??Chapter 146: Stopped, but failed to stop.
Chapter 146: Stopped, but failed to stop.
The situation in Harbor City was put on hold for now.
After returning to Bai City, Wen Zhi stayed at Qionglou the entire ti.
She was following the developnts of her disappearance; the police were still searching for her, and the Wen family was apparently very anxious as well, though there was little activity from the Shang family—only news that Chong Wanyin was still praying for her at the temple.
Who in the elite circles could hear of such sincerity without sighing? Even Wen Zhi couldn’t help but click her tongue a few tis.
As she had been staying in Qionglou for almost three days, Wen Zhi grew increasingly restless and decided to go out for a while.
But as soon as she stepped out the door, she was stopped by Chen Jinhai.
“Miss Wen, please stay.”
Chen Jinhai’s job was to be Shang Hexing’s work assistant, ready to handle private matters. If he were promoted, soone else would have to be assigned to look after Wen Zhi.
“I’m too bored, I want to go out for a walk, I can be back in about two hours,” Wen Zhi didn’t bla Shang Hexing for having Chen Jinhai guard her at Qionglou, since she indeed wanted to make her own moves.
Right now, for example, she felt too trapped and always wanted to do sothing—she couldn’t just sit around waiting for doom.
Chen Jinhai looked troubled but still sincerely tried to dissuade her, “Miss Wen, it’s better for you to stay safe in Qionglou. Once you step out that door, it won’t take long for soone to find you.”
“Alright.”
Wen Zhi had to give up the idea of going out and wait for ng Fan to co to her.
Today was ng Fan’s first visit in these three days.
At the sa ti.
ng Fan was about to set off for Qionglou when she received a phone call from Liang Yin just before leaving.
Feeling cautioned, ng Fan hesitated for a while but still answered the call, slowly saying, “Young Master Liang, what can I do for you?”
From the phone ca Liang Yin’s voice, sowhat tired and hoarse, “Do you know where Wen Zhi might be?”
ng Fan’s brows lifted slightly. Liang Yin had been tirelessly searching without results for so many days—was his stubborn mind finally turning a corner?
Unfortunately, she couldn’t tell him.
“No news from the salvage team yet. What madness has possessed Young Master Liang?” ng Fan’s tone was laced with scorn.
“ng Fan,” Liang Yin suddenly called out her na in a heavy tone, but did not continue.
ng Fan was used to Liang Yin’s frivolous ways and found it hard to picture just how disheveled he might be with a scruffy beard.
She cleared her throat, trying to maintain a steady voice, yet couldn’t hide the pain, “I’m also waiting for the results from the salvage team. I’d even like to believe that Zhizhi has already been retrieved and moved sowhere else. It’s not just you who’s worried—I’m a thousand tis more worried than you.”
After her words fell, a pained moan ca from the phone.
ng Fan’s heart skipped a beat and she asked, “Young Master Liang, what’s wrong?”
There was silence on the other end of the line. ng Fan looked at her phone, then quickly put it back to her ear, “Young Master Liang, stop joking, are you okay? Are you all right?”
After quite a while, Liang Yin’s weak voice ca through, “I’m fine.”
ng Fan didn’t know what Liang Yin’s condition really was.
But out of goodwill, she still expressed concern, “I know you’ve been monitoring Cocoon Lake’s salvage operations every day, working tirelessly. Finding Zhizhi is, of course, important—but you also need to take care of yourself. What if Zhizhi cos back and you’ve worn yourself out so badly? Do you want her to feel guilty for you?”
On the other end, Liang Yin was sitting in his car.
He was on a Bluetooth call, with one hand covering his aching stomach, his face pallid, a thin layer of sweat on his forehead, the other hand gripping the steering wheel tightly, and in a deep voice, he asked, “So, is Wen Zhi truly alright?”
ng Fan didn’t answer but guessed half-right, “Young Master Liang, are you sick? Are you feeling unwell?”
Liang Yin’s voice ca stubbornly through the phone, “Answer
first—Wen Zhi really is alright, isn’t she?”
ng Fan forcefully closed his eyes, his emotions extrely complicated, “I’ve said it, I’m more anxious than anyone to find Zhizhi quickly. If Mr. Liang is ill, he should go see a doctor and not delay.”
Liang Yin’s voice beca stern, “If you were really in such a hurry, would you have the leisure to go to Harbor City with your man at a ti like this?”
ng Fan’s expression changed slightly, her tone sowhat sharp, “Are you tracking ?”
Liang Yin asked indifferently, “What did you do there?”
ng Fan knew that Liang Yin was trying to get information out of her, as to whether he actually guessed sothing or had followed her, she couldn’t be sure yet; after all, that’s how these conversational traps worked.
She feigned impatience, “I went to have fun with my husband, do you need to interfere in this? Mr. Liang, if you keep asking, I might start thinking you have feelings for .”
“Forget it, it’s nothing.” Liang Yin guessed the tactic ng Fan was likely to use next, so he hung up the phone before she could continue.
At this mont, his stomach was churning with waves of spasms. These days, he had only thought about finding Wen Zhi and had neglected his own health, leading to a recurrence of his stomach illness.
Harbor City…
Could Wen Zhi have also gone to Harbor City?
He knew that Shang Hexing went to Harbor City on business, but then ng Fan and her husband followed suit. Could it be related to Wen Zhi?
‘Buzz buzz’
The phone vibrated.
Liang Yin pressed the Bluetooth button to answer, “Has she left the house?”
The person on the phone was soone Liang Yin had placed in the property managent of Lizhou Riverbank. He said, “Miss ng’s car has driven out of the garage and is now heading towards the gate.”
“I see.”
After hanging up, Liang Yin drove his car towards Lizhou Riverbank, which was only about three hundred ters away. He had been waiting for this mont, as this was the first day ng Fan had left her house since returning from Harbor City.
He followed her the whole way in an inconspicuous car, and ng Fan didn’t notice him.
It wasn’t until Liang Yin saw Qionglou that he suddenly laughed, mocking himself for the sleepless nights that seed like a joke now.
…
Finally, Wen Zhi waited for ng Fan to arrive.
She hurried downstairs to greet her, but the smile that had been on her face a second ago disappeared as soon as she saw the man standing behind ng Fan.
“What, not happy to see ?” Liang Yin, with a scruffy beard and slightly disheveled hair, asked.
He stood not far behind ng Fan, watching Wen Zhi co out with a smirk that seed both amused and mocking.
Standing nearby was Chen Jinhai, who imdiately said to Wen Zhi, “I tried to stop him, but couldn’t.”
It wasn’t exactly impossible to stop him; rather, Liang Yin was so intense that making him leave would have created a big scene and drawn more attention, particularly since this was Qionglou.
Nevertheless, Chen Jinhai had reported the situation to Mr. Shang as soon as possible.
ng Fan walked up to Wen Zhi and said with a sheepish smile, “Zhizhi, it’s my fault for being careless. I didn’t notice Liang Yin following
all the way here.”
Wen Zhi sighed softly, “He’s a criminal detective. If he wants to follow you without being discovered, it’s effortless.”
ng Fan turned and glared at Liang Yin.
Liang Yin ignored ng Fan’s stare and took a few broad steps forward. His face, though not visible, appeared sowhat world-weary, and his tone could not hide his weariness, “It’s been six days since I found you, I’m quite ashad of my profession.”
Perhaps because he had never imagined that Wen Zhi would disappear in such a risky way for so many days, and that she would be with Shang Hexing.
Apart from Shang Hexing’s place, he had searched almost everywhere she might have appeared, even making a trip to Jingci Temple in Lin City.
Thinking this, Liang Yin laughed at himself and finally breathed a sigh of relief, “I’m glad you’re alright.”
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