By this time, the sky had already darkened, and the escort heads, following the instructions of the store manager, had tied the people up and taken them to the government office. Without a doubt, those people were seized and locked up in the large prison of the government office.
The traffickers confined in the prison revealed a sinister smile, "Big brother, you are indeed clever."
The leader of the traffickers snorted coldly, "Hmm, if our lives are miserable, we won’t let theirs be any better." Then, looking at his own leg, he added, "Ow, it really fucking hurts."
Regardless, the traffickers had met their end this time, and it seemed they wouldn’t be leaving that cell anytime soon.
At this moment, Yang Ming still didn’t know he had been tricked. He, along with the escort heads, was rushing toward Beijing at full speed.
Forehall of the Chu Mansion in Lin County
The table inside the room was laid with plenty of food, all prepared by Chu Lian’s servants for Wang Xiangxiang. However, Xiangxiang had eaten very little over the past few days, and she had visibly lost weight because she was too worried and couldn’t eat at all.
Chu Lian saw this and felt a pang of heartache. If Xiaoxiao wasn’t found, he doubted she would have the heart to listen to his confession. He served Xiangxiang some food, reassuring her, "Regardless, you need to eat. Otherwise, before your sister returns, you might collapse first, and when your sister comes back, she might blame me for not taking good care of you."
"Mm." Xiangxiang agreed but clearly wasn’t listening, her chopsticks fidgeting with the food but not bringing it to her mouth.
Chu Lian shook his head; he too had no appetite but was forcing himself to eat.
Shortly after, a house servant reported that Yuelai Restaurant had sent a letter demanding his personal attention to open it.
Chu Lian thought there might be some internal issue at the restaurant and hurriedly opened the letter. Seeing its contents, Chu Lian exclaimed excitedly, "Xiangxiang, your sister has been found."
"Really?" Hearing this, Xiangxiang also stood up excitedly.
Chu Lian passed the letter to Xiangxiang. "Quick, look. She said she’s in the Yixiang Courtyard and asked us to meet her there tonight."
Xiangxiang hastily took the letter and read it carefully, then excitedly said, "Yes, it’s her handwriting, it’s her handwriting."
The two of them, in their excitement, embraced each other. Tears filled Xiangxiang’s eyes, relieved to finally have news of Xiaoxiao.
Once the two had calmed down, they realized they were embracing and quickly let go, both embarrassed by their actions. To ease the awkward atmosphere, Chu Lian quickly said, "You wait here at home. I’ll go to Yixiang Courtyard right now and bring her back."
As Chu Lian was about to leave, he could not afford any delay, but Xiangxiang stopped him, looking at him earnestly, "I’m coming too."
"It’s not suitable for a young lady to go to that kind of place. Just wait obediently at home for my return," Chu Lian coaxed her as if talking to a child.
"..." Xiangxiang felt embarrassed by his words, as she often frequented such places and even took Xiaoxiao there. If Chu Lian knew, he might think she wasn’t a proper lady.
But she still wanted to go. She couldn’t wait. She wanted to see for herself how Xiaoxiao was and how she had been these past few days. Holding onto Chu Lian’s arm without letting go, she shyly said, "What if I wear men’s clothes? Would that be okay?"
Seeing the earnest plea in Xiangxiang’s delicate demeanor, Chu Lian’s heart fluttered. He thought, let her come then. He would feel more at ease with her by his side. Consequently, he called a servant, "Prepare a set of men’s clothes for her."
Upon hearing this, Xiangxiang immediately blossomed with joy.