimsuits hanging on a nearby clothes rack, his tone carrying an undeniable implication: "Since you're here, don't be so reserved. According to the rules, change your clothes first."

The two pot-bellied men next to him also stopped talking, their gazes openly appraising Wei Rong's still-attractive figure, with smiles that seemed to be evaluating merchandise.

Wei Rong was long accustomed to such scenes; in fact, it was her stepping stone and daily routine for getting involved with Xiao Hao.

She showed no shyness, deftly taking off her professional suit in front of the men and changing into a relatively conservative but still curve-hugging black one-piece swimsuit, then gracefully walked to an empty lounge chair next to Xiao Hao and sat down.

"Hehe..."

A bald man next to them laughed, his gaze lingering on Wei Rong, "Xiao Rong, it's been a while, your figure has become even more mature and voluptuous, like a ripe peach, looking so tempting..."

Wei Rong forced a smile and didn't respond; her mind was currently filled with those damning pieces of evidence.

She quickly took out the document bag from her handbag and handed it to Xiao Hao with both hands: "Mr. Xiao, look... it's this..."

Xiao Hao took the document bag and casually pulled out the contents to read them.

Initially, his expression was somewhat casual, but the more he read, the more his brows furrowed, and his gaze became increasingly solemn.

The detail of the information, the long span of time it covered, and the sensitivity of the people involved far exceeded his imagination!

This was definitely not something a simple paparazzi or business rival could achieve!

The other party's methods were precise and ruthless, and their power was immense. This looked more like a meticulously planned... intelligence display!

Xiao Hao slowly put down the documents, his gaze sharply sweeping over the girl group members still frolicking in the pool, and then glancing at his two partners who were still making comments about Wei Rong. The ominous premonition in his heart grew stronger.

He felt... this sudden storm probably wasn't aimed at Wei Rong at all.

This was more like... it was aimed at him, Xiao Hao!

Someone was showing him their strength, or rather, issuing a warning to him!

Xiao Hao's mind quickly replayed the various forces and individuals he had encountered recently, sifting through them carefully, but he couldn't figure out who would dare to provoke him in such an uncompromising way!

Were they preparing to completely break ties with his Xiao family? Who gave them the guts?

The people around him noticed the abnormality when they saw him holding the documents in silence, his expression constantly changing.

The bald man, emboldened by his familiarity with Xiao Hao, leaned in closer and, with a hint of alcohol on his breath, said: "Brother Xiao, judging by your expression, which clueless fellow has come knocking? Tell your brother, I'm bored lately, I can help you stretch your muscles and have some fun!"

Another slightly fatter man named Li next to him echoed: "Exactly, who else dares to disrespect you, Brother Xiao? If you need us to act, just say the word!"

Both of these men were unproductive second-generations in their families, with no hope of inheriting the family business. They simply drifted through life, relying on their family's legacy to act like bullies in their circle.

Xiao Hao, hearing this, snapped out of his contemplation and put on a casual smile, gently waving his hand and tossing the documents onto the nearby coffee table, as if it truly were a trivial matter: "You two are too kind, but... it's just a small ripple, it won't cause a storm. Perhaps some clueless person wants to make a name for themselves, jumping around a bit. I can easily crush them, no need to trouble you two."

He turned to the still-pale Wei Rong, his tone carrying scrutiny and pressure, and questioned: "Think carefully, recently, is there anything unusual on your end, or in the matters you've handled? Have you met any special people?"

Wei Rong felt a chill in her heart from Xiao Hao's gaze. She tried to calm her breathing, thought hard for a while, but ultimately shook her head blankly:

"Mr. Xiao, there really isn't... Company operations are all normal, several projects are progressing steadily, and profits are very considerable. Those old-timers in the circle all know I'm your person, they give me some face, there haven't been any conflicts..."

She paused, as if she had thought of something, and added: "If I had to say there was any unstable factor... it would only be Wang Yuxi. Her contract is expiring recently and she doesn't want to renew, and she's even playing hide-and-seek with me... She's simply ungrateful!"

"Wang Yuxi?"

Xiao Hao had some impression of that name. She was the most popular actress under Wei Rong's company recently, seemed to have just won some Best Actress award, she was indeed good-looking, and had excellent temperament. He had been somewhat interested, but had been busy lately and hadn't gotten around to her yet.

"Yes, it's her."

Wei Rong quickly nodded, but then immediately dismissed this guess herself: "However, I know her too well, she's just an actress. She absolutely doesn't have the ability, nor the guts, to pull off something like this! If she really had someone behind her, she would have jumped out long ago, why wait until now?"

Xiao Hao listened to Wei Rong's analysis, his fingers unconsciously tapping the armrest of the lounge chair, his eyes slightly narrowed.

Playing hide-and-seek... her attitude suddenly becoming tough... daring to hang up on Wei Rong's call directly... these details strung together... this Wang Yuxi, she probably really found a backer, otherwise, why would she use such a direct, face-slapping method to expose all of Wei Rong's secrets?

Xiao Hao smiled playfully, just about to instruct Wei Rong to call Wang Yuxi, when at that moment, Wei Rong's phone, placed on the coffee table, rang without warning!

The screen lit up, showing a completely unfamiliar number!

Wei Rong looked at the unfamiliar number, her heart suddenly skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition surged within her again.

She subconsciously looked at Xiao Hao.

Xiao Hao slightly raised his chin, signaling her to answer, and at the same time, his eyes commanded her to turn on the speakerphone.

Wei Rong took a deep breath, picked up her phone, pressed the answer button, and, following Xiao Hao's instructions, activated the speakerphone function.

"Hello..." Wei Rong's voice carried a hint of an almost imperceptible tremor.

On the other end of the line, there was silence for two seconds, and then a calm male voice spoke:

"Wei Rong?"

Just two words, yet the atmosphere by the pool instantly dropped to freezing point.