For Zhang Jingchan, this was an exceptionally difficult night to endure. He and Li Yunmo were staying at a hotel near the police station, waiting for the “powerful reinforcements” that Ding Chenmo had mentioned.
Zhang Jingchan lay with one arm pillowed behind his head, gazing at the ceiling. The lines from his forehead down to his neck and Adam’s apple formed a smooth, sharp contour in one fluid sweep. His eyes were so deeply somber they were impossible to read clearly. He simply could not allow himself to think—not even a little bit—about what Li Weiyi might be enduring tonight.
He truly could not think about it. The moment he did, his heart would become restless and chaotic, his thoughts would scatter into disarray. He struggled to steady his nerves, forcing himself to focus his attention on the upcoming rescue and counterattack measures.
Yet despite this effort, Zhang Jingchan suffered through the entire night without sleep, his eyes open until dawn. Early the next morning when Ding Chenmo came knocking at his door, seeing his bloodshot eyes and the dark shadows beneath them, Ding sighed with understanding: “There truly are those in this world consumed by passionate love.”
Zhang Jingchan said calmly, “Cut the nonsense. Where are they? You’d better not make me feel I waited all night for nothing.”
Ding Chenmo had been bullied by him so much it had almost become second nature. He let out a disgruntled “hmph” but didn’t talk back. Instead, he turned his head and said with a smile, “You two can come in now.”
Two people emerged from behind Ding Chenmo—not just one person.
——
This night should have been difficult to endure for Li Weiyi as well. But when she thought of Zhang Jingchan, she inexplicably felt that the situation might not be so dire after all. Zhang Jingchan was surely thinking of ways to rescue her right now. He must have guessed and anticipated everything. He was Zhang Jingchan, after all—someone who had dared to shoulder ten billion yuan in debt as a youth. Compared to him, no matter how cunning, ruthless, and vicious Xu Yi might be, he still fell short.
Added to this was her talent for self-comfort. She steeled herself with the thought that since she was already at others’ mercy like meat on a chopping block, she might as well get a good night’s sleep and restore her energy so she’d have the strength to resist.
Thus, on this night when Zhang Jingchan was consumed with worry over her—not daring even the slightest flight of imagination—Li Weiyi very admirably managed to sleep soundly.
When she woke, it was five in the morning. However, Li Weiyi didn’t know the time. She washed her face and found her mind unusually clear and her spirits充沛. She went to the wardrobe and selected a set of comfortable, lightweight clothes to change into.
Then she stood in the secret room, feeling the breath of the winter morning seeping in from the metal walls on all sides.
She felt she couldn’t just keep waiting like this. She couldn’t let Zhang Jingchan be the only one making an effort.
It was just that—Xu Yi was so formidable, and she was such a small shrimp—how could she possibly escape from the palm of his hand?
——
The two people who entered with Ding Chenmo were a man and a woman, both unexpectedly striking in appearance. So much so that when Li Yunmo emerged from the bathroom and saw this roomful of people, he exclaimed, “Holy cow, what’s going on so early in the morning? Is this a beauty pageant?”
Of course, when saying this, Li Yunmo automatically excluded Ding Chenmo from consideration, even feeling that this old man stuck among them was like an intruder from a middle-aged disco dancing troupe who had wandered into a beautiful morning portrait.
Zhang Jingchan turned to look at Li Yunmo: “You can choose not to speak.”
Li Yunmo dejectedly grabbed a small stool and sat down in the corner.
Ding Chenmo had the two people sit on the sofa and introduced them: “This is You Mingxu, an investigator from the Municipal Criminal Police Detachment. Next to her is Yin Feng, a psychology consultant for the police force. Xiao You, this is Zhang Jingchan I told you about, and next to him is his friend Li Yunmo.”
You Mingxu was that formidable female officer under Ding Xiongwei’s command. She appeared to be around twenty-five or twenty-six, dressed in a black jacket, white T-shirt, and jeans—a very refreshing look. Yet her features were excessively gorgeous. Even without makeup, the brightness of the room seemed to increase by several degrees with her arrival. If it weren’t for the fact that she sat on the sofa with an aura that was truly cold, crisp, and efficient, you would never believe she was a criminal police officer.
Compared to this female officer’s pleasing appearance, the man beside her was handsome indeed, but truly somewhat hard on the eyes. He looked to be in his early thirties, with the kind of bold, striking handsomeness, yet he was wearing a green Astro Boy T-shirt with matching green pants, looking exactly like a tall, upright caterpillar.
Yin Feng sat pressed right up against You Mingxu, but his eyes were lively and clear.
Zhang Jingchan reached out his hand to You Mingxu without revealing any emotion: “I’m counting on you.”
You Mingxu shook hands with him briefly, though her eyes held a probing quality: “If the person who kidnapped Li Weiyi really is the chairman of Muchen Group, then Mr. Zhang has actually done the police force a favor.”
Zhang Jingchan asked, “How do we begin now?”
“We’ve already begun.” You Mingxu leaned back casually against the sofa. “Last night after receiving Team Leader Ding’s orders, I’ve already completed an inventory of properties under Xu Yi’s name. In this city, there are six properties total—four residential units and two villas.” She glanced at the man beside her who was playing with the zipper on her jacket, yanked the zipper away from him, and raised her chin: “You tell the rest.”
Yin Feng pouted.
He was truly handsome—even dressed head to toe in green and making such an expression, he was still quite good-looking.
Zhang Jingchan still showed no expression, maintaining his composure, but Li Yunmo had already frozen in shock. Ding Chenmo knew that Yin Feng had some mental issues, so he simply pretended not to have seen anything.
But under You Mingxu’s intimidating gaze, Yin Feng obediently sat up straight, looked at Zhang Jingchan, and said: “I created a criminal psychological profile of Xu Yi. I won’t go into the specifics—it’s confidential! The conclusion is that someone like him, with such a strong need for control and such extreme self-suppression, if he were to hide Li Weiyi, it would definitely be in a place he could completely control himself. He absolutely wouldn’t rely on others’ help, so it’s very likely she’s in one of these six properties.”
Zhang Jingchan nodded: “Then…”
“I’ve already checked them all.” Yin Feng proudly interrupted him. “Just last night, my people infiltrated all six properties and went through each one. Those four ordinary residential units can be ruled out first—they have neither interlayers nor any way to construct a secret room. That leaves two villas. One is a two-story small courtyard with a simple structure and no occupants. My people searched it inside and out and confirmed there was no trace of Li Weiyi. Only the last property remains—a three-story large villa occupying two and a half acres, about the same size as my villa. However, Xu Yi’s security and guards are much more stringent—there are at least ten bodyguards in the villa. Perhaps that’s the only way he can sleep soundly. The day before yesterday, Xu Yi’s car drove into this villa and hasn’t come out since. Can you guess whether your precious girlfriend was in his car or not?”
The amount of information revealed in this speech was truly enormous, and everyone pondered it for a while. Ding Chenmo’s expression showed slight embarrassment as he cleared his throat lightly: “Teacher Yin, you don’t need to tell them in such detail…” After all, they had employed highly irregular methods.
You Mingxu, however, ignored Old Ding’s concerns. She gathered her long hair and tucked it behind her ear, delivering the final verdict: “If all the premises Zhang Jingchan stated are correct—Li Weiyi must be in that villa.”
Zhang Jingchan’s heart, which had seemed frozen solid, began to warm faintly at her words. He said solemnly, “Thank you.”
You Mingxu merely smiled: “We haven’t found her yet. Thank us when the time comes.” She stood up: “That’s the situation. We shouldn’t delay. Old Ding, if it’s convenient for you, accompany me to the villa. I want to flush out the snake by beating the grass around it—who knows, we might get a pleasant surprise.”