"There’s still work at the company, so I’ll head out first," Lu Zechuan said, nodding at Mrs. Lu before leaving with Xia Mian.
Mrs. Lu then took out her phone and called Lu Zeming, asking him to arrange for Meng Meng to start kindergarten.
The little one may keep her company at home, but kids are all lively and active. Keeping them cooped up at home only stifles their nature.
As soon as Lu Zechuan and Xia Mian stepped out the door, they encountered Hu Lai, who hadn’t been seen in several days.
Hu Lai, with his scruffy beard and noticeably tanned skin, looked like an African refugee.
Seeing Lu Zechuan and Xia Mian, Hu Lai perked up instantly, "Master Lu! Miss Xia!"
Lu Zechuan slightly furrowed his brows, "What are you back for?"
The task he was given was to protect Song Juan, but this fool ran back by himself!
"Master Lu, Miss Xia, I’ve got something to tell you!" Hu Lai’s eyes sparkled as though he’d discovered a new continent.
"Talk in the car," Xia Mian spoke up first.
Hu Lai agreed and got into the back seat of the car.
Xia Mian started the car, and once they were well away from the Lu Family Villa, Lu Zechuan finally spoke, "Alright, spill!"
Hu Lai wrung his hands, "Master Lu, last time, when we lost track of Ms. Song, we left Beijing."
Lu Zechuan acknowledged with a nonchalant "Hmm."
"We followed a black car for over a thousand kilometers, almost to Northern Sichuan!" Hu Lai pursed his lips, "If it weren’t for the people Second Young Master sent to stop us, we’d already be in Northern Sichuan!"
Lu Zechuan rolled his eyes disdainfully, "Cut the crap!"
Hu Lai’s skills and character were fine; his only flaw was too much talking.
"Can you guess who we saw in Northern Sichuan?" Hu Lai didn’t feel he was spouting nonsense at all.
Lu Zechuan gave him a cold glance, signaling him to guess for himself.
Hu Lai dared not speak more, "I saw Aunt Ding."
Lu Zechuan’s brows furrowed instantly, "Are you sure?"
Hu Lai nodded vigorously, "Master Lu, Aunt Ding used to come to our house often; how could I mistake her? It’s absolutely Aunt Ding!"
Lu Zechuan’s lips tightened, his expression serious.
The day Song Juan disappeared, Aunt Ding had come to the Lu Family to deliver flowers to Grandmother. How could Hu Lai have seen Aunt Ding!
"Things seem a bit complicated," Lu Zechuan’s brows furrowed as he pondered.
Xia Mian chuckled lightly, "Indeed, a bit complicated."
Aunt Ding didn’t seem like someone who knows the Mystical Taoist Skill, so she couldn’t have a Clone Technique and appear in two places a thousand kilometers apart. This whole thing reeked of mystery.
But if Aunt Ding had a twin sister, or if someone was deliberately impersonating Aunt Ding, then it all made sense.
"Aunt Ding was my mom’s best friend before she passed," Lu Zechuan said in a low voice, "After my mom died, Aunt Ding hadn’t visited our family for years; she has no tangled reasons to be involved with us."
Xia Mian lowered her gaze, saying nothing.
How could there be no reason! Her best friend... heh, what if one didn’t really consider the other a close friend?
However, Xia Mian didn’t voice this thought; Shen Xiang had been deceased for years, saying such things now would only tarnish Shen Xiang’s reputation and serve no purpose.
"Hu Lai, don’t mention this to anyone else," Lu Zechuan cautioned.
Hu Lai nodded, and Xia Mian parked the car by the roadside. Hu Lai got off, then boarded a van and returned to the Song Family.
"I’ll go to the company first to handle some paperwork, have lunch there, and we’ll head to Huifeng Restaurant afterward," Lu Zechuan stated calmly, confirming their plans for today.
Xia Mian had no objections; her current main task was to keep Lu Zechuan’s life intact. Wherever he went, she went; no problem with that.
Time flew by when working; before she knew it, it was noon.
Lu Zechuan and Xia Mian were heading downstairs for lunch when Lu Zeming called.
"Bro, some kid in prison wants to find my sister-in-law." Once the call connected, Lu Zeming blurted out.
"What kid? Just finish him!" Lu Zechuan’s eyes darkened, annoyed.
Anyone trying to find Xia Mian other than him, he was ready to take them out!
"Bro, don’t be so hot-headed!" Lu Zeming lowered his voice, "This kid says he’s changed his mind and has something very important to tell sister-in-law. Are you sure you can make decisions for her about this?"
Lu Zechuan paused, looking up at Xia Mian, who was busy eating, "Someone wants to see you, will you see them?"
Xia Mian looked up, puzzled, "Who wants to see me?"
Lu Zechuan shook his head, "Lu Zeming said there’s someone in prison who wants to see you! He even said he changed his mind and has something important to tell you."
Xia Mian squinted suspiciously, prison? Someone changed their mind?
Lately, the only person she’s sent to prison was that phony apprentice they encountered at a restaurant.
"I’ll see him." Xia Mian decided swiftly.
Last night, after clashing with Gu Xiang, she injured him; now this apprentice was regretting and wanted to see her. She’d like to see what this apprentice was really up to!
With Xia Mian’s consent, Lu Zeming quickly brought the apprentice over.
In the chairman’s office at the Lu Group, Xia Mian saw the apprentice who had previously tried to poison them.
In just those few days, the apprentice looked more downtrodden, timid and skittish.
Upon seeing Xia Mian, it was as if he saw a lifeline, almost throwing himself at her feet, clinging to her legs, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Save me, Miss Xia!" the apprentice cried, kneeling at Xia Mian’s feet, tears and snot streaming uncontrollably.
Xia Mian stepped back, eyebrows knitted in confusion, "Save you?"
"Miss Xia, I was wrong!" The apprentice began banging his head on the floor, "I was wrong, I beg you, please, save me!"
Xia Mian squinted her eyes, trying to discern the situation.
Before being sent in last time, this kid was quite stubborn, wasn’t he?
Why did he seem like a completely different person now?
"Miss Xia, I’m still young; I don’t want to die yet!" The apprentice rambled incoherently, "I was deceived by them; I trusted them wrongly!"
Xia Mian’s eyes narrowed into slits, looking deeply at the kneeling apprentice, "Oh?"
"Miss Xia, they want me to die!" The apprentice spoke with a face fresh from catastrophe, "Miss Xia, I know you’re an expert! They want to deal with you but don’t dare cross you, you must be able to save me!"
Xia Mian couldn’t help but chuckle at the apprentice’s words, this kid surely knew how to read the situation.
"Your life I can save, but what can you offer me in return?" Xia Mian raised an eyebrow; there’s no such thing as a free lunch.
If you want someone to do something for you, you must first show your sincerity.