56: Chapter 56 Trip to Jinghu

Three hours later, Cao Xiao appeared at Daqiang Steel Plant and met Hao Linger in Hao Daqiang's office.

"Cao Xiao, you're here." Hao Linger was rummaging through a pile of documents; seeing Cao Xiao enter, she spoke with a hint of exhaustion.

"How is it? Still no way to solve it?" Cao Xiao said, feeling a pang of sympathy as he looked at Hao Linger's pale face.

"Have a seat first, I'll go make some tea for you," Hao Linger said as she stood up.

"No need, I'm not thirsty. Tell me about the situation first," Cao Xiao said, sitting on the sofa.

"There's no way to solve it. This isn't a legal issue anymore; the key is evidence. We lack strong evidence. When my uncle got the formula, he didn't sign a contract. The person who developed the formula is a good friend of his," Hao Linger said dejectedly.

"So the key to the problem is still the inventor of the formula. Have you found any useful information?" Cao Xiao asked.

"That person is named Meng Tong. My uncle and he grew up together. He's not the type to abandon principles for profit. We haven't found out the specifics yet, but he refuses to meet us. Later, we heard that his little daughter, Meng Xiaohuan, suddenly went missing recently. The local police searched the entire city but found nothing. It's very likely his actions are related to this. However, since he's abroad, we are powerless and can only look for breakthroughs elsewhere. But my uncle wants to give up; he says he doesn't want his friend to suffer, so he's been getting dead drunk these past few days. The steel plant has already stopped production, the capital chain is completely broken, and we owe a lot of external debt. Once this lawsuit is lost, we won't just lose the formula; we'll also face a massive fine. By then, my uncle will truly have nothing left. Daqiang Steel Plant is his life's work; I'm afraid he won't be able to take the blow. Cao Xiao, what should I do? Do we really have to give up?" Hao Linger's eyes reddened, and her voice choked up as she spoke.

"Don't worry, it hasn't come to that yet. In this country, a person can't just disappear for no reason. If she was kidnapped to threaten Meng Tong, then Meng Xiaohuan should still be in the local area; she couldn't have been moved. As long as we find Meng Xiaohuan, the ugly face of that Japanese company will be exposed, and the crisis at Daqiang Steel Plant will naturally be resolved. We have to believe the local police can solve the case quickly. If you need funds, I can lend them to your uncle, interest-free." Cao Xiao comforted Hao Linger, though he didn't truly believe it. Finding someone intentionally hidden in a city was as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack.

"We know that, but it's not just the police; my father's friends have helped search as well, and there's still no word. If your funds are sufficient, lend me fifty million. I'm borrowing it personally, and I'll return all my shares in Dizang Company to you. Don't worry, I won't quit. I'll find a way to pay you back after the steel plant's issues are handled. Also, my uncle can't pay back the money he owes you for the goods for now; I want to pay off the external debts first." Hao Linger said, her brow still furrowed with worry.

"Hmm?" Cao Xiao thought he had misheard. Hao Linger was actually borrowing money in her own name and wanted to return the shares to him. It seemed Daqiang Steel Plant's situation was precarious. Hao Daqiang had pinned all his hopes on that Special Alloy Formula to skyrocket, and he had likely invested a lot. The scale of Daqiang Steel Plant wasn't large, with fixed assets around two to three hundred million. That set of alloy production equipment wouldn't be cheap, probably at least a hundred million. Plus, with a large stock of alloy piled up, a lot of capital was tied up, and the debts were likely substantial now.

"If it's difficult, then never mind. Nothing will happen for the time being." Seeing Cao Xiao remain silent, a flash of disappointment appeared in Hao Linger's eyes, and her voice grew even lower.

"No, I'll lend you the money. I'll only take back nine percent of the shares for fifty million, and I'll lend you another hundred million on top of that." Cao Xiao made the decision after considering it for a while. It wasn't that he wanted the shares back; he was afraid that if Dizang Company truly grew in the future, these shares would bring danger to Hao Linger, just like the current situation.

"No, those shares were yours to begin with, and I haven't contributed much to the company. Besides, nine percent of the shares aren't worth fifty million. I'll return them all to you without taking a cent. Lending me money for this emergency is already a huge help." Hao Linger wasn't happy; instead, she spoke somewhat anxiously.

"I know how much my company is worth. Linger, we're friends, aren't we? If we are, then don't refuse." Cao Xiao knew Hao Linger's personality; she could be quite stubborn. No matter how many reasons he gave, he wouldn't be able to convince her, so it was better to be a bit overbearing to make her accept.

"No matter what you say, just consider it a loan from you, and I'll pay it all back later. Otherwise, I'll just quit and let you deal with the headache of your company yourself." Hao Linger did not yield and even threatened Cao Xiao in return.

"Fine, we'll talk about this later. I'll transfer the money to you now." Cao Xiao breathed a sigh of relief. As long as Hao Linger accepted it, that was enough. Who could say what would happen in the future? Perhaps a single dividend payment for Hao Linger would be worth more than fifty million. Besides, he hadn't specified when she had to pay it back—three years or five years, it was hard to say.

"Thank you, Cao Xiao!" Hao Linger said gratefully.

"Why thank me? We're friends! By the way, give me the information on Meng Xiaohuan's disappearance." Cao Xiao said.

"Forget it, you won't be able to help even if you go. Just go to the company when you have time." Hao Linger knew Cao Xiao wanted to help find the person, but if even the police couldn't find him, his going would yield the same result.

"I'll have my friends help look for him. How do we know we won't find him until we try? More people looking means more hope." Cao Xiao didn't even know where Meng Xiaohuan had disappeared, and he didn't have any friends who could help. He said this because he wanted to look for him himself. As long as Meng Xiaohuan hadn't been moved away, with his Detection Function, he could thoroughly search the entire city in a few days. Just because others couldn't find him didn't mean he couldn't. Even if he was hidden underground, Cao Xiao could dig him out.

"She went missing in Xiangnan City. According to the clues provided by the police, she was taken away by a stranger on her way home from school. I have the electronic files for the specific information and Meng Xiaohuan's details here; I'll send them to you right away." Hao Linger didn't hold much hope, but she couldn't refuse Cao Xiao's offer to help.

"Okay, I received them. I'll have my friends over there help look in a bit. I'll notify you if there's any news. By the way, I brought some things for you. Come with me to pick them up; I still need to rush back to Huanghe City." Cao Xiao had prepared some things for Hao Linger when he came, all of which were from his recent harvest in Baiyun Mountain.

"I won't keep you then. Make sure to visit the company more often when you get back; it might be a while before I can return. Let's go, I want to see what 'good things' you brought me." Hao Linger's mood had improved significantly. The funding issue was temporarily resolved, and she had done everything else she could; the rest was up to fate. She stepped forward, grabbed Cao Xiao's arm, and led him downstairs.

"Don't rush, slow down. We're going down the stairs. Let go of my hand first, or we'll both tumble down like rolling gourds." Being pulled by Hao Linger and feeling the girl's soft fullness, Cao Xiao lost his focus and nearly tripped.

"Hurry up and open the trunk! Let me see if it suits this young lady's taste." Hao Linger urged Cao Xiao.

"By the way, do you eat snake meat?" Cao Xiao didn't open the trunk immediately. In fact, the items were in his personal space, so he asked Hao Linger first to avoid scaring her to tears when he took them out.

"Pfft! This young lady has always stood at the very top of the food chain. Why wouldn't I dare to eat a mere little snake? Besides, snake meat is truly delicious; wouldn't I be doing myself a disservice by not eating it? Hurry up and open it so I can see what kind of snake meat you traveled so far specifically to bring me." Hao Linger instantly transformed back into an invincible beautiful girl warrior.

"Python meat. Here, scared yet?" Cao Xiao opened the trunk, opened a small box, and took out a large piece of snowy white snake meat for Hao Linger to see.