Chapter 67

After reading the message, Shen Yan called Ling Sicheng.

The call connected quickly.

“Are you up? I’m in a meeting with a bunch of old guys and can’t answer the phone,” Ling Sicheng’s voice was low, seemingly trying not to be heard by those around him.

Meeting with the board members, it was understandable that he couldn’t speak freely.

Shen Yan chuckled, “Then go ahead with your meeting, I won’t disturb you.”

“Alright, I’ll send you the restaurant address in a bit. Can you go there on your own?”

“Of course. Don’t treat me like a useless person like Su Yunzhe does, okay? Alright, I’m hanging up.”

Shen Yan thought it was a bit strange that Ling Sicheng had invited him out for a meal. He knew that Shen Yan was lazy and picky about food, not wanting to eat out much.

Perhaps he was overthinking it. Ling Sicheng probably didn’t have time to cook for him and knew he wouldn’t cook either, so he found a restaurant with sour and spicy dishes that he might like.

It was also convenient since Shen Yan was planning to go out and buy some things to decorate the house. So, he left early, had breakfast at a nearby tea restaurant, and then went shopping.

At 10:30 AM, Ling Sicheng sent him the restaurant address. After receiving it, Shen Yan directly took the subway there.

When he exited the subway, he realized the place was a bit secluded. According to the map, the restaurant was still some distance from the subway entrance.

Following the navigation, he walked for another ten minutes, only to find himself in an increasingly deserted area, the road turning into a narrow alley with few people around.

He knew some private restaurants deliberately chose such secluded locations to maintain a unique, high-class feel, but Shen Yan still felt something was off.

Suddenly, the messages from Ling Sicheng that he received earlier in the morning flashed in his mind.

Something didn’t add up!

How could Ling Sicheng have sent a message at 6 AM asking if he wanted breakfast?

Ling Sicheng knew he wouldn’t get up that early.

But the call had been answered by Ling Sicheng himself.

What was going on?

His mind became a bit muddled, but he chose to trust his instincts.

He turned quickly and headed back to the main road, while pulling out his phone.

His first instinct was to call Su Yunzhe, but since Su Yunzhe was abroad, it would be useless.

Should he call the police?

Intuitively, Shen Yan felt that the police wouldn’t take him seriously.

Qin Mofeng!

He dialed Qin Mofeng’s number.

At that moment, Qin Mofeng, who was studying materials for a job interview with Duan Corporation, was focused on his work when his phone suddenly rang. He answered, irritated.

“Hello? Hello? Who is this? Why are you disturbing me while I’m studying?”

He shouted for a while but got no response. Glancing at the screen, he saw it was Shen Yan’s name.

Immediately, his annoyance faded and he smiled. “Yan Mei, why aren’t you speaking? Were you scared by my tone just now? It’s just that I was really focused and didn’t notice who was calling. I thought it was some idiot. Yan Mei?”

He shouted again, but there was still no response. The call was ongoing, but there was no sound from the other side.

Qin Mofeng frowned, thinking that Shen Yan might have accidentally dialed him, not realizing it.

It made sense since Shen Yan rarely contacted him directly, especially with Su Yunzhe out of the country.

That guy Su Yunzhe was such a jealous man, even treating him, his childhood friend, like an outsider.

Qin Mofeng silently cursed in his mind, but then the thought hit him.

Since Shen Yan never called him, how could it have been an accident?

If it was an accidental dial, it would either be because he had a shortcut set up for Qin Mofeng or it would be someone he frequently contacted recently, not someone from the middle of his contact list.

Which meant Shen Yan had intentionally called him. But why wasn’t he speaking?

He quickly dialed back, and the phone rang for a long time with no answer.

Growing more concerned, Qin Mofeng realized that Shen Yan was pregnant, and wondered if he might have fallen or something. He called Ling Sicheng.

He knew that since Su Yunzhe was abroad, Ling Sicheng was taking care of Shen Yan.

But the call was immediately disconnected.

Qin Mofeng quickly sent a message: “I wasn’t trying to reach you, isn’t Shen Yan with you? He’s not alone at home, right?”

Ling Sicheng: “He’s with me.”

Qin Mofeng sighed in relief, then sent another message: “Did he call me for something? Why wasn’t he speaking?”

Ling Sicheng: “He dialed by mistake.”

Really? Was it really a mistake? Qin Mofeng thought for a moment and sent another message: “Can you let him pick up? I need to talk to him.”

After sending it, he dialed Shen Yan’s number again, but no one answered.

He tried calling Ling Sicheng, but the phone was turned off.

Panic spread through Qin Mofeng, and he broke into a cold sweat. What was going on?

He immediately rushed out, having Shen Yan’s phone located while continuing to call him, his mind racing with countless terrifying thoughts.

Soon, Shen Yan’s phone was located—it wasn’t at home.

Qin Mofeng drove straight to the location, only to find Shen Yan’s phone lying on the ground. He searched the area thoroughly but found nothing else, not even Shen Yan.

He tried asking nearby people, but no one had seen him. Most of the houses in the area were about to be demolished, and there were very few residents left.

What was going on?

Qin Mofeng’s mind was in chaos.

Why would Shen Yan’s phone be dropped in such a remote place?

Had something happened when he was trying to call him?

No, it must be that Shen Yan had already sensed the danger and tried to reach out, but it was too late to speak.

In a panic, Qin Mofeng called the police, then tried to call Su Yunzhe, but the line didn’t connect. He couldn’t help but curse under his breath. He quickly called Su Mubei and his father, asking them to do whatever it took to find Shen Yan.

He immediately drove to the Duan family mansion.

Ling Sicheng, what did this mean?

Shen Yan was clearly in trouble, yet Ling Sicheng had just lied to him, claiming they were together. Why would he lie like that?

Could it be…

Qin Mofeng didn’t dare to finish the thought—could it be that the person he liked was trying to harm his best friend’s wife?

No matter what, he had to find Ling Sicheng as soon as possible to get to the bottom of this.

But when he arrived at the Duan family mansion, he was told by the housekeeper that Ling Sicheng had been with Shen Yan since Monday and hadn’t returned since.

Qin Mofeng turned to leave, planning to search for Ling Sicheng at his old apartment, but he ran into Secretary Wu, who was surprised to hear he was looking for Ling Sicheng. “Isn’t Master Sicheng staying at Shen Yan’s place? Last night, the meeting ran late, and I suggested he stay in a nearby hotel, but he couldn’t leave Shen Yan alone at home. He went back to check on him in the early morning.”

“What happened after that? Did he contact you?” Qin Mofeng pressed.

Secretary Wu shook his head. “No. Why? Is there something urgent you need to talk to him about? You can try calling him.”

Qin Mofeng shook his head. “His phone’s off. To be honest, Shen Yan has gone missing, and it seems to be connected to Ling Sicheng.”

Secretary Wu was startled. “Shen Yan’s missing? What do you mean? Are you saying Master Sicheng did something? That’s impossible. He and Shen Yan are good friends, and Master Sicheng isn’t that kind of person.”

“But Shen Yan is in danger, and Ling Sicheng just lied to me, saying they were together. His phone’s off, and I can’t find him. Why lie?” Qin Mofeng’s frustration grew.

He didn’t want to believe Ling Sicheng could do such a thing, but what about the messages? And why would Shen Yan go to such a place alone? He must have been with someone he trusted!

That person could only be Ling Sicheng.

Qin Mofeng didn’t want to believe it, but reason told him there was no one else but Ling Sicheng.

Secretary Wu shook his head. “No, that’s impossible. I don’t believe it. Master Sicheng would never…”

“Excuse me, does Ling Sicheng live here?”

At that moment, a police car pulled up outside, and two plainclothes officers got out, flashing their badges.

“We received a report about a missing person and would like to ask Master Sicheng for assistance in the investigation.”

Qin Mofeng froze. “Shen Yan? I was the one who reported it. Officers, have you found any clues?”

After calling the police, Qin Mofeng had left one of his friends at the scene, leaving Shen Yan’s phone behind to be handed over to the authorities, and he rushed here immediately.

To his surprise, the police had also come straight to find Ling Sicheng. Clearly, the investigation was connected to him.

Qin Mofeng couldn’t describe his emotions at that moment.

The police, upon receiving the report, had rushed to the scene but found no leads. However, they had managed to crack the password on Shen Yan’s phone, and after reviewing his call history and social media activity, their focus turned to Ling Sicheng, as he was the last person contacted.

“We followed the location on WeChat but didn’t find any private restaurant in that area. In fact, the area is being demolished soon, and no businesses would be opening there. So, we suspect the person deliberately deceived the victim into going there.”

Qin Mofeng nearly collapsed.

Earlier, he kept trying to convince himself it was just a coincidence and that Ling Sicheng wasn’t the type to do something like this.

But now, the evidence was right in front of him: Ling Sicheng had lured Shen Yan to that location.

What was Ling Sicheng planning? What did he intend to do to Shen Yan?

“But, officer, Master Sicheng left the company around midnight and went straight to Shen Yan’s house. How does this fit with the later information?” Secretary Wu asked.

“For now, we are only making assumptions based on this information, and we cannot take it as fact. That’s why we need to speak to Ling Sicheng directly to clarify the situation. Is he here?”

Secretary Wu shook his head. “Actually, we can’t reach him right now.”

With the messages and Ling Sicheng’s disappearance, all suspicion pointed toward him. The police immediately intensified their search for Ling Sicheng.

Meanwhile, the Su and Qin families, with their wide networks, were also using all methods to locate Shen Yan.

But as time ticked away, two hours passed with no progress.

At that moment, Shen Yan slowly regained consciousness. He found himself in a dark room, bound to a chair with tape over his mouth.

Across from him, another chair was occupied by Ling Sicheng, who was also bound, his face and body covered with bruises. It was unclear whether he was asleep or unconscious.

It seemed that Ling Sicheng was in trouble, too.

Shen Yan had suspected something was wrong with the WeChat messages, and when he tried to dial Qin Mofeng’s number, someone had smothered him from behind with a cloth soaked in something. He quickly lost consciousness.

 

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