Di Ruihe was like a lost soul, unable to find Xu Zehong. He spent money to have people conduct a thorough search for his whereabouts.
Days passed, and whenever Jiang Ziyu saw Di Ruihe, she would ask him when Xu Zehong would be free to visit the Di residence.
The roles reversed. Di Ruihe couldn't withstand Jiang Ziyu's urging and hid outside for a period of time.
Di Mingjue learned of his efforts to find Xu Zehong. He arranged for Shen Lin to spread information about Xu Zehong's situation among the people Di Ruihe had hired.
"What did you say?" Di Ruihe's face was pale in the dark room, illuminated by the light.
The man spoke again, repeating, "Our people discovered that the person was taken away by someone named Shen Lin. We haven't yet found out where the person is being held."
Excluding the possibility of people with the same name, the Shen Lin he thought of could only be Di Mingjue's assistant.
If the person was taken by him, then Di Mingjue must already know Xu Zehong's true identity?
Di Ruihe immediately sent the person in front of him to inquire at the prison. If the substitute there was discovered, it would indicate how likely it was that Di Mingjue knew.
Three to four days later, Di Ruihe returned to the Di residence.
Upon entering, he found the whole family happily gathered around the dining table, enjoying dinner.
"Ruihe is back," the old lady looked up. "Bring another set of cutlery."
Di Ruihe felt Di Mingjue's gaze and quickly stopped him, "No need, I ate outside before returning."
The servant paused and looked at the old lady.
"What have you been busy with lately? I haven't seen you for days," the old lady put down her chopsticks.
Her concern caused everyone else to put down their chopsticks, especially Di Mingjue, whose seemingly calm face made him even more hesitant and fearful.
Di Ruihe feigned calmness and replied, "A friend had an unexpected issue, and I've been helping out these past few days."
"A friend?" Di Mingjue asked curiously, "Is it serious? Do you need my help?"
Previously the least inclined to interfere in others' affairs, he was now proactively offering help. Di Ruihe began to believe that Shen Lin, as they mentioned, was indeed Shen Lin from Di Mingjue's side.
"It's not serious, I don't need cousin's help," Di Ruihe refused.
Leaving the dining table, Di Mingjue casually mentioned, "We're all family. If there's really something going on, don't hide it from us."
"I know, thank you for your concern, cousin," Di Ruihe replied coldly.
Patting his shoulder in an elder brotherly manner, Di Mingjue looked at him without diverting his gaze, "You're welcome!"
Shivering, Di Ruihe distanced himself from Di Mingjue as if escaping. His gaze evasive, he said to everyone, "I'm going upstairs to rest."
Back in his room, Di Ruihe immediately closed the curtains and doors and windows. He dialed Xu Zehong's number again. After a long time, the call was finally answered.
He looked surprised and urgently asked, "Where have you been these past few days? Why aren't you answering your phone?"
After he finished speaking, the other party remained silent.
"Xu Zehong?" Di Ruihe glanced at the number. "Who exactly are you!"
After the inquiry, the call was interrupted by the other party.
Di Ruihe tried to call again, but the phone was back to being switched off. He became increasingly fearful. Before he could recover from this shock, a call from his subordinate completely threw him into disarray.
They had found out that the substitute who had initially served time in prison for Xu Zehong had been discovered by prison officials. The police were taking his statement.
If the other party couldn't hold out and confessed, the car accident from years ago would be brought up again. Even if Xu Zehong's situation remained stable, it would drag him down and implicate him.
For the sake of his own development, Di Ruihe devised a terrifying plan. As soon as the idea formed, he immediately hired assassins who were active in society with a substantial reward.