Madam Lai had been kidnapped and the news got out?
That was Bai Long’s first thought, but he felt it was unlikely. For origınal chapters go to NoveI[F]ire.net
Since the ransom had been taken and Brother Shen had called off the pursuit of Du Jiahao as agreed, there was honor among thieves, they shouldn’t have uploaded the video.
A sudden guess flashed through Bai Long’s mind.
"Alright, thank you for the reminder, Uncle. I will be cautious," Li Zishen answered with a smile, turning his head, yet a trace of icy light flashed in his eyes.
Seeing this, Bai Long continued to remain silent.
After leaving the Lingxiao Group building, Li Zishen directly tossed the laptop to Bai Long in the car.
His expression was distinctly ashen.
Bai Long didn’t say a word, quickly typed in a URL followed by the login password.
As the page slowly loaded, a short video window appeared in the most prominent part of the homepage, its font half black and red.
"This is the fate of Bai Lianhua!"
Bai Long was indeed startled at first glance, but after he paused the video, zoomed in, and brought it closer, he finally let out a relieved sigh.
It wasn’t Madam Lai, but a young woman.
He turned around, handed the laptop back to Li Zishen, "Brother Shen, it’s not her."
The implication was clear without saying more.
The woman was unfamiliar; Li Zishen didn’t recognize her, definitely not his mother Madam Lai, yet her clothes, shoes, and hairstyle were all identical to what Madam Lai wore that day.
This couldn’t possibly be a coincidence!
"Check." Li Zishen paused for a moment before saying this one word coldly.
The atmosphere in the car turned weird all of a sudden. Although the sound of Bai Long tapping the keyboard could be heard, the driver Lu Hua still didn’t dare to move recklessly, fearing he might anger Li Zishen.
One minute, two minutes, three minutes...
Until a VOIP call came to Li Zishen’s phone and the keyboard sounds abruptly stopped.
Then, speakerphone was activated.
"Mr. Li, congratulations! I heard you are entering the medical equipment market. Don’t forget to share the profits with an old friend after making money, haha."
The familiar electronic voice angered Li Zishen.
"What exactly do you want?"
"Mr. Li, why say such things? Wasn’t it you who had Bai Long release the news to prompt me to call?"
"Why upload the video?"
"Video? Oh, that... well, I’m missing a good brother here, can’t find him anywhere, not sure if Mr. Li has seen him?"
Upon hearing this, Bai Long quickly typed Du Jiahao’s three characters on his phone and showed it to Li Zishen.
"Your man’s missing... what does that have to do with me? If you don’t clean up the videos soon, don’t blame me for... being unkind."
"The person isn’t Madam Lai, just a minor actress, why should Mr. Li care?"
Yes, indeed, the woman in the video wasn’t Li Zishen’s mother Madam Lai, but in Jin City, within just one day, the number of people who could prepare two hundred million in cash were very few.
It inevitably led one to think of the Leng Family.
Li Zishen, ever so astute, had already figured out the cause.
It was Leng Lingxiao! It had to be him, seeking revenge for Xiao Wan, he had captured Du Jiahao.
He had been tracking him in secret all along.
Li Zishen’s eyes lowered, he said coldly, "The man isn’t in my hands, believe it or not."
Then, the phone erupted with mad laughter.
"One day, if I don’t see him safely returned, then Madam Lai’s glorious image will be uploaded online for everyone to watch."
"I’ve already said it wasn’t me!" Li Zishen roared.
"Trust your abilities, starting the timer now."
The call was hung up; it was a forceful suggestion that Li Zishen should ask Ling Xiao for the person.
At that moment, Bai Long silently operated on his cell phone, issuing a series of commands. He knew that at this time, he absolutely couldn’t act rashly. He had to stay calm, or else things could go wrong.
After issuing the commands, he looked to the back seat.
Although he knew that Li Zishen was a very calm person, facing such a situation, it was feared that he would have a hard time controlling his emotions.
After all, it involved Madam Lai’s reputation.
Li Zishen clenched his cell phone, his eyes red with fury yet also filled with helplessness.
He understood that all of this was a conspiracy by someone behind the scenes trying to damage the Lai family’s reputation, but he was powerless. He couldn’t ignore Tang Xiaowan and ask Ling Xiao for Du Jiahao.
At this juncture, releasing Du Jiahao would undoubtedly push Tang Xiaowan into the abyss of death.
Time passed by minute by minute, and the atmosphere inside the car grew increasingly tense. The driver, Lu Hua, felt as though his heart was about to stop. He gripped the steering wheel tightly, ready to react at any moment.
Suddenly, the phone’s ringing broke the silence.
Li Zishen didn’t hesitate and immediately answered the call, asking gently, "Mom, I’m nearly home. Is there anything you want to eat?"
"Zishen, someone sent me a... a small video, did you also receive it?" Madam Lai’s worried voice came through the phone.
"Mom, don’t worry. I’ll take care of this," Li Zishen comforted her.
"Zishen, don’t worry about me. You can’t let others lead you by the nose. If someone tries to use me to force you into doing something, don’t be afraid, just let them, Mom can handle it. Don’t ever..."
"Mom, rest assured. I will handle this," Li Zishen interrupted Madam Lai.
After ending the call, Li Zishen looked towards Bai Long, "Have you found Du Jiahao yet?"
Bai Long shook his head, feeling very guilty, "Sorry, Brother Shen... I’ve alerted everyone, but so far there’s no news. Nothing from Chicheng either."
Suddenly, the phone vibrated.
Bai Long immediately answered the call, frowning as he asked, "Speak, what’s the situation?"
"Brother Long, just received news. Ling Xiao left the group’s head office half an hour ago, and now he’s at an imported car showroom," the bodyguard reported.
"Keep following him," Bai Long ordered.
After hanging up, without waiting for Bai Long to speak, Li Zishen, as if struck by a thought, said, "If it really was Ling Xiao who captured Du Jiahao... proceed discreetly, don’t alarm Xiao Wan, I don’t want her to know."
"Yes, Brother Shen, understood."
Li Zishen dared not let Tang Xiaowan know that he had once let Du Jiahao go and was now mobilizing all resources to rescue him.
After all, he was the person who had once held Tang Xiaowan captive.
Now, his image in Tang Xiaowan’s heart could not possibly compare to Ling Xiao’s.
On the road, Li Zishen called his mother, Madam Lai, again, informing her that Chen Xin had already led people back to Li Garden and told her not to worry, and under no circumstances should she leave Li Garden, regardless of what happened.
Although Madam Lai was still concerned, she agreed to her son’s arrangements.
Meanwhile, Jiang Kexin arrived in Chicheng.
She was there to seek Ling Xiao’s help; the Jiang Family’s capital chain was encountering problems.
Hence, she came personally, having known Ling Xiao from childhood, and their families were historically close. But she was informed that the president was not available.
Calls went unanswered, and she was even stopped by security.
Though Jiang Kexin felt her face swept with embarrassment, she still thanked the clerk and left the reception area of the Lingxiao Group with a smile.
"Miss, where to now?" The driver carefully inquired.
"618 Chishan Road, Lingxiao Manor."
Jiang Kexin’s voice was faint, her eyes filled with a sense of defeat.