163: Chapter 163 Following

Seven days passed in the blink of an eye.

Jiang Chen had fully embraced the life of a top-tier hands-off manager.

Under Shen Xi's full management, Chenxing Capital had all its affairs, big and small, handled flawlessly.

Every bit of incoming revenue was compiled into reports by dedicated personnel and synced to him.

He had completely detached himself from the complex tasks, fully immersing himself in the relaxation and prestige that came with financial freedom.

That afternoon, after Jiang Chen casually finished reviewing the weekly company operation report sent by Shen Xi, several bank deposit notifications popped up at the top of his screen in succession.

First was the long-awaited demolition compensation.

A total of 46.8 million, not a penny less, was transferred in full to his private account.

Jiang Chen glanced at it, feeling a touch of sentiment.

Too many things had been tied up with these fifteen storefronts; now that the demolition was complete, it was finally over.

Immediately following that was the operation data report for "evening breeze confession".

In just seven days, relying on its gentle, healing melody and emotionally resonant expression, the song had begun to trigger its first wave of organic spread across platforms like Douyin, Kuaishou, and JJ Music.

The #evening breeze confession Healing# topic's readership was steadily climbing, with daily plays having surpassed 30 million.

Cover versions and derivative videos totaled over 200,000, and the growth curve continued to trend upward.

Although it hadn't generated actual revenue yet, this data was enough to show the storm it was about to stir up.

Jiang Chen's lips curled slightly, and he set the report aside.

Everything was progressing steadily along the trajectory he had envisioned; there was no need to rush.

As his fingertips brushed over the constantly updating account balance on his phone screen, Jiang Chen's expression remained calm, his eyes reflecting only the composure of someone in complete control.

He stood up, intending to open a bottle of vintage French Bordeaux to properly enjoy this comfort.

Just as he moved, the WeChat notification sound suddenly rang out urgently.

Jiang Chen tapped it open, and a series of messages from Su Xiaoxi appeared on the screen.

"Brother Chen, are you there?"

"I just went to the market with Shen Lu, and not long after we parted ways, I was walking back alone..."

"I keep feeling like someone is following me. I've been walking for a while, and those footsteps have been there the whole time."

"I just pretended to squat down to tie my shoelaces and snuck a look back. There's a man wearing a baseball cap; I can't see his face clearly."

"He's standing on the side of the road now, pretending to look at his phone, but he's been following me the whole way. When I walk fast, he walks fast too."

"Brother Chen, I don't know if I'm overthinking it, but I'm so scared."

"There aren't many people on the street, and I don't dare walk straight home."

"I've hidden in a convenience store now. He's standing across the street and hasn't followed me in."

"Brother Chen, should I call the police? Or am I overthinking it? I don't know what to do..."

The last few messages were clearly typed with trembling hands, filled with panic and self-doubt between the lines.

Jiang Chen stared at the screen, the laziness and leisure in his eyes vanishing instantly.

Su Xiaoxi was the canary he kept.

The girl was simple, gentle, obedient, and sensible. This afternoon, she told him she had plans to go to the market with her good friend Shen Lu, and when she left, she had even asked him with a smile which dress looked good.

He told her to have fun, and if it was late when she returned, she should send him a message and he would pick her up.

But before she could wait for him to pick her up, she had encountered a stranger following her.

Jiang Chen did not hesitate, nor did he dwell on whether it was a misunderstanding.

Whether it was a misunderstanding or not, he would figure it out when he got there.

He snatched his jacket and car keys from the sofa, striding toward the entryway while dialing Lu Zheng's number.

The call was answered instantly.

"Mr. Jiang."

"Lu Zheng, take two people and rush to the 24-hour convenience store on 19th Road in Chengxi District immediately. I'm sending you the location. I'm heading there first; you all follow as fast as you can."

Jiang Chen's voice was very low, his speaking speed three points faster than usual, but every word was clear and forceful.

From Lu Zheng's end came the sound of a chair being pushed back, followed by hurried footsteps and the motion of opening a drawer to grab car keys. There was not a single word of unnecessary chatter: "Understood. I'm taking people there; I'll be there within ten minutes."

"Don't go in when you arrive. Wait outside and keep an eye on a person at the door wearing a baseball cap and a black long-sleeved shirt."

Jiang Chen paused, opened the door, and stepped into the elevator. "If he tries to run, stop him."

"Received."

Hanging up, Jiang Chen switched back to WeChat to reply to Su Xiaoxi, his tone steady, without a hint of panic.

"Su Xiaoxi, don't be afraid. It might not be overthinking. Better to be cautious than to take risks. Just stay in the convenience store, don't go anywhere, and send me your location."

After pressing send, he added another message: "I'm on my way, wait for me. Also, I've had Lu Zheng bring people over; they'll be there soon."

Su Xiaoxi replied almost instantly: she sent the location.

Another message: "Okay... Brother Chen, please hurry. I just took another look; he's still standing across the street. My legs are shaking. The lady at the cashier asked me what was wrong, and I said it was nothing... I'm so afraid of causing trouble for others."

Jiang Chen changed his shoes and walked quickly out of the elevator.

During the time the elevator was descending, he sent a voice message to Su Xiaoxi with one hand, his voice steady and gentle.

"Xiaoxi, you did the right thing! Hiding in the convenience store was right, telling the clerk was right, and suspecting someone was following you is not your fault. I'm already on the way, don't be afraid! I've notified Lu Zheng as well; you aren't alone."

Su Xiaoxi replied with a voice message. In the background was the music playing in the convenience store. Her voice was very low, with clear sobbing: "Mm... Brother Chen, I'll wait for you. Drive carefully."

Jiang Chen walked out of the elevator and pressed the car key.

The lights of the Porsche panamera in the underground garage lit up in response. He opened the door, sat in, and started the engine. The engine let out a low roar, and the car sped out of the underground garage like an arrow released from a bow, merging into the city's evening traffic.

He set Su Xiaoxi's location as the navigation destination.

The screen showed that the convenience store was about five kilometers from the market. The location wasn't remote, but there was a stretch of road along the way lined with old shops, and there were few pedestrians after nightfall.

Su Xiaoxi must have noticed something wrong while walking that stretch of road.

The navigation showed seven minutes.

Jiang Chen stepped on the gas, the car nimbly overtaking the car in front, speeding toward the location point.

Six minutes later, he arrived at the destination.

He saw the convenience store from afar; the white sign with green lettering was particularly striking in the night.

Jiang Chen slowed down, his gaze sweeping across the street opposite the convenience store.

Across the street, in the shadow of a street tree, someone was indeed standing there.

A black long-sleeved shirt, baseball cap pulled very low, hands in pockets, leaning against a lamppost.

Most of his face was covered by the brim of the cap, making it impossible to see his expression, but his posture was casual—not like he was waiting for someone, but more like he was killing time.

Jiang Chen parked the car steadily in front of the convenience store.

He didn't rush to get out of the car, first sending a message to Lu Zheng: "I've arrived. He's still here. Baseball cap, black long-sleeved shirt, by the street tree about ten meters to the right of the convenience store entrance. How much longer for you?"

Lu Zheng replied instantly: "Three minutes."

Jiang Chen put away his phone and pushed the door open to get out.

He didn't immediately deal with the person across the street, walking straight into the convenience store.

The warm white light shone down, and the faint scent of oden drifted between the shelves.

Behind the cash register stood a female clerk in her thirties, her expression somewhat worried as she glanced inside from time to time.

Seeing Jiang Chen push the door open and enter, she was clearly stunned for a moment.

This man, dressed in high-end fabrics with an imposing aura, was completely out of place in this street-side convenience store.

Jiang Chen's gaze swept over the rows of shelves, landing on the corner furthest inside.

Su Xiaoxi was curled up in the rest area against the wall, with a bottle of mineral water that had been opened but not drunk placed in front of her.

Her hands were tightly clutching her phone, her head buried very low, her shoulders tensed like a string about to snap at any moment.

Hearing footsteps and looking up, the moment she saw Jiang Chen, her eyes instantly turned red.

"Brother Chen."

She stood up, her legs going weak, nearly stumbling, only to be caught by Jiang Chen who stepped forward quickly.

Su Xiaoxi grabbed his clothes, her whole body trembling, her voice tearful, yet she kept her volume down, as if afraid of disturbing others.

"You came... You finally came... I thought I was just being too sensitive, but he really followed me the whole way, from that old street all the way to here..."

"You weren't overthinking it."

Jiang Chen pulled her into his embrace, one hand gently patting her back, his tone firm.

"You did exactly the right thing. In matters like this, there is no such thing as 'overthinking.' If it feels wrong, it is wrong. Your intuition to protect yourself is more important than anything else."

Su Xiaoxi buried her face in his chest, her fingers clutching the lapel of his jacket, her knuckles turning white.

She said muffledly, "I originally wanted to run away on my own, but I didn't know where to run. I was afraid that if I ran toward home, he would find out where I live... So I hid in the convenience store..."

"Too smart."

Jiang Chen lowered his head and kissed the top of her hair.

"Not exposing your address, not walking to places with few people, and hiding in a place with lights and people—this is textbook-level handling."

Hearing him say this, Su Xiaoxi's tense lips finally relaxed a little, but then she became nervous again, lowering her voice, "He... he's still outside. I snuck a peek earlier; he crossed the street and is not far from the convenience store entrance."

Jiang Chen followed her gaze and glanced outside the glass door.

The man in the baseball cap had indeed moved from across the street and was currently standing by the street tree to the side of the convenience store entrance, about ten meters from the door, holding a drink and looking down at his phone.

If not for the position he was standing in.

It was perfectly positioned to see inside the convenience store, yet just outside the direct view of the surveillance camera.

Others would probably really think he was just an ordinary passerby.

Just then, Jiang Chen's phone vibrated in his pocket.

He pulled it out with one hand and took a look; it was a message from Lu Zheng: "Mr. Jiang, we've arrived. The car is parked at the street corner. We see the person. Two people have already gotten out and are circling around from the back, awaiting your instructions."

Jiang Chen tilted the phone screen slightly for Su Xiaoxi to see and said in a low voice, "Lu Zheng has arrived. He brought people over and they are already outside."

Su Xiaoxi looked at Lu Zheng's message on his phone screen, then looked up at his face.

The man's jawline was tight, but his gaze toward her remained soft and steady.

She suddenly felt that the fear that had been tightly knotted in her chest finally began to loosen.

"Brother Chen." She tugged on his sleeve and whispered, "Are you going out?"

"No rush."

Jiang Chen put his phone back in his pocket, gently putting his arm around her shoulder, and led her to sit down on the rest bench.

"I'll stay here with you until Lu Zheng is in position."