Chapter Twenty-Four: Shrouded in Mystery

Lai Jiayu seemed to know exactly what Officer Li was about to say. "There aren't many leads. All I know is this man is dangerous, and we must find him."

Officer Li buttoned up Lai Jiayu's coat and patted him on the shoulder. "Why do you say that?"

Lai Jiayu gave a crooked smile. "Officer Li, let's speak frankly—can you honestly say you don't know someone wants to kidnap our young mistress?"

Officer Li ignored Lai Jiayu's question and instead handed a photo to Wang Huiyan. "Another one."

Wang Huiyan took the photo, placed it in a document bag, and asked, "Master, your instructions?"

Officer Li waved at Xiao Yang. "Take Lai Jiayu back first." Then, turning to Ye Dong and his friends, he said, "It's getting late. Go home and get some rest. We'll talk in detail tomorrow afternoon."

Seeing Ye Dong and the others standing there, bewildered, Officer Li forced a wry smile. "Just listen to me. Otherwise, starting tomorrow, you won't be getting any sleep at all. Cooperate, will you?"

The group exchanged glances, quickly grasping the situation. "Officer Li must be dealing with an extremely troublesome case."

Standing by the car, Officer Li gazed into the pitch-black mountains, let out a long breath, and then got into the police car headed back toward the brightly lit city.

Ye Dong watched Wang Huiyan get into the police car, a thousand thoughts swirling in his chest. After getting into their own car, the group began speculating about all that had just happened.

Liang Lingzhi, full of curiosity, guessed, "There must be some unspeakable secret. By the way, could that Wan Tianze be the super-wealthy tycoon Wan Tianze?"

Nian Xue said, "If it's really him, there must be something big going on—something major!"

Xiao Bao, a little shaken, muttered, "Who would've thought Lai Jiayu was so skilled—a real martial arts master! But honestly, only someone with real ability could work for Wan Tianze."

Da Chun nodded. "Then why pretend to be a coward? His acting is incredible—he even wet his pants so convincingly!"

Xiao Bao speculated, "The more convincing, the more suspicious! And that joker ghost—could he and Lai Jiayu be working together?"

Nian Xue pondered for a moment. "Most likely they're in cahoots. But why would they show up here? Still, with Officer Li's skills, he's bound to get valuable information out of him."

The group noticed that Ye Dong, normally the most talkative, was now silent, quietly staring out the window at the police car ahead, lost in thought.

After exchanging glances, Nian Xue gently nudged him. "Ye Dong? Are you alright?"

Truth be told, Ye Dong wasn't concerned about whether something major was happening. His mind was filled only with Wang Huiyan, whose resemblance to Yayi was uncanny. Nudged by Nian Xue, he murmured what was on his mind, "Who would've thought Wang Huiyan would be this kind of Yayi..."

The others stared at him, baffled.

Nian Xue recalled, "Is the Yayi you're talking about the girl my father helped fulfill her wish?"

Ye Dong smiled faintly and took a photo from his wallet to hand to her. "Tell me, don't they look alike?"

Nian Xue took one look and gasped. "Wow, that's uncanny!"

Xiao Bao craned his neck for a look and exclaimed, "No wonder you froze up the moment you saw Wang Huiyan!"

Da Chun chuckled. "But Wang Huiyan only looks like Yayi. The Yayi in the photo is gentle and bright, with an air of artistic grace; but look at Wang Huiyan—she's all energy and confidence. With those kicks and punches, she's clearly a tough woman to handle!"

Liang Lingzhi, who was driving, glanced at the photo in the rearview mirror. "Ye Dong, if you've got something on your mind, just say it. We're all brothers here—we'll help you!"

Ye Dong sighed. "I'd be lying if I said nothing was on my mind. Yayi holds a very important place in my heart."

Nian Xue patted him on the shoulder, comforting him. "Ye Dong, what's gone is gone. Life is fleeting—you have to cherish what's in front of you."

Feeling warmth in his heart, Ye Dong tucked the photo back in his wallet. "I'll see how things go. Besides being outrageously handsome, being faithful is one of my biggest flaws."

Xiao Bao, Da Chun, and Liang Lingzhi all exchanged supportive glances and grinned. "Brother, let the past go and embrace a new life."

Ye Dong smiled, finally at ease. "Tonight, let's get a good night's sleep!"

Outside, shadows flitted past the window. The stars in the night sky seemed to shine even more brightly.

The next morning, everyone woke up at the Compassionate Paper Workshop. Just as Ye Dong opened the main door, he saw several luxury cars parked outside, surrounded by seven or eight burly men in suits and sunglasses.

As Ye Dong stepped out, the leader removed his sunglasses and politely asked, "Hello, are you Ye Dong?"

Ye Dong sized him up warily. "What do you want?"

The man smiled slightly. "Hello, my name is Zhou Zhixing. Is Chen Nianxue, Liang Lingzhi, Mu Xiaobao, or An Dachun here?"

Hearing voices outside, Nian Xue and the others came out. "That's us. What do you want?"

Seeing everyone present, Zhou Zhixing smiled with relief. "Our boss would like to invite you all for a meal."

However, he didn't seem to ask whether they were available.

Noticing how conspicuous this group looked on the street, Nian Xue waved them in. "Let's talk inside. With so many of you standing here, people will think you're here to collect protection money."

Once inside, Ye Dong asked, "Who's your boss?"

Just as Zhou Zhixing reached into his inner pocket, Xiao Bao shouted, "Hey! What are you doing? Pulling a gun?!"

Zhou Zhixing froze, quickly explaining, "No, no, just my business card—no need to be nervous."

Da Chun joked, "With all those suits and sunglasses, pulling a gun would look even more fitting!"

With an awkward smile, Zhou Zhixing took out an elegant business card and handed it to Ye Dong.

Ye Dong read aloud, "Wan Tianze, Chairman of Wanma International."

Liang Lingzhi seemed surprised. "Wan Tianze? The one who ranks on Forbes' national list? Why would someone like him invite us to dinner?"

Ye Dong whispered, "Probably has something to do with last night."

Nian Xue muttered, "Since Lai Jiayu works for him, Wan Tianze must already know what happened last night."

Sensing their hesitation, Zhou Zhixing quickly assured, "I don't know the details, but our boss is always courteous. Please feel at ease and accept the invitation."

Nian Xue intentionally demurred, "We have to run our business this morning. I'm afraid..."

Noticing her hesitance, Zhou Zhixing snapped his fingers, and an assistant handed Nian Xue a briefcase. "Miss Chen, our boss said if he's delayed your business, please accept this as a token of his apology."

Liang Lingzhi opened the case on the table—inside was a whole stack of crisp red bills.

Xiao Bao's eyes widened. "Your boss is generous! There must be two million in here!"

Da Chun leaned in. "I'd guess at least two and a half million."

Nian Xue frowned. "That's too much. We couldn't earn this much in years. We can't accept money for nothing—take it back."

Zhou Zhixing looked troubled. "Miss Chen, please rest assured—our boss's money is all earned from legitimate business. If you don't take it, we'll be in trouble—we'll be punished for not completing our task."

Ye Dong whispered, "Just accept it for now. We'll call Officer Li and, if necessary, donate it."

Nian Xue agreed. "Ye Dong, take the money inside."

Ye Dong smiled, carried the briefcase into the inner room, and after making sure no one followed, called Officer Li.

"Ye Dong?"

"Officer Li, Wan Tianze's people invited us to dinner and, saying they delayed our paper workshop business, gave us a case of cash. I don't think we should keep it. Could you hold it for us?"

Officer Li considered for a moment. "Alright, in ten minutes I'll send Xiao Yang and Xiao Wang to collect the money from your back door. Just go along with everything—later, go to Wan Tianze's house and see what he's up to."

Ye Dong hesitated. "In the movies, super-wealthy people kill without batting an eye. I'm a little worried."

Officer Li reassured him, "Don't worry. Wan Tianze isn't stupid enough to commit murder in his own home. Just eat and drink—I'll handle the rest."

After a moment's thought, Ye Dong did as Officer Li asked.

Ten minutes later, Xiao Yang came through the back door and took the money.

After dealing with the cash, Ye Dong returned to the main room, where Xiao Bao was asking Zhou Zhixing, "Should we change clothes to meet your boss?"

Zhou Zhixing kept his polite smile. "No need, as long as you're neat and tidy."

Seeing Ye Dong return, the group didn't delay any longer and got into one of the luxury cars. After winding through the city, they entered a heavily guarded estate.

Even Liang Lingzhi, who came from a wealthy family, was impressed—this was true wealth.

Da Chun gazed out the window, continually exclaiming, "Look at those security guards, that decor, those luxury cars, even a helipad!"

Xiao Bao muttered, "Enough already! Don't embarrass us—close your mouth!"

Ye Dong, equally astonished, said, "Don't blame him—this place is so lavish, it really does feel like a movie set."

Nian Xue discreetly took out a Bagua compass and measured the surroundings, exclaiming, "What an auspicious place! Wan Tianze really knows how to pick a location."

Liang Lingzhi chimed in, "He probably hired a top feng shui master and spent a fortune finding this spot."

Zhou Zhixing explained, "Our boss greatly respects Daoist practitioners. Everything here was arranged on the advice of a venerable Daoist priest."

"Is that so?" The group exchanged knowing glances. "A Daoist practitioner?"

After a routine security check, they followed Zhou Zhixing through the grand hall and up to the second floor. There, a refined man of about fifty was chatting amiably with an elegant middle-aged woman, fiddling with a jade pendant.

Zhou Zhixing stepped forward respectfully. "Sir, Madam, your guests have arrived."

The man looked pleased, tucked the jade into his pocket, got up, and strode over to greet them, his wife following behind.

With a hearty laugh, he reached out his hand. "Welcome, I'm Wan Tianze. This is my wife. It's a pleasure to meet you all."

Wan Tianze's friendly manner completely changed Ye Dong's image of the aloof "super-tycoon."

After everyone shook hands, Nian Xue asked, "May I ask, Uncle Wan, why did you invite us here?"

Wan Tianze waved a hand with a smile. "Just call me Uncle Wan, if you don't mind."

Nian Xue smiled. "Uncle Wan."

Wan Tianze beamed. "Excellent—very gracious. I simply wanted to invite you all for a meal to thank you for your contribution to the 7/14 major organ trafficking case."

The group was stunned and looked to Ye Dong as their spokesperson.

Ye Dong replied humbly, "But our identities are a police secret—how did you find out, Uncle Wan?"

Wan Tianze only smiled, and his wife quickly invited them, "Please, don't just stand there—come, have a seat."

She turned to a servant and whispered, "Where is Zhenzhen? Go hurry her along."

Wan Tianze gestured. "Let's sit down and talk at leisure."

Faced with the couple's warm hospitality, Ye Dong and the others couldn't refuse and took their seats. Several beautiful maids soon set the table and poured fine wine.

"Please, enjoy."

Ye Dong and his friends nodded in thanks, and the maids withdrew.

Wan Tianze raised his glass. "A toast to your health and success."

The group laughed and raised their glasses, the atmosphere lively and cheerful.

"Dad, where have you sent Lai Jiayu?!"

A beautiful young woman, fair and rosy-cheeked, descended the stairs, impatience written all over her face as she glared at Wan Tianze.