Excitement aside, this matter was temporarily put aside once known.
Wen Xuanyuan was more concerned about Madam Ling's situation.
After all, she was Xia Wantang's mother-in-law, and Wen Xuanyuan didn't want Xia Wantang to be sad.
Even without these connections, she didn't want an innocent and kind person to be destroyed.
Of course, she wouldn't let Xia Wanfu off easily either, finding opportunities to mock her fiercely.
Who was meant to be bullied forever? How she treated Xia Wantang back then made this retaliation only natural.
The two sat in a daze, not daring to ask about the Ling family's news at this time.
Just then, the doorbell rang, and they snapped back to attention.
Not long ago, Aunt Ou had gone out to buy groceries. It was possible she hadn't brought her keys, so Qiao Xinyue went to open the door, thinking it was her.
To her surprise, it wasn't Aunt Ou standing outside, but Li Bowen.
Li Bowen had first rung the doorbell next door, but no one answered for a long time. He guessed that they might have come to the neighboring apartment.
The moment he saw Qiao Xinyue, he noticed her red eyes, with tears still lingering.
He frowned and asked, "What's wrong?"
While asking, he was already guessing. He vaguely recalled that Han Xiao was about to get married.
Although Qiao Xinyue was the daughter of the Ling family's housekeeper, the Ling family treated her differently from others, almost like a young lady from their own household.
Therefore, Qiao Xinyue was acquainted with Li Bowen and his circle, and they were quite familiar with each other.
"I'm fine," Qiao Xinyue lowered her head, not wanting anyone to see her expression.
Knowing Li Bowen's intention, she said, "Xuanxuan is inside."
Li Bowen could only step inside first. He immediately saw Wen Xuanyuan sitting on the sofa.
Wen Xuanyuan also looked preoccupied, her spirits low, and he didn't know why.
Earlier, he had assumed Qiao Xinyue was sad because Han Xiao was getting married, but now it seemed that wasn't the case.
If that wasn't the reason, then why was Wen Xuanyuan unhappy?
"What happened?"
Li Bowen's expression turned slightly grave. Judging by their demeanor, it didn't seem like a trivial matter.
Wen Xuanyuan, unable to keep secrets, blurted out, "Ling Yucheng's mother is missing."
"What's going on?"
Li Bowen's face changed drastically, and the gentle eyes beneath his glasses turned sharp.
Wen Xuanyuan was startled by his reaction, her wet, large eyes looking at him, finding him a bit unfamiliar.
Qiao Xinyue, however, was not surprised by his reaction.
She choked back a sob and recounted what had just happened.
After listening to her, Li Bowen's expression grew even more serious, showing no signs of easing.
He, too, couldn't help but think of Su Jinning.
If Madam Ling had also met with trouble, then Father Ling would be the next Jiang Zexi.
No, he might not be able to survive, and such a tragedy must not be repeated.
"You two stay home and don't go out wandering," Li Bowen instructed before getting up and leaving in a hurry.
Wen Xuanyuan frowned, her eyes full of disbelief.
He just left like that???
However, she didn't want to make a scene at this moment.
When this matter was resolved, she'd see how she would deal with this guy for daring to ignore her!
After going downstairs, Li Bowen drove directly towards the old town, his mind racing.
Su Jinning's incident back then was indeed an accident, but he wondered what was going on with Madam Ling.
While thinking, he first notified Jiang Zexi, and then considered calling Situ Jun. However, he hesitated after looking up the phone number.
It wasn't that Situ Jun wasn't trustworthy, but rather that other members of the Situ family might not be able to clear their names.
If it was an accident, it would be fine, but if it involved the conflict between powerful families, it would be complicated.
To be honest, his first suspect was the Situ family.
Situ Jing was deeply in love with Ling Yucheng, and Old Madam Situ was always domineering and strong-willed.
Given her personality, how could she willingly hand over the position of Madam Ling to someone else?
As long as Ling Yucheng married Situ Jing, the Situ family would undoubtedly surpass the other two families.
If his guess was correct, the Situ family's target had always been Xia Wantang.
But because of Su Jinning's incident, Ling Yucheng had always been extremely careful in protecting Xia Wantang, making it impossible for them to approach her.
Not to mention the multiple layers of protection at Linglu Mountain, even around their residence at Mo Xuan Apartments, there were many visible and hidden bodyguards.
And the school, with its crowds and prying eyes, would definitely not offer any opportunities.
Madam Ling's disappearance would surely throw the Ling family into chaos.
At this moment, everyone's attention would be focused on Madam Ling's disappearance, giving them an opportunity. Therefore, the most important thing now was not to panic!
Li Bowen carefully searched his mind again for any suspicious families or individuals.
After much thought, only the Situ family came to mind.
The Ling family had always been low-key and treated people generously. Although they were successful in business, they wouldn't easily offend people.
But who knew if there were any envious or jealous people in the shadows, and outwardly, the only suspect was the Situ family.
After receiving Li Bowen's call, Jiang Zexi was plunged into deep pain.
While others could immediately think of Su Jinning, how could he not?
"Young Master Jiang, what's wrong?"
The gentle call from his assistant woke him from his bone-gnawing pain.
He was in a meeting at the time, and all the high-level executives of the Jiang Group below looked at him with confusion.
Jiang Zexi glanced at everyone, stood up without a word, and left the conference room.
Given his relationship with Ling Yucheng, how could he stand by and do nothing at this moment?
"What's wrong, what happened to Young Master Jiang?"
"I don't know, how strange."
"Could his old problem have flared up again!"
...
His departure caused widespread discussion among the crowd.
Jiang Zexi, with bloodshot eyes, got into his car and slammed the accelerator, the car speeding away.
His heart was far from calm, memories from five years ago replaying vividly in his mind.
That day was heavily overcast, with dense, oppressive, and stifling dark clouds.
Despite the bad weather, Su Jinning had gone out early that morning to visit her sick grandmother.
At that time, Jiang Zexi had just started working at the Jiang Group and was exceptionally busy, so he didn't accompany her.
A driver from the Jiang family had taken her there, and they had maintained contact.
However, on her way back, the car broke down, so she had to hail a taxi on the road.
Who knew that such an ordinary taxi would harbor a devilish driver with wicked intentions.
Even though he was busy with work, Jiang Zexi hadn't forgotten to ask Su Jinning if she had arrived home safely.
But he never received a reply.
He found it strange, of course, because they had been in constant contact, chatting intermittently.
But after she said she had gotten into the car, there was no further reply.
It had been about half an hour since she got into the taxi. By normal speed, she should have arrived home by now.
Jiang Zexi didn't think much of it at the time, but still, feeling uneasy, he called home.