The surveillance footage had been deleted, and even the cameras in the alleyways at the street corners had been hacked.
The perpetrator had clearly targeted Xia Qingtian and was well-prepared.
The police investigation and inquiries were still ongoing. Li Mengxiao was completely bewildered, as was the pale-faced Ling Fengxian.
When the police arrived, he was still hiding in the closet. He was called out by uniformed law enforcement officers, and he initially thought it was about the obsessed fan being caught.
There was a glimmer of hope and relief, but he never expected Xia Qingtian to be missing.
The last surveillance footage showed him entering Xia Qingtian's room.
Fortunately, Mr. Gu testified for him, stating that when he left Xia Qingtian's room, she was still there.
With Mr. Gu's testimony, his suspicion was cleared.
Xia Qingtian had been missing for several hours, and it was almost dawn.
For a young girl like Xia Qingtian, with her appearance, it was extremely dangerous.
After testifying for Ling Fengxian, Mr. Gu left in a hurry, leaving only Ling Fengxian and Li Mengxiao.
Time ticked by, and the kidnappers had not yet called to demand a ransom.
Looking at the busy people around, Ling Fengxian wanted to comfort Li Mengxiao, but he felt that anything he said now would be pale and powerless.
Li Mengxiao seemed to think the same, staring blankly at Xia Qingtian's phone.
It was said that when the phone was found, the screen was still on the message editing page.
"Xiao Xiao, you've been a great help~ Than" Xia Qingtian's message was interrupted before she could finish typing.
If she had been by Xia Qingtian's side then, would such a thing have happened?
Xia Qingtian had said she was going to visit a friend that evening, telling Li Mengxiao to rest or go out.
So Li Mengxiao had visited several trendy spots in City C and some highly-rated restaurants, and bought some pastries and chocolate to bring back for Xia Qingtian to try.
The takeout containers were still beside her, lonely, just like her.
Finally, Ling Fengxian spoke, "Don't worry, we'll find her."
Li Mengxiao finally came back to her senses and looked at Ling Fengxian, nodding stiffly. She only now noticed that Ling Fengxian's face was also terribly pale and somewhat sallow.
Opening a nearby takeout bag, Li Mengxiao took out a box of somewhat elaborately packaged chocolates and handed it to Ling Fengxian. "This is... a gift meant to thank you for taking care of Qing Tian."
When Xia Qingtian, in her first recording session, encountered the difficult and spoiled Wen Shengsheng, Ling Fengxian had helped her. When Li Mengxiao bought chocolates for Xia Qingtian, she felt she should bring one for Ling Fengxian as well, to be polite.
Although it wasn't a valuable item.
Li Mengxiao's voice was soft, and even her usual shy smile seemed a bit disheveled and weak.
"Thank you," Ling Fengxian took the chocolates from Li Mengxiao and murmured a thank you.
The two fell silent again.
It wasn't until the first ray of light shone through the window that they both looked in that direction.
At the same time, Assistant Lin, who remained at the scene to liaise with the police, received a call from Mr. Gu and immediately breathed a sigh of relief. "Found her? Okay, Mr. Gu, yes, okay."
Hearing Assistant Lin's words, Li Mengxiao and Ling Fengxian both looked at him, a flicker of hope rekindling in their dimmed eyes.
After Assistant Lin hung up, Li Mengxiao immediately stood up anxiously and asked, "Assistant Lin! Have they found Qing Tian? Is she..."
After sitting there all night, Li Mengxiao's knees buckled as she stood, almost collapsing to the ground. Ling Fengxian, standing beside her, caught her, saving her from the pain of falling, but the posture was quite embarrassing.
Li Mengxiao ignored her disheveled state and continued to ask anxiously, "How is she?"
"Mr. Gu said she's been taken to the hospital and is fine. I'll arrange a car to take you there shortly. I need to handle the follow-up matters now." Assistant Lin nodded to Li Mengxiao before turning to negotiate the specifics with the police.
These police officers had also worked hard all night, and it was important to inform them of any news as soon as possible.
"That's great..." Hearing the confirmed answer, Li Mengxiao finally breathed a sigh of relief, and Ling Fengxian's expression also visibly improved. "Yes!"
They looked at each other and both burst into laughter.
Meanwhile, Xia Qingtian, who had been taken to the hospital, had her eyes tightly shut and her lips pressed together.
She had multiple abrasions, especially on her feet. In addition to minor scrapes, there was a deep gash. Although it didn't require stitches, it was still shocking to see.
Mr. Gu sat by the hospital bed, his lips pressed together, a hidden fury in his eyes, exuding an icy and terrifying aura.
Not far behind Mr. Gu sat Lei Sanshao, also with a furrowed brow. There was a bruise around his eye, as if he had been punched hard, and the person who punched him...
Was currently sleeping irresponsibly on the hospital bed.
If he had known, he shouldn't have gone to save her!
"Thank you for bringing her back," Mr. Gu finally spoke, his voice low and indifferent.
Despite his inner displeasure, Lei Sanshao maintained a degree of composure, "It was nothing."
Besides, the incident was somewhat related to the Lei family.
"Where are the kidnappers?" Mr. Gu asked.
"They've been caught," Lei Sanshao replied. "We'll have news soon."
As Lei Sanshao finished speaking, someone knocked and entered, leaning down to whisper something to him.
"Got it," Lei Sanshao responded, standing up to leave. "I need to go there first."
As Lei Sanshao stepped out the door, Mr. Gu spoke, "Lei Hexuan."
Lei Sanshao's movements froze slightly. It had been a long time since Mr. Gu had addressed him by his full name, and his face showed a hint of shock.
"If you can't bring yourself to do it, I don't mind taking care of it," Mr. Gu's gaze remained fixed on Xia Qingtian, who lay with her eyes closed on the hospital bed, his voice chillingly cold.
Lei Sanshao found Mr. Gu's words somewhat strange and couldn't quite grasp their meaning for a moment.
It wasn't until he arrived before the three kidnappers, who were beaten beyond recognition, and happened to receive a call urging them to capture the people quickly, that Lei Sanshao understood Mr. Gu's intention.
Not receiving a reply, the person on the other end of the phone seemed to grow impatient. "You useless bunch! What's so difficult about catching a woman? Did she grow wings? The boss pays you for nothing!"
"It seems I'm also paying you for nothing," Lei Sanshao said coldly, his eyes darkening.
The other end of the line fell silent instantly.