The 500-meter taxi ride cost Ye Qiu fifteen yuan, which he found quite painful. Back in his hometown, fifteen yuan could buy a pig's trotter. However, considering he almost haggled with the driver to pay thirty yuan for the ride to Tang Corporation, he felt he didn't lose too much.
After paying the fare, Ye Qiu walked toward the Tang Corporation building.
Tang Corporation was a renowned enterprise in China, though it wasn't ranked among the world's top 100 companies. The Chinese valued keeping a low profile, and some hidden families preferred not to step into the spotlight. Many believed Bill Gates was the richest person in the world, but there were numerous people globally with more wealth than him.
Tang Corporation publicly operated in real estate, hotels, restaurant chains, and transportation. After establishing connections with the Lin family, which had military background, they ventured into aerospace and bioengineering. These latter two industries were more secretive but were the real money-makers for Tang Corporation.
The Tang Corporation building was situated on the bustling Central Street of Beijing. The entire 47-story building belonged to Tang Corporation. In front of the building was a large plaza with the company's logo prominently displayed in the center. The taxi driver had pointed to this logo and the golden "Tang Corporation" characters when telling Ye Qiu they had arrived.
As Ye Qiu approached the lobby entrance, a security guard stopped him.
"Hey, what are you here for?" A tall guard in a brand-new uniform asked, blocking Ye Qiu's way. In his career at Tang Corporation, he had never seen anyone in Adidas sportswear trying to enter the building—especially not knock-offs.
"I'm here to see someone," Ye Qiu replied with a smile.
"Who are you here to see?"
"Tang Buyi."
"Tang Buyi? Who's that? Which department? If you're not an employee or client of Tang Corporation, you can't go in. You can call them and ask them to come out if you want to talk," the guard said, shaking his head. Although his tone was friendly, his stance was firm.
Seriously, did this guy think Tang Corporation was a place anyone could just waltz into? Otherwise, why would they need security guards? They had to maintain the company's image.
Uh, asking Tang Buyi to come out? Ye Qiu didn't think he had that kind of influence. Although Tang Buyi treated him well and didn't see him merely as a bodyguard.
"Old Zhang, our chairman's surname is Tang—" Another more astute guard whispered to his colleague after hearing Ye Qiu's words.
"Are you stating the obvious? Tang Corporation—of course, the chairman's surname is Tang. What's our chairman's full name again?"
"I glanced at the company's profile manual once. The first page had an introduction—I think his name is Tang Buyi—Tang Buyi?"
The two guards exchanged looks. Could it be such a coincidence?
"You said you're here to see Tang Buyi?"
"Yes."
"Which department?"
"No department." Ye Qiu shook his head. "He seems to be your boss."
"You're here to see our chairman?" The two guards eyed Ye Qiu warily. "Who are you? Why are you looking for him?"
"What's going on?" A clear, melodious voice rang out. The three of them looked over to see a beautiful woman in a white professional suit, with permed hair, and a purple scarf around her slender neck, walking gracefully towards them.
"Secretary Lei, this gentleman said he's here to see Tang—the chairman," Old Zhang, recognizing the elegant and refined woman, explained with a smile.
Secretary Lei nodded, studying Ye Qiu for a moment before smiling and asking, "Are you Ye Qiu?"
"Yes," Ye Qiu nodded. Interacting with women was much more comfortable.
"I'm Lei Yu, a secretary in Secretary Section One under Mr. Tang. Mr. Wang asked me to bring you up," Lei Yu, having confirmed that this was indeed the person Mr. Wang had instructed her to find, became more courteous, even changing her form of address.
"Thank you," Ye Qiu nodded and followed Lei Yu upstairs.
The two guards behind them exchanged incredulous looks.
Tang Buyi received Ye Qiu in his office, personally making him a cup of tea before sitting down across from him with a friendly smile, "Ye Qiu, are you adjusting well to Beijing?"
"Quite well," Ye Qiu smiled and nodded. He thought to himself, if it weren't for your daughter always causing trouble, life would be much better.
"I really must thank you. My daughter—I've spoiled her from a young age. She's a bit spoiled and willful. If she did anything wrong, I apologize as her father. Please bear with her," Tang Buyi said sincerely.
If word got out about this, it would surely cause a stir in Beijing. The head of Tang Corporation apologizing to a newly hired bodyguard—it was odd even to Ye Qiu.
With Tang Corporation's wealth, hiring bodyguards should be easy, whether from the national special forces or hunter organizations. There's no need for Tang Buyi to be so polite to him.
"Miss Tang has a good heart," Ye Qiu said with a smile.
This wasn't just to flatter Tang Buyi; it was Ye Qiu's genuine impression of Tang Guo. If she were truly bad, she wouldn't have hesitated for so long with the knife before running upstairs angrily.
How many children from wealthy families treated their servants as human beings?
Hearing Ye Qiu praise Tang Guo, Tang Buyi's round, chubby face almost bloomed into a flower. He laughed heartily, "Yes, she has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. She often offends people even when she's trying to help them. It gives me quite a headache."
Ye Qiu wasn't there to discuss Tang Guo's personality, and given Tang Buyi's busy schedule, he didn't expect him to have much time to waste. So, he immediately got to the point.
"Uncle Tang, I came to discuss the incidents where Miss Tang was kidnapped. I wasn't involved in the first incident, but I was there last night. The opponents were well-prepared and knew Miss Tang very well. It was a premeditated, organized kidnapping."
"Given your position in the business world, you must have made some enemies. Do you have any suspects? We can't always stay on the defensive. Proactively investigating the situation is the only way to ensure Miss Tang's safety."
The smile on Tang Buyi's plump, round face gradually faded, and his expression turned serious, exuding the authority of a chairman of a large corporation. After pondering for a moment, he said, "I've been investigating this matter recently. There are two people who have the strongest motives."