The wedding proceeded smoothly.
So smoothly that Su He found it unbelievable.
Could it be that Rong Qiao was just playing a joke on her, aiming to make her anxious and distracted during the wedding? Or perhaps to embarrass her in public?
Su He held Lu Yanbei's arm. After they met each other's eyes, they exchanged a knowing glance.
"It's good that nothing happened," Lu Yanbei whispered in her ear, reminding her to watch her step.
After serving tea to the elders of both families, the bride and groom returned to the dressing room to change for the subsequent wedding banquet.
Su He was helped by Jiang Xiaoxiao back to the lounge. The dress prepared in advance was a golden Western-style gown, backless, and embroidered with large roses, looking incredibly luxurious.
"This dress is so beautiful, it could be an heirloom!" Jiang Xiaoxiao exclaimed, seeing the outfit for the toast for the first time.
"That was the idea," Su He said as she changed, searching for matching jewelry. "Where is the diamond necklace? Do you remember?"
"I think it's in the safe. I'll go check." To safeguard her valuables, the hotel had specially installed safes in every room, and Su He's was no exception.
The safe was inside a cabinet in the inner room. Jiang Xiaoxiao, without bothering to change her own clothes, walked in directly, holding up her skirt.
Su He sat on a stool, letting the makeup artist touch up her makeup.
Time ticked by, and Su He's eyelids grew heavier. Due to waking up too early and the heavy wedding attire, she felt groggy and unconsciously fell asleep.
"Mrs. Lu?" The makeup artist, having finished the makeup, saw that Su He wasn't reacting and couldn't help but reach out to touch her shoulder.
Su He remained motionless, unresponsive.
This greatly frightened the makeup artist, who quickly rushed out to call for help.
But in that short moment, Su He had vanished.
"What was the password for the safe again? I tried a few times but couldn't open it..." Jiang Xiaoxiao came out from the inner room, complaining softly to Su He, only to discover the room was empty. "Miaomiao?"
When the makeup artist arrived with people, they ran headlong into Jiang Xiaoxiao, who was rushing out of the lounge.
"Did you see Miaomiao?" Jiang Xiaoxiao asked anxiously.
"Wasn't Mrs. Lu in the lounge?" the makeup artist said, out of breath.
The lounge was still some distance from the banquet hall. She had run there and back, taking less than five minutes.
Jiang Xiaoxiao was frantic. "She's not in the room!"
"Maybe she went to the restroom?" Su Ying, among the first to arrive, gestured for everyone to calm down.
"I just came from the restroom and didn't see Mrs. Lu," a female guest said.
Given the seriousness of the situation, Jiang Xiaoxiao dared not delay and immediately sent someone to find Lu Yanbei.
Su Ying grabbed Jiang Xiaoxiao's arm and asked, "Tell me what happened from the beginning."
Jiang Xiaoxiao then recounted events from the moment she entered the lounge. She mentioned trying to open the safe, failing, and coming out for help, only to find that Su He had disappeared. "The makeup artist said she was dozing off while having her makeup done. She couldn't have just disappeared in the blink of an eye!"
"Could something have happened to Miaomiao?" Jiang Xiaoxiao was beside herself with worry.
She felt like a terrible bridesmaid!
"Don't worry just yet," Su Ying said as she walked into the lounge and surveyed the room carefully. "Go and get the hotel manager."
The makeup artist, with a pale face, hurried out.
Two minutes later, the manager, sweating profusely, ran over.
"Besides this door, are there any other exits from this lounge?" Su Ying asked directly.
The manager wiped the sweat from his forehead. "No. This was originally a utility room. Because it's close to the lobby, it was later converted into a lounge."
"What's next door?" Su Ying pointed outside the window.
There was only one window. If no one outside had seen Su He leave, then there was only one possibility: she left through the window. But this was the second floor, about eight meters above the ground. In her wedding dress, Su He couldn't possibly jump down from here. Furthermore, according to the makeup artist, Su He had been sitting motionlessly in the chair then, her breathing weak, and it was uncertain if she could even walk.
If she was taken away by someone, the probability of carrying someone and jumping out the window was also very small. Unless, someone was waiting below to help. Another possibility was using the window as a springboard to climb to the adjacent room.
"There are no other rooms next door," the manager said after thinking for a moment.
"That's not right. I saw a small room next to the restroom," someone in the crowd said.
"That's a cubbyhole, specifically for cleaning supplies. It's barely the size of a palm," the manager quickly explained.
Su Ying's heart sank at his words. "Did anyone see a cleaner pushing a cart out of here just now?"
Her question triggered a memory. "I did! Just now, a very tall man, wearing an employee uniform, pushed a cart towards the other end of the corridor."
"Where does the other end lead?" Su Ying's expression turned grim.
"There's an elevator over there that leads to the back kitchen," the manager said, cold sweat beading on his forehead, his face looking quite troubled.
This was Lu Yanbei's wife!
If something happened in the hotel, they would all likely have to resign!
*
Lu Yanbei was in the banquet hall entertaining guests when he was called away.
Upon hearing that Su He was missing, he merely pursed his lips, his expression still calm. "Excuse me, I need to step away for a moment."
The guests surrounding him all expressed understanding.
The moment he turned away, Lu Yanbei's face instantly turned cold.
"What's going on?" he asked.
Cheng Jue opened his mouth, hesitant to speak.
When the group arrived at the lounge door, Jiang Xiaoxiao was crying with swollen eyes. "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have let Miaomiao out of my sight..."
"Miss Jiang, could you please recount the situation again?" Cheng Jue handed her two tissues.
Jiang Xiaoxiao, sobbing, repeated the events. "Sister Su Ying has already requested the hotel's surveillance footage. They shouldn't have gone too far..."
Lu Yanbei said nothing, went straight downstairs, and left the banquet hall.
"Cheng Jue, you stay here and comfort the family."
Cheng Jue paused, then replied respectfully.
Lu Yanbei hurried to the surveillance room and then called the island's owner, requesting assistance in the search. "Focus especially on the docks."
The island was surrounded by the sea, and there were almost no places to hide. If the perpetrators wanted to take Su He away, they would have to use a boat.
"Mr. Lu, rest assured, I will do my utmost to help." The island owner, Mr. Sang, was also furious that such an incident had occurred on his territory.