The surveillance footage was deleted, and even the surveillance in the alley corner was targeted by hackers.
The other party was clearly after Xia Qingtian and had made thorough preparations.
The police investigation and negotiation were still ongoing. Li Mengxiao was completely bewildered, as was the pale-faced Ling Fenghan.
When the police showed up, he was still hiding in the closet. He was suddenly called out by law enforcement officers in uniform and thought his obsessed fan had been caught.
He felt a glimmer of hope and relief, but never expected Xia Qingtian to be missing.
And the last surveillance showed he was the last person to enter 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, especially one as beautiful as Xia Qingtian, this was extremely dangerous.
After testifying for Ling Fenghan, Mr. Gu left in a hurry, leaving only Ling Fenghan and Li Mengxiao.
Time ticked by, and the kidnappers had not yet called to demand ransom.
Looking at the busy people around, Ling Fenghan wanted to comfort Li Mengxiao, but felt that whatever he said now would be pale and powerless.
Li Mengxiao seemed to think the same, just 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~ Thank you" The rest of Xia Qingtian's message was never typed before she disappeared.
If she had been by Xia Qingtian's side at the time, would this have happened?
Xia Qingtian had said she was going to visit a friend that night, telling Li Mengxiao to rest or go out.
She had checked in at several popular tourist spots in City C and some highly-rated restaurants, and even bought pastries and chocolates for Xia Qingtian to try.
Now the takeout containers were still beside her, lonely, just like her.
Finally, Ling Fenghan spoke, "Don't worry, we'll find her."
Li Mengxiao finally came back to her senses and looked at Ling Fenghan, nodding stiffly. She only now noticed how terribly pale his face was, almost ghastly.
Opening the nearby takeout bag, Li Mengxiao took out a box of rather exquisitely packaged chocolates and handed it to Ling Fenghan. "This... this was a gift meant to thank you for taking care of Qing Tian."
The first time Xia Qingtian participated in the recording, she encountered the difficult and spoiled Wen Shengsheng. Ling Fenghan helped Xia Qingtian, so when Li Mengxiao bought chocolates for Xia Qingtian, she felt she should get one for Ling Fenghan too, as a polite gesture.
Even though it wasn't anything valuable.
Li Mengxiao's voice was not loud, and even the usual shy smile on her face looked a bit disheveled and weak.
"Thank you," Ling Fenghan took the chocolates from Li Mengxiao and replied in a low voice.
The two then fell silent again.
Only when the first rays of light shone through the window did they both look towards the window.
At the same time, Assistant Lin, who stayed to negotiate with the police, received a call from Mr. Gu and immediately breathed a sigh of relief. "Someone found her? Okay, Mr. Gu, yes, alright."
Hearing Assistant Lin's words, Li Mengxiao and Ling Fenghan both looked at him, a glimmer of light reappearing in their dull eyes.
After Assistant Lin hung up, Li Mengxiao immediately got up anxiously and asked, "Assistant Lin! Did you find Qing Tian? Is she..."
Having sat there all night, Li Mengxiao's knees buckled as she stood up, almost collapsing to the ground. Ling Fenghan, standing nearby, supported her, saving her from a painful fall, though the posture was quite awkward.
Ignoring her disheveled state, Li Mengxiao continued to ask with a tense expression, "How is she?"
"Mr. Gu said she's been sent to the hospital and is fine. I'll arrange a car for you to go over shortly. I need to handle the follow-up matters now." Assistant Lin nodded at Li Mengxiao before turning to discuss the specifics with the police.
These police officers had also worked hard all night, and any news needed to be conveyed to them as soon as possible.
"That's great..." Hearing the confirmed answer, Li Mengxiao finally breathed a sigh of relief, and Ling Fenghan's expression also visibly improved. "Yes!"
They looked at each other and burst into laughter.
Meanwhile, Xia Qingtian, who had been sent to the hospital, had her eyes tightly closed and her lips pressed together.
She had abrasions in multiple places, especially on her feet. Besides minor scratches, there was a deep gash. Although it didn't require stitches, it was still horrifying to look at.
Mr. Gu sat by the hospital bed, his lips pressed together, anger simmering in his eyes. He exuded an icy, terrifying aura.
Not far behind Mr. Gu sat Lei Sanshao, also frowning. He had a bruise around his eye, as if he had been punched hard, and the person who hit 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 feeling extremely displeased, Lei Sanshao maintained his composure. "It's just a small effort."
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 soon as Lei Sanshao finished speaking, someone knocked and entered, then leaned in to say something to Lei Sanshao.
"Understood," Lei Sanshao responded, standing up and heading towards the door. "I'll go there first."
As Lei Sanshao stepped out, Mr. Gu called out, "Lei Hexuan."
Lei Sanshao's movement froze slightly. It had been a long time since Mr. Gu had called him by his full name. His face showed a hint of shock.
"If you can't do it, I don't mind doing it for you," Mr. Gu's gaze remained fixed on Xia Qingtian, who lay with her eyes closed on the hospital bed. Only his voice was terrifyingly cold.
Lei Sanshao found Mr. Gu's words somewhat strange and couldn't quite understand them at first.
It wasn't until he reached the three kidnappers, who were beaten beyond recognition, and coincidentally received a call urging them to catch the person quickly, that Lei Sanshao understood the meaning of Mr. Gu's words.
Receiving no response, the person on the other end of the phone seemed to become impatient. "You bunch of good-for-nothings! What's so difficult about catching one woman? Can she fly away? The boss is wasting his money raising you lot!"
"It seems I'm wasting my money on you too," Lei Sanshao said coldly, his eyes dark.
The other end of the phone instantly fell silent.