89: Chapter 89 Son kidnapped 89: Chapter 89 Son kidnapped “Dad, I treat my older brother like a brother, but he certainly doesn’t treat me like one.”
Lou Ziang came over with a glass of red wine in hand.
Lou Guohui and Lou Ruozi’s genes are indeed good, and Lou Ziang got the good looks from them.
But—
Compared to Jiang Yan, he’s still way behind.
Jiang Yan has a powerful aura and a noble temperament, with an inherent sense of imperial authority.
Even if he didn’t say a word and just stood there, he would give off an invisible sense of oppression.
Lou Guohui gave him a glare and said in a low voice, “Don’t spout nonsense, Ah Yan is not that kind of person.”
Lou Ziang smiled and did not respond.
“Mr.
Lou, it seems you don’t quite understand my husband yet.”
Su He approached with a delicate gait; though her attire today was not extravagant, it was still the most eye-catching.
Like a beauty stepping out of a painting, she was surrounded by an ethereal grace.
When she had just presented her gift to Old Mr.
Long, Tang Sirou had been observing her from the shadows.
Su He had stolen the spotlight from everyone, deepening Tang Sirou’s hatred for her.
What right did she have to stand beside Jiang Yan?
Su He ignored her burning, venomous gaze.
Gu Beiyan graciously made room for her.
She positioned herself next to Jiang Yan—poised and elegant—and looked at Lou Guohui with a gentle smile on her exquisite face.
Then, she turned her gaze to Lou Ziang and parted her red lips, “Young Master Lou, indeed, is not worthy of having my husband treat him as a brother, after all, not everyone is qualified to be sworn brothers with my husband!”
Mr.
and Mrs.
Lou’s faces stiffened.
Lou Ruozi felt angry just looking at Su He, “Su He, you…”
“What, did I say something wrong?” Su He asked with her eyebrows slightly raised, “Mrs.
Lou wouldn’t have forgotten what she said in the restroom, right?
Do you need me to jog your memory?
Hmm?”
Lou Ruozi’s brow unconsciously furrowed as she heard this.
Restroom?
Suddenly, she realized something.
A look of astonishment passed through her eyes—she had heard her conversation with Mrs.
Chen!
“You remember now?
Since you do, do you still think your son is worthy?” Su He’s bright eyes released a cold glint.
Lou Ruozi was instantly speechless.
The rest of the crowd, puzzled, looked on with confused expressions.
Lou Guohui had never met Su He before, but his wife had mentioned her.
It’s said not to hit a smiling face, and so he looked at Su He cheerfully, saying, “This must be Ah Yan’s wife, right?
I’ve heard Ruozi mention you before, saying you are a clever and articulate girl.
Seeing you today, you truly are a stunning beauty, with an air of effortless grace.”
Unfortunately for him, he had met Su He.
She never considered the niceties, especially with those she was not familiar with and who liked to pose in front of her—she was never soft-hearted.
“Mr.
Lou, just listen to such platitudes yourself,” she said with a faint smile, “Mrs.
Lou wouldn’t say these hypocritical things.
It would be good if she doesn’t curse at me.”
Having said that, she turned toward Lou Ruozi, her brows slightly raised, “I’m right, aren’t I, Mrs.
Lou?”
Lou Guohui, well-respected and influential in both the business world and society, had never been so disrespected.
He had extended an olive branch, but the other party did not care in the slightest, even taking things further.
Mr.
and Mrs.
Lou’s faces grew even more unsightly.
With Su He saying so, the couple couldn’t argue further.
Watching the scene, a cold gleam flashed in Lou Ziang’s eyes, “Big brother, you’re so lucky to have a wife like her who always protects you.
I’m really envious.”
“Don’t call me ‘big brother.’ It’s so intimate to call her ‘sister-in-law’ when we’re not that close; it sounds disgusting,” Su He said bluntly, with a look of disdain on her face, “If you’re envious, you should just marry Miss Tang instead.”
Those words left everyone tongue-tied.
She really dared to say anything!
“Miss Tang is indeed favored by Mrs.
Lou; she’s gentle and demure, with career prospects and an auspicious family background.
I think she and you, Young Master Lou, are quite well-matched.
Then you would also have someone to protect you, no need to envy others.”
Lou Ziang ignored Su He’s unpleasantries.
Right after she finished speaking, the crowd saw him put his arm around Tang Sirou’s shoulder, pulling her into his embrace.
Su He slightly frowned, her face showing a trace of curiosity.
Lou Ziang laughed, “Sister-in-law, you must be clairvoyant.
By the way, Ms.
Sirou and I are already together.”
This was something that Su He and others never anticipated; Tang Sirou actually got together with Lou Ziang.
She had only said it offhand, this…
was indeed quite shocking…
Not just to them, Mr.
and Mrs.
Lou were also astonished.
Lou Ruozi incredulously looked at her son and Tang Sirou, “You two…
when did you get together?”
Although she quite liked Tang Sirou, she had never considered having her date her son!
Tang Sirou dared not look at Lou Ruozi; she knew well that although Lou Ruozi liked her, similarly, Lou Ruozi would not allow her to have any relationship with Lou Ziang.
Lou Ziang, looking at his mother, chuckled, “These past few days.
Haven’t had time to tell you two.”
Lou Ruozi was so angered she was at a loss for words, glared fiercely at Tang Sirou, and turned on her heel to leave.
She was worried that if she didn’t leave, she might explode!
“Hey, Ruozi, where are you going?”
Lou Guohui saw her leave in a fit of anger and hurriedly followed after her.
Lou Ziang provocatively glanced at Jiang Yan, “Big brother, you won’t blame me for snatching Ms.
Sirou, right?”
His question was rather ambiguous, as if he had stolen his woman.
The man who had been silent all this time narrowed his profound eyes and looked at him coldly with a calm expression.
He said lightly, “What’s this about snatching?
Miss Tang is neither part of the Jiang Family nor does she have any emotional entanglement with me.
She is a free individual and whoever she is with has nothing to do with me!”
Lou Ziang’s face bore a meaningful smile.
He slightly tilted his head and lowered his eyes to look at Tang Sirou lost in thought in his arms.
He whispered, “Ms.
Sirou, see, what did I tell you?
Big brother won’t mind us being together, so you don’t have to be afraid.
After all, big brother is already married; it’s time for you to let go.”
Tang Sirou snapped back to reality, furrowed her brows, and glared at him, her eyes filled with warning, “Don’t talk nonsense!”
Lou Ziang automatically ignored her warning, and continued, “Why would I speak nonsense?
Ms.
Sirou, it’s well-known that you’ve always liked big brother, right?”
Tang Sirou gritted her teeth, “You…”
“But that’s all in the past, from now on, you are mine.” He tightened his grip around her, declaring dominantly.
Tang Sirou felt a burning sensation on her face, Lou Ziang’s words in front of so many people dealt a great blow to her pride.
Moreover, the people around were whispering and pointing fingers.
Originally, when Jiang Yan had not announced his married status, she felt everything was fine, but once it was made public, the implication changed.
She would be talked about as the third person in a relationship, and she had already been the topic of gossip once before!
She bit her teeth and pushed him away forcefully, then turned and ran out of the banquet hall.
Lou Ziang frowned secretly, not expecting Tang Sirou to push him away under the public gaze.
Gu Beiyan watched this dramatic turn with amusement and teased, “Young Master Lou, your girlfriend is angry and has run away, aren’t you going to chase her quickly?
Otherwise, soon some other heir will whisk her away, and the fiancée you’ve hardly caught will escape.”
Lou Ziang: “…”
The Lou Family had arrived suddenly and left quickly.
“What is Tang Sirou trying to pull?
How come she ended up with someone as scheming and cunning as Lou Ziang?”
Gu Beiyan, with a puzzled look, sighed, “I really don’t understand what Jing Chu saw in her back then.”
No one answered him, and he then looked at Su He and joked with a smile, “It’s a good thing, sister-in-law, that you care for little Ah Yan.
With you around, Ah Yan won’t have to worry about encountering the Lou Family.
I guess Mr.
and Mrs.
Lou haven’t been publicly disgraced yet, you’re the first one, huh.”
Su He: “…”
She helped Jiang Yan because she couldn’t stand Lou Ruozhi’s hypocrisy, who clearly didn’t recognize Jiang Yan and Jiang You as her own behind closed doors, yet insisted on pretending to be affectionate towards Jiang Yan and his sister.
She simply couldn’t comprehend how there could be such disgusting people in this world!
By comparison, An Chengyuan’s cold attitude towards her didn’t seem so detestable anymore.
At least, he wouldn’t come to disgust her.
Outside the banquet hall.
Tang Sirou had just run out when Lou Ziang chased after her.
The man, with a grim face, grabbed her hand and pulled her into a secluded corner.
He pinned her against the wall mercilessly.
Her back was bare, and a wave of pain surged through her body.
She gasped with pain and said through gritted teeth with a lowered voice, “Lou Ziang, let go of me!”
The tall man loomed over her, one hand pressed on her shoulder, the other hand pinching her chin to lift her face.
“Ms.
Sirou, if you behave, I can still talk to you nicely!” The man’s lips curled into a sinister cold smile.
Using the most gentle tone to deliver the most threatening words.
At this moment, Tang Sirou regretted provoking him.
Because of the Tang Family issue, she dared not seek Lou Ruozhi’s help, because she knew Lou Ruozhi would definitely disagree.
Therefore, she could only turn to Lou Ziang and ask for his help for the Tang Family.
The day before yesterday, she asked him for help and thought he would assist her for the sake of their friendship.
He indeed promised to help her, but then he made an outrageous demand for her to spend a night with him!
“Lou Ziang, I gave you what you wanted, you promised you wouldn’t disclose it, why are you going back on your word!”
She glared at him, forcing the words through clenched teeth.
“Ms.
Sirou, don’t forget, you were the one who sought me out first, not the other way around.” Lou Ziang smiled chillingly, “Besides, we’re both single; what’s wrong with being together?”
“I’ve already tested it for you, and you’ve seen it yourself, Jiang Yan simply doesn’t care who you’re with.
Why are you so fixated on him?”
“As long as we join forces, one day you’ll get what you want.”
Tang Sirou was bewildered, “What do you mean?”
Lou Ziang whispered in her ear with a dark and husky voice, “I know it might be difficult for you, Ms.
Sirou, to forget him all at once, considering you’ve liked him for so long.
Originally, the young master of the Jing Family was just your backup, because Jiang Yan wasn’t interested in you at the time, and so you turned to Jing Chu.
If Jing Chu dies, as his good friend’s girlfriend, he’ll naturally care for you a bit more, but don’t forget, he’s never been interested in you from the start.”
“Just behave and do as I say, I promise, one day he’ll kneel down and beg you, wouldn’t that be stronger than you chasing after him?”
Lou Ziang laughed eerily.
Tang Sirou laughed sarcastically, “Lou Ziang, you want to take down Jiang Yan?
I think you’re simply delusional, having pipe dreams in broad daylight.”
The man, faced with her skepticism, laughed rather than getting angry, “There was no way before, but now there is.
After all, once a person has a weakness, it means they’ve already lost half the battle.”
Tang Sirou wasn’t foolish, she slightly frowned, “Are you thinking of targeting Su He?”
Lou Ziang didn’t answer, instead, he kissed her abruptly.
He found that he quite liked her body after all.
Even though it wasn’t his first time, she was better than any of the other women he’d been with, more uninhibited.
Normally appearing gentle and graceful, standing tall and slender, she became like a different person when it came to that, passionate as fire, even more hooked than he himself was.
Tang Sirou couldn’t withstand his teasing, but she knew they were still outside.
“Stop, not here…” She looked at him with moist eyes and spoke.
She definitely didn’t want to end up trending because of this!
Lou Ziang deliberately teased her, “Then where does Ms.
Sirou want to go?
In the car?”
At this moment, Tang Sirou’s mind was in chaos, her body limp, her heart feeling empty, as if she wanted to fill it with something.
Her voice was soft and mellow, her gaze shifting, “No, go…
to a hotel.”
Lou Ziang saw her flushed cheeks, chuckled softly, then bent down to pick her up.
He just so happened to have a private suite at Tianji Hotel.
Ten minutes later, a certain VIP suite was witnessing a tempestuous drama between mortals and gods.
…
Half-past nine.
The birthday banquet was about to conclude.
After saying hello to Old Mr.
Long, Su He and Jiang Yan left the hotel.
Gu Beiyan and Lu Zhiyang also said their farewells and left.
The group left the hotel together.
Then, the phone rang; it was Su He’s.
She glanced at the caller ID.
It was from Jing Xuan, and she usually wouldn’t call unless it was something important, opting for texting instead.
Thinking of the little guy still with her, she immediately picked up the phone.
“Hello, Xiaxia.”
“Baobao, I’ve lost Xixi, boo hoo…
I can’t find him now…”
Jing Xuan’s anxious crying came through the phone, and Su He felt an instant void in her heart, “Xiaxia, don’t panic, tell me where you are now?
Where did you lose Xixi?”
Jiang Yan noticed her anxious expression, her face paling a bit.
And Lu Zhiyang, who was just about to leave, also stopped upon hearing her call out “Xiaxia.”
“Just near the Jing Family Mansion, I’ve looked everywhere, I can’t find any trace of Xixi, there’s only my mom lying by the roadside.”
“An hour ago, my mom and Xixi had dinner, and like the last few days, they went out for a walk.
The housekeeper noticed when they hadn’t returned, and he went out looking…”
“My mom is still unconscious in the hospital, unable to come to and unable to provide any explanation.
I’m now at the police station, asking them to retrieve the surveillance footage from the roadside.”
Su He gripped her phone tighter, anxious inside, yet also trying to stay clear-headed.
“Wait for me, I’m on my way.”
She had just taken a step when Jiang Yan grabbed her wrist, “I’ll go with you, don’t panic.”
Su He turned to look at him, slightly startled.
“No need, I can go by myself.” She rejected his offer without hesitation.
A hurt flickered through the man’s deep eyes.
She had just been defending him, yet suddenly he felt a sense of distance from her.
It seemed she was still keeping something from him.
He stepped closer to her, having heard everything Jing Xuan said over the phone.
He silently pressed his tongue against his back teeth, “I’ll take you there, I won’t get involved in your affairs, if you need help just ask.”
Without waiting for her response, he led her to the car.
“To the police station,” the man instructed Jiang Qi, looking at the back of his head.
“Yes, Master.”
The car left the entrance of the hotel.
“Do you want to go check it out too?
I think I heard the name Jing Xuan,” Gu Beiyan looked intensely at the man beside him, afraid of missing out like it was worth billions.
Lu Zhiyang cast him a disdainful glance, “Scram, I’m not as nosy as you!
I’m already engaged.”
Then, he turned and headed for his own car.
Watching his proud retreating figure, Gu Beiyan scoffed, “Tss—always having to save face even if it means suffering!
Old Lu, I’ll watch how you smack your own face later!
I bet $100 that if you don’t go, I’ll transfer it to you immediately on WeChat, but if you do, you better transfer me $100 right away.”
The man ignored him, bending to get into the car.
Five minutes later.
Gu Beiyan received a transfer of $100 from someone.
He accepted it with great fanfare.
“Hmph, kid.”
He replied: [Old Lu, think before you speak next time, save yourself from always losing to me, it’s not nice to hit your own face, haha.]
Lu Zhiyang glanced at his reply, ignored it, was about to quit when Gu Beiyan sent another message: [If you can’t let go, then chase her back.
Otherwise, you’ll suffer later.]
He squinted his eyes and replied: Scram!
Gu Beiyan snorted at the phone, “Scram, scram, scram, that’s all you ever say, go tell that to Jing Xuan if you dare!”
He tossed the phone onto the passenger seat and drove off in his beloved sports car.
Half an hour later, outside the police station.
As soon as the car stopped, Su He got out.
“Master, aren’t you coming in?”
Jiang Feng, seeing the man still sitting in the car, asked.
“No need, she doesn’t want me to interfere,” the man said, watching her silhouette from the car window as she entered the police station lobby.
Jiang Feng and Jiang Qi exchanged glances but said nothing.
“Baobao, over here.” Seeing her rush in, Jing Xuan waved at her.
Su He hadn’t changed out of her gown yet, and upon entering, she attracted the attention of everyone in the lobby.
She walked over to Jing Xuan, anxiously saying, “How is it going?
Has she been found?”
“She’s been found.
Xixi was taken away in a van; the police are currently tracking its whereabouts.”
At that moment, a uniformed man approached, “Ladies, there are some things we need to confirm with you.”
“Okay.”
“Let me introduce myself.
I am Chen Chen from the criminal police team, currently in charge of this kidnapping case.”
Su He: “Hello, Captain Chen.”
Chen Chen glanced at both women and asked, “Which of you is the child’s mother?”
Su He pointed to Jing Xuan, “She is, I am the child’s aunt.”
Jing Xuan nodded immediately, “Yes, that’s right.”
Chen Chen nodded, showing understanding, and asked, “The situation now is, we’re certain the child was taken deliberately.
Do any of you parents have any enemies or the like from your daily life?”
Su He shook her head; she had always kept Su Yimo well-protected; almost nobody knew about her connection to him, so it wasn’t likely targeted at her.
The kidnapping happened at the Jing Family Mansion, so it must be targeted at Jing Xuan.
Jing Xuan furrowed her brows; she didn’t have any grudges against anyone either, other than those greasy, balding old men.
“Does offending someone in the business world count?” She asked Captain Chen.
Captain Chen: “You start by drafting a list of suspects, and we’ll check them one by one.”
Jing Xuan wrote down the names of a few people she suspected.
Captain Chen glanced at the list, a flash of surprise in his eyes; these individuals were not strangers to him; they were all well-known entrepreneurs in Yue City.
Is this… not some kind of joke?
He looked at Jing Xuan and Su He again, both extremely beautiful and with a distinctive air; judging by their attire, indeed they didn’t seem to be from ordinary families.
Jing Xuan: “What’s the matter, Captain Chen?
Is there a problem?”
“Ah, no problem.
I’ll have someone check it right away,” Captain Chen returned to his senses and said.
Ten minutes later.
Captain Chen returned, “Ms.
Jing, we’ve checked the names you gave, and they all have alibis, plus several of them are not even in the country.”
“What should we do then?”
“Don’t worry for now, since they’ve kidnapped the child, they will definitely call you for ransom.
For now, the only thing we can do is wait for the kidnapper’s call.
Our staff is also still tracking that vehicle.
Their license plates are fake and they have avoided many surveillance routes, so it will take some time.”
“But it’s almost been two hours.”
Su He looked at Captain Chen and said, “Captain Chen, could you send me the video of the kidnapper taking the child?”
Captain Chen: “Sure, just a moment.”
“Xiao Li, copy that video out.”
“Okay, Captain Chen.”
After receiving the video, Su He watched it carefully, confirming that the child was wearing a necklace.
She almost forgot; before the boy returned to the country, Bai Yang had fitted a GPS chip onto the mini pistol necklace pendant worn around his neck.
Just as they located Su Baobao’s position, Jing Xuan’s phone rang.
An unfamiliar number.
“Take it,” said Su He.
Jing Xuan answered and put it on speaker.
“Hello?”
A rough male voice came through, “Ms.
Jing, right?”
“It’s me.”
“If you want your child back, then do as I say.”
“Go ahead.”
“In a bit, I will send you an address, come by yourself, remember not to let the police follow.
I know you’ve reported it.”
The man’s voice was cold and filled with warning, “If you want your child to be safe, then come alone, or else, whether you can see your lovely child again is uncertain.”
“Okay, I promise you; please don’t harm my child.”
After the other party hung up, they immediately sent over an address, which was different from the location they had just tracked on Su Baobao.
“Baobao, the addresses don’t match; where could Xixi be?”
Su He frowned, who exactly was the other party, and what were they really after?