Su Yingxia shook her head blankly.
"Dad, what Old Master Chen? I haven't heard of him."
Jiang Lizu was a little disappointed.
But upon careful consideration, he was not surprised.
The relationship between the Su family and the Chen family in the capital was very secretive. He had only learned of it by chance. It was not strange that Su Yingxia, a junior of the Su family, was unaware.
His encouragement for Jiang Shaolong to pursue Su Yingxia and marry into the Su family was precisely for this reason.
This secret might not even be known to Old Mrs. Su.
Old Master Su, who knew these things best, had passed away two years ago, possibly taking the secret to his grave.
"It's okay if you don't know. That Old Master Chen should be an old friend of your grandfather's."
"When you and Shaolong got married, didn't you run into trouble? In the end, it was Old Master Chen's casual word that made Wangyi Li Xiangbei humble himself and come to apologize!"
Su Yingxia's eyes lit up with surprise.
She didn't know the Su family had such connections.
When Wangyi Li Xiangbei caused trouble at her wedding, she had been very anxious. Later, she heard from Jiang Shaolong that the issue had been resolved.
She never expected it was through the Su family's connections.
Li Xiangbei was no ordinary person, a top ten billionaire in the country. A mere slip of his finger could have made the Su family feast.
With such a connection, what could the Su family worry about? With just a word from Old Master Chen, the Su family could secure many projects, surpassing their past glory.
"Dad, since we have this connection, why don't we ask Old Master Chen for help?"
Su Yingxia's heart completely relaxed, and she said with immense joy.
Jiang Lizu smiled, but his opinion of his daughter-in-law dropped further.
How could someone as important as Old Master Chen's favor be so cheap, something one could just ask for?
The last time, if Li Xiangbei hadn't acted so ruthlessly, causing the Jiang family's assets to halve, he wouldn't have had to swallow his pride and seek help from the Chen family in the capital.
However, since Su Yingxia was a junior of the Su family whom Old Master Chen remembered by name, this connection had to be utilized well.
Whether the Jiang family could rise might depend on this opportunity, and they couldn't afford to miss it.
"Yingxia, Dad has something else to tell you. When I went to the capital to see Old Master Chen last time, he asked about you!"
Su Yingxia was taken aback, then her face broke into a smile.
She didn't know why, but the fact that Old Master Chen inquired about her meant he paid special attention to her!
"However, for a prominent figure like Old Master Chen, favors are not easily granted."
Jiang Lizu stood up and said, "Unless it's absolutely necessary, we shouldn't easily ask for help. I'm telling you this so you're mentally prepared. It would be best if Shaolong's matter could be resolved easily."
"If not, I might have to ask you to make a phone call!"
"You wait for news at home. I'll go and find connections to help Shaolong."
With that, Jiang Lizu got up and drove away.
Su Yingxia sat in the villa, her mood completely changed. She was contemplating how to make Old Master Chen in the capital help the Su and Jiang families, and how to truly become a young mistress of a prominent family.
Two hours later, at the Hanjiang Grand Hotel.
Jiang Lizu's brows furrowed again.
"Staff Officer Xie, you mean to say that no one from the war zone has been out in the past few days from the Hangjiang branch?"
Staff Officer Xie, who was drinking nearby, shook his head and said,
"It's possible that one or two soldiers took leave to go out. I'd have to check their leave forms. As for large-scale exercises or other actions, I can assure you, Mr. Jiang, there were none!"
Since this Staff Officer Xie was willing to do him the favor of attending the banquet, he wouldn't lie for no reason. Jiang Lizu became a little flustered.
Could it be someone impersonating people from the war zone who abducted his son?
But that seemed impossible. How could kidnappers be fully armed and not demand ransom?
"What if it was twenty or thirty soldiers, all armed with firearms?"
Jiang Lizu asked.
"How is that possible?"
Staff Officer Xie was astonished and said, "This isn't the border, how could such a thing happen?"
"Exactly, Old Jiang. This is Jiangnan!"
The guests at the same table also chuckled.
"However, I can confirm that the night before last, a squad of soldiers appeared with weapons. Judging by their movements and demeanor, it was definitely not fake!"
Having said that much, Jiang Lizu insisted,
"Haha, Old Jiang, you're joking, right?"
"Could it be that some major bandits came to Hangjiang, and the war zone is cooperating with the police?"
Staff Officer Xie said with finality, "Absolutely no possibility of that!"
Jiang Lizu said, "I have surveillance footage as proof, and there were witnesses who saw those soldiers taking people away."
The accompanying guests laughed it off, still not believing it.
Staff Officer Xie, however, seemed to recall something and said thoughtfully, "Mr. Jiang, for what reason were they taken, and who were they?"
"To be frank, Staff Officer Xie, one of them was my nephew. That's why I invited you to dinner today."
Jiang Lizu stopped hiding and said, "As for the reason, I'm still unsure. I was hoping you could help me inquire."
Staff Officer Xie looked at Jiang Lizu, then suddenly put down his wine glass and stood up.
"Mr. Jiang, thank you for the hospitality. I have other matters to attend to, so I'll leave for today."
With that, he actually turned to leave.
Jiang Lizu's heart sank, and he was dumbfounded.
He hadn't expected Staff Officer Xie to react this way, which shocked him immensely.
He quickly winked at his old friend who had arranged the meeting, picked up the gift, and chased after him.
"Staff Officer Xie, please stay. This is just a small token of my appreciation!"
His old friend also quickly followed and said, "Old Xie, Old Xie, Mr. Jiang is a good friend of mine. Why are you in such a hurry? After dinner, we can still have tea."
Staff Officer Xie ignored them. After leaving the private room, he stopped at the end of the corridor where no one was around.
After looking left and right, Staff Officer Xie lowered his voice and said, "Old Gu, Mr. Jiang, it's not that I'm putting on airs, but I'm just a small staff officer, and some trouble is beyond my capacity."
Jiang Lizu was profoundly shaken.
Old Gu also smiled apologetically and repeatedly assured him that the conversation would not be leaked.
Staff Officer Xie then said, "If what Mr. Jiang just said is true, then there's only one possibility."
"The war zone force that took Mr. Jiang's nephew is not from the Hangjiang branch."
"There are other war zone forces on the ground in Hangjiang?"
Old Gu asked incredulously.
Staff Officer Xie nodded and said, "Very few people know about this, but I happen to know a little."
"Recently, a small team called the 'Raptor Brigade' arrived in Hangjiang. Their leader's surname is Qin, and his background is said to be extraordinary."
"If Mr. Jiang's nephew was taken by them, he should have been taken to temporary camp number three!"
He gave Jiang Lizu a deep look and said, "This is all I can say. Goodbye."
Watching Staff Officer Xie leave in a hurry, Jiang Lizu's entire heart sank to the bottom.
The more vague he was, the more Jiang Lizu knew this matter was troublesome.
He couldn't understand why the trouble Jiang Shaolong had gotten into kept escalating.