After a passionate encounter, Shen Fanyun tenderly embraced the naked Lin iqing. As was always the case, he had entered "Sage Mode." The two of them chatted idly.
Just then, Shen Fanyun’s peripheral vision landed on a business card on the nightstand. The card’s style was ordinary, but the printing on it sparked his interest.
"Hmm?" Shen Fanyun studied it for several seconds before realizing it was a pictogram. By its shape, it looked like the character for ’Hong,’ and in the upper left corner, a pink cherry blossom was printed.
Hong? A business card from the local Hong Family?
The driver on the way here had shared so of the Hong Family’s dark history, giving Shen Fanyun a poor impression of them. In fact, the re thought of the family made him nauseous. Now that Lin Jia was seemingly involved with them, he couldn’t help but be on alert.
"Where did this co from?" Shen Fanyun asked Lin iqing.
Lin iqing looked surprised. "Is there sothing special about it?"
"A couple of days ago, Jiajia t a man claiming to be a talent scout. He said he was taken with her beauty and hoped they could collaborate."
"Jiajia accepted the card out of politeness, but she had no intention of following up with him. She just tossed it here when she got ho."
Lin iqing shrugged and settled into a more comfortable position in Shen Fanyun’s arms.
The entertainnt industry in Hangcheng City was quite developed, giving rise to many professional scouts who searched for undiscovered beauties. They would approach any girl with an outstanding figure and appearance to ask if she wanted to join the business. She rembered how a certain popular female celebrity, known as the "commoner diva," was discovered by a scout on the street. Her family was indeed ordinary, making her a true child of the people.
As for what others might think, that was none of Lin iqing’s concern. However, she knew her own daughter well; Lin Jia had no interest in the entertainnt industry.
Despite Lin iqing’s explanation, Shen Fanyun still had a bad feeling.
If this was really connected to the Hong Family, it was likely a classic case of bait and switch. The real purpose was probably to lure unsuspecting girls to work at the Picking Flowers Pavilion.
"Contact Jiajia right now," Shen Fanyun urged.
"Huh?" Lin iqing was puzzled and a little embarrassed. Contacting Lin Jia at this very mont? Did he want her daughter to see her lying blissfully in a man’s arms? "I... I’ll get dressed first."
Lin iqing prepared to get up.
Shen Fanyun shook his head, signaling that she didn’t need to. Though confused, Lin iqing imdiately dialed Lin Jia’s number.
After one ring, a notification announced that the phone was off.
"It’s off?" Lin iqing frowned. Why would it be turned off? As far as she could rember, Lin Jia never switched her phone off, putting it on sleep mode at most. She could always be reached.
"I’ll try calling again," Lin iqing said, starting to panic. The previous dispute with Wang Laohu had already left a psychological scar; if Shen Fanyun hadn’t intervened in ti, the consequences would have been unthinkable. Could sothing have happened again?
Shen Fanyun’s face darkened as he contacted Su Xiyang.
"Is Jiajia at the company?" he asked.
Su Xiyang sounded bewildered. "At this hour, if she’s not at the company, where else would she be?" There was a brief pause. "Wait a minute... she really isn’t here."
Su Xiyang grew tense. After a quick check, she found that Lin Jia hadn’t been seen since lunchti. A review of the surveillance footage only showed her leaving the building.
Shen Fanyun grunted in disappointnt and quickly hung up.
However, the next second, he received a call from the old headmaster, Lu Jinshu. The old man asked anxiously, "Fanyun, can you get in touch with Ruoshui?"
"Hmm?" Shen Fanyun raised an eyebrow.
According to Lu Jinshu, Li Ruoshui hadn’t shown up for work that morning. When he contacted her family, they said she had left for the school after breakfast... but no one at the school had seen her.
Lin Jia had lost contact, and now Li Ruoshui was also unreachable. This was no coincidence.
Shen Fanyun flipped the business card over in his hand, his expression growing colder. "I had planned to find an opportunity soday to rid Hangcheng City of this scourge. I never thought you, the Hong Family, would reveal yourselves like this!"
The Hong Family was truly unlucky. The two girls they had targeted both had deep connections with him. Also, had the Hong Family grown so arrogant that they didn’t even bother investigating their targets’ backgrounds before abducting them? Did they not care about stirring up major trouble?
"Jiajia will be alright, won’t she?" Lin iqing was so nervous she was on the verge of tears.
"I’m here. She’ll be fine," Shen Fanyun reassured her. "I’ll handle this," he said, getting up.
Lin iqing asked, "Should I co with you?" After all, Lin Jia was her only family, the person she depended on. If anything truly happened to her, she would lose her will to live.
"No need," Shen Fanyun said, shaking his head.
Lin iqing understood his tone, nodded, and watched him leave.
「These past two days.」
The third son of the Hong Family, Hong Tianzhao, was about to return from the Capital City for a family visit. This was a major event for the Hong Family. Moreover, Hong Tianzhao was bringing two close friends, both influential figures from the Capital City. For such high-caliber individuals to befriend the Hong Family was akin to gaining powerful new allies. Naturally, the Hong Family had to arrange an even grander reception.
As a long-established local family, they had their own unique thods for hosting distinguished guests. Thus, Old Master Hong personally ordered the recruitnt of a few more young, inexperienced girls from Hangcheng City to join the Picking Flowers Pavilion. These "newcors" would be handed over to professionals for special training, all to ensure the two tycoons from the Capital City were entertained in absolute comfort.
The Hong Family was well-practiced in this line of business. Although several deaths had occurred in the early years, they were not overly concerned. Their power in Hangcheng City was imnse, making them almost god-like. Very few dared to provoke them.
At the sa ti, a group of local socialites on friendly terms with the Hong Family began to appear one by one, each arranging a welco banquet for Hong Tianzhao. This matter was personally managed by Hong Danggui.
「Picking Flowers Pavilion.」
In a sealed, windowless square room, Lin Jia looked around distractedly, her spirit unsettled. The dim lighting made it difficult to see, but she could make out a group of girls sitting scattered about.
"What is this place?" Lin Jia wondered aloud, her expression grave.
CLICK.
The door opened.
The last young woman to arrive, who had been blindfolded, was finally able to take a breath and remove her restraints. It was Li Ruoshui. She had never seen such a place. Looking at the other girls, the black cloths, and the ropes, she realized she had been kidnapped.
"Where are we? What... what are they going to do to us? I’m so scared!"
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