Ding Ze Qi placed the dinner he had prepared on the table in the room. The food was quite decent, one meat dish, two vegetable dishes, and a soup.
However, the portions were not very large, likely considering Lin Yan's modest appetite as a woman, so not much was prepared.
"It seems Station Chief Ding is quite familiar with me," Lin Yan said, looking at the dishes. They were all her favorites. This group had clearly investigated her habits thoroughly.
"To serve Miss Lin, one must, of course, be prepared in advance."
Ding Ze Qi smiled subserviently. Although he knew she might be angry, he didn't feel their actions were excessive.
Even though they had indeed been following Lin Yan for a while, wasn't that to understand Miss Lin better?
"It's fortunate Station Chief Ding has come, saving me the trouble of sending for you." Lin Yan walked to the desk and handed the letter and list she had written to Ding Ze Qi.
"Please give this letter and the list to my father, and have my wet nurse prepare the items on the list for me."
"Miss Lin, rest assured, we will deliver the items you need to you very quickly. We will also inform your esteemed father and prevent him from worrying."
Ding Ze Qi accepted the letter and the list, readily agreeing. "Miss Lin, please enjoy your meal. I shall not disturb you further. I will have someone come to clean up shortly."
The letter and list were left openly by Lin Yan. She didn't mind Ding Ze Qi and his men looking at them; she couldn't prevent it anyway, so it was better to let them see openly.
After Ding Ze Qi took possession of the letter and list, he summoned some of his subordinates who were skilled in cryptography. He handed them the letter and the list.
They studied them repeatedly for a long time and found that they were just ordinary correspondence.
However, they dared not present them to Father Lin directly. So, they had someone skilled in handwriting imitation rewrite the letter and the list. They altered the formatting and the size of the characters.
"It appears Miss Lin is quite cooperative now, but we must not let our guard down. She is no ordinary woman," Ding Ze Qi instructed his subordinates.
"Understood, Station Chief. But why don't we just procure these items ourselves? That way, we won't have to worry about further complications," one of the subordinates suggested.
"She is a true lady of status. If we don't provide her with the things she is accustomed to, and she gets angry and becomes uncooperative because of it, who will bear the consequences?" another voiced his concern.
"Let's prepare them as she requested. It won't take much effort, and her father is a government official, so he should understand our position," Ding Ze Qi said, rubbing his temples.
He hadn't had a good rest for many days due to this Miss Lin. Although he appeared relaxed, that Mr. Du was not to be trifled with. To snatch Lin Yan from his grasp was no easy feat.
"Station Chief, the letter is ready," the handwriting imitation specialist handed the letter to Ding Ze Qi.
"Then have it delivered to the Lin Mansion as soon as possible. The driver should have already returned, and we can't let Minister Lin worry for too long."
After glancing at the letter, Ding Ze Qi handed it to one of his subordinates.
Uncle Qian had already returned to the Lin Mansion. He was visibly panicked. Upon his return, he immediately contacted Father Lin and the couple Lin Tong.
"What did you say? Yan Yan was taken away!" Father Lin rushed back home. As soon as he saw the flustered Uncle Qian and the anxious Mama Zhang, they treated him as their anchor.
"Yes, Mr. Lin. The boss was taken away. They had guns, and the boss seemed to know the leader," Uncle Qian quickly recounted everything he knew.
"You're saying Yan Yan knows the person who took her?"
"Yes, I saw the boss talking to him, which is why I didn't get out of the car. By the time I realized something was wrong and got out, someone had a gun pointed at me from behind. I didn't dare resist, and then they knocked me unconscious."
"Master, who took our young lady? Will she be in danger?" Mama Zhang was very worried.
"Old Qian, go to the Peace Hotel and inform Mr. Du's men. However, Mr. Du's people were protecting Yan Yan. They should already know. Go and ask them if they know who took Yan Yan.
Mr. Du has more manpower, so it will be easier to find her." Father Lin tried to calm himself down. Panicking now would solve nothing.
"Mama Zhang, go tell Brother Tong and An Ran not to worry. Yan Yan should be fine. They came directly to take her, rather than using force, so Yan Yan should be alright."
Father Lin recalled what Yan Yan had told him last time she returned, about meeting someone at a banquet. He seemed to have some understanding of who had taken Lin Yan.
But that made it even more dangerous. If Lin Yan were taken to Nanjing, given the current incompetence and corruption of the government, although Lin Yan would receive attention, she would lose her freedom and could become a focal point of contention among various factions.
His Yan Yan absolutely could not end up in such a situation. But now, all he could rely on was Mr. Du's people.
He hoped they hadn't taken Lin Yan out of Shanghai yet. Mr. Du's subordinates came from all walks of life, so they should be able to find Yan Yan quickly.
Not long after, the couple Lin Tong also returned. Although Mama Zhang had told them not to worry, how could they not be anxious with Lin Yan being taken away!
Although Father Lin felt that worrying was useless now, he was very pleased that Lin Tong and the others cared so much about Lin Yan. They sat in the living room on the first floor, anxiously awaiting news from Mr. Du's side.
Mr. Du learned of Lin Yan's abduction not long after it happened. He was furious. Lin Yan was currently a trump card in his hand. To have her taken away from under his nose was equivalent to being slapped in the face.
The individuals who had been guarding Lin Yan were now kneeling before Mr. Du. Those assigned to protect Lin Yan were all Mr. Du's trusted confidants. Now that Lin Yan had been taken, they were inexcusable.
They all knew Lin Yan's importance, so they understood the magnitude of their mistake. Now, they could only hope that Mr. Du would show leniency for their loyalty and give them a chance to redeem themselves.
"Sir, the driver from Mr. Lin's residence came to the Peace Hotel to inquire about Mr. Lin," a subordinate entered and stood at attention before Mr. Du.
"Tell him that I have already sent people to search for Mr. Lin and will do my utmost to bring Mr. Lin back safely as soon as possible."
"Yes, sir. I will relay your response to him immediately." The subordinate left promptly after receiving Mr. Du's instructions.
"This matter cannot be entirely blamed on you," Mr. Du said, trying to calm himself. "But your mistake cannot be overlooked lightly.
The fact that information about Mr. Lin could be leaked to outsiders indicates that there is a mole among those who knew Mr. Lin's whereabouts. I will give you an opportunity to redeem yourselves: find this mole!"
"Yes, sir!"