My Wife Is a Superstar (Ning Tan)

Chapter 987

Chapter 987 A Crisis

After the awards ceremony, Nan Chen and Ning Ran didn't leave Norwal City right away.

Since the marriage proposal was a success, Nan Chen wanted to take his celebrity wife on a week's holiday. Hence, they had no plans to return home for the time being.

As the few countries nearby Norwal City had beautiful scenery and amazing food, Nan Chen—who was familiar with the area—wanted to tour them with Ning Ran on a relaxing road trip.

Two days into their trip, Qiao Zhan arrived with terrible news—Dabao had been kidnapped.

Nan Chen glowered at Qiao Zhan at once. “Didn't I tell you to tighten security when we're out of the country?”

Qiao Zhan's face brimmed with guilt. “I did. Little Master and Little Miss were protected by our ten most powerful men. The kidnappers were professionals armed with sophisticated weapons, putting our men at a huge disadvantage.”

Nan Chen's brows furrowed tightly. “What do you mean by professionals?”

“They're foreign mercenaries armed with advanced weapons and explosives. All of our men were grievously injured, two of whom are still in the emergency room. It wasn't a case of them not doing their best but that they were simply outgunned. In the end, it was Little Master who ordered them to stop resisting,” Qiao Zhan explained.

“Dabao told them to stand down?” Ning Ran was even more puzzled.

“The kidnappers wanted to capture Dabao and Erbao, so our men were badly hurt in their effort to defend the children. In the end, Dabao came forward to stop them. He offered to go with the

kidnappers in exchange for letting our men and his sister go free. He said that he was the most valuable hostage as Nan Chen's son. Regardless of what their goal was, having him would be enough to achieve it. Once the kidnappers were convinced, they really let Erbao and the rest of our men go before leaving with Dabao.”

Qiao Zhan hung his head throughout his report, assuming responsibility for the dereliction of his duty.

With Nan Chen and Ning Ran overseas, Qiao Zhan was naturally left in charge.

On top of that, he had at his disposal the bulk of the bodyguards, who were all elite warriors in their own right.

Unfortunately, they weren't allowed to carry firearms, a fact that became their Achilles heel when faced with the heavily armed mercenaries.

Consequently, no one could blame them for what happened.

“Has the police found any leads? Does the public know about it yet?” Nan Chen inquired with a frown.

He had quickly regained his composure after a brief moment of panic.

Although Dabao was everything to him, he knew that it would be futile to act impulsively.

It was clear that the perpetrators were out to kidnap the children, given that they didn't kill anyone despite their overwhelming firepower.

Since they were kidnappers, profit was naturally their goal. It also meant that Dabao's life was theoretically not in danger.

“They chose to strike on the streets instead of the kindergarten entrance. It was raining really heavily back then, and their actions were lightning-quick. On top of that, they must have sealed off the road

beforehand. That's why there were no witnesses and news of the incident is still kept under wraps. Even though the police managed to track them down quickly, the kidnappers escaped due to the well- thought-out getaway plan they had in place.” Property © of NôvelDrama.Org.

Ning Ran's heart sank further the moment Qiao Zhan finished.

“What about Dabao? Did they take him with them?” Ning Ran asked frantically.

“No, the police have confirmed that they didn't leave with him. Dabao should still be inside the city,” Qiao Zhan replied, causing Ning Ran and Nan Chen to exchange glances.

Nan Chen was surprised at how brave Ning Ran was. He had expected her to be sobbing and kicking up a fuss by then.

With that thought in mind, he held her hand. “Don't worry. Dabao will be fine. Let's fly home right away in a private jet.”

Ning Ran and Nan Chen arrived at Flower City the next afternoon.

At the sight of Ning Ran, Erbao buried her head in her mother's arms and cried her heart out.

“Mommy, Dabao has been kidnapped...”

Ning Ran comforted her softly, “Don't cry, Erbao. Dabao will definitely come back.”

“Why did they take Dabao? Those men are evil!” Erbao cried.

As to why they took her son, Ning Ran, too, didn't have an answer because there were no ransom demands so far.

Despite the police's best efforts, they still couldn't find the kidnappers as long as the latter didn't rear their heads.

It was also easy to hide a child in Flower City, which was a sprawling metropolis.

Having expected the kidnappers to make their demands quickly, Ning Ran began to worry when they didn't hear anything.

From the Nan family's perspective, their first reaction would be to pay the ransom once the kidnappers demanded it.

Whether the kidnappers were subsequently caught or whether they would get their money back was secondary. Dabao's safety was all that mattered.

Unfortunately, there was no ransom demand so far.

Moreover, the perpetrators who were physically involved in the kidnapping had fled the country without their victim, a sign that they were just hired goons.

They weren't the ones looking to extort money from the Nan family.

Meanwhile, Ning Ran gave her daughter a tight hug. “Don't worry, Darling. I promise you that we'll definitely save Dabao.”

It was then Chai Hua arrived to inform them that Nan Zhengde wanted to see her and Nan Chen in the study.

Upon their arrival, Nan Zhengde was a sea of calm. Having gone through plenty of turbulent events in his life, he knew better than anyone else the futility of losing good judgment.

“Such incidents are unavoidable for a family as high-profile as ours. Both of you have to be strong now. Dabao should still be safe for the time being,” Nan Zhengde remarked, to which Ning Ran and Nan Chen nodded.

Thereafter, he gestured for both of them to sit. “The police have been busy investigating with Qiao Zhan's help, but I'm worried that the kidnappers might have a different motive since they have yet to demand a ransom. I would like to hear your views about it.”

“Ning Ran and I think that a business competitor hired them to do it. That's why they won't be demanding a ransom directly. On top of that, the mastermind is well aware of the risks. That's why he hasn't issued his demands yet,” Nan Chen replied.

Nan Zhengde fell into deep thought upon hearing Nan Chen's theory. “Are you saying that either the Ouyang family or the Rong family is behind Dabao's kidnapping?”

While Nan Chen nodded, Ning Ran's heart was further weighed down by the news.

If it was the Rong family, wouldn't it be a case of shooting one's own foot? Why would they want to kidnap a child of their in-laws?

“In that case, who do you think is more likely? The Ouyangs or the Rongs?” Nan Zhengde asked again.

“The Ouyangs,” Nan Chen answered.

“Why?”

“The Rong family hasn't shown any weakness in their competition with us. Also, they clearly aren't desperate enough to resort to such extreme measures. To them, such an act is just too risky. That's why I think it's unlikely they're behind it. As for the Ouyang family, Ouyang Li has just been removed from her position of acting CEO by the board of directors. Given how reckless she can be, she's currently the prime suspect.” Nan Chen shared the analysis which he and Ning Ran had discussed upon.

Ning Ran nodded as she shared the same conclusion.

Nan Zhengde, too, nodded in agreement. “Ouyang Li is also under police surveillance, but they have yet to notice anything amiss about her. All she does is spend her time at Lily Club and rarely goes out. Also, considering her background, she's incapable of contacting foreign mercenaries unless someone helped her.”