Xie Qin Jia harbored a guardedness towards people, especially after her surgery. Upon the other party's request, she hesitated for a moment before replying. He didn't press her, merely smiling, "I apologize, I just saw my son and I'm feeling down. I was rather abrupt."
Though he smiled, Xie Qin Jia could sense his sorrow. Having also lost a son, she felt a sense of empathy. After some deliberation, Xie Qin Jia said to him, "Then let's have a cup of tea together."
He smiled and said, "Don't feel obligated."
"I'm not," Xie Qin Jia told him. "It's fate that we met. Your son and my son are in the same cemetery; that's even more remarkable."
The two walked out of the cemetery chatting. He hadn't driven, so Xie Qin Jia invited him into her car. Following his directions, they arrived at a teahouse.
Along the way, he spoke at length about his son. The more Xie Qin Jia listened, the more she felt his son resembled Xing Yan – both gentle in nature, fond of reading, and cultured. It was a pity they had both passed away prematurely…
Xie Qin Jia grew melancholic. When they arrived at the teahouse, her eyes were filled with unconcealable sadness. He asked her, "How did your son pass away?"
"Car accident." Xie Qin Jia found these two words difficult to utter.
"What a shame… was it an accident?" he asked again.
Xie Qin Jia nodded, "Yes, it was an accident."
Lost in her grief, she didn't notice the expression on the man's face.
They drank tea and talked for a long time. Xie Qin Jia, who already enjoyed tea, found the teahouse's fragrant brew to her liking, and she drank a considerable amount.
Later, she felt her body grow weak and her vision darken. She inexplicably fainted, as if falling asleep.
Seeing her pass out, the man opposite her gradually broke into a smile. He gave a command to someone outside, and immediately, people arrived to carry the unconscious Xie Qin Jia away. He followed closely behind, leaving with them.
Xing Zheng had yet to find any valuable leads in his search for Lin Mei. Xing Sha arrived but couldn't offer much help. As night fell, Xing Zheng asked him to return home first.
Upon returning home, Xing Sha found that Xie Qin Jia was not there. After asking the housekeeper, he learned that Xie Qin Jia had driven to the cemetery alone that day and had not yet returned. Xing Sha's eyelid twitched.
This behavior was highly unusual. Xie Qin Jia would never stay so long at the cemetery when visiting Xing Yan. He immediately called Xie Qin Jia, but the call went to voicemail, indicating the phone was switched off.
Xing Sha immediately realized something was amiss. He reported it to the police and began checking the surveillance footage near the cemetery. This kept him busy all night.
Considering Xing Zheng was already troubled by Lin Mei's situation, Xing Sha did not inform him about Xie Qin Jia's disappearance.
Xing Sha rushed to the police station that night and reviewed the cemetery surveillance footage with the officers. They quickly identified a suspect, a middle-aged man with whom Xie Qin Jia had gotten into a car.
The police rewound the footage, paused it, and zoomed in on the suspect's face. "Do you recognize him?" Kidnapping cases primarily considered acquaintances or individuals with previous conflicts.
Xing Sha looked closely at the screen. Upon recognizing the man, his entire body went cold. It was… Zhao Rong?
Liu Qin Ye's earlier taunts echoed in his ears and mind. He had said Xie Qin Jia was secretly involved with Zhao Rong behind his back, and mocked him for being unaware. Xing Sha had dismissed Liu Qin Ye's words as ravings, but the content of the surveillance footage struck him like a slap in the face!
The footage showed Xie Qin Jia willingly leaving with Zhao Rong and even inviting him into her car. Even Xing Sha couldn't determine if she had left willingly. "Can you check where they went afterward?"
There was no need for Xing Sha to prompt; the police were already investigating. The surveillance footage tracked the car, which eventually stopped in front of a secluded teahouse. The two entered the teahouse, seemingly in good spirits.
After more than an hour, several men in black clothes carried Xie Qin Jia out and placed her into a car. Seeing this, Xing Sha's nerves tensed. It looked exactly like a premeditated kidnapping!
Not long after, Zhao Rong emerged. Before getting into the car, he actually smiled towards the surveillance camera. Whether intentional or not, his smile carried the arrogance of a successful plan and a strong sense of provocation, as if he had anticipated someone checking the footage and had deliberately acted for them.
The experienced police officers immediately sensed his intention and asked Xing Sha, "Do you know this person? Have you had any unpleasant interactions with him before?"
This kidnapping case, by all accounts, seemed to be a premeditated act of revenge, especially with the suspect's final look. "He's not avoiding the surveillance at all; he's even using it to declare war on you."
"Yes," Xing Sha finally found his voice after a long pause. "I suspect he might contact me soon."
If the target was him and he wasn't afraid of being discovered, he wouldn't remain idle. And what about Lin Mei…
Zhao Corporation's downfall was due to Xing Zheng's machinations. Xing Sha had overlooked Zhao Rong before, but he had been lurking and planning for so long. Besides revenge, there was also the matter of his and Xie Qin Jia's untold past…
He didn't know, Xie Qin Jia didn't remember, and Liu Qin Ye was mentally unstable. Now, to find the truth, the only way was to find Zhao Rong.
As Xing Sha had predicted, at four in the morning, he received a call from a virtual number. When the other end remained silent for a long time, Xing Sha asked, "Zhao Rong, is that you?"
A short burst of laughter was his reply. The caller then suppressed his laughter and feigned praise, "You're still as sharp as you were back then."
"What do you want?" Xing Sha began negotiating, "Don't hurt her."
"How could I bear to hurt her? You have no idea how much I care about her." Zhao Rong chuckled, his words exuding affection for Xie Qin Jia.
Xing Sha frowned. Before he could respond, Zhao Rong continued, "However, the other one… that's another story…"
"Lin Mei too? Was that you?" Xing Sha had suspected this when he saw the surveillance footage, but he hadn't been able to confirm it or tell Xing Zheng. He never expected it to be Zhao Rong!
"You truly live up to your name, Xing Sha!" Zhao Rong generously praised him, "Nothing escapes your notice!"
"What is your objective?" Xing Sha maintained his composure, negotiating with Zhao Rong while discreetly pressing the record button. However, Zhao Rong was not fooled. He laughed arrogantly, seeing through his intention. "You want to record this and have the police deal with me?"
"Don't dream about it!" Zhao Rong declared. "They're in my hands. If you dare involve the police, I'll kill them. If you want to gamble, go ahead and try!"
Xing Sha certainly couldn't gamble. Neither Xie Qin Jia nor Lin Mei could be harmed. "Then I'll come. Where are you?"
Zhao Rong was still not satisfied. "You coming alone isn't enough. I'll send you the address. Make sure Xing Zheng comes with you!"
He wanted to settle this score with both father and son!
Xing Sha had no choice but to agree.