Everyone in the Group is a Main Character, Except Me Who's the Villain

229: Chapter 229 Sister-in-law, don’t blame meListening to the voice coming from the phone, Nangong Ling’s hand holding the device began to tremble slightly.

She opened her mouth, wanting to speak, but found her throat blocked as if by something, unable to make a sound.

Sixteen years, a full sixteen years.

From the day her son was snatched away at the plaza, she had traveled to almost every province in the country and met countless suspected matches, leaving with hope every time and returning with disappointment every time.

During those nights of longing, she woke up countless times from nightmares, dreaming of her son crying for his mother, dreaming of him starving and freezing in some dark corner, and even dreaming that he was... no longer there.

She didn’t dare to think about it, yet she couldn’t help but think about it.

She never expected that now... her son’s DNA would actually appear in the genetic database??

”Ms. Nangong? Are you still there?” a young girl’s voice came from the other end of the line.

Nangong Ling took a deep breath, trying hard to steady her voice.

”Yes, I’m listening. May I ask, what is that child’s name??”

”Jiang Che!”

”Jiang Che?” Hearing this name, the hope in Nangong Ling’s heart grew even stronger.

Back then, that Master told her that her son’s name would contain the element of water; as long as she encountered a child with a water-related name, she had to verify it personally.

And this name was not only entirely water-related, but the call was even from the Genetic Testing Center??

This Jiang Che... must definitely be her child.

”When would it be convenient for you to come over? We need to collect a new sample from you for re-verification and confirmation.”

”Now, I’ll go over right now.”

Nangong Ling blurted out, but realizing the distance between them, she quickly corrected herself: ”No, I’ll book a flight today. At the earliest, I can arrive tomorrow evening.”

”Alright, once you arrive, come directly to the Genetic Testing Center and just give your name.”

”Thank you, thank you.”

Nangong Ling hung up the phone and sat in her chair, feeling as if her strength had been drained, yet also as if she had been injected with new life.

She looked out the window at the familiar city skyline, her eyes suddenly stinging.

She raised her hand to cover her face, her shoulders trembling slightly.

After a while, she lowered her hand, picked up her phone, and dialed her assistant’s number.

”Xiao He, book me a flight to Baoding, as soon as possible.”

”Baoding?” Assistant He was stunned for a moment: ”Ma’am, there’s a board meeting tomorrow morning...”

”Cancel it.” Nangong Ling didn’t hesitate for a second: ”Cancel all scheduled itineraries, I have something more important.”

The assistant was silent for a second, seemingly realizing something.

”Yes, Ma’am, I’ll handle it right away.”

...

Having received definite news about her son, Nangong Ling was anxious, wishing she could fly to his side immediately.

Meanwhile, in a villa at the Shangguan Manor in Magic City.

Shangguan Hong leaned against the leather sofa in the living room, holding a cigar. Smoke rose slowly in the air. He squinted his eyes, looking at the bright sky outside the window, lost in thought.

The phone rang.

He glanced at the caller ID and picked up.

”Second Master, news just came in.” A lowered voice came from the other end: ”Nangong Ling’s assistant booked a flight to Baoding for tomorrow morning.”

”Baoding?” Shangguan Hong narrowed his eyes: ”Looking for her son again?”

”Yes.”

”That woman truly won’t give up until she hits a dead end. But this time, she’ll definitely be on guard...”

”Second Master, this time might be a bit different.”

Shangguan Hong was still thinking about what action to take when the voice on the phone interrupted his contemplation.

”The person we planted in the Genetic Testing Center sent back a message saying that a sample with a match rate as high as 99.97% was found in the database, and the origin of this sample is Baoding City, Yi Province.”

”What did you say? The Genetic Testing Center?” Shangguan Hong’s face showed disbelief.

Nangong Ling’s search for her son was an open secret within the group. Not just the other shareholders, but even he... had long since stopped taking it seriously, even considering it a decent form of entertainment.

Watching her come up empty-handed time after time, falling into despair over and over, was quite interesting.

But this time... the Genetic Testing Center, a 99.97% match rate—what did that mean? It meant the other party wasn’t some Jianghu swindler or someone trying to scam money with a few photos; it was science, ironclad evidence.

”She actually found him?” Amidst his surprise, Shangguan Hong’s thoughts raced.

After Shangguan Yang’s accidental death, he thought he would naturally take control of the group. Who knew Shangguan Yang had a backup plan? Fearing the shares wouldn’t be safe in Nangong Ling’s hands, he left all the shares to the son who had been lost since childhood, with his wife Nangong Ling managing them on his behalf.

Since the son was lost, the other shareholders certainly didn’t agree, but out of respect for past ties, they agreed to sign a Gambling Agreement with Shangguan Yang.

As long as Nangong Ling could find the child before he turned eighteen, he could successfully inherit the group; otherwise, those shares would be divided equally among the other shareholders.

This was a good thing for the other shareholders, so they had no reason to disagree.

But Shangguan Hong did not agree!!

In his view, why should the Shangguan family’s shares be given to an outsider??

He had moved against Nangong Ling early on because he wanted to swallow the shares for himself while taking control of the group as soon as possible.

”She’s searched for sixteen years. If she really brings her son back...” Shangguan Hong murmured to himself.

Nangong Ling alone was difficult enough to deal with. If a legitimate heir were added, the plans he had laid over the years, the shareholders he had painstakingly won over, and the secret manipulations he had performed might all go to waste.

He stood up, walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, and looked at the artificial lake outside, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

”No, we can’t let that kid come back alive.”

”Listen to me, assemble two teams now. The first team will intercept Nangong Ling. Kill her if possible; if not, cause some trouble for her—car accidents, road blocks, temporary inspections, anything goes. In short, she cannot be allowed to see her son smoothly.”

”Understood!” The subordinate nodded solemnly.

”The second team!” Shangguan Hong’s voice was low: ”Find that Jiang Che as quickly as possible and take him away before Nangong Ling does.”

”Take him away?” The subordinate was stunned: ”Second Master means...”

Shangguan Hong took a deep breath and said word for word: ”Take him to a place where no one can find him and dispose of him cleanly.”

There was silence on the other end for two seconds, then the subordinate’s low voice came through.

”Understood. Don’t worry, Second Master.”

Shangguan Hong hung up the phone, lit another cigar, leaned back on the sofa, and looked at the calm lake outside.

The smoke rose slowly, blurring his face.

”Sister-in-law, don’t blame me for being heartless. If you must blame someone, blame your bad luck...”