She rang the doorbell. A foreigner with a rather plump build and a beard came to the door and asked in English, "Who are you? Who are you looking for?"
Meng Jingwei replied in fluent English, "My name is Meng Jingwei. I am a good friend of Shu Yao. I had contacted Mr. and Mrs. Shu before coming."
"Oh, it's you. Come in."
Upon learning her identity, the man immediately broke into a smile, opened the golden carved door, invited her in, and said, "Miss Meng, please get in the car. I'll take you inside."
"Alright, thank you."
Meng Jingwei got into the sightseeing car. A servant took her through rows of vineyards, finally arriving at the castle within the estate.
"Why don't I see any busy workers in the estate?"
The vast estate covered hundreds of hectares, but as she rode the sightseeing car in, she noticed very few servants, and a sense of desolation and loneliness permeated everywhere.
"The estate has been sold. The Madam and Miss will be moving out soon, so the servants have naturally been let go," the servant driving the car said with a sigh.
Meng Jingwei was greatly shocked but seeing that they had already arrived outside the castle, she didn't ask further.
After getting out of the car, Meng Jingwei followed the servant into the castle hall.
As soon as she entered, she saw a Chinese couple sitting on the sofa in the living room, chatting about something.
"Madam, Miss, your friend has arrived," the servant announced as he approached.
The couple looked up, and immediately stood up.
Meng Jingwei walked over and said gently and politely, "Mr. Shu, Mrs. Shu, my name is Meng Jingwei. I am Shu Yao's friend. I happened to be in Country C today, so I came to see her."
As the couple had been living abroad for a long time, their attire and style were foreign.
Mrs. Shu had short black hair tied back, wore a black sweater, and was draped in a light gray mink shawl. Approaching fifty, she was well-maintained and still elegant, but unlike other noble ladies, she wasn't adorned with excessive jewelry.
In fact, her makeup was light, her complexion was haggard, and she seemed quite dispirited.
She glanced at Mr. Shu, her eyes filled with heaviness, and then walked up to Meng Jingwei, "You are Meng Jingwei?"
"Yes."
Meng Jingwei, carrying some gifts, handed them over and said, "I am truly sorry for the sudden visit. I hope I haven't disturbed you."
"It's fine that you've come. Why did you bring gifts? Please come in and sit."
Mr. Shu made a gesture of invitation, appearing quite amiable.
Meng Jingwei walked towards the sofa, glancing upstairs, and asked, "Shu Yao... hasn't she woken up yet?"
So much had happened recently that Meng Jingwei, unable to take care of herself, hadn't had time to check on Shu Yao.
Before her wedding, she had truthfully told Shu Yao's parents about her situation. Later, she learned that Shu Yao had been rescued.
During that period, she had only spoken to Shu Yao once on the phone.
After the wedding incident, they had lost contact.
"Uh..."
Mrs. Shu stammered, as if with a hidden difficulty.
"Shu Yao isn't here?"
"She... alas..." Mrs. Shu shook her head. "Yao Yao is gone."
"Gone? Where did she go?"
A hint of surprise flickered across Meng Jingwei's face.
This was Shu Yao's home. If she wasn't at home, where could she have gone?
Mr. Shu pushed his glasses up his nose and sat down opposite Meng Jingwei, sighing, "My family has suffered misfortune. Speaking of which, it is I, Shu Huaxiong, who is incompetent, unable to protect my daughter, causing her to suffer so much."
A servant came over and offered a cup of clear tea.
Meng Jingwei politely said "Thank you" and continued to listen.
"After you called us, I immediately sent people to rescue Yao Yao. However, although she was rescued, Anthony... that scoundrel Anthony held videos of Yao Yao in his hands. I... I..."