Ling Zhenfei was perplexed. These robbers were indeed behaving strangely. He came to deliver the money, yet these people appeared unhurried. Did they not want the money? If not, what was their purpose for kidnapping Yang Zixuan?

Just as Ling Zhenfei was pondering these questions, the phone rang again. This time, it was his sister-in-law, Zhou Yun.

Zhou Yun rarely called Ling Zhenfei unless it was something very important, so he hurriedly answered the phone.

On the other end of the line, Zhou Yun was indeed very anxious, her voice even tinged with tears.

"Zhenfei, where are you? Something happened at the manor!"

Hearing Zhou Yun's words, Ling Zhenfei was momentarily stunned. Something happened at the manor? What could have happened? Everything was fine when he arrived last night.

"What happened, sis-in-law? Take your time and tell me."

"It's like this. This morning, we were supposed to ship out dozens of truckloads of vegetables, but for some reason, none of the delivery trucks arrived. After asking around, we found out that someone had blocked the road leading to our village, preventing the trucks from getting in. Without the trucks, our vegetables can't be sold."

Ling Zhenfei knew right away that someone was causing trouble. The first person that came to mind was the village chief, Wang Changhe. He would definitely be the first to know about any roadwork in the village. It was even possible that he was the one causing the trouble.

"Alright, sis-in-law, first have the workers use small carts to transport the vegetables, try to minimize our losses. I'll come back as soon as I think of a way to solve this."

After giving a few more instructions, he hung up the call with Zhou Yun, but just as he did, the phone rang again. This time, it was Fatty calling.

"Boss, something terrible has happened!"

As soon as the call connected, Fatty's voice came through, startling Ling Zhenfei. He had no idea what could have happened on Fatty's end.

"What happened? Explain it clearly."

After calming down a bit, Fatty said, "Boss, there's a problem with the vegetables. Someone maliciously spread rumors online saying that the vegetables from Xishan Manor are all genetically modified and carcinogenic. They even posted flyers in front of our restaurant saying that our dishes are made with these vegetables."

"What!"

Ling Zhenfei couldn't believe his ears. Someone was actually saying that his vegetables were carcinogenic? This was sheer ignorance. His vegetables were all watered with spiritual water. Far from causing cancer, they might even cure it with long-term consumption.

"Boss, I've already looked into it. It's not just our restaurant. Other restaurants using Xishan Manor's vegetables are also being targeted in the same way. Some even posted lists of all the restaurants using our vegetables. Now, many of our customers are demanding explanations."

Ling Zhenfei was momentarily puzzled. Who on earth was causing trouble behind the scenes? Could their hard-earned reputation in Binyang be ruined by these small-minded individuals? He couldn't allow that.

"Fatty, immediately contact the media and inspection departments to check our farm. We must restore our farm's reputation. I'll deal with some matters in the Provincial City quickly and then rush back."

After hanging up Fatty's call, more calls kept coming in, all from their vegetable suppliers. Mostly high-end restaurants, they were also affected by the online rumors and were questioning Ling Zhenfei about the situation.

For a moment, Ling Zhenfei was overwhelmed. He couldn't understand how the customers who had been so eager to buy yesterday were now all disturbed by these events.

After hanging up, Ling Zhenfei searched online. The defamatory information was indeed everywhere. It seemed like everyone had coordinated to claim that Xishan Manor's vegetables were genetically modified and carcinogenic.

This sudden attack had to be someone deliberately causing trouble, but who?

He suddenly remembered that two days ago, Huo Tian and Huo Long had approached him at the entrance of Xishan Manor. Huo Tian had said that if they didn't agree to his company's contract within two days, their vegetables wouldn't sell. Judging by the timing, these two were the likely culprits.

Ling Zhenfei had always been wary of the Tianhe Group's sabotage, but he never expected Yang Zixuan to get into trouble. If he were in Binyang, he could handle it, but now he was in the Provincial City, and Yang Zixuan's life was hanging in the balance. How could he deal with the manor's problems?

Ling Zhenfei understood that he had to get back quickly. The rumors spreading so fast online far exceeded his expectations. If he could return early, he might still have a chance to mitigate the damage. If he was late, no one would believe him no matter how he explained it.

His heart was burning with urgency, but since things had reached this point, he had to proceed step by step. The most important thing now was to rescue Yang Zixuan and then return to Binyang to deal with the manor's issues.

Ling Zhenfei had no idea where Kong Jingshan was. He hadn't even heard of this name before. To make matters worse, the abandoned refinery was isolated, without any nearby villages or shops. There wasn't even a single person in sight, let alone a taxi.

With no other option, Ling Zhenfei started walking step by step, trying to reach a populated area to catch a ride. But he had no clue how far he would have to walk.

Just as Ling Zhenfei was feeling helpless, he suddenly saw dust rising in the distance. A car sped towards him, circled around once, and then stopped next to him.

"Get in the car!"

To his surprise, the driver was Zheng Tingting. He hadn't expected her to come back, and at that moment, she looked like an angel to Zhenfei.

"Why did you come back?"

Ling Zhenfei noticed that Zheng Tingting's demeanor had improved significantly. She no longer had a sullen expression and was instead wearing a faint smile, making her look exceptionally beautiful.

"What, not happy to see me?"

"Thank you so much. This place is so isolated; I really didn't know what to do if you hadn't come back."

Ling Zhenfei spoke honestly. Choosing this location made him wonder if it was a deliberate choice by the robbers.

"Well, I guess I saved you then. So we're even now."

Zheng Tingting laughed, seemingly pleased with herself. There was no denying that her smile was beautiful, causing Ling Zhenfei to momentarily lose himself in her charm. This woman had changed so much; she seemed like a completely different person from just now.

Zheng Tingting was very talkative, and Ling Zhenfei had a lot to say as well. So they chatted as they drove.

"You came all the way to the Provincial City just to save a girl you have no relationship with?"

Upon hearing the reason for Ling Zhenfei's trip, Zheng Tingting was incredulous. Who would risk their life to travel such a distance to save someone they weren't closely connected to? He could have stayed out of it, but he chose to come anyway.

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