In the lobby on the first floor, everyone saw the once composed and graceful noblewoman rush out, her face full of urgency.
The crowd, startled, caught a whiff of something unusual.
"What happened?" ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novel•fire.net
On the rooftop conference room, a serious meeting was underway.
Secretary Su suddenly appeared and interrupted the meeting. He walked quickly to Liu Qingfeng’s side and whispered in his ear.
A few attendees exchanged glances. Secretary Su would never act so out-of-line unless something major had happened.
Liu Qingfeng rose calmly: "Today’s meeting ends here. Everyone, get back to your duties."
With that, he turned and strode away swiftly. Despite his usual composed demeanor, the slightly hurried steps revealed a sense of urgency to the onlookers.
Could Gao Dongting’s scandal be gaining traction?
The attendees grew even more grave in expression.
As Liu Qingfeng walked, he lowered his voice and asked, "Are you certain Xixi is missing?"
Secretary Su quickly replied, "Madam just received a call from Sun Wei, who said Mr. Liu disappeared in the library. Later, his glasses were found at the south gate of the library."
For someone with nearsightedness, glasses are as significant as their own eyes; there’s no way they’d leave them behind lightly.
Something must have happened to Mr. Liu.
Sure enough, Liu Qingfeng’s face darkened abruptly.
But compared to Helian Yu’s emotional outburst, Liu Qingfeng remained noticeably composed.
"Xixi is unlikely to be in immediate danger. Get in touch with Li Minglai."
Inside a speeding sedan, the woman was screaming into her phone: "Li Minglai, how do you even manage security? A living, breathing person vanishes in broad daylight! If anything happens to Xixi, I’ll make your entire family pay the price!"
Li Minglai, panicked, nearly dropped his phone. He hurriedly apologized profusely and thumped his chest, promising to locate Mr. Liu no matter what.
After hanging up, Li Minglai was beside himself with worry.
How could Mr. Liu disappear just like that? If Mr. Liu was indeed kidnapped...
He dared not let his imagination venture further. Helian Yu’s ruthless methods were notorious; if she snapped, she might truly carry out the threat against his family.
The next successor was scheduled to take over in just three days, and here he was left to deal with this mess three days before handover. What rotten luck.
Wen Zhou rushed into Li Minglai’s office upon learning the news: "Director, I’ve uncovered some suspicious details about Chen Shu’s death..."
"Chen Shu, Chen Shu—is that what matters now? We’ve got an urgent situation you need to handle immediately. If you don’t, neither of us will escape unscathed. Who knows, maybe even our families will get dragged into this!"
Wen Zhou instinctively frowned.
Li Minglai spoke grimly, "Mr. Liu has gone missing."
Wen Zhou’s head snapped upwards. "What did you just say?"
"I don’t care what methods you use, how many people you mobilize—you must locate Mr. Liu as quickly as possible."
Li Minglai fixed his gaze firmly on him, his face serious: "You know what’s at stake. If something happens to him, we’re finished."
"Director, I suspect whoever kidnapped Mr. Liu has ulterior motives and may not harm him immediately. The priority now is to uncover the mastermind behind this; otherwise, there will be a second time if we let this one slide."
Li Minglai nodded, "You’re right. I’ll grant you full authority to mobilize all personnel. You understand the stakes, so I won’t waste any more time explaining. Go now!"
Given advancements in criminal investigation technology, no matter how skilled criminals are at counter-surveillance, silently abducting two people in a city saturated with cameras—while evading the police—is nothing short of delusional.
With assistance from the forensic technology division, the police identified the suspect vehicle in under an hour.
The perpetrators were cunning. To obscure their trail, they switched vehicles at a gas station. However, thanks to Wen Zhou’s seasoned investigative instincts, he detected the anomaly; otherwise, this group might have successfully slipped away unnoticed.
"The van ultimately entered the Qingbei District industrial park. That area is home to several chemical plants—sparsely populated and less covered by surveillance compared to the city center. Pinpointing exact locations will take time."
Wen Zhou promptly reported the findings to Helian Yu, and at the same time, he led a team of officers to the industrial park ahead of anyone else.
Upon receiving Wen Zhou’s update, Helian Yu and Sun Wei, along with their group of bodyguards, headed for the industrial park immediately. Sun Wei was acquainted with some streetwise technicians whose methods were unconventional and unregulated—they would do anything if paid enough.
Though arriving slightly behind Wen Zhou, the information Sun Wei and his team relayed to Helian Yu was more detailed.
In transit, Sun Wei pushed the gas pedal to its limits, practically unleashing his lifetime of driving skills. The car finally entered the industrial park fifteen minutes later.
"Madam, the inside is dangerous. To prevent the criminals from targeting you, I suggest..."