Chapter 799
Chapter 799
Nan Chen wanted the remaining scenes to be filmed elsewhere, but Ning Ran insisted to head to Livingsfill to film the remaining scenes before returning to Flower City one week later.
After Ding Fei provided the photo of the woman, Qiao Zhan worked diligently to track her down. As soon as Ning Ran returned to Flower City, Qiao Zhan wasted no time in bringing her to meet the woman.
Ning Ran was anxious on the way there as she had no idea whether the woman knew about the USB.
If the woman had no idea about the USB, then the clue would be of no use.
Judging from the current situation, her mother's belongings could very well be connected to her background and her past.
“Chief Qiao, can you tell me about that person?” Ning Ran turned around to ask Qiao Zhan.
Qiao Zhan flashed a shy smile. “Please, don't call me 'Chief Qiao,' Madam. My title is only used to intimidate others, so calling me that makes me feel self-conscious. Instead, you can just call me by my name as it feels more casual. But when we're around Jiang Zhe, please call me 'Chief Qiao', I can't let him outrank me.”
Ning Ran laughed. “Sure, I'll call you 'Ah Qiao' from now on. And please, don't call me 'Madam', just use my name.”
“I can't do that. You can call me 'Qiao Zhan', but I can't call you 'Ning Ran'.” Qiao Zhan waved his hands hastily.
“Why not? Didn't you just call my name?”
“Oh, I was just following your words. I wasn't calling you 'Ning Ran' for real—”
“Look, you repeated my name again,” Ning Ran cut in cheerfully.
Qiao Zhan shook his head shyly. “If you don't like me calling you 'Madam,' I shall address you as 'Ms. Ning'.”
“Whatever you like. Tell me about that person.”
“Her name is Ou Ling, and she's an accountant at a small company. There's nothing special about her as she seems like an ordinary person,” Qiao Zhan revealed.
Ning Ran nodded understandingly. That's normal. Most people in the world are ordinary. I'm also an ordinary person.
An hour later, Ning Ran and Qiao Zhan arrived at a county within Flower City.
Qiao Zhan's car rolled to a stop outside a plastic factory in the suburbs. Ou Ling worked as an accountant in this factory.
Naturally, they didn't enter the factory recklessly. Qiao Zhan told the security guard that they were there to meet Ou Ling. The security guard called the office, and they were told that Ou Ling was in a meeting and had no time for them.
Ning Ran and Qiao Zhan had no choice but to wait.
Two hours later, the sky was getting dark. Qiao Zhan went to ask where Ou Ling was. Alas, he was informed that she was still in a meeting.
After waiting for another hour, Qiao Zhan went to ask about Ou Ling again. This time, the security guard told him that Ou Ling went home after the meeting ended. She wasn't at the factory anymore.
Qiao Zhan nearly punched that security guard, but Ning Ran convinced him not to.
“Didn't you make an appointment with her?” Ning Ran asked.
“Of course I did. I contacted her and mentioned your name, stating that you wanted to ask her about some details from her past. Despite my efforts, she refused to meet me and instead asked what my intentions were. I told the security guard to inform her about our arrival, but she left without even letting us know despite being aware that we'd been waiting for her for hours. It seems clear that she is not a kind or considerate person,” Qiao Zhan snapped angrily.
Ning Ran responded, “She's my mom's friend, so let's not jump to conclusions about her character. We don't know her well enough to say whether she is unkind or not.”
“All right, then. Anyway, she shouldn't have done that to us.”
“Do you know her address?”
“Yes, I do. I did a thorough investigation. Her residence is located in this county, so it should be close to the factory.”
“Let's go.”
With the help of GPS, Ning Ran and Qiao Zhan soon arrived at their destination. They were surprised to see that Ou Ling's house was a grand, five-story villa situated in a spacious courtyard. It was clear that it was one of the most luxurious villas in the county.
“Ah Qiao, your investigation results might be inaccurate. I don't think an ordinary accountant can afford to live in such a grand house,” Ning Ran said dubiously.
Qiao Zhan agreed. “This house is really grand. It looks like Ou Ling isn't just an accountant. She must be rich.”
Ning Ran went online to search for Ou Ling's name. Ou Ling was indeed the accountant of that company, but she was also one of the founders.
In other words, she was one of the major shareholders. She could also possibly be the largest shareholder but delegated the task of running the company to someone else and only took charge of the company's finance.
Further digging revealed that the chairman was her husband, so she was technically the chairman's wife.
Qiao Zhan apologized shyly, “My apologies. I delegated the task of locating her whereabouts to someone else and didn't investigate her background further.”
“It's fine. Her financial situation doesn't concern us as I only want to know about my mother from her. Let me give her a call.”
She pulled her phone out to call Ou Ling, but the latter didn't pick up.
It wasn't until much later that the call was answered. “Hello. Who is this?”
“Hello, Ms. Ou. This is Zhang Ru's daughter. I'd like to meet you.” Ning Ran went straight to the point and mentioned her mother's name in the opening of the conversation.
She's mom's friend, and I'm the daughter of her friend. She should be polite enough to agree to meet me, right? Exclusive © content by N(ô)ve/l/Drama.Org.
“Oh, I see. Were you the one who waited outside the factory for me?” Ou Ling asked.
“Yes, we came earlier today and were informed that you were in a meeting. We waited for a few hours, but the security guard informed us that you had left. So, we came to your house. We are currently
outside.”
The person at the other end of the line fell silent for a few moments before asking, “How did you get my house address?”
“I'm sorry about that, Ms. Ou. I asked a friend to help me find your address. I promise that my friend and I do not have any malicious intent. I simply want to learn more about my mother,” Ning Ran explained hastily.
“I was in a meeting when the security guard told me a burly man who looked dangerous asked to see me. Of course, I refused to see him. Now that you came all the way to my house, I'm afraid I'll have to call the police—”
“Please don't do that, Ms. Ou. We are not trying to cause any trouble. I just want to know some details about your past. Don't call the police and make things awkward. If you would prefer not to meet in person, I am happy to ask my questions over the phone. Would that be okay with you?” Ning Ran inquired.
“What do you want to know?”
“I want to know about my mom and her past. I heard that you visited her frequently when she was sick, and that she entrusted something to you. Can you tell me what it is?”
“How can you prove you're Zhang Ru's daughter? Where did you get the information from?” Ou Ling probed.
That was a long story, so Ning Ran didn't know where to start.
Suddenly, she realized that it was necessary to talk in person as she couldn't express herself properly over the phone.
“Ms. Ou, I'm really Zhang Ru's daughter. If you agree to meet me, I'm sure I can prove it easily. Please spare some time for me. I promise I won't take up a lot of your time,” Ning Ran pleaded.