Qin He and Xu Wanwan waited in the hallway for half an hour before the door to the hospital room opened.
Qin Yun had a distinct slap mark on his face, and Ming Yuzhu's eyes were red. The atmosphere between them, however, was quite good.
Seeing this, Qin He immediately knew her mother had finished her outburst and was now feeling concerned.
On the way home after being discharged, Qin He drove, with Xu Wanwan in the passenger seat. In the back, Ming Yuzhu and Qin Yun were seated.
Ming Yuzhu was on the phone with Shen Bin, listening to him detail various post-operative precautions.
Qin He felt a bit helpless. "Mom, can't you just ask me about these things?"
Ming Yuzhu chuckled, seemingly lost in thought. "I always feel like you're still a child. Director Shen's words make me feel more at ease."
Qin He clicked his tongue and joked, "I'm still harlana, and Director Shen would have to call me Professor."
Just a few streets away from home, the smiles on their faces froze.
From here, they could see thick, billowing smoke in the sky ahead – the direction of the Qin family's estate!
Qin He's heart leaped into his throat, and he stepped on the accelerator, increasing their speed.
"It definitely won't be our house. Otherwise, the housekeeper would have called by now," Ming Yuzhu said.
As soon as she finished speaking, her phone rang.
Qin He's hands trembled on the steering wheel. "Mom, Lele is still at home!"
"Don't panic, He'er," Xu Wanwan said from beside him. "Calm down first. Get out, I'll drive!"
After hanging up the phone, Ming Yuzhu seemed to be in a daze.
"It really is… our home… Butler Zhao is trapped inside…"
Qin Yun's expression instantly became grim.
"He'er, stop the car!"
Qin He, consumed by the thought of seeing Lele immediately, paid no mind to anything else.
Hearing his brother's shout, he finally slammed on the brakes, and the car screeched to a halt.
Qin Yun got out of the car, pulled Qin He from the driver's seat, and pushed him into the back.
"Mom, you watch He'er."
The car sped towards the Qin residence.
A few streets away seemed like a long distance to Qin He, his heart trembling.
How big was the fire for the smoke to be visible from this far away, seeming to engulf half the sky!
"Mom, what about Lele— he, Aunt Zhao didn't get out, where is Lele?!" Qin He's voice quivered, extreme panic rendering him weak, yet he desperately wished he could fly home.
Xu Wanwan frowned, clenching her hands in worry. "It rained last night, how could such a big fire suddenly break out?!"
Less than five minutes later, Qin Yun parked the car at the entrance to the Qin family estate.
They couldn't drive any further; the fire was too intense.
The Qin estate was already vast, with many trees surrounding it, which prevented the fire from spreading to the neighbors.
Now, apart from passersby who had stopped to watch, the street was filled with the Qin family's panicked servants.
Qin He flung open the door and jumped out of the car. He spotted Lele's nannies in the crowd.
"Sister Zhang, where is Lele?!" Qin He rushed up to one of them.
Upon seeing Qin He, the nanny grabbed his sleeve as if he were her anchor.
"Miss, we truly don't know! The fire started too quickly, too fast! It flared up in an instant, we didn't even have time to grab the young master!"
A gust of wind swept by, carrying a blast of scorching heat.
Qin He's heart felt as if it had frozen, his body growing cold. Without hesitation, he moved to rush into the burning building.
Qin Yun strode forward and grabbed Qin He's arm. "He'er, calm down!"
"Brother, let go of me! Lele is inside!" Qin He glared at the burning villa, flames already spitting from the windows.
Qin Yun glanced at the villa, his heart sinking to the abyss.
But now…
Seeing Qin He's loss of control, he struck the back of Qin He's neck.
Qin He's body went limp and fell into his arms.
Ming Yuzhu was also struggling to restrain herself from rushing into the fire. Thinking of her grandson, her heart felt as if it were being torn to shreds.
"Mom, Wanwan, watch He'er!" Qin Yun said with determination.
He placed Qin He back in the car, then had Ming Yuzhu and Xu Wanwan get in.
Qin Yun called out to a few servants. "Go find water and blankets!"
He had to personally rescue his little nephew!
"Young Master, you can't! With a fire this big, let alone water and blankets, even firefighters wouldn't be able to get in anytime soon!"
"Firefighters, where are the firefighters?!" Qin Yun turned to the servant.
The Qin family had always treated their servants well, and the servant's eyes welled up with tears as he spoke through gritted teeth.
"Young Master, when the fire started, it was as if it ignited from all sides at once. From the time the fire broke out until now, it's only been a little over three minutes!"
In just over three minutes, the fire had engulfed the entire villa?!
Qin Yun's heart grew cold.
This was arson, not an accidental fire!
He clenched his fist, his mind racing.
Recalling what his sister had told him about the Wanfang Theory, he quickly reached a conclusion.
Lele was most likely not inside; he had been taken!
But… wouldn't the arsonists be afraid of burning down the Wanfang Theory as well?
Qin Yun frowned. The arsonists had even waited for everyone from the Qin family to leave before starting the fire!
Just as Qin He's newly developed medicine was exposed, making significant contributions to the pharmaceutical industry, the Qin family estate caught fire. The Qingcheng Fire Department arrived on the scene within ten minutes.
However, even with such a rapid response, the firefighters were shocked by the intensity of the blaze.
"How is it possible for it to burn this much in just over ten minutes?!"
Amidst the chaos, the butler had not emerged.
He was a butler who had worked for the Qin family for decades, treating Ming Yuzhu like a friend. Even Qin Yun and Qin He regarded Butler Zhao as an aunt.
All of them felt their hearts bleeding.
Qin Yun's eyes were bloodshot. After arranging for the servants to stay at a hotel owned by the Qin family, he drove his family towards another Qin villa.
Xu Wanwan and Ming Yuzhu sat in the back, watching over the unconscious Qin He.
Qin Yun glanced at his pale sister in the rearview mirror, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly.
Someone had set fire to his home, harmed his family, and abducted his little nephew!
Qin Yun's heart was filled with murderous intent. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down!
The Qin family estate, twenty minutes after the fire.
A Pagani screeched to a halt in front of the Qin family gate!
Gu Qichen leaped out of the car, and firefighters rushed to stop him.
"Please stop!"
"Where is Qin He?!" Gu Qichen gritted his teeth, staring at the burning house.
"No one in this family was harmed except for the butler. Everyone has been evacuated. Please do not approach the fire scene; it is dangerous!"
Qin He wasn't here—
She was safe—
Gu Qichen turned back to his car, and the frantic beating of his heart finally began to stabilize.
Shortly after, his phone rang.
Gu Qichen answered, and Yu Jing's voice came through. "Mr. Gu, we've investigated. The situation at the Qin family's estate was arson!"
Gu Qichen gritted his teeth, casting a dark glare at the burning house before driving away.
Compared to seeing He'er now, he had a more important task to attend to.
To chop off the paw that had been lurking in the darkness, causing trouble!
The towering flames could not be hidden. Everyone in Qingcheng knew about the fire at the Qin residence.